Companion Animals

Entropion in Cats: Welfare and Surgical Management

Welfare guide to feline entropion -- inward rolling of the eyelid causing chronic corneal pain.

Key Facts

Entropion occurs when the eyelid margin rolls inward causing eyelashes and skin to contact the corneal surface
It causes constant corneal irritation, pain, epiphora (tearing), and squinting
Persian, Himalayan, and other flat-faced breeds are predisposed due to facial conformation
Corneal ulceration and secondary infection develop if entropion is untreated
The condition may be present from birth or develop secondary to chronic conjunctival inflammation or scarring
Surgical correction (eyelid tacking or full entropion repair) relieves pain rapidly and permanently
Temporary eyelid tacking is used in young animals to allow facial maturation before definitive surgery
Brachycephalic breeding practices that exacerbate entropion represent a systemic animal welfare concern

Welfare Significance

Entropion causes constant corneal pain -- the sensation of eyelashes rubbing the eye surface with every blink is intensely uncomfortable. Affected cats endure chronic pain that is often underappreciated because cats mask ocular discomfort. Surgical correction is curative and rapidly relieves what may have been months of chronic pain. The wider concern is that flat-faced breeding practices perpetuate this condition across generations.

What You Can Do

Seek veterinary assessment for any cat showing chronic squinting, tearing, or eye discharge
Request referral to a veterinary ophthalmologist for surgical correction of confirmed entropion
Support campaigns against extreme brachycephalic breeding that causes entropion and other ocular problems
Only purchase kittens from breeds without known predisposition to entropion or from health-tested parents