Nice home remedy for conjunctivitis that is working!

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to post this in case anyone is dealing with conjunctivitis. Mr Jinx has it pretty terribly due to a fight with another cat before we took him in. Apparently a claw hooked his eyelids but thankfully missed his pretty eye.

Anyway, he was given interferon because he is FIV as well, but due to other meds he needed, he isn't able to start the interferon just yet, so the vet didn't give us anything else for his conjunctivitis.

I read online about some home remedies, and we've been using them for two days and they ARE WORKING! So I thought I'd share in case your kitty has this too:

Chamomile tea with a sprig of rosemary. Brew it in purified water, keep in fridge. Lasts a week. 1 tablespoon of this and purified water (lukewarm) as an eye wash. I wash my hands with antibacterial soap and then dip my fingers in it and wash his eyelids. I also place some on my face as he loves to rub my face with his (he ends up washing it himself this way! lol). 2 or 3 times per day.

Apple cider vinegar (1 tbsp) and purified water (1 tbsp) rubbed between the shoulder blades. Thoroughly work into skin and fur. I do this morning and night.

Voila!

The eye will still leak, but it's running clear now. And he can open it much wider, and no crust!

Thanks for sharing that!

I did check with the vet and according to him it is NOT HARMFUL to cats. The extract in extremely large doses would be harmful, as would rosemary, which is why it isn't recommended that they use the oils.

Chamomile and rosemary are the prime ingredients in many conjunctivitis items for cats, such as this: http://www.petwellbeing.com/products/cat-conjunctivitis And I also use the same amount purified water to dilute.

MANY MANY sites claim that certain things are toxic to animals and though it is better to be safe, it's also important to check many viable sources, as there is simply so much information about natural remedies we don't necessarily understand.

As a side, rosemary and other herbs are also in many of the higher-end foods, just again, in small quantities (like garlic).

The conjunctivitis is just about gone! His eye is bright and clear today, so I'm giving him a rest. How I wash his eye with it is I place some on my face, since he loves to rub my face, and I make sure my fingers are VERY clean, and rub a bit of the tea/purified water on his closed eye. He doesn't love it, but he lets me. :)

And the ACV - no one really knows! There are some theories, one being that it detoxifies the blood stream as absorbed through the skin, and another is that when he scratches the area he then transfers the acv to his feet, and then to his eye.

Here are a couple other links to help re: safe herbs:

http://www.petcarenaturally.com/articles/herbal-supplements.php

http://www.ehow.com/list_6388501_list-safe-herbs-cats.html

And a vet's video how-to with chamomile:

http://www.petstyle.com/cats/health/chamomile-cats

He was given Interferon for the FIV/sinus/conjunctivitis from the vet - however, he's not allowed to start taking it until a series of other meds for other things are finished. So he will be taking the vet-prescribed medication as well.

So true!

Having an FIV kitty seems to teach you a LOT about alt therapies. And today Mr. Jinx has a big, bright eye. I can tell it isn't completely gone, but what a huge difference. Hopefully after the round of Interferon, he'll be all set.