Cats hate baths and, in fact, don't need them because they can spend up to four hours a day cleaning themselves with their rough tongue. However, there is one place that cats cannot reach with their tongue to clean it: the eyes.
This task that we propose below will not be easy at all since the cat will most likely not be receptive, keep reading this article on our site to find out how to clean the eyes to a cat.
How often to clean your eyes
The frequency with which we should wash our cat's eyes should be about twice a week. Still, some types of cats require daily cleaning due to their breed, especially those called brachycephalic cats.
Branchycephalics are cat breeds that tend to accumulate many tears because they have a very wide head and a very flat nose like the Persians, the Devon Rex or the Himalayas. The persistence of hygiene is important to avoid infections as a result of the legañas they generate.
Preparing the necessary material
To clean a cat's eyes properly we must prepare the entire kit before starting work. A recommendation that will be very helpful if the cat tries to run away since we won't have to go around the house looking for the materials.
What do I need to clean my cat's eyes?
- A cloth
- Cotton
- Distilled water
- S alt
- Two cups
- A towel
- A cookie or treat for the cat
Once we have everything, we will have to fill the two cups with distilled water, add a little s alt to each one (a small spoonful is fine), stir it and check that the small mixture is cold.
Cleaning process
Let's start the process of cleaning your cat's eyes:
- The first thing you have to do is wrap the cat in a towel so that it doesn't rebel against us, start scratching and we have to use the s alt and water mixture to clean our wounds ourselves.
- Once you have it wrapped, take cotton balls, soak them in one of the cups and start cleaning the cat's first eye. Avoid touching his own eye and only clean around it, because that could cause him pain and even if he is wrapped in a towel he will squirm to run away.
- Use as many cotton balls as you need to clean the eye and always dip them in the same cup for that first eye.
- We will use the other cup to clean his other eye. In this way we will avoid transferring infections if they exist from one eye to the other.
- Once you have done the same process with both eyes, wipe them with the cloth to dry them.
- Take the reward you have chosen to give to the cat and reward him for his patience while you cleaned him up. In this way he will think that "suffering" this process at least has a reward and he will be more receptive for the next time.
Other Tips
It would be important that you get your cat used to this process from an early age, so it won't seem strange to him and he'll get used to it sooner.
In case we can't clean his eyes because he won't let himself, you could also ask another person to help you hold him while you clean his eyes, as it would make the process much easier. In case you see any type of reaction in the cat's eyes such as swelling, pus, secretions, that it cannot open its eyes well or any other type of anomaly, go directly to the veterinarian so that they can observe your cat.
