worried about kittens eye.

there is a tiny kitten[ looks about 2 weeks or so] who lives in my neighborhood who had a slight runny discharge from her eye. it started a couple days ago. I have seen this before so I cleaned her eye.  I made sure she was washed and fed. Mom seems to be sticking around, she is a friendly sort lets you feed her and sometimes lets you pet her. [ Not sure who Mom belongs to or even if she has a family. there are about 30 cats roaming our neighborhood at any given time.]  well i checked on her this morning and the discharge has went from thin to a thick white film which seems to be covering the entire eye. i am very concerned , i have had cats before but i have never seen this before. her eye is swollen and pus is seeping  out the outer corner but she doesn't seem to be in any pain. but i am scared to try and clean it for fear her eye will be dislodged. has anyone ever heard of this or know what to do?? i can't afford to take her to the vet. my husband is quite ill and has been out of work for a few months so money is a huge issue here, so any help at all would be helpful. i don't want to have to call animal control for this if i can help her, they only keep them if they are healthy and any little issue is a almost positive PTS order. she is just a tiny baby and she needs help badly. i have gone online but can't seem to find any info. i haven't a camera or i would post a pic so you know what i mean. i know it is NOT the 3rd eyelid. i know what that is. this looks like a thick white toothpaste like substance that covers the entire front of the eye.

Upper respiratory infections, if left untreated, can cause an infection in the eye. She needs to go to the vet for antibiotics. Really, any issue with the eyes should be treated by a vet. Upper respiratory infections are very common in stray cats and contagious, so they spread quickly through groups of cats. Older cats can usually fight them off (although the infection will recur), but a kitty this young cannot. Especially if it has gone to the eye
Have you tried calling the Humane Society or SPCA? Many have agreements with local vets for situations like this.

A lot of URIs and eye problems are caused by the Feline Herpes Virus. Giving l-lysine will stop the virus from replicating. I know that these are stray cats, and you can't give all of them the l-lysine. 

You can gently clean the kitten's eye with a damp cloth, but she really needs to get some antibiotics. 

happybird said:

Upper respiratory infections, if left untreated, can cause an infection in the eye. She needs to go to the vet for antibiotics. Really, any issue with the eyes should be treated by a vet. Upper respiratory infections are very common in stray cats and contagious, so they spread quickly through groups of cats. Older cats can usually fight them off (although the infection will recur), but a kitty this young cannot. Especially if it has gone to the eye

Have you tried calling the Humane Society or SPCA? Many have agreements with local vets for situations like this.

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I was going to second the humane society suggestion.  They should be called.  If they can't help with the vet they will probably take mom and kittens in regardless.  There is a possibility if they take them in that the kitten will be euthanized so I will not lie about that; however, if you really can't afford a vet for her she is likely to not make it anyhow and may die in way more pain I am sorry to have to be really blunt but if she is really 2 weeks old she's never going to make it without vet care.

Terramycin ointment. It's an excellent eye ointment for bacterial eye infections.

We couldn't live without it during kitten season.

Order on ebay, cheap and very effective!

thank you all for your help. unfortunately, i was too late and the poor angel passed away.  i am going to search the area for any more those will be taken to the animal shelter. the thought of them suffering breaks my heart  . again bless you for trying to guide me in the proper direction and for all the wonderful work you guys do.