mucky eye

i think my firbaby has conjunctivitis. He's not living with me yet as he's still with his mom (just comming 8 weeks old)One of his eyes has a nasty discharge and he has difficulty opening it once he has been asleep. I'm going down to see him tomorrow and i was wondering if there was anything i could do for him (they have been keeping the area clean and bathing his eye when he cant open it) Also i was wondering if it was possible for a human to catch Conjunctivitis from cats? are there any precausions i should be taking?

Yes, the kitten should be taken to the vet. Eye problems can be very serious, and should not be just handled at home without seeing a vet.

thanks for you fast reply, i'm going to get them to let me have him a little early as they wont take him to the vets (financial problems) i was worried because they have another 8 cats in the house and i dont want them getting ill too

I wouldn't have him separated from mom and the rest of the litter just yet, it's better if they stay with the others until they're 12 weeks old. But if they don't want to pay for the vet, you could just take him and have that eye looked at, and get him back to his mom. Of course, you know the conditions he's in best, it doesn't sound like an ideal environment if a vet visit is out of the question.

If it is an infection, yes, other cats could get it. But it's impossible to know just what it is without a vet visit. My cat had an infection at about that age, so that when she later had the same symptoms, I of course assumed that's what it was again. But naturally I took her to the vet right away anyway (and they always have me come in right away, and not wait even a day or two) and it turned out to be a small wound in her eye, a very different thing. The point is, you can't really tell without a vet visit.

Seems like this kitten will have a very caring home with you. Good luck to both of you, and keep us posted!

Hi,
I have experience with feline eye infections. I had a foster feral with a bad eye infection. She gave it to my adult cat. My new kitten and his littermates also had this. It is common in kittens and they get it originally from their mothers. Most of the time it is caused by a bacteria called chlamydia. This needs to be treated with a tetracycline ointment (Terramycin). It may take a while (up to 2 weeks of treatment for my cats) to get rid of. It can be associated with an upper respiratory infection which may need an oral antibiotic. As someone else said, Scratches to the cornea of the eye may be the cause or part of the situation. Your kitten needs to see a vet for evaluation as chlamydia can cause blindness if left untreated. It is unlikely that you will catch it but wash your hands thoroughly after you handle him for treatment.
Good luck with you little one!

We took little Bruce to the vets last night, we had to have him from his mother early because the large male cat in that household had taken a serious dislike to him (being the only other male) and was visiously attacking him. We now have some ointment for his eyes and some oral antibiotics to protect against any secondry infection, though the vet did say he was fit and healthy apart from his eyes. I was slighty worried about bringing him home early and seperating him from his mother, i would have prefered to have left it for 12 weeks, however, with the large male attacking him we thought it fairer for us to have him sooner as he had already sustained a large wound to the back of his neck (which is now healing nicely). He settled in verry well and is not missing his mother or sister at all, he's too busy playing, sleeping, eating and being loved. The vet also believed that moving him was the best for him, because he would have been injured further and possibly worse in the near future. I would like to thank you all for your help in this matter, he is a very sweet and affectionate kitten and im sure he will make me a great companion for many years to come.