Kitten Infected Eye

by Jeff
(Ashland, KY, US)

Reader Question: Why Is My Cat's Eye Discharging Mucus?

My mother recently brought home a kitten that was found abandoned outside a Pet Grooming facility, deciding that we could give her a home and a fighting chance at a good life.

However, the kitten appears to be having some kind of issues with her right eye, as its matted shut, and discharging mucus.

Unfortunately, I don't have the money for a visit to the veterinarian, so perhaps I could get some suggestions on what I could do to help alleviate her from her obvious misery.

She's extremely young, to the point that she wasn't weaned, and I am still feeding her with an eye-dropper and kitten formula.

Any help is appreciated.

Jeff

Veternarian Responds To Reader Question Regarding Cat Eye Discharging Mucus

Hi Jeff,

Three possibilities top this list as potential causes for your kitten’s eye problems – an upper respiratory infection (particularly if she is also sneezing), a wound to the eye, or eyelids that have not opened normally, which can result in an underlying infection.

It really is in your kitten’s best interest to get her to a veterinarian for diagnosis and treatment. If she has a bacterial eye infection, it will need to be treated with topical and possibly oral antibiotics or she could lose her eye, and these medications are available by prescription only. In the meantime, you could try loosening up the mucus by applying a warm (not hot), wet washcloth over the area and gently wiping it away. Once the eye is open you can rinse it with an unmedicated eye wash.

A trip to the veterinarian has the added benefit of diagnosing other health issues (e.g., FELV/FIV infection, intestinal parasites, etc.) that could be compromising her health and her body’s ability to deal with her eye disease.

Regards,

Jennifer Coates, DVM