Your assistant can cup her against your chest or place both hands on either side of the cat. Your assistant should put your cat in a position where she feels relaxed.
Do this by making a “C-shape” with your forefinger and thumb; place your cat’s chin on your thumb and place your forefinger over her forehead.
Cats do this in response to eye irritation or discomfort, so the smaller eye bears closer examination later as it may be the problem eye.
Compare one eye with another. Both should appear the same, and the whites of both eyes should not be inflamed. Look for any large angry blood vessels threading over the white of your cat’s eyes. If one eye is redder than the other, this is likely to be your cat’s problem eye. If both eyes are red it could indicate a more general problem such as an eye infection, but it is also possible your cat may have an anatomical problem that is affecting both of her eyes.
A common eye problem in cats is a narrow or blocked tear duct within the eyelid. Because your cat’s tears cannot drain away they may spill over her cheek and leave a rust-colored stain.
You need good eyesight to examine your cat’s eyelids, as you’ll be looking at your cat’s eyelashes and for any stray hairs. So if you are farsighted, put on your glasses before you start the examination with the pen light.
If you aren’t sure what a normal eyelid looks like, study your own eyelids in the mirror. You will notice your eyelashes point away from your eye, and your eyelid has a narrow rim of hairless skin which rests against the cornea. As you blink, your eyelid will travel parallel to the cornea without digging in.
If just one hair is rolling inwards, give your cat’s eye a wipe with a moist towel or cotton ball. Your cat may just have one stray loose hair that comes away easily. Most anatomical problems on cats involve their whole eyelid, in which case a whole row of lashes will turn inward rather than just one eyelash.
A common eye problem for cats is cysts that develop on the leading edge (far edge) of their eyelid. These cysts look like round fleshy beads stuck onto the cat’s eyelid.
Entropion is the turning in of the eyelids. It can affect both of your cat’s eyelids or just one eyelid. This turning in happens because of excessive skin that pushes your cat’s eyelid up into a scroll shape. The two most common other conditions to look for are eyelid cysts (bumps along the smooth line of the eyelid) or poor tear duct drainage (constant wetness beneath the cat’s eyes. ) To check the lower eyelid you will gently pull downward, and to check the upper eyelid you will gently pull upward. This will help to move your cat’s eyelid away from the cornea. In a normal eyelid, the pink lining of the eyelid will be revealed. If your cat has entropion, you will be taking up slack skin, rather than dragging on the eyelid, so it will be more difficult to expose the inner pink lining of your cat’s eye.
Keep in mind that many cats do not show discomfort due to entropion, because they have gotten used to having the condition and are not aware this may be an issue that can be fixed.
This dye is safe and non-irritating. It will drain via the tear ducts to the tip of the nose and inside the upper lip, leaving a green stain. If the tear ducts are blocked, the dye will spill over your cat’s face, leaving an orange stain. To treat blocked tear ducts, it is possible to flush them by placing a fine catheter into the duct and washing them through with sterile saline. However, your cat will need to be anesthetized during this procedure.
