gunky cats eyes

[CiderMonkey]

I have a cat and she's very old. she has just recently been getting very gunky eyes. she doesn't seem to be too bothered by this though. Should i take her to the vet or just clean her eyes for her?

Also, she seems to be moving about a lot more slowly and stiffly which I had put down to old age. I am assuming she isn't in pain as she isn't making any 'ouch' noises. Could i be wrong?

[butter1]

not sure CiderMonkey.  I think I would suggest taking her to the vets....just to put your mind at rest.  There's not harm just getting her checked over.

[undercovers]

my cat used to get regularly gunky eyes in later life, i'm sorry to say it was the precurser to a serious down turn in his health - as he got older he got these more and more - I took to cleaning his eyes twice a day with warm salt water (even if they were fine) - he really liked this (guess it was like being licked) and it stopped the gunk coming back. Take her down the vet to make sure she's alright and take their advice, if its bad they will take a blood test etc. I really hope it all works out for you and is nothing serious... all the best undercovers

[dawnshields]

Hi Cidermonkey,

I am a vet nurse and I am worried that undercovers could have really scared you. Yes it is true that you are best to take your cat to a vet just to get her checked out. However, there are lots of explanations for gunky eyes and doesn't neccessarily mean a "precursor for serious downturn in health". It is very common for older cats to just get more eye gunk, with no other meaning, also if she is stiff then it will be harder for her to clean it. It could be clamydia which is common in cats and easy to treat.
Obviously you know that she is old and her health will start to deteriorate and looking after an elderly cat means being more vigilant to signs and more regular trips to the vets to make sure she is ok. You clearly love your cat very much and I hope everything goes well.

[dawnshields]

I would also just like to add that cats when in pain don't always make a lot of noise or any in fact. Many cats will often purr when in pain, I still haven't figured out why but its quite a well known fact in the veterinary world.
I am not saying that your cat is in pain, just thought it was worth you knowing.

[CiderMonkey]

dawnsheilds, thats certainly handy to know that cats don't always make sound when they are in pain. I had always assumed i would know if she was in pain. Glad to hear that eye gunk can happen due to old age in cats. If it starts to get really bad i will probably take her to the vet. Many thanks