Black gums, and black spots on eyelids of cat

Question
I have an orange striped cat, now about 3 years old.  When he was very young (I was feeding him substitute formula), I noticed 1 small black spot in his mouth.  Since then he has black "spots" on his gums, small black spots around his nose, and now has developed black spots on his eyelids.  Also, at some point his eyes became "weepy", and the mucous seems to be very thick. When the mucous dries it is black.  My vet says the weeping is just some allergic reaction, and gives me an antibiotic ointment (small tube, big price!) to use. The ointment seems to help, but the problem never clears up entirely, and when I run out of the ointment, the weeping just comes back.  The vet does not seem concerned with the black spots, but has never given me a reason for her lack of concern.

I found an answer by Lisa dated 1/2/2005 suggesting that the black spots in the mouth (and gums?) are not uncommon in orange striped cats.  However, I have not found any information on the eyelid coloring, and the persistant "black weeping".

Do you have any answers, or can you point me to someone who does have an answer.  

Thanks,
Chuck Baber


Answer
Hi Chuck.  Yes, these black spots are the equivalent of freckles and are most common on orange cats.  Any place that isn't covered with fur is where the freckles will usually show up, such as on the ears, eyebrow area, eyelids, lips, nose leather and gums.  That's nothing to worry about.  It's simply pigment.

The eye discharge is also more common in orange cats than in dark-colored cats.  For reasons unknown, cats who don't have "eye liner" (dark-rimmed eyelids) tend to have sensitive eyes.  Most times, the weeping doesn't have a particular cause.  Sometimes it may be a sensitivity to an ingredient in food, sometimes it may be to something environmental.  I have cats that have to be on eye ointment permanently.  The ointment helps flush the eyes and protect them against foreign particles and such.  It's more of a nuisance to deal with than anything else.  Unfortunately, there really ISN'T anything that will cure it for good.  But I would talk to the vet about switching ointments, since it's expensive.  One of my cats was on Terramycin for ages.  We found that Visine eye drops worked just as well and were a fraction of the cost.

The discharge is likely black due to a red pigment called porphyrin, which is found in tears and saliva.  When the discharge dries, it turns black.  You should wipe away the discharge with a cotton ball moisturized with warm water to prevent the discharge from crusting up, because it will stain the fur and may cause skin irritation.