Cat has deep scratch on its eyeball. Anyone else dealt with this?

[Lovelyview]

Our cat has a deep cut on its eyeball. Apparently the cornea has three layers and the cut has penetrated the top two. The vet has given us a regime of eyedrops (4 different kinds) as well as painkillers. The cat is fairly comfortable. There is an option for surgery but we're looking at a specialist and a cost of around £2,000 - £2,500 (no insurance but we do have £2,000 in a savings account for vets bills for our two cats). I have opted for eye drops and wait and see until we go back on Friday. Anyone else have direct experience of this? What was the outcome?

[KestrelMoon]

Eyes heal really fast. So long as the eye is kept clean and you have the right eye drops and cat cooperates with you administering them, no surgery is needed. Especially if you can keep your cat indoors for the first week.

[Lovelyview]

@KestrelMoon

Eyes heal really fast. So long as the eye is kept clean and you have the right eye drops and cat cooperates with you administering them, no surgery is needed. Especially if you can keep your cat indoors for the first week.

Thank You! Cat is co-operating (he's a complete softy, I wonder if he knows I'm trying to help) and seems happy to be indoors. He does usually go out but has been an indoor cat in the past. I'll see what the vet says on Friday but hopefully the eye drops will be enough.

[Toddlerteaplease]

Yes. This happened to my usually dopey Persian after an altercation with another cat. I didn't realise until
Three days later when I discovered an abscess on her cheek and took her to the OOH vet. Her eyeball was punctured and deflated. She spent a week in the vet, on 4X daily eyedrops. And it healed beautifully. No need for surgery. She could have come home, but I work 12 hour shifts and she had to have the drops 4 times, so it was the only way.
It's a good job it did heal, as she has an ulcer a couple of years later on the other eye and lost it.

[Lovelyview]

@Toddlerteaplease

Yes. This happened to my usually dopey Persian after an altercation with another cat. I didn't realise until
Three days later when I discovered an abscess on her cheek and took her to the OOH vet. Her eyeball was punctured and deflated. She spent a week in the vet, on 4X daily eyedrops. And it healed beautifully. No need for surgery. She could have come home, but I work 12 hour shifts and she had to have the drops 4 times, so it was the only way.
It's a good job it did heal, as she has an ulcer a couple of years later on the other eye and lost it.

Thanks for that. It sounds even worse than my cat's injury. Fortunately, I work at home so can stick to the regime pretty well.

[Lovelyview]

@Lovelyview

Thanks for that. It sounds even worse than my cat's injury. Fortunately, I work at home so can stick to the regime pretty well.

The regime we're on is one set of drops every hour, one set three times a day and one set four times a day plus an oral painkiller once a day. Sounds a bit much compared to your cat's experience but hopefully the vet knows what she's doing.

[Toddlerteaplease]

When she had her eye ulcer, I was offered a few options. But it wouldn't have been fair to her, and she was in pain. So I had the eye removed. The healing was tricky. But she never looked back, and managed fine with one eye. I'd do that rather than any complicated expensive surgery if it came too it. She had beautiful eyes and I was gutted. But it was the best thing for her.

[Toddlerteaplease]

Your drops regime sounds similar, I think she was on two or three different drops at first. The advantage of her staying at the vet, was that it was examined every day.

[KestrelMoon]

@Lovelyview

The regime we're on is one set of drops every hour, one set three times a day and one set four times a day plus an oral painkiller once a day. Sounds a bit much compared to your cat's experience but hopefully the vet knows what she's doing.

Sounds similar to what my cat had. They had tangled with a bird that caught them on the eye. The surgery was recommended to me as a “If you can’t guarantee you and cat can stick to the eye drops schedule, then this is an option..” my cat didn’t have oral painkillers, I think one of the eye drops had pain killer in it? I know they were also antibiotic, steroid, moisturising and so on. It was years ago.

[KestrelMoon]

Funnily enough my cat only birdwatches now. Not at all tempted to hunt them🤣

[Lovelyview]

@KestrelMoon

Funnily enough my cat only birdwatches now. Not at all tempted to hunt them🤣

Lesson learnt! 😂

[TheYearOfSmallThings]

My parents' cat had this years ago - we had to do drops and also an ointment that had to be squeezed onto the open eye. We were lucky it was that cat (lovely disposition) because our other cats would have cut us to ribbons for trying it. His eye healed up beautifully, no issues.

[DrMaryMalone]

Our cat had the same a few years ago. Our vet actually made eye drops from the plasma in our cats blood to treat it and it worked very well. Might be something to ask your vet about?

[Phillipa12]

My dog has just had a deep eye ulcer, it took 6 weeks of drops. My old cat had an ulcer, it penetrated too deeply and he ended up with a corneal skin graft. (Ulcer cut out and skin moved across to cover). Still had vision in the part of eye that wasn't affected.

[Toddlerteaplease]

@Phillipa12 ah that was what my cat was offered. Although I immediately refused it as it would have been right for her. So I ever knew what it actually involved.

[MadKittenWoman]

@Toddlerteaplease

When she had her eye ulcer, I was offered a few options. But it wouldn't have been fair to her, and she was in pain. So I had the eye removed. The healing was tricky. But she never looked back, and managed fine with one eye. I'd do that rather than any complicated expensive surgery if it came too it. She had beautiful eyes and I was gutted. But it was the best thing for her.

Our Miriel had cancer and had to have her eye removed. We were devastated but it was the best thing for her. She refused to wear the cone of shame and never bothered with the wound. She's much happier now without it, as apparently the pressure would have been giving her a massive, constant headache. It hasn't affected her life at all; she still jumps on walls, plays with toys and fights other neighbouring cats!

[Lovelyview]

Just a quick update. Cat's eye has healed beautifully. Thanks for the advice and sharing your experiences.