Eyes-kitten

Question
Hi! My cat had 3 kittens 8 weeks ago.  One of them has some clear or yellowish/clear liquid under his or her eyes. The eyes don't seem to be too runny, though. Not sure if it is an infection, but his eyes were a little slow opening this morning. Someone told me to mix 1 tsp. epson salt in a cup of water and use a dropper to put some in the eyes. Right now I can't afford a vet bill, so was wondering what to do to help him (or if it is a problem that will just go away). THANKS!

Answer
I don't know about putting epson salt in the eyes - I personally wouldn't try it.  If it is an eye infection there is not going to be anything you can do at home to make it go away if the kitten's immune system can not fight it off.  The only thing you can do is make him more comfortable.  You can take a wet, warm towel and apply it to his eye two to three times a day, and make sure the eye stays clean.  If it is a conjunctivitis, it may or may not go away on its own, and he could pass it to the other kittens or the mother.  If he is having a runny eye from an ulcer (either from a virus or due to trauma) then it is still up in the air whether or not he can heal it on his own.  Either way the way you can treat it at home without going to the vet is going to be the same.  Keep in mind that it is possible it can get worse, and if that does happen the longer he goes without medical treatment the worse it is going to get, as well as the more painful, and he could lose his sight.

Amanda