How To Clean Your Persian Cat’s Eyes

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Persian cats are slightly high maintenance. But a little grooming goes a long way for your feline friend.

In addition to regular baths and frequent brushing, their eyes need to be cleaned. Every day.

I know, this might seem overwhelming. But cleaning your Persian cat’s eyes doesn’t need to be intimidating. In fact, this is an easy process that will quickly become second nature for you and your pet.

In this post, I’m going to show you how to correctly clean your Persian cat’s eyes.

Why Do You Need to Clean Your Persian Cat’s Eyes?

Before we dive into the process, let’s let’s look at the reason why Persian cat eyes tend to water.

Persian cats are a brachycephalic breed of cat. This means they have a round flat face and a flat nose. Their unique facial structure sometimes causes problems with their eyes. Often, the extremely flat-faced Persian cats have underdeveloped tear ducts. This leads to frequent eye drainage.

As their eyes fill, the excess tears often spill over. Once they leave their eyes, the tears are oxidized. This process turns the tears into a brown sticky substance. This can cause unattractive under eye staining.

Browning can also occur if your cat’s eyes are irritated. Pollen and other allergens can get trapped in your cat’s eyes. When this happens, their tears can turn yellow or brown. This can lead to dark fur staining.

So, you should clean their eyes on a daily basis to reduce the amount of eye debris build-up. This will also help reduce fur staining. Luckily, eye drainage alone is not harmful to Persian cats. However, if left unmanaged, fluid buildup and drainage can lead to bacterial infections. We will further discuss this later in the post.

For now, remember that you should clean your Persian cat’s eyes on a daily basis to reduce any discomfort and staining caused by debris build-up.

How Do You Clean Your Persian Cat’s Eyes

So you know why your Persian cat’s eyes need to be cleaned. Now, let’s discuss this grooming process.

Before you get started, make sure you have the appropriate supplies. Surprisingly, you don’t need soap or any special products. Simply gather cotton pads and a bowl of warm water. Yes, that’s really all it takes.

The process is very simple. And we will discuss the steps below. Just remember, your Persian cat might not enjoy this at first. Be patient and calm with your cat. You don’t want to turn this into a negative experience.

But, after you start this daily grooming habit, your Persian cat will get used to the process. And it will soon become an easy part of your daily routine.

Step 1: Gather Supplies

As we discussed earlier, you don’t need any special supplies. All you need is some warm water and cotton pads.

I use Cosmetic Lint Free Cotton Wool Pads. These don’t have much fluff as other cotton pads. Excess fluff could irritate your cat’s eyes, so you want to avoid this type of cotton pad.

And don’t forget, you really don’t need to purchase expensive cleaning solutions. These might irritate your Persian cat. And, they are often an unnecessary expense. The simple process outlined in this post works to efficiently clean Persian cat eyes.

Step 2: Wipe Their Eyes

To start, thoroughly wash and dry your hands.

Next, dampen the cotton pad in the warm water. Gently wipe this under one eye. Make sure you don’t wipe too close to your cat’s eye. Also, be sure not to touch your cat’s eye. Their eye would become irritated and your cat would probably resist future eye cleanings.

After wiping their eyes, use soft tissues or clean, dry cotton pads to dry their fur.

Ok, ready for an important tip? Use a new cotton pad for each eye. I know, this might seem wasteful. But you don’t want to spread potential bacteria between each eye.

Step 3: Repeat Daily

To prevent eye debris build-up, you should clean your Persian cat’s eyes on a daily basis. If your cat has very excessive eye drainage, you can clean their eyes multiple times a day. This simple process should only take a few minutes. Also, it is a very inexpensive grooming habit since you only need cotton pads and water.

Their tear-stained fur should clear up with daily eye cleanings. You really don’t need to invest in expensive fur-cleaning products. The process outlined in this article is enough to minimize fur staining.

Are Eye Infections Common In Persian Cats?

Excessive eye draining isn’t harmful to Persian cats. In fact, they really haven’t known anything else.

But, you should be aware of eye infections. If their eyes are not cleaned, the constant moisture could irritate their face. Also, tears can collect in your Persian cat’s face folds. This can become a breeding ground for bacteria.

If you notice that their eyes seem red or irritated, they might have an eye infection. Also, make sure you note any discolored eye discharge. This is another sign of an infection. If you notice anything like this, take your cat to the vet. They can diagnose and treat the issue.

Final Thoughts

Cleaning your Persian cat’s eyes needs to be part of your daily routine. But, it’s important to note that this won’t actually stop your Persian cat’s eyes from watering. Daily eye cleanings will help manage the situation. And, it will help prevent eye infections and fur staining.

Your Persian cat will quickly get used to this simple grooming process. Really, this process should be affordable, quick, and painless. All you need is warm water, cotton pads, and a few minutes to effectively remove excess eye drainage.

We hope this post helped you understand how to clean your Persian cat’s eyes. We also want to hear about your experience. Do you clean your cat’s eyes daily? Do you follow these steps, or do you think another process works better? Share your experiences in the comments below!