Kitten eyes

Question
My kitten has this problem with one of her eyes that keeps a discharge. When I got her she had an eye infection. I have some of the medicine left and have been using it and it seems to help. Do you think that it could still be an infection or should I change her litter? I know that sometimes the litter could cause this problem. The last time I took her to the vet, her eye infection had cleared up. I use Fresh Step litter, should I change her litter and see if this solves the problem? Thanks for your reply. Phyllis

Answer
Hi Phyllis.

It sounds like possibly Chlamydiosis. It affects about 5% to 10% of the cat population. It is especially common in kittens (2 to 6 months old). It is a permenant condition and outbreaks (like the weepy eye) occur usually when the kitten gets stressed. Anything different affect her lately?

There are a number of respitory diseases that kittens are born with or contract, especially if they were wild or came from a shelter. These are permanent conditions. The kittens can grow out of having the symptoms or flare-ups but they will still have it.

I have some cats with it. 2 of them lost eyes because they weren't able to be caught soon enough. But they are happy and healthy now (even though they will always have the disease). Having one of the upper respitory ailments is dangerous to kittens, but usually adults will be OK with it.
 
Allergies cause swollen red eyes with a clear discharge so I don't think it would be an allergy. To be on the safe side, maybe a dust-free litter would be helpful as far as causing further irritation to her eyes.

You can clean the discharge by taking a tea bag (natural tea no addictives), make a strong tea, do not add water or any sugars of course. Wet the little cloth in the tea you made and gently wipe out the discharge from one eye. Make sure the tea is not hot, at least room temperature. The tea also helps to disinfect. If your kitten is playful and is eating well, then the infection will eventually go away, but if you notice that it stops eating and is not feeling well, then you should see a vet and get antibiotics.

I am including a link that has some very good articles on cats eyes and some of the problems and diseases explained in detail but understandable. You should find some helpful information for future reference.

http://www.vetinfo4cats.com/cateye.html

I think your kitty will be fine. Use the eye medicine when needed, and keep watch for any other symptoms that could show up. I would give my vet a call and tell him about what the eye is doing (since he already checked her). Maybe he will give you more eye medicine or antibiotics.

Hope I didn't confuse you TOO much!

Carol