Expert: Tina - 1/16/2007

Question
I have two male Siamese cats. Both seem to be in good health. However, both constantly have mucus in the corner of their eyes. I would describe it as "sleep" in their eyes in human terms. The mucus crusts over in the corner of the eye and does not cause any problems with their eyes swelling, or sticking shut. Whenever I clean the crusty part from their eyes, it always pulls out a 'string' of mucus with it. My vet didn't seem too concerned with it the last time I brought it up. Again, there is no swelling or puffiness in their eyes. One cat's eyes does appear slightly red at times. Should I be concerned and have them checked out by another vet?

Answer
Hi Shawn,

Without seeing your cats, I would say that I would not be *too* concerned about this. It's possible that it is just normal "sleep" as you described it, and for some reason your cats are not cleaning their faces as diligently as most cats do.

It is also possible that they have partially blocked tear ducts which can cause an accumulation of mucus. You may want to try flushing their eyes daily with a gentle eyewash solution made for pets (such as Halo Herbal Eye Wash) this will help unblock the tear ducts and may solve the problem.