# Cat's third eyelid is showing, is she sick?



## calmoo (Sep 9, 2009)

I just came back from a week long holiday, she was fed everyday by someone who dropped by. She keeps meowing at me, not sure if it's attachment behaviour. Her third eyelid is showing and I heard this could mean she's sick. The third eyelid is completely black as is her fur.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Looking at your picture, I'm not sure that's the third eyelid. I thought they were all white, but I could definitely be wrong.

When it happened to Cleo, she also had a fever (her ears were burning up). I took her to the E.R.

Of course, before that, I Googled what it could mean and dozens of things came up, and of course I imagined the worst. Turns out, it was parasites. Her previous owner failed to mention that she had been an inside/outside kitty, so it wasn't suspected at first. But it could mean many things. I'd take her in just to be sure. Bring in a stool sample if you can.











Good luck. I hope she's back to normal soon. atback


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

It does look like the edges of her nictating membranes (3rd eyelid) are showing and it usually means the cat isn't feeling their best, so this can appear in almost any/all cases of a cat not feeling well; from mild to critical problems. I'd say a vet exam, possible blood test and stool test for parasites could give the Dr a good idea of what is going on and a course of treatment to remedy the symptoms.

...if you look at the photo of Cleo that Marie posted, you can see her 3rd eyelids *really* showing...and while they are a silvery/blue-ish color, the edge *is* a black line, which could be what you are beginning to see on your kitty. Looks like whatever is wrong with your kitty is either very new or mild, so its a good thing you've noticed it early. It will make recovery much quicker.


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