diff --git a/lib/fluent/plugin/filter_kubernetes_metadata.rb b/lib/fluent/plugin/filter_kubernetes_metadata.rb
index e6e29a1..71db3ba 100644
--- a/lib/fluent/plugin/filter_kubernetes_metadata.rb
+++ b/lib/fluent/plugin/filter_kubernetes_metadata.rb
@@ -118,17 +118,21 @@ def fetch_pod_metadata(namespace_name, pod_name)
       @stats.bump(:pod_cache_api_updates)
       log.trace("parsed metadata for #{namespace_name}/#{pod_name}: #{metadata}")
       @cache[metadata['pod_id']] = metadata
-    rescue StandardError => e
-      @stats.bump(:pod_cache_api_nil_error)
-      log.debug "Exception '#{e}' encountered fetching pod metadata from Kubernetes API #{@apiVersion} endpoint #{@kubernetes_url}"
-      if e.message == "Unauthorized"
-        @client = nil
-        # recreate client to refresh token
-        log.info("Re-creating Kubernetes API Client to refresh auth bearer token.")
-        create_client()
+      rescue KubeException => e
+        if e.error_code == 401
+          # recreate client to refresh token
+          log.info("Encountered '401 Unauthorized' exception, recreating client to refresh token")
+          create_client()
+        else
+          log.error "Exception '#{e}' encountered fetching pod metadata from Kubernetes API #{@apiVersion} endpoint #{@kubernetes_url}"
+          @stats.bump(:pod_cache_api_nil_error)
+        end
+        {}
+      rescue StandardError => e
+        @stats.bump(:pod_cache_api_nil_error)
+        log.error "Exception '#{e}' encountered fetching pod metadata from Kubernetes API #{@apiVersion} endpoint #{@kubernetes_url}"
+        {}
       end
-      {}
-    end
 
     def dump_stats
       @curr_time = Time.now
@@ -156,16 +160,20 @@ def fetch_namespace_metadata(namespace_name)
       @stats.bump(:namespace_cache_api_updates)
       log.trace("parsed metadata for #{namespace_name}: #{metadata}")
       @namespace_cache[metadata['namespace_id']] = metadata
-    rescue StandardError => e
-      @stats.bump(:namespace_cache_api_nil_error)
-      log.debug "Exception '#{e}' encountered fetching namespace metadata from Kubernetes API #{@apiVersion} endpoint #{@kubernetes_url}"
-      if e.message == "Unauthorized"
-        @client = nil
-        # recreate client to refresh token
-        log.info("Re-creating Kubernetes API Client to refresh auth bearer token.")
-        create_client()
-      end
-      {}
+      rescue KubeException => e
+        if e.error_code == 401
+          # recreate client to refresh token
+          log.info("Encountered '401 Unauthorized' exception, recreating client to refresh token")
+          create_client()
+        else
+          log.error "Exception '#{e}' encountered fetching namespace metadata from Kubernetes API #{@apiVersion} endpoint #{@kubernetes_url}"
+          @stats.bump(:namespace_cache_api_nil_error)
+        end
+        {}
+      rescue StandardError => e
+        @stats.bump(:namespace_cache_api_nil_error)
+        log.error "Exception '#{e}' encountered fetching namespace metadata from Kubernetes API #{@apiVersion} endpoint #{@kubernetes_url}"
+        {}
     end
 
     def initialize
@@ -311,6 +319,7 @@ def configure(conf)
 
     def create_client()
       log.debug 'Creating K8S client'
+      @client = nil
       @client = Kubeclient::Client.new(
         @kubernetes_url,
         @apiVersion,
diff --git a/lib/fluent/plugin/kubernetes_metadata_watch_namespaces.rb b/lib/fluent/plugin/kubernetes_metadata_watch_namespaces.rb
index 3b6a726..9fa6888 100644
--- a/lib/fluent/plugin/kubernetes_metadata_watch_namespaces.rb
+++ b/lib/fluent/plugin/kubernetes_metadata_watch_namespaces.rb
@@ -46,14 +46,14 @@ def set_up_namespace_thread
         @stats.bump(:namespace_watch_gone_errors)
         log.info('410 Gone encountered. Restarting namespace watch to reset resource versions.', e)
         namespace_watcher = nil
-      rescue StandardError => e
-        if e.message == "Unauthorized"
-          @client = nil
+      rescue KubeException => e
+        if e.error_code == 401
           # recreate client to refresh token
-          log.info("Encountered 'Unauthorized' exception in watch, recreating client to refresh token")
+          log.info("Encountered '401 Unauthorized' exception in watch, recreating client to refresh token")
           create_client()
           namespace_watcher = nil
         else
+          # treat all other errors the same as StandardError, log, swallow and reset
           @stats.bump(:namespace_watch_failures)
           if Thread.current[:namespace_watch_retry_count] < @watch_retry_max_times
             # Instead of raising exceptions and crashing Fluentd, swallow
@@ -79,6 +79,31 @@ def set_up_namespace_thread
             raise Fluent::UnrecoverableError, message
           end
         end
+      rescue StandardError => e
+        @stats.bump(:namespace_watch_failures)
+        if Thread.current[:namespace_watch_retry_count] < @watch_retry_max_times
+          # Instead of raising exceptions and crashing Fluentd, swallow
+          # the exception and reset the watcher.
+          log.info(
+            'Exception encountered parsing namespace watch event. ' \
+            'The connection might have been closed. Sleeping for ' \
+            "#{Thread.current[:namespace_watch_retry_backoff_interval]} " \
+            'seconds and resetting the namespace watcher.', e
+          )
+          sleep(Thread.current[:namespace_watch_retry_backoff_interval])
+          Thread.current[:namespace_watch_retry_count] += 1
+          Thread.current[:namespace_watch_retry_backoff_interval] *= @watch_retry_exponential_backoff_base
+          namespace_watcher = nil
+        else
+          # Since retries failed for many times, log as errors instead
+          # of info and raise exceptions and trigger Fluentd to restart.
+          message =
+            'Exception encountered parsing namespace watch event. The ' \
+            'connection might have been closed. Retried ' \
+            "#{@watch_retry_max_times} times yet still failing. Restarting."
+          log.error(message, e)
+          raise Fluent::UnrecoverableError, message
+        end
       end
     end
 
diff --git a/lib/fluent/plugin/kubernetes_metadata_watch_pods.rb b/lib/fluent/plugin/kubernetes_metadata_watch_pods.rb
index c75b82a..9fe0d92 100644
--- a/lib/fluent/plugin/kubernetes_metadata_watch_pods.rb
+++ b/lib/fluent/plugin/kubernetes_metadata_watch_pods.rb
@@ -47,14 +47,14 @@ def set_up_pod_thread
         @stats.bump(:pod_watch_gone_errors)
         log.info('410 Gone encountered. Restarting pod watch to reset resource versions.', e)
         pod_watcher = nil
-      rescue StandardError => e
-        if e.message == "Unauthorized"
-          @client = nil
+      rescue KubeException => e
+        if e.error_code == 401
           # recreate client to refresh token
-          log.info("Encountered 'Unauthorized' exception in watch, recreating client to refresh token")
+          log.info("Encountered '401 Unauthorized' exception in watch, recreating client to refresh token")
           create_client()
-          pod_watcher = nil
+          namespace_watcher = nil
         else
+          # treat all other errors the same as StandardError, log, swallow and reset
           @stats.bump(:pod_watch_failures)
           if Thread.current[:pod_watch_retry_count] < @watch_retry_max_times
             # Instead of raising exceptions and crashing Fluentd, swallow
@@ -80,6 +80,31 @@ def set_up_pod_thread
             raise Fluent::UnrecoverableError, message
           end
         end
+      rescue StandardError => e
+        @stats.bump(:pod_watch_failures)
+        if Thread.current[:pod_watch_retry_count] < @watch_retry_max_times
+          # Instead of raising exceptions and crashing Fluentd, swallow
+          # the exception and reset the watcher.
+          log.info(
+            'Exception encountered parsing pod watch event. The ' \
+            'connection might have been closed. Sleeping for ' \
+            "#{Thread.current[:pod_watch_retry_backoff_interval]} " \
+            'seconds and resetting the pod watcher.', e
+          )
+          sleep(Thread.current[:pod_watch_retry_backoff_interval])
+          Thread.current[:pod_watch_retry_count] += 1
+          Thread.current[:pod_watch_retry_backoff_interval] *= @watch_retry_exponential_backoff_base
+          pod_watcher = nil
+        else
+          # Since retries failed for many times, log as errors instead
+          # of info and raise exceptions and trigger Fluentd to restart.
+          message =
+            'Exception encountered parsing pod watch event. The ' \
+            'connection might have been closed. Retried ' \
+            "#{@watch_retry_max_times} times yet still failing. Restarting."
+          log.error(message, e)
+          raise Fluent::UnrecoverableError, message
+        end
       end
     end