Swollen eye in older cat.

Dr. Marie replied:

These are very odd symptoms. I can't say that any particular cause for them is coming to mind.

It is really uncommon to see a red swollen eye in an older cat. A swollen eye could be because of exposure to a virus that can cause conjunctivitis. However, this should not cause her to have body twitches. Thank you for sending the video. Unfortunately I can't really see your cat well on it. It's hard to say whether this is some type of seizure or perhaps shaking because of pain.

A sudden red, swollen eye in an older cat could be a sign of a tumor behind the eye, an abscess behind the eye (called a retrobulbar abscess) or possibly a serious dental problem. Another possibility is that she has scratched her eye somehow and has a corneal ulcer.

All of these are pretty serious and I would recommend an emergency visit unfortunately. If there is an ulcer on the eye and we wait too long it can be the difference between treating with a few drops and possibly needing surgery or even losing all of her vision in this eye.

If you do go to emergency, you can tell them that for today you only want the essentials done. They will likely assess the eye and can give medication for pain if that seems warranted. If possible, they may be able to defer any necessary tests until you can see your regular vet during regular office hours.

If you do find out what is going on, feel free to post back here and let me know.

I hope things work out ok.

Dr. Marie


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Dr. Marie replied:

My apologies for the delay. I wasn't online very much yesterday with it being a Sunday.

Thank you for sending me the photo of your beautiful cat. :)



While I can't say for certain what this is without examining the eye it really looks like hyphema. Hyphema in cats in another way of saying that there is blood in the front chamber of the eye. There are several possible reasons, but none that fully explain her other symptoms.

High blood pressure, otherwise known as hypertension can cause hyphema. Some cats can have high blood pressure as a result of hyperthryoidism and can also have heart problems at the same time. This can cause some things that look like seizures...but really shouldn't cause drooling.

A tumor in the eye would be my biggest concern. It wouldn't directly cause drooling, but if there is a tumor in one place, there can be tumors in other places as well. It may be that something is affecting her mouth as well and causing the drooling and maybe affecting her brain and causing the tremors.

Please do update me once you have had her checked again. I wish I had more answers for you but it does sound like something serious unfortunately.

Dr. Marie.