Underage kitten with weepy eye, upper respiratory, conjunctivitis

Question
Hello,

I recently found a stray/abandoned female kitten, perhaps around four weeks old, who seems to have a severe case of pink eye (conjunctivitus).  I'm writing because this is the first time I've tried to take care of a young kitten and I can't afford veterinary services for her at the moment, nor are there any free or low-cost pet care clinics in my immediate area, (I'm in South Los Angeles, CA if this helps).  I also tried talking to a number of animal control agencies in my area for assistance.  They apparently don't have available spaces for kittens right now, not that I really want to give her up anyway, but I just wanted to see if they had suggestions for how I could help her but no one has been very helpful in my opinion.

She seems otherwise fairly healthy, she willingly accepts kitten formula and seems to have a mild case of mites/fleas.  I've been using a warm wet cloth to wipe the pus and mucus from her eyes but the problem keeps returning.  I've also been applying diluted apple cider vinegar to the scruff of her neck and on her back to try to treat the pink eye and parasite problem, sometimes undiluted if it doesn't seem that effective, (the only remedy I can afford at the moment), but it only seems to help somewhat.  

Anyway I'm very worried because I'm fearing that her eyes could become permanently damaged if not treated by a vet soon enough.  Do you know of any other affordable home remedies I could use to treat/cure her problem in the meantime?

Thank you for your time,

Rosana

Answer
Hi Rosana,
Thank you for taking in this little kitty. Yes, shelter are packed right now as it is kitten season and animals are being put to sleep in hoards due to overcrowding all over the U.S.

You can buy "eyebright tincture". You can get tincture or glycerine form. Put 5 drops of it, to 1 cup of distilled or spring water. Add 1/4 tsp of sea salt. Mix well and store covered at room temperatures. Apply 2-3 drops 3-4 x's daily. Remake mixture every two days.

I am not sure what to tell you if you can't afford supplements but when you can, I would supplement her formula with collostrum and glycoproteins/glucoconjugates. All can be found at a health food store. Natural diet as available in books such as Dr Pitcairn's Natural Health for Dogs and Cats has excellent recipes is paramount for health.
You can also give several drops of Norwegian quality fish oil orally for 7-10 days or so. Some cats/kittens will eat it mixed in their food.
She may be able to start eating wet cat food at this point. Feed excellent quality natural diet, if you aren't aware of the proper ingredients then feed decent brands of WET cat food -Brands such as
avoderm, wellness, prairie, instinct, BG. You can also supplement her meals with organic good quality meats, organic chicken, and eggs.  You can put chicken livers in a blender and blend it very well and feed slowly through a syringe if she is flea infested. This will replenish her red blood cells. It wont kill the fleas though.

I am not sure what you are seeing as far as her eye  but most likely it is an upper respiratory infection which if the kitten is eating and lively I wouldn't worry about too much. Many times this is viral and they have their whole lives long and it can act up often other times it won't.
Vets love to prescribe antibiotics but if it is viral this does nothing but poison and weaken the immune system. If there is a secondary infection then perhaps there is a point.
Is she sneezing? Strengthen her immunity to fight off. Yes, sometimes cats get a cloudy eye from prolonged viral infection but the only problem with this is cosmetic. I adopted a 13 y/o with this issue and i dont mind. Most cats wont get the cloudy cornea, but some do.
Make sure it is not an injury to the eye either.

Fleas conjugate on sick and unhealthy animals. Flea comb her and if you bathe her you don't need to use chemicals. Soap will shock the fleas, and then they will drown. Comb her out with a proper flea comb and put the live fleas in a bowl of water which has a few drops of dish soap-they will become shocked and then drown. Be gentle with the bath, don't soak her ears or get soap in her eyes. If she panics in water, remain calm. Use tepid water, don't let her be wet for too long.
Treat the environment so there are no fleas in the environment. Too many fleas on a kitten can cause flea anemia and make them very weak. It is important to get her healthy, fatten her up with healthy food and get the fleas off.
Some people will use half a dose of KITTEN size advantage- I think her immune system is not developed yet for toxic chemicals.
If you bathe her make sure she is kept warm and dried right away. Make sure there are no drafts as you wouldn't want her respiratory infection getting worse if it is indeed a URI.
There are other supplements to use but could cause diarrhea so i hesitate to recommend them.
She is young and needs her mom for proper development for four more weeks but with the proper diet/treatment she can thrive.
Good luck!
Shanti