Understanding Why Your Kitten is Crying: Pet Owner's Se

When your little kitten's eyes brim with tears, it's important not to jump to conclusions that they're moved to tears or deeply saddened. While cats do express their emotions through specific behaviors, frequent tear production is often a sign of eye irritation or pathological issues. So, as a pet parent, how can you discern the cause of your cat's symptoms and handle the situation appropriately?

Part 1: Understanding Why Your Kitten is Crying

1. Foreign Body Irritation

Occasional tears may be due to dust, hair, or other foreign particles entering the eye, which can be washed away by the tears and leave no lasting effect. However, if your cat is frequently exposed to smoky environments or substances like perfume, cleaning agents, or disinfectants, these can cause eye damage and lead to persistent tear production.

2. Genetic Factors

Cats with flatfaced breeds like Persians and Exotics often suffer from a unique facial structure that prevents tears from draining through the nasolacrimal ducts, leading to frequent tears and tear stains.

3. Eye Infection

Redness, excessive discharge, frequent blinking, photophobia, and even puslike secretions can indicate an eye infection, such as conjunctivitis, blepharitis, or keratitis. These may be caused by mechanical irritation, allergies, secondary infections from nearby tissues, or viral infections.

Part 2: How to Diagnose the Cause

1. Observe Behavior: Look out for signs of your cat rubbing its eyes frequently or avoiding light, which could be signs of discomfort.

2. Examine the Eyes: Gently pull back your cat's eyelids to check for redness, discharge, or any other abnormalities.

3. Monitor Diet and Mental State: While tears are primarily related to the eyes, a holistic view of your cat's overall health is crucial.

Part 3: Correct Response Measures

● Simple Tear Production/Lacrimation

If your cat is only occasionally shedding tears or has developed tear stains due to frequent tears, it's often related to diet, foreign body irritation, or nasal duct blockage.

① Clean your cat's tears and eye boogers with saline solution daily to prevent bacterial growth.

② Adjust your cat's diet to avoid highfat and overly salty foods.

③ Keep your cat's living environment clean to avoid dust and foreign particles getting into its eyes.

● Eye Inflammation

If your cat has red, inflamed eyes, blinks frequently, and has excessive discharge, it's likely suffering from eye inflammation. You can use Beranming (neomycin sulfate eye drops) to control the eye inflammation, applying 3 to 5 times a day, 1 to 2 drops each time, for 5 to 7 days.

If home remedies don't work or your cat has cloudy corneas, it's best to seek veterinary care promptly.

● Eye Inflammation, Lacrimation, and Rhinitis

If your cat also exhibits symptoms like sneezing, runny nose, listlessness, and loss of appetite, it may indicate that the eye inflammation is related to viral infections, such as herpesvirus or calicivirus.

① Alternate the use of neomycin sulfate eye drops and famciclovir eye drops.

② Administer Knorja (amoxicillin clavulanate potassium) for inflammation.

③ Feed your cat Antitri (IgY antibody factor) and Llysine tablets to boost immunity.

④ Use interferon and antiviral drugs like virucide to inhibit viral replication.

In summary, your cat's tears can be caused by a variety of factors. As pet parents, it's essential to take these symptoms seriously, conduct thorough checks, and seek veterinary advice when needed. With this information, we hope you have a clearer understanding of why your cat is crying. If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to consult a veterinarian.