Kittens Eyes...opened two days ago, one is now closed

Question
I have kittens that are almost 3 weeks old.  Two days ago they opened their eyes.  TOday, one of them has an eye closed again......any thoughts or suggestions?

Answer
Bob,

I am wondering if it is possible that your kittens may be a touch younger than you think that they are. Most kittens open their eyes between 7 to 14 days of age in my experience. If you happen to notice that mom or babies has any sort of discharge from their eyes or nose you will have to take the family to the vet because they may have an upper respiratory infection or even conjunctivitis which must be managed by a vet. If there is no crusting or discharge in the kittens' eyes or nose I would just wait and watch to see what will happen. I would recommend that you watch fairly closely so that you can respond to any negative changes promptly. I would also recommend that you keep mom and her little ones in a dimly lit and quiet area with a kitten sized litter box, kitten food, water and a few toys. The reason that kitten food is recommended for pregnant or nursing queens is because it is formulated to help mom meet the nutritional needs that her rapidly growing family has. A kitten sized litter box allows the kittens to watch mom in the litter pan and imitate her sooner as it is more accessible to them. If you are really concerned about the medical condition of any of the kittens or their mother I would strongly suggest that you take the whole family to the vet just to be sure that everything is progressing normally. I would also like to recommend that you spay your kitty when she stops nursing. Until your mama cat is spayed I would suggest that she stays inside as she can become pregnant while she is still nursing. There is a serious pet overpopulation problem and cats and kittens have incredibly high euthanasia rates within shelters. There  are also benefits to spaying and neutering cats that go beyond the prevention of unwanted kittens. Altered cats are at significantly lower risk to develop reproductive or mammary infections or tumors. Spaying and neutering also helps to stop or prevent undesirable behavior such as fighting, wandering, caterwauling and urine marking. Hopefully this information helps. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to  contact me again.