Do your cat's eyes appear red and irritated? Usually, cats with red eyes will scratch and rub their paw against their eyes, making it clear that their eyes are itchy. You may also see some discharge from the eyes or notice that your cat is barely able to keep their eyes open. If your cat is struggling with these symptoms, they need to see a vet. Here are some of the treatments a vet may administer, depending on what they find to be the cause of your cat's eye irritation.
Antibiotics
Many cases of red, itchy eyes are caused by a bacterial infection. There are bacteria all over the average cat's environment, including inside the litter box and on your carpets. If your cat gets some of these infectious bacteria on their paw and then touches their eye, an eye infection could result. Usually, bacterial infections cause a lot of discharge in addition to redness. A vet can diagnose a bacterial eye infection by taking a swab of the eye discharge. If they do find a bacterial infection, they'll give you antibiotic eye drops to give your cat. Sometimes, the antibiotics may be in the form of a gel or cream instead. In either case, the vet will show you how to administer the antibiotics, which is something you'll need to do at home for at least a week.
Antihistamines
Sometimes red eyes in cats are the result of allergies. Your cat may be allergic to dust mites in the indoor air, or to pollen that is coming in from outdoors. Long-term, limiting your cat's exposure to these allergens will be important. But in the short term, the vet will likely recommend giving your cat an antihistamine, such as diphenhydramine. This should ease allergy symptoms, up to and including red eyes.
Steroids
There is a chance that your cat scratched their cornea, which is the outermost layer of the eye. If the vet sees a corneal scratch, which they can with a special microscope tool, then they may give you steroid cream or eye drops to put in your cat's eye. This will help speed the healing of the corneal scratch, easing the redness and irritation. Usually, steroids are used in conjunction with antibiotics when there is a corneal scratch.
If your kitty has red eyes, they should see the vet. Chances are, one or more of the treatments above will soon have them right as rain.
For more info, contact a local vet.
