new kitty with eye discharge and sneezing - Paw Talk

reeB_relliM · #1 07-09-2005, 05:53 PM

Hey gang!

Got a new female kitty

. She hasn't had any shots yet, but we plan to get everything she'll need in relatively short order. I'm guessing that she's about 3 months old now, and just the other day I'd noticed her one eye was being held closed more than open. My initial thought was that our other cat (1.5 yr old male) may have scatched the eye while playing, however, as a few days have now gone by, her eye looks like it's getting worse and discharging quite a bit. She's also sneezing quite often too

. I plan to take her to the vet this coming monday, but for now I'd like to know what I can do for her, in an effort to help the problem. Can I use eye drops or some of my contact lens saline solution to wash the eye out?? I don't want to do anything until I hear from some of you who know more about this.

Please advise.

Much thanks in advance!!!

reeB

Chrisanne · #2 07-09-2005, 06:14 PM

I am not sure about rinsing her eye out, but it shouldn't hurt. Others who know more will say for sure.

What I can say is that you need to isolate her from your other cat asap just in case and get her to the vet asap as well.

***Jade*** · #3 07-09-2005, 06:23 PM

Straight saline is the only thing you can use. Contact solution for rinsing and storing is not a good idea. The other option is artificial tears, but it has to be marked artificial tears with no other additives. No visine, etc.

Keeping them wiped off and making sure she's eating and drinking are about the best you can do. I second Chrisanne in that she needs to be isolated and seen ASAP.

lilchris_28 · #4 07-09-2005, 10:23 PM

Sounds like an upper respiratory infection to me. I use to work at a vet. That stuff isn't something to mess around with. Cats can get real sick real fast. Kittens go even faster. Don't wait until Monday. Go ASAP. I remember having to give IV fluids to some of the cats when their owners let it go too long. You always knew when they were feeling better though- they would scratch and bite you to pieces.

reeB_relliM · #5 07-10-2005, 12:06 AM

Thank you all!!! That's what I love about this forum, ..I can always count on getting good information, and fast. Yes, I do know first hand just how fast and serious an upper resp infection can take a turn for the worst, I must tell you the story about my 1.5 yr old male polydactyl cat (Spook). We'd first adopted him from the local humane society, and he was already about 1 yr old. After only a few days at our home, his health had went south, ..and fast! I imagine the stress of coming into a new home, plus coming from the humane society where there's such a huge likelyhood of being introduced to an array of other felines with upper resp infections and no sneeze shields, ...all the right elements for something potentially bad to derive from.

Anyway, Spooks health declined southward rather quickly, he had withdrawn from us and found a quite corner where he stayed crouched down close to the floor. He had been profusely druelling (<-- sp?) from both sides of his mouth, and he'd totally quit eating and drinking fluids altogether, ...that's when I knew he was in dire need of immediate vet attention - and with NO DELAY!! Very scary!! I was so worried we were gonna lose him, but the vet gave him a shot of fluids to hydrate him and a shot of inflamitory and super-antibiotics, plus prescribed 1cc. of ammoxicilan per day, ..this gradually brought him back around, along with doing everything within my power to introduce foods with hopes of getting him to eat (..the more smelly, the more appealling, the better).

Spent $1500 throughout the whole ordeal, but it was well worth it. He's very well and just as fiesty as ever these days. However, one of the many things I'd learned during that ordeal (and if I'm wrong, please correct me) was that felines can get better from such an illness, but can still[b] be a carrier of the virus. So I'm wondering if the kitty may have gotten this virus from Spook, ..I dunno, but it's definitely time to see the vet about it.

Thanks again!!
reeB

lilchris_28 · #6 07-10-2005, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reeB_relliM


	However, one of the many things I'd learned during that ordeal (and if I'm wrong, please correct me) was that felines can get better from such an illness, but can still[b] be a carrier of the virus. So I'm wondering if the kitty may have gotten this virus from Spook, ..I dunno, but it's definitely time to see the vet about it. reeB

Um... I don't think that is correct...

reeB_relliM · #7 07-10-2005, 11:31 PM

You're prolly right, ...by reading so much, and trying to take so much in, it's very likely that I'd misunderstood what I'd read. Then again one must be a good judge of what is good information and what is mis-information on the internet. There always seems to be plenty of both.

***UPDATE***

Scheduled an appointment to see the vet set for Monday morning (tomorrow). Last night I'd steamed up the bathroom, then brought kitty in for about 1/2 hour and used a clean warm damp wash cloth to clean her eye up and gently rinsed her eye out with saline, ---> ..and this morning her eye looks 75% better!!!

She sounds like a little trumpet when she sneezes, and I can hear that she's stuffy. Surely the vet will give her an inflamitory to help, but for now I put a small dab of Vicks vapor rub just under her chin where she can't get to it, ..this seems to help.

Thanks again for all the help!!!

reeB

lilchris_28 · #8 07-11-2005, 01:15 AM

Yes, there does seem to be plenty of both right and wrong information on the internet... I could be wrong about this. I'm no vet... I hope everything checks out okay. Good luck! Give kitty a hug.

beansale · #9 07-11-2005, 02:24 AM

Sounds like a scary ordeal, both with the little one, and with Spook. You are one good mommy to be taking such good care of that little sick one. Steam baths and Vix are awesome ideas. Hope everything is going well still, and am looking forward to a good update.

IngridJ · #10 07-12-2005, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilchris_28


	Um... I don't think that is correct...

No - I'm sure she is correct. When my little guy Goliath developed an URI, I was told by the vet that he probably got it from Jezebel, as she had one when we adopted her from the shelter. She was was on antibiotics and it cleared up but she would always be a carrier. Goliath hadn't been given his shots yet, so he was extra suseptible (sp?). I was told the same thing at the SPCA.

reeB_relliM · #11 07-25-2005, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IngridJ


	No - I'm sure she is correct. When my little guy Goliath developed an URI, I was told by the vet that he probably got it from Jezebel, as she had one when we adopted her from the shelter. She was was on antibiotics and it cleared up but she would always be a carrier. Goliath hadn't been given his shots yet, so he was extra suseptible (sp?). I was told the same thing at the SPCA.

Thanks for the confirmation on this, as mentioned previously, I knew that I'd read it somewhere, but wasn't quite sure if that little tid bit of information was in fact true or not.

Oh yeah BTW, surely is no biggie, but just for future references herein, ...I'm the daddy rather than the mommy

Both of my kitties are doing very well now, ...Thank you all!!!