Kitten with sore eye

sparkle_23

A couple of days ago I noticed one of my kittens had a sore eye! Now the other one has the same. What could it be? Is there anything I can do or do I need to bring them to the vet? Or is them some medicine I can get? poor lil babies have me worried

Here's a couple of pics

anniehoo

Looks like cat flu to me. Typical signs in a kitten are that watery/squinty eye and is very common in outdoor/semi wild cats. Have you been able to handle them yet?

They should be fine in about a week or so, but will need vaccinating asap. If you can pick them up the eyes can be bathed with salt water, cleaning very gently so it keeps the area free of any secondary bacterial infection.

Your tortie and white is showing its "third eyelid" slightly, which can indicate something is affecting its immune system. Keep them warm and dry and it should pass, if it gets worse or they start showing respiratory problems then id bring them straight to your vet.

fro9etb8j5qsl2

Sore eyes are fairly common in small kittens. If they are coughing and spluttering it could also be a sign that they have worms. If they are old enough, you could try worming them. Keep the eyes clean of any build up by wetting the corner of an old sheet with boiled water and gently rubbing over the area. I use normal optrex on my own fellas eyes and it works a treat. If the eyes havent improved after a few days, itd be worth calling to the vet, although with the prices they charge, you might be left shocked. There might be a dispensary in your area (chemist who also sells animal meds), theres one here in limerick and theyre great, they know their stuff and will only charge for the medicine

sparkle_23

They're a bit touch and go, they let me pet them and they purr away some days and then other days they hiss and hide! I've noticed them sneezing a bit too... There is a dispensary in my town so I'll call into them. I'll try clean their eyes tomorrow... hopefully they'll be in the mood for me!

Fluffybums

Personally I think you take them to the vet, from what you say they are not in good form and what ever they have is contagious. The vet may be able to treat them at this early stage but if the condition is left untreated it could cost more and take longer to treat, or worse.
http://www.dspca.ie/index.jsp?p=162&n=265&a=212

It will be cheaper to take them tomorrow is the vet has a drop in surgery, my vet does on Sat morning, than to wait for a crisis and have to pay for emergency vet treatment.

Fluffybums

Please let us know how these two get on.

sparkle_23

Fluffybums wrote: »

Personally I think you take them to the vet, from what you say they are not in good form and what ever they have is contagious. The vet may be able to treat them at this early stage but if the condition is left untreated it could cost more and take longer to treat, or worse.
http://www.dspca.ie/index.jsp?p=162&n=265&a=212

It will be cheaper to take them tomorrow is the vet has a drop in surgery, my vet does on Sat morning, than to wait for a crisis and have to pay for emergency vet treatment.

Yikes! My next day off from work is Tues so I'll take them then.. I'll keep them warm and try keep their eyes clean... typical this would happen when I'm workin loads least I'll have money to pay for it all

Darkginger

I've just nursed a kitten through something like this - it was chlamydia (which seems to be a subset of cat flu, from what I've read), and the vet gave us a cream to apply twice a day to the eye. Took about a week to clear up. The kitten is also on twice-daily penicillin for the flu, which again is a lot better now. Definitely a vet trip needed!

Cutie18Ireland

I would take them to the vet asap. I had a foster kitten that started out with sore eyes like that and got very ill.

sparkle_23

They're a little bit wild.... i hope they don't attack the vet or something! :eek: They're not used to being handled at all. Would I bring the two of them at the same time? The lady I got them off gave me a lend of her cat carrier, should I buy another carrier and bring both them in together?

planetX

Beautiful cats:D
My rescues have constant eye troubles, cat flu leaves them prone to it. The only treatment my vet would do was a shot of long lasting antibiotic. They will probably always have a bit of goop in their eyes.
It's always handy to have a second carrier anyway if you can afford one, especially if you have a cat that throws up in the car...

Themadhouse

Looks like a bit of cat flu to me too. Get them to the vet as soon as you can and as has been suggested try and keep their eyes clean. If you can get some L-Lysine in a chemist and crush some on their food it will help their immune system.
The mainly white one will always have delicate eyes, it goes with having white cats. You will notice the redness in the eyelid very quickly.
Keep them warm and dry, good food and water.
They will ultimately need ab's and you cant really delay on this as they can go downhill very quickly.
The vets will be able to handle them so dont worry too much about bringing both. Just say it to the receptionist that they will need an expert hand.

Littleminx

hi everyone.i have a cat she 3yrs old and she has a smelly breath lately?? andi dont no whats causing it isit dental problems can anyone please help be very greatful?? she a indoor cat,thanks

Littleminx

Sorry for butting in there:mad:,i suggest to bring little cute kittens to vet and get antibotic and eyedrops,keep me posted hope they get better soon:)

Cerocco

Littleminx wrote: »

hi everyone.i have a cat she 3yrs old and she has a smelly breath lately?? andi dont no whats causing it isit dental problems can anyone please help be very greatful?? she a indoor cat,thanks

I don't want to freak you out here but it could be a problem with your cats kidneys. When my cat was sick that's what the vet told me. Maybe you should phone your vet and ask their opinion. It could be nothing but better to check.




OP, my advise is get to the vets ASAP. Those kind of eye infections can get serious very quickly. I hope it all works out for you

Littleminx

oh god,im getting on to that in the morning, thanks very much for your help.

J0hnick

Hey guys, this isnt my Cat, he's my neighbors Cat but he spends more time with me then them (its a long story). I was about to make a post about this till I saw this thread, heres a picture I took of him last week




Whenever I open my back door to do something like put some washing on the line or take out the bins, he usually shows up within seconds looking for food or just some attention, hes very friendly.

Im only home at the weekends at the moment, Ive left my back shed barely open enough for him to to go in while Im gone. I opened the back door tonight and after a couple of seconds he came out of the shed making a spluttering sound. I brought him into the house and gave him some food, he didnt eat much of it and was sneezing, and his eye looks like this



Ive left him in my bath room on a cushion beside my radiator, he's asleep now. Not to sound disgusting but hes making a snotty bubbly noise when he breaths out, he sounds like his mouth is dry or his throat is sore (although he has been licking me) but he wont drink any water I give him. Like I said hes not my Cat, he's my neighbors, and I have to leave for Cork at about 6am on Tuesday morning. Any advice ?.

PS - I don't normally let him stay too long in the house as I don't know if hes house trained and don't want him going to the toilet in my house, but given the circumstances I'm making tonight an exception.

Cerocco

Hey Johnick, I'm afraid to say it but it sounds like the cat flu. What concerns me more is that the cat isn't drinking. A cat can become dehydrated very quickly. My advise is to have a word with its owner and recommend they bring the cat to the vet. I know it sounds easier said than done but this wee cat is sick and the owner needs to take responsibility. well done you for bringing the poor thing inside. If its friendly and if you can have a look at its gums if they are pale the cat has a temperature and it's a fair indication its dehydrated. Worm water and cotton wool for the eyes. Use a different piece for each eye to avoid spreading infection. Good luck, let us know how you get on.

I have a friend who does this to his cats he claims they are his but leaves them to live out doors in an old dog kennel. Last year when I was minding them I had to bring the young female to the vet as she had cat flu. It really frustrates me how people get pets then don't care for them when they have them.

J0hnick

Cerocco wrote: »

My advise is to have a word with its owner and recommend they bring the cat to the vet. I know it sounds easier said than done but this wee cat is sick and the owner needs to take responsibility. well done you for bringing the poor thing inside. If its friendly and if you can have a look at its gums if they are pale the cat has a temperature and it's a fair indication its dehydrated. Worm water and cotton wool for the eyes. Use a different piece for each eye to avoid spreading infection. Good luck, let us know how you get on.

I have a friend who does this to his cats he claims they are his but leaves them to live out doors in an old dog kennel. Last year when I was minding them I had to bring the young female to the vet as she had cat flu. It really frustrates me how people get pets then don't care for them when they have them.

Thanks. Well I got up today at about 9:30 and he literally only just woke up when I opened the door to the bathroom. I tried giving him some more food and a bowl of water but he didnt want any, and he normally eats the whole time. So I picked him up and brought him over to his owners/my neighbors. They're pretty anti social, I only got to speak to the son and explained to him what was wrong, he knew straight away there was something wrong with him (his right eye was totally shut this morning) but as soon as I mentioned a vet his face seemed to say "well, mums not gonna pay for that".

Couple of things you should know about them, they already have a black female cat who is constantly having litters of kittens, and I dont know where they are all going. This cat only started coming over to my place after she had her last litter, I don't know how many she had but they kept 2 kittens and I got the impression he was being ignored. I also dont think they feed him that often because hes always scratching and meowing at my back door looking for food.

Hes not a kitten any more but hes not fully grown either, and he hasnt been neutered yet so if they cant be bothered neutering him, I dont have a lot of hope for them bringing him to the vet for the flu . Id adopt the little fecker if I could but Ill be working away from home in cork for the next couple of days, so its up to them to take care of him in the mean time, oh well.

Cerocco

Hey JOhnick, You did your best and that is all you can do. Here is hoping that the wee cat gets better. Your neighbours are obviously people who should not be allowed to have animals. Feel good that you did all you could

Littleminx

hi johnick,omg i cant stand people who get pets and dont care for them its terrible. you are so kind,i say the poor cat has cat flu,you can get drops from the vet for his little eye to help clear it,but this type of cold weather can be terrible for cats,please keep me posted hope the cat gets better soon,ur good neighbour they dont appreciate you for trying to help,;)

sparkle_23

Hi everyone,
I brought my kittens to the vet yesterday morning. They have a touch of the flu but their temp wasn't high at all. They got a worming tablet and a shot of antibiotics and I have some tablets to crush in their food for a week. Got some ointment for their eyes too So hopefully my 2 little kitty girls will be feeling better soon

J0hnick

Update: Well I started a new Job working from home today, just as I was leaving my desk to go on lunch I looked out the window to see how bad the weather was, and who did I see in my neighbors garden ? .

Anyway, I brought him in, fed him and gave him some milk. I checked up on him when I could, I had to lock him in my bathroom but he didnt seem to mind and slept almost the whole day, his eye is looking a bit better now. I managed to wipe the gunk out of it, but I hope that whatever it was hasn't left a scar



Hes actually purring now, and doesn't sound as clogged up as he was before. Ive have to let him out at some stage though, otherwise my neighbors will think Ive kidnapped him :P

Cerocco

Johnick all I can say is your a very good person. At least this poor guy is gettin a bit of love from someone

sparkle_23

The two of them are purring away and falling asleep! Put the antibiotics in their food and they ate it up right away and put the drops in their eyes without getting any scratches!



And here's the 2 of them snuggling...so sweet