Kitten with maybe eye infection?

[Miyon]

Apparently someone thought it a brilliant idea to take Away the soft towels in the box the cats live in, and then put out a litterbox.
The kittens use the litterbox and that is good, but, they also sleep in it, so Now they all smell like poo. I gave them new towels to stuff in the box to see if they change sleeping place.

Anyway, one of the kittens, lil speshy, has a swollen eye that is half open and it leaks goo. It looks infected. Will he be fine without a vet, and is there anything I can do to clean it out? It may just be dust from the sand in the litterbox, but it may aswell be poo.

[Mychelle]

Eye problems with kittens can be more serious then they are with older cats. I know the eye can easily be cleaned out with just plain-old contact solution. It wouldnt be as harsh as just plain water, which would be your 2nd option. Basically its just a matter of flushing out the nasty stuff a couple of times a day for the infection to clear up.

[Miyon]

I think I may have some of that stuff somewhere..
But how serious can it turn out? Weakened sight, or any chance of getting sick?

[Miraga]

My rule of thumb for pets or anything is this: if you have to ask someone if you should take your pet to the vet, you probably should. If this is a bacterial infection, antibiotics will need to be prescribed. Also, if this begins to bother him, he may stop eating and become dehydrated very quickly. Take the little guy to the vet. Even if it ends up being dust in the eye, it may be scratched and irritated which will also require something like tetracycline.

Good luck.

[Dewclaw]

I work at a vets office. Take the kitty in. It could lose an eye over this.

it could also be a sign of a uri, or even something like a worm in the eye (yes, I've seen that happen).

[Miyon]

His eye seems fine today, but I will keep watch over him.

Could you tell me a bit more? What is this uri thing?

[Miraga]

URI stands for upper respiratory infection. It's extremely contagious. If this is what your kitten has, it would be best to separate him from any other cats for the time being (although I would say to isolate him anyway, as you aren't sure what it is yet). Unfortunately, the other cats have probably already been exposed. This website has good information regarding feline upper respiratory infections.

http://www.morrisanimalfoundation.org/b ... QAodwHadpA

They give a list of when to seek veterinary help but I would really find one now. It could become a chronic problem for your kitty.

[Mychelle]

Im basically standing by what everyone else has said. Eye infections for Kittens can be very serious if they get bad. Kittens grow really fast, and anything like an infection can lead to alot of problems when they get older.

I would still try to clean the eye with contact solution myself until your able to take him to the vet. If anything to help the kitten be more comfortable and make sure the infection doesnt get any worse until your able to take him in.

I have heard of kittens dieing over something that looked as simple as eye infection. =/ And I would REALLY take away the sand / litter box. Kittens can die if they eat litter, or even sand. They need to be given a box that has torn up news paper to "learn" to use a litter box. The scratchy-ness will still be just as appealing as litter or sand.

[Nili]

And do something quick, kittens health can go from okay to downright horrible in just a couple hours.

[Miyon]

I actually moved the litter box Away from their bed and food. Guess What, someone moved it right back.

I have been cleaning out his eye a few times now, since we can't go anywhere at the moment.

But who the hell lets cats sleep in their shit?

I am furious, and the cats aren't mine and that is frustrating as well. I can't confront anyone without they going "psht, they won't die from it". I want to bang my head in the wall.

Thanks everyone for your input, i will do What I can for this little guy.<3

[Mychelle]

I would put out a note for anyone to read, that Litter for younger kittens can be bad for their health, and get rid of the box entirely. Even if it pisses someone off, your saving those kittens.

[Miyon]

Litter removed, newspapers put in it's stead.

It's going to get fun later today, they are going to give me a real overhauling, because they just don't understand. Cat's aren't toys for peoples pleasure.