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Kittens are 10 days old and they haven't open their eyes, help pleasee!

post #1 of 12
6/19/09 at 6:18am
Thread Starter 
Hello everyone:

I'm caring for a young mommy cat and her 4 babies, someone abandoned her while pregnant

They seem very healthy, but today they are 10 days old and their eyes aren't open. I'm worried about this, can someone help? Shold I take them to the vet?

Thanks in advance.

Tamar
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post #2 of 12
6/19/09 at 6:27am
Don't panic, if everything else seems OK, I would either give them a day or two or call the vet for for an opinion, they probably don't need to be exposed to all the other cats in a vets office at this young age if it can be avoided.

Are the eyes gummed up or anything? They should have started to open at least by now, but as Mama was severely undernourished during pregnancy, then they may be a little slow developing.
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post #3 of 12
6/19/09 at 6:51am
Thread Starter 
Hi! Thank you ! I think you are right, I'll just wait and see if the open their eyes in the next day or two and I will call the vet today just in case.

No, they haven't even strated opening their eyes, they are completely closed. But is is like you said, the Mommy was undernourished during her pregnancy. She was skin and bones, seh still is, I'm trying to feed her the best i can.


Thanks again

Tamar
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post #4 of 12
6/19/09 at 11:57am
It'll be okay, just wait a bit. Calling the vet's a good idea in the mean time just in case mama cat's health has something to do about it. Plus, the eye-opening is sort of a phase that can take a little while. With my last foster one eye was open 2 days longer before the other started to open. We took him to the vet and everything was normal; that's just how he developed.
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post #5 of 12
6/19/09 at 1:38pm
there was a similiar thread not so long ago, with roughly the same advices.

Some forumists said thus, 2 weeks is not that unusual... It is partly individual. Most open eyes around day 10 but some later.

So if the eyes dont seem to be full of pus, or similiar, and the kittens and mom seems happy, you can wait and see.

(of course, if you do have a friendly vet handy, you can phone! )


Although, IF they seem to be full of pus - away to the vet!


Good luck!
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post #6 of 12
6/19/09 at 1:45pm
Thread Starter 
The kittens eyes are closed, but they are clean and healthy, they don't have pus or anything like that. They are just closed. I feel relieved now that you all have told me is not something that unusual. It is my first time caring for a mommy and her newborn babies, so I'm a little nervous about it.


Thank you all. I will keep you all posted.
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post #7 of 12
6/19/09 at 3:05pm
Just want to add my thanks for taking care of these little ones! My last orphaned litter (also undernourished) started to open their eyes at 10 days old.
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post #8 of 12
6/23/09 at 2:52am
13 days to open. I was stressed too, but they all were fine.
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post #9 of 12
6/23/09 at 4:59am
Thread Starter 
Thank you all so muhc! Most of the kittens opened their eyes! They started iopening at 12 days old and they are 14 today, some of them still need to open a little more, but they are getting there, thanks.
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post #10 of 12
6/23/09 at 5:02am
Thread Starter 
Hello everyone:

I'm having another problem, Mommy cat is has diarreah Her babies are 14 days old today and they look wonderful, but I'm afraid their Mommy has diarreah with a little blood on it and now I'm afraid for her and the babies.

THis can't be normal. I will have to take her to the vet, but I don't think she can have medicines now because she is nursing her babies. I don't know, this is not good at all. She has been eating a lot of grass lately too.

Tamar
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post #11 of 12
6/23/09 at 5:59am
What to do about the diarrhea I really hope the vet knows.

But if she is diarrheing much, she has a lot of water losses.

If she drinks extra water herself to compensate, is good. Otherwise you must give her extra water by force if need be.

BUT.

Only water will dilute her salt-balance. No good...

There is surely a commercial water-salt solutions, Pedialyte I believe it is called in USA. You can surely buy it in drugstore (Apotheke).
Otherwise you can make a basic but useful home pedialyte:
The dosage is: 1 tea spoon kitchensalt, 1 soupspoon dextrose (="grape-sugar") in 1 liter of water. Boil up, cool down to drinking temp.

It can be done more fancy, but this is the basic receipt. It helps with the salt-balance and is in some degree also stopper for the diarrheas.

This home-pedialyte does marvels in turning down the death-rates in kolera. From perhaps 70% into perhaps 5%.... (I dont know the exact procents, but know the numbers fall dramatically)


So. Do give her this pedialyte while you wait for the vet appointment. When with the vet, you can ask if there are other useful ingredients he wants you to add.


good luck!
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post #12 of 12
6/23/09 at 6:05am
The blood could be from a disease or parasite, or as simple as just an irritation to the intestines from the diarrhea. Hopefully the diarrhea is only her system adjusting to enough to eat, but with a street cat it could be almost anything. I'm thinking your vet should have something that will be safe for a nursing mother.
If people only knew what they are exposing their cat to when they abandon it. So many think that just because cats can stay alive a few years on their own that they are OK on their own.
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