new kitten eye problems - Paw Talk

tonifersangel · #1 06-06-2004, 09:41 PM

OK, this is something that has happened to the last few litters of kittens by cats' had (I'm working on the fixing part. . .money is short) Anyway, they get this. . .well, crust on their eyes that keeps them shut. There's ooze on the inside. Usually they also have runny/sneezy noses and weezing when the breath. . . what is the cause of this? And how can I treat it? It's only in kittens and goes away when they get older, but I have a feeling it stunts their growth cause my cat Sophie had it and she's tiny while her brother who didn't is huge.

***Jade*** · #2 06-06-2004, 11:12 PM

Have you had any of them tested for Feline Leukemia or Feline Immunodeficiency Virus? It runs rampant in cats around here and most often symptoms start as an upper respiratory/eye infection. The more cats who continue to be in a group environment and spread the diseases, the worse the disease spread gets. The best you can do is to keep the eyes clear by wiping them several times daily with a damp cloth and get them some anti-biotics to help fight the underlying infection causing the respiratory and/or eye symptoms. I would really, really recommend having the adults tested for FeLV/FIV and talking to your vet about supportive therapy or other options.

tonifersangel · #3 06-06-2004, 11:37 PM

Wow that's scary. . . I mean I have a crap-load of cats and I wouldn't be able to test them all, and my mom doesn't care, so I mean should I just take a few or one with symptoms or the oldest or mother of most infected kittens or what? I'm sorry I'm babbling but I love my cats with all my heart and it freaks me out that they could be fatally ill. . . .

tonifersangel · #4 06-07-2004, 01:24 AM

I'm really freaking out about this. . . if my cats have this I don't know what I'll do. I'm nearly in tears. . I have to go to fayetteville tomorrow so I can't get them tested. . .and I don't know how much it's gonna cost. . . why me? Why my cats. . they haven't done anything. . .

***Jade*** · #5 06-07-2004, 01:02 PM

Here's some info for you:
http://www.felineleukemia.org/
http://www.vetinfo.com/cfeleuk.html
http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/health/FeLV.html

http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/health/FIV.html
http://www.lbah.com/Feline/fiv.htm
http://www.animalhealthchannel.com/fiv/
http://www.vetinfo.com/cfiv.html

tonifersangel · #6 06-08-2004, 12:48 AM

I have done my research and it doesn't sound too much like either of them. There would be visible signs of FeL in my cats because I have cats that are 9 mo. who had this eye/repirtory infection. I think it is this:

URI:
This is a fairly common disease too, but luckily it's much easier to treat (treated with antibiotics). Symptoms include runny or weepy eyes, wetness around the nostrils, and sneezing. Cats rarely sneeze, unless there's a lot of dust in the air, but if you hear your cat sneezing and there's seemingly no reason, call your vet for an appointment. You may also notice the presence of a white eyelid in the corner of his/her eyes. The cat may also feel warmer than usual (indicating a fever), and s/he may refuse food and water and lie around listlessly. It's imperative that they do not get dehydrated! In bad cases, you can buy a bottle of Pedialite in the infant section of the grocery store (get the unflavoured kind), and mix a little in with the cat's water bowl. You could also take a needleless syringe and squirt some into their mouth; two or three syringe-fulls every couple of hours should be sufficient. But do this only with the vet's ok; if your cat is on other medication it could be harmful or ineffective. This is contagious, so keep other cats away and wash your hands after handling him/her.

Whatever it is, I am taking one of my female cats whose kittens have had this problem more than the others tomorrow to have her tested.

***Dena*** · #7 06-08-2004, 01:07 AM

As some of them get older do they tend to have runny eyes even though the rest of the symptoms have gone away? Do any of their eyes look extremely red and swollen. More common is the Viral Rhinotracheitis and Feline calici virus that mimick symptoms of upper respiratory infection but are indeed viral instead of bacterial. When cats are giving their distemper vaccination, the vaccination usually combines for all three viruses. I can't remember which one the rhino or the calici, is a herpes virus BUT IT IS NOT CONTRACTABLE TO HUMANS. I can't tell you how many cats we have seen with this but we finally have it under control in the shelter and found intranasal vaccines to prevent this in kittens as little as 2 weeks of age.

They should definitely have their eyes cleaned out several times a day with a cotton ball and gently because they could easily be irritated in that state and antibiotic ointment specifically for the eyes should be put into both eyes to prevent a secondary infection. If its viral antibiotics wont really help but they found that a natural amino acid suppliment works well with helping control symptoms through out life. Its called Lysene (I thinks thats the spelling) and you can find it at any health food or vitamin store. Its fairly inexpensive but make sure you get the capsules since its easier to mix into wet food. The capsules are powder filled and just open the capsule into the food, you can just throw out the capsule casing. Almost every vet I have talked to so far has recommended Lysene and says it works wonders. You can also try Olive Leaf extract. I think that is a little more expensive but is supposed to help with the viral symptoms also.

tonifersangel · #8 06-08-2004, 01:23 AM

As the cats get older, the symptoms go completely away. That's why I don't think it's too serious. My 9-month old cat Sophie had it really bad as a kitten. She breathed outta her mouth most of her kittenhood. She is tiny and I think that's part of being sick. She is completely well now and shows no breathing problems or eye infections at all.

I have used an antibiotic in the past on them that I got from the vet. But I found that it barely worked and in fact made matters worse because it would keep their eyes closed and the goo would form faster.

***Jade*** · #9 06-08-2004, 11:07 AM

I would still get them tested, especially since they're outdoor cats. FeLV and FIV are getting all too common. We often see them with the viruses mentioned above in addition to the FeLV and FIV.

The L-Lysine does help with the feline herpes if they're diagnosed with that, as well.

tonifersangel · #10 06-08-2004, 12:38 PM

I just had one of my mother cats tested, and the results came back negative for both. The doctor gave me some antibiotics and eye ointment for them.

twostep · #11 06-08-2004, 07:21 PM

What it seems to be in a sort of cat flue or upper rerspiratory infection that is usually passed from the motehr cat to the kittens- usually just one sneeze from the mother cat does it. They can recover from it but the touchy thing is is that it starts as crusty eyes and nose then progresses to plugged noses and respiratory problems and pneumonia is not halted. Boiled water with some table salt added (about l/4 tsp to four ounces or so) and cooled to tepid ,swabbing the eyes with some cotton batten will help to clear away the encrustations and kill t he germs. Keeping the kitten saway from drafts and boosting the immune system will help to hasten recovery.Cod liver oil- a tsp or two or so spaced through out the day- given via eye-dropper will help, Transfer Factor Plus- is a product that really helps. It's non-toxic given even in mega- doses but it's very effective in numerous ways. They say to start small- breaking open a capsule and mix it with a little milk,etc then increasing the dosage to a capsule or so then seeing how it goes with thatm Sometimes it's just a matter of doing what works and waiting it out. Been there so I know.