Blindness in Kittens?

The runt (although runt is a bit of an understatement) of Ruby's litter, Layla, opened her eyes today. I was looking at them and noticed that they are duller than the other kitten's eyes, almost like she has cataracts. My husband thinks that mabye they are simply still developing (because every part of her is underdeveloped compared to the sibs) and will likely clear up. There is no discharge or wateriness, so it's not likely an infection.

Does anyone know anything about congenital blindness in kittens? Is there even such a thing? How do you test for it? Do they automatically euthanize if this is the case?

Here are some pictures. By the way, she nurses vigorously, but is still just under 4 oz at 1week 4 days.





You can see in this one, she still is very pink and hairless on her belly.

She looks like a preemie- keep her warm and fed and don't panic about her eyes, it is way to early to tell.

Give it time to see how she progresses. Most cats adjust to blindness very, very well and if a kitten is in fact born blind, they learn to get around using their other senses in such a way that it really never becomes an issue for them. They are so amazing.

Oh and before I forget, my babies at two weeks old yesterday STILL don't have any fur on their bellies ... just make sure she is eating well, gaining weight and size consistantly and my bet is that everything will be OK.

I just got weird deja-vu that someone had askd this question and Hissy and Gayef both answered it, same questions, same pictures. I even read the thread and looked at the pictures and said oh ya I remember them. Then I looked at the date and saw it was jsut posted today...hmm, am I on here too much perhaps?

Anyways I don't have any advice, but I think it is just too young to tell yet on blindness, especially being underdeveloped.

Originally Posted by Jen

I just got weird deja-vu that someone had askd this question and Hissy and Gayef both answered it, same questions, same pictures. I even read the thread and looked at the pictures and said oh ya I remember them. Then I looked at the date and saw it was jsut posted today...hmm, am I on here too much perhaps?

Click to expand...

*smile* Jen, you tickle me to death!!!

Thanks, I feel much better. She is gaining weight and is always right in the mix, so I don't worry about her not staying warm. She was 2.5 oz last Thursday. She is certainly not gaining as fast as her big brothers, though. One of them is already 10oz. at 1.5 weeks. He's gonna be a bruiser!

Those boys are little piggies at the buffet, aren't they? *giggle*

Yes the boys are piggies, but quite polite, they usually take a lower nipple and let little Layla lay on top and nurse the upper ones.

Is there ever a point that a preemie is out of the woods as far as survivial. I know strange illness can take them virtually overnight, but as far as failure to thrive...is there a time that I can relax? She still breathes differently than the others. It looks like indrawing in a newborn human, and it is much faster paced. I keep telling myself, she's made it 11 days...she has to survive. Any input?

These are just my thoughts but based on my own experiences but when cats are outside during mating season the females are repeatedly taken by whatever tom is around, this results in the mom carrying more than one litter, and when the first mated litter is ready to be born it generally pushes out all the rest regardless. Only rarely does the mom cat wait days to have later litters. This means that some kittens are born before they are really ready- and until they hit 6 weeks old, I don't breathe easy.

Any kitten can fade at any time, that is just the way of it. You are ahead of the game when the momcat is available to take care of the litter, because as much care and concern we put into bottle feeding and raising, we are a poor substitute for the real thing- Just keep doing what you are doing and don't play a guilt trip on yourself if something should happen.