kitten with goopy eye

I'm new here and am getting ready to rescue a kitty with a goopy eye from a stranger I met yesterday.  Since it's Sunday AND tomorrow is Memorial Holiday doubltful I can get it to the vet.  What can I do?  I ready Boric Acid solution....I also have some Terramycin antibiotic eye gel that expired in 09 (oops)...I have dogs & cats but no experience with sick kittens.  Thanks

Well i have a solution,  and it helped with my sick kitten with goop eyes. I really hope this helps keep me updated!

Thanks, I read this same info in another post and quite frankly when I saw the kitten yesterday it did appear to be greenish thick gook but when I just picked up the kitten from the stranger just this afternoon, it's been cleaned off and the eyes look clear.  The lady says "see there's nothing wrong with the eyes".... There is a little bit of greenish leftover (dot size) down in the corner of her eye.  I am going to call my vet tomorrow if they are open but what if it's serious and they aren't open?  Tomorrow is Memorial Day.... I have some Terramycin ointment for eyes but it did expire in 09...sometimes meds are OK well past the exp date.  Should I wait to see if it (the gook) comes back?  I also saw somewhere in these posts that someone used Boric Acid.  I don't think they sell it anymore.  Walgreens doesn't have it.  I feel like a skipping record (showing my age) and am not trying to be dense, I just think there's something I can do while I'm waiting for the vet appt that could take 24-48 hours from now.  Thanks.

My kitten has the same thing some days its clear, the next its got gook. But doing that procedure at least twice a day helps get it out the eye. The eye just basically gets irritated. Usually the gook does clear up. Is the kitty's eye red and swollen and kind of oozing just a bit? If so then it's a visit to the vet. But the procedure does help! I really do hope this helps you!   Btw I wouldn't try the expired ointment just to be on the safe side, but if you go to that thread Goopy Eyes? Stuck Shut? Read Here First!! they should be able to awnser more of your questions. Good luck! Sorry I couldn't be much help but it got you somewhere.

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/244669/cat-diarrhea#post_3207675

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/54375/goopy-eyes-stuck-shut-read-here-first

- Aimee

P.S. That 1st link tells what her goopy eyed kitten had and meds she got at the vet. And, sorry about the topic she has now, lol

The 2nd link is just to the Goopy Eyes? thing.

Thanks so much, the eye is not red but she is sneezing a bit.  I have a vet appt Sat.  Thanks so much for your help, it's truly appreciated

Deb
 

oh boy.. your kitten is sneezing? that's not good.. i know this is old but just incase some other person happens upon this I could be saving a life by saying this..

sneezing is NOT a good sign.. chances are it could be upper respiratory infection.. we dealt with this with some shelter kittens, it is EXTREMELY contagous and will spread to your adult cats, and especially other kittens, even when separated the virus can carry on clothes.. 

one of the kittens died because of this.. it was a foster-to-own situation where paper work was filled out prior and we told them to take the kitten to the vet the following day to immediately put it on antibiotics.. although the kitten was only a week younger than the other shelter kittens, the SAME vet wouldn't give them antibiotics and told them he looked healthy after a quick exam.. not even 5 days later and the kitten dies.. of course we didn't know about this until the night the kitten died when they messaged us frantically about the kitten not eating and appearing "lethargic", and not even 2 hours later before i could even get off work the kitten died :-( 

luckily that was the only one!

upper respiratory PRODUCES watering eyes and a few kittens had what the vet called "kitten pink eye" but his treatments are still uneffective over a week later (except for one kitten) and we now think it's just the virus (a form of herpes in cats) that causes URI.. 

the only thing that seems to help treat it is antibiotics and a supplement called l-lysine.. they need the antibiotics though.. unfortunately this is something that cat will carry it's whole life but as long as you know what you are dealing with when you see the signs and get your cat on antibiotics and supplements, your cat or kitten should be A OKAY.

WARNING SIGNS OF SERIOUS URI:

-loss of appetite (i access this by giving them wet food.. if all are scarfing it down then we are good.. unless the cat doesn't like wet food like my one adult, then you just have to periodically feed them small amounts throughout the day to make sure they are eating)

-lethargic

-fever

-extreme sleepiness

-not acting like their normal self (with kittens it's usually not joining it's siblings to play.. with my adult cats, they have certain routines and a certain personality but when they got sick they started just laying around not caring to be social with other cats and hiding in cubbards or wherever they could get to and fit in)

-loss of limb functions (like they won't put weight on a leg.. and then their arm.. etc..)

-bloody stool/constant diahrea

-vomiting (more than cats routine "vomiting")

if any of these or all of these are occurring go to the nearest 24hr emergency vet.. they will probably give your cat an antibiotic shot and put them on an iv.. they will give you directions on what to buy and how often to force feed your cat... once the cat regains an appetite, you are usually in the clear!! 

if the cat/kitten appears to be getting worse over the next few days or showing no improvement, take it back to the vet.. there may not be much more they can do for it, but if you love your cats like i do you would at least try everything you can..

i hope this helps and i hope that kitten turned out okay.. 

all of our kittens are fine now and NOT dead but the one that was not in our care.. my one 
"teenager" cat (he's 7 1/2 months now) is still eating but has been on antibiotics for 5 days and is showing no improvement.. he is the only one who has a fever :-( wish us luck!

Thanks so much for your response.  I did take her into the vet last week and got her amoxicillin for 10 days. She didn't have a fever, no goopy eye and no nasal discharge......Today is day 8.  She only had a goopy eye the one day before I took her in and then she was sneezing slightly but no discharge etc.  Vet said to quaranteen her for another week which would be today but since I have a house full of dogs & adult cats, it will be awhile before she comes out on her own.  She's only 10-11 weeks.   I heard a sneeze today...hoping that doesn't mean anything but I'm not around much since I work 40 hrs/week.  When I'm home I check on her about once per hour and I do have several play times on my days off and after work.  She's thriving!  Where can I get L-Lysine?  My vet had it only once and I can't seem to find any knowledgeable help at Petsmart.  They referred me to Walmart Pharm and those folks referred me to their vitamin isle...all I saw were capsules and I'm not sure the dosage for a cat.  Any advice on this would be great.  Thanks again and good luck on your brood!  I appreciate all dog/cat/bird rescues!!!  It's a hard thankless job!  God Bless you!!!

Walmart or any other pharmacy will have L-lysine as a supplement, usually in large tablet form.  About 250 mg per day is a maintenance dose, but the dosage isn't critical.  If they are 500 mg tablets, cut them in half and crush them, then add them to soft wet food.  It doesn't seem to have much taste to cats.
 

If you Google for 'L-lysine powder' you will find lots of suppliers, its cheaper than buying capsules or tablets and easier as well.

Agreed that powder is the easiest form as you can sprinkle it on dry food or mix it into wet. The gel works fine mixed into wet, but I think it has a stronger taste. All my fosters have been fine with the power form mixed into wet but a few refused the gel served the same way. If all you can get is the capsules you can just break them apart as opposed to trying to pill her, which is traumatic for all involved.  

I would call your vet and ask what her dosage should be to be on the safe side. You can probably go to any other vet clinic and buy it there, or ask your vet to call a colleague who can supply it for you. 

Addendum: I checked my powder and the recommended dose for kittens under 6 mos is 125mg 2x a day. So, MrBlanche is spot on if you go the tablet route. 

i'm glad your kitten is okay!! and thanks Brix (my teenager cat) is doing much better, as are all of the kittens! he has a bad habit of drinking out of the toilet though so it probably isn't helping!!!

i think you can also find l-lysine or other herbal supplements actually made for cats by searching online.. there are alternatives to antibiotics but your vet will know best..

and yes, rescuing is hard.. we just started the beginning of this year and have saved over 30+ cats and kitten's lives! 12 were rescued from the bastrop shelter kill-list.. just heard tonight that another kitten died :-( she had coccidia and her symptoms didn't appear for close to 2 weeks.. luckily the incubation period can be up to 13 days and it has been exactly that long and none of the other kittens have shown a single symptom, so it appears we have dodged a bullet but feel horrible that the poor thing died.. she was from a 3rd party home-rescue and was abandoned as a kitten.. i think that's usually a good sign something is wrong when the mom cat abandones her kittens that something may be wrong with them.. mom knows best.

it's always hard loosing a pet and our hearts go out to them.. we offered them a free replacement, even though our spay/neuter agreement states that the health of the kitten cannot be guaranteed, as most rescues and shelters can't afford to get all kittens tested or kitten shots before adoption, especially this record-breaking kitten season when even shelters are giving kittens away for $15..  it is still a hard thing loosing a kitten even if we only knew her for a few weeks.. 

i'm so glad your kitten is feeling better.. it does sound like an upper respiratory infection because of the sneezing AND watering eyes but since it is already on antibiotics it should be fine.. just get the l-lysine and it should live a very long, healthy life ;-) thank you so much for having such a good heart and fostering a kitten.. we wish there were more people out there like you! we couldn't have saved all of these kittens if it wasn't for our fosters!! <3

My kitten is about 7 months and has been sneezing often. I got him from a humane society. Im thing he might have upper resptory. His one eye starting getting goopy last night. I probably wont be able to get him to a vet untill tomorrow. Any suggestions on what i could to to prevent this from getting worse. Hes been kinda drowsy lately too. Help please. This is my kitten. I dont want to lose him

Give him smelly wet food, for one thing; one problem with a URI is being unable to smell food, just like when we get a cold.

The URI is generally a virus, which won't be affected by antibiotics.  However, the vet will likely give you antibiotics to treat the secondary infections. 

Steaming up the bathroom with a shower and taking the kitten in there can help the congestion, some. 

My cat sneezes at least 6-7 times per day and he is fine. It's either dust or allergies per the vet. If your cat starts looking and acting sick that's a different story. hope it works out for you.

I do realize that this is a really old post but I thought I'd reply in the odd chance that it might help someone who is passing thru here looking for the same answer to this person's question about where to get L-Lysine for cats.  Personally I use a product called KittyBloom.  It comes in cheddar cheese flavor & my cats go nuts for it.  You just mix in a scoopful with their moist food daily.  For cats, it's like what vitamin c is to us.  They can't have enough of it.  You can go directly to KittyBloom.com and order... (No I do not work for this company. I just really like their product and the service they offer is really thorough too...  I think it's rare these days if I find both a product and good service so when I do I tell people about it...  As cheesy and corny as that sounds...)  Anyway... I've never seen it in the stores so I do think you have to just order it....  I came accross it a very long time ago on a breeder's site as something she recommended in her kitten package...  Ok.... Thanks for reading....  Hope that helped...