My 6 1/2 year old female cat has had an eye infection for a week. It was quite red, swollen, and had a clear discharge for a few days. By the time I could get her in to see the vet it had cleared up to the point where there was no discharge and much less swollen. The vet checked for abrasions and corneal uclers and found none. Since the eye was still somewhat red he prescribed Vetropolycin HC ointment twice a day. I have been doing this for three days and if anything, the eye appears worse. I think it's because she rubs at it to clean it off. It's such a hassle to put the ointment in, I was wondering if I should continue? My vet won't advise on the phone and will insist on seeing the cat again but that could be a couple of days.

Dinakat, anyone worth their salt will not try to second guess a vet. Please get your cat back into the vet's office. The vet needs to see exactly what is occurring now after the treatment. There are many different reasons our pets eyes get infected and there are different drugs that will help the situation. You may be right that this ointment isn't the correct course of treatment, but to put off following up on a medical issue isn't a good idea. Your poor cat needs the hands on help of a qualified medical person. Online, we are only guessing because we can't see or examine your cat.

One of my neighbors brought their cat for me to look at one day because it had a red, infected eye. I suggested we go to the vet - and it turned out it wasn't an infection - it was a "foxtail" leaf - a small, spiral, dry looking weed/leaf that had gotten deep inside the eye. The vet took it out and the cat was fine. If the current vet doesn't find anything, I suggest you get a 2nd vet to take a look at the eye and ask about a complete check on the eye to rule out something like a "foxtail". Take care.