Kittens with runny eyes

MsFifers

I'm a new cat owner and haven't ever had pets before so I'd really appreciate some advice. I adopted 10 week old brother & sister tabby kittens from a shelter just over a week ago. Unfortunately, they haven't been very well - first a dose of diarhea (not caused by food changes as I fed them the exact same as they got in the shelter) which lead to some bleeding. They were taken into the vet for a night and got a shot of antibiotic each. The vet declared them perfect the next day so I brought them home. He blamed the stress of the move of home as the cause of the problem.

The tummy problems seem sorted but now they both have gloopy runny eyes. They sneezed a couple of times but and they don't seem to have a runny nose or anything. They are both eating well (on special tinned food from vet since the bowel problems) and although they slept a bit more than usual yesterday, when they were awake they were jumping and wrestling as usual.

Is this just a cold? Can I leave them to get over it on their own for a few days? Or do they need another trip to the vet? They are due their first vaccinations next week, and I'm beginning to get a bit concerned about the financial costs of all these trips!

They're complete dotes though - so will bring them of course if they need attention. Just not sure what merits serious illness in a kitten as I haven't had any before!

I'd really appreciate any advice!

thalia_13

Hi, my litle kitten, also adopted from vets, has runny eyes too. Initially thought it was just conjunctivitus, but the prescibed eyedrops were no real relief. I tried warm teabags, but he is white and the tannin made him look worse and more infected.
Anyhoo long story short, took him back to vets, turns out it is not cat flu, but a deep rooted infection, and he is on antibiotics for the moment. It is unusual, I have 4 other cats, they all sleep together and they are all in perfect health, no eye problems at all.
A good tip I got was to add lysine to their cat food, either crush tablets or add in powder form. Ask a vet the correct amount, its good for their immune systems, esp. in cases of herpes (often root cause of reoccuring eye infections).

Are the third eyelids visible, and if so are they red and inflammed looking? In any case I really can only recommend a vet, antibiotics are really inexpensive, its well worth the visit, just in case of any underlying problems....

Sometimes kittens can have weepy eyes for what seems like ages and all of a sudden it clears up. It can also depend on if they were suckling for long, any rescue cat I ever got had come off the mum too soon, so immune system was compromised to start with, hence runny eyes. Make sure also when old enough that they are vaccinated fully...:)
Best of luck with your new additions, I hope they bring you loads of happiness and companionship

MsFifers

Thanks very much. The third eyelid is visible but not red looking. I suspect some kind of cold rather than an infection but I guess I better bring them back to the vet just to be on the safe side as they are still only little.

Thanks again, and I hope your little darlin' is back on his paws again soon!

thalia_13

No problem, am veteran at cat illnesses (minor thankfully ) at this stage so if you ever have any questions you can contact me any time.

If it is just a cold, he will need antibiotics to clear any congestion he has (nose, eyes, ears). If you call the vets and mention he has a cold, is sneezing and a bit watery eyed, then they might just leave a prescription at counter for you to collect without having to fork out to see the vet. It works out at between €3 to €5 for antibiotics for 10 days, cheap really for peace of mind.

My vet would not vaccinate one of my cats due to a headcold, and sent me away with antibiotics until he was fit for vacc. That might be the case with you also, but if you start them on the tablets asap then by the vacc.date they will be grand. The antibiotics usually have kicked in by day 2.
My little fella is grand despite the eyes, thanks for the good wishes:) ! He spends most his day beating up an alsatian puppy, who is petrified of the kitten, sore eyes wont hold him back from mayhem and mischief!
Good luck, let me know how you get on

morgana

Yes, get them back to vet - the sooner the better - better safe than sorry as runny eyes can also be a sign of cat flu. In kittens, cat flu can be quite serious if not treated in time.