One of my cats is keeping one eye shut

So it's definitely a foreign body then, thank goodness!

Thanks for your replies, Kio greeted me when I got back with her eye wide open, as if nothing was wrong.

I’ll keep an eye on her for a bit but I’m much more relieved now. 
 

Every time I’ve had a cat with a closed, red or runny eye, it’s been a vet emergency. Often it was a scratch from another cat—not even from a fight, just playing—and I know you have several cats. It could also be conjunctivitis that needs treating, or a corneal ulcer; mine were still playing and behaving normally even with those. Don’t waste any time—it’s much better to head to the vet for nothing than to wait for it to get worse. Unless you see that your girl’s eye is open and looks normal tonight (in which case it might’ve just been a bit of dust), I’d say a closed eye is always an emergency!

Thanks for your reply.

So, do you think I can wait and see how he gets on until tomorrow, provided there’s no change in his usual behaviour, and use some saline to "clean" his eye, before booking a vet appointment for early next week?

Many thanks.

Quentin

Personally, I think anything to do with the eyes is always an emergency.

Hi there,

If your cat has one eye closed but doesn't seem to be in pain, the eye looks healthy otherwise and they seem fine in themselves, then it’s not necessarily an immediate emergency. However, if you notice other local symptoms (like swelling, a change in colour, or cloudiness), or if they seem unwell in general (fever, loss of appetite, etc.), you’ll need to see a vet fairly quickly. You can try gently pulling the eyelids apart to check the state of the eye, look for any swelling, or see if there's a visible wound. But do be careful—if they're in sharp pain, even the loveliest cat might bite or scratch you. If they won't let you do it, don't force it under any circumstances, as you could make any existing injury worse.

If there hasn't been a specific incident, it’s possible they have an underlying eye condition such as conjunctivitis, entropion, keratitis, or a corneal ulcer... only a vet will be able to confirm the diagnosis. So, if the problem doesn't clear up, I’d definitely recommend getting them checked out.

Maxime