What does it mean if your cats third eyelid starts to show?

Answers:
She might be a bit ill, take her / him to your local vet or SPCA and soon

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they are incubating a bug or virus.

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He's been into the catnip.

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I once heard it is an indication of internal parasites...worms.

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there getting a cold see the vet and get meds.this might be the rinotracieitis virus and clavamoc will help her

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It is probably swollen for some reason or another. It could also be a sign that she is sick. I recomend you take her to the vet and have her looked at. Only they can determine what is going on. Good luck.

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Cats get bored easily.

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it can be an indication of illness, but this happens to my cat when she is disturbed from her sleep or when she eats too fast as well
so look for other possible signs of illness before you jump to conclusions
:]

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she could be dehydrated, sick, or have an eye infection. she needs to be seen by a vet tomorrow if not today. you could bathe the eye with tepid salt water until she sees a vet.

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The third 'eyelid' of a cat often shows when they are asleep or falling asleep and their outer eyelids are not completely closed. It is used as extra eye protection and to clean the surface of the eye, kind of like kitty windshield wipers. IF this is the case you should not worry, As long as it stops showing at some point, and the condition is fairly even laterally. (on both sides).

Unless you mean SWELL when you say SHOW. In that case, it is a more seriously condition. This is called "cherry eye" in dogs, I'm unsure if it's the same name in cats because i have never seen a case in cats.

Cherry eye is a prolapse, or "A general term which describes a condition in which a body part slips out of its normal position." (see third source.) basically when for some reason a part of the connective tissue holding something in place fails, in this case connective tissue on the third eyelid.

Sometimes if it involves an infection it can be fixed by antibiotics, but if it persists surgical means are used to correct it. If you would like to know more about the surgery email me, because I have stood in on a few cherry-eye surgeries and can describe it in detail, if you wish. :)

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Protrusion of the third eyelid in cats is seen in cats that are sick. Lethargy, depression, and poor appetite are three very common non-specific signs of illness in a cat, and protruding third eyelids is another one of those non-specific signs of feeling ill. There is also a condition called Horner鈥檚 syndrome in cats that occurs when there is a specific interruption of nerve conduction to the eye. It causes the pupil to become constricted in the affected eye, and the affected eye becomes sunken. When the eye sinks in, it makes the third eyelid appear to protrude. Horner鈥檚 syndrome is usually unilateral (i.e. it affects only one eye). Severe ear infections can lead to Horner鈥檚 syndrome. Cats who are emaciated for whatever reason might appear to have both third eyelids protruding. This is because emaciation causes the eyes to become sunken, again giving the appearance of bilateral third eyelid protrusion.

Protrusion of only one third eyelid is usually due to a specific problem, such as infiltration of the third eyelid by inflammatory cells, a fight wound, an object in the eye, or Horner鈥檚 syndrome.

In any case, it sounds like a trip or at the very least a call to your vet is in order.

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Dehydration can cause that, and that's serious stuff, rather get it past the vet.

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This is usually a sign that the animal is ill. There is a syndrome where cat's third eyelid's can remain partially across permanently. The most common reason is the beginning of an illness though, usually a virus. Keep an eye out for other signs and take to a vet if they develop!

Chalice

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That happened to my cat before! The 3rd eyelid would NOT go down. My cat was wtestling with the othe cat %26 got a pinched nerve. Vet gave him some meds %26 he was good to go after that!

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Hi There could be an infection in your cats eye. Take him/her to the vet's.

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My cat turbo used to have his inner eyelids show from time to time, usually on the right side. My vet said it was probably just mild stress from another kitty we had introduced and he showed no other symptoms, just looked slightly odd with his inner eyelids showing.

Has anything changed in his/her environment lately which might be causing a little bit of stress?

If your worried about it or he/she is showing any other signs like lethargy, refusing food and drink, not grooming etc, then I would have him/her checked over just to be safe, but it doesn't always mean there is some health problem.

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Could be a lot of things - often it is a sign that they are not feeling well.
Sometimes they just do it anyway ( I have one of these - I think he just wanted to visit the vet !)

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My youngest cat had this a few months ago, if it is both eyes together. He came in one morning after spending the night outside and I noticed that he couldn't open his eyes widely. I assumed that he was just tired. They stayed the same for several days. So I enquired on the internet and discovered that it is called Hawes Syndrome. Apparently it happens when a cat is stressed, it is to do with the nervous system. It usually lasts for between 6 and 8 weeks and there is no cure. The cat is not in any pain and is otherwise normal. So don't worry if it is that, because he will be absolutley normal very soon!