Kittens eye?

Question

My cat just had kittens. They are 2 weeks and 2 days old. There are 4 of them. Three of them have their eyes open and one of them has one eye open and the other eye is sort of crusty. Like, it looks like it is pasted shut. I don't know if this kitten has an eye out or if it has an infection. I tried to wipe it with a warm damp paper towel, and it freaked out. I am not sure what to do? I usually take kittens to the humane society because I already have 4 cats, and now 4 kittens, but if it only has one eye, I will have to keep it. I don't believe anyone will want it, so I will keep it. Can anyone help?

I can't afford to have them all fixed! I have one male that has been fixed so far. And the other is being fixed next month, it's not my fault they got freaky.

And the kittens 'taken to the humane society' being that I have done that before were NOT my cats. My mother-in-law must have 50 cats outside, I took 4 of them in to give them a good home. The ones outside are the ones with the kittens who have gone to the humane society before NOT mine. This is my first littler of kittens I personally have ever had. I guess I should have stated.

Answer 1

if you have enough money, i suggest bringing this kitten to the vet. i have experience when it comes to cats (and them, giving birth to kittens) -- it is not unusual for this problem to occur, but there were cases when the kittens eyes didn't open, it was crusted shut with eye fluids -- and this was too painful for them, they couldn't eat (or drink milk from their mom). and they eventually died, if i didn't do anything. what i did before was i cleaned the eye, and (i know it's bad) tried to open it -- so that the puss or infection will come out and i cleaned them. because if i didnt, they would be in too much pain. poor kittens. but i am not a vet, i don't know if what im doing is good or bad -- it has worked somehow.

Answer 2

Depends on the coat colour. All kittens are born with blue eyes. If some appear green it's probably just that their eyes are changing quicker than the other kittens - or their eyes will end up a different shade of green or gold than the others. The only way the eyes would stay blue is if the cats had pointed markings - like a Siamese - or if they were solid white. It's genetically impossible for any other coat colour to have blue eyes after kittenhood - it's always gold or green if they're cats of no particular breed. Pedigree cats can also have copper eyes. Kitten eye colour tends to start changing around three weeks and is at the adult colour by four months. There is a rare breed called the Ojos Azules where they're playing with genetics and having different coat colours with blue eyes but this doesn't just randomly happen in a litter. Can you please ask your irresponsible neighbours to please spay their female cat and spay and neuter these kittens BEFORE they give them away? Otherwise this mother and her kittens could turn into FOUR HUNDRED AND TWENTY THOUSAND more unwanted kittens in just a seven year period if these kittens and their kittens go on to breed. It's bad enough six shelter cats will now die since these kittens will take homes from them.

Answer 3

You do not need to go to the vet for this.


What your kitten has is a minor eye infection. This is VERY common! It's also very easy to take care of.


What you do is firmly grasp the scruff of the neck of the kitten. If the kitten happens to be quite finniky, grasp both of his/her ears as well as grabbing the scruff (If it's really anal, you can wrap it up into a soft washcloth or towel).

Soak a soft washcloth with lukewarm water. Make sure it's fairly wet -- You don't want it damp.


Brush it over the eye until it starts to come loose. Then carefully pry the eyelids open. Keep cleaning it until you fully open it and it's puss/mucus free.


*DO NOT* be worried if the eye or the surrounding membrane is red and inflamed -- It's a minor infection, and if every day you clean the eye multiple times a day, it WILL go away.


If, however, the kitten's eyes get worse (Constant seeping, can't open the eyeball at all, bleeding, etc) You can go to the vet and get a tiny tube of a clear paste that is carefully wiped over the eyelid and into the actual eyeball itself. It'll clear it right up.



Fear not. Your kitten won't have one eye. :) Keep cleaning it and he/she will be good as new, being bad as kittens always are. :)

Answer 4

The kitten probably has an eye infection if not treated with antibiotics there is a good possibility the kitten will loose the eye.
To clean the cats eye, personally I prefer a cotton ball it is much softer then a cloth or rag, I will soak it with warm water and apply it to the kittens eye and just hold it there for about a minute without rubbing, kitties eye is sore enough without rubbing it, by then the crust should be soft and gooey, wipe it very gently, by then the eye should start draining, you may have to spread the eyelids apart again very gently, by then all the puss and crust should be gone. repeat this whenever necessary if the eye crusts up again.
As far as handling the cat, grab it by the suruff of the neck same way momma cat carries her kittens, guaranteed they will not pose any problems then you can start cleaning.
If you are familiar with your vet see if he will dispense a tube of terramycin opth. ointmrnt, this med is commonly used for eye infections.

Answer 5

if your afraid that if you take the kitten to the humane society that it wont get adopted then don't keep the kitten, but you need to take it to a vet so the vet and tell you really whats going on and what alternatives you have towards helping the kitten, F.Y.I the shelter wont put the kitten down unless the kitten has a bad disposition or is too unhealthy so maybe you should check them out anyways, just because you walk through the door that doesn't mean you have to give the kitten up.... just get him check out, and if you can help the kitten then do it, you will be surprised in the end how adorable the one eyed kitten can turn out to be.

Answer 6

Spaying and nuetering your pets is the number one sign of a responsible pet owner. The pet populations in this country is out of control, and allowing your cats to bring kittens into this world more than one time is inappropriate. It worries me that you "usually take kittens to the humane society" because it means you have done this more than once in the past! Shelters are overcrowded as it is. Pay attention to "Free Spay Days" in your community and take advantage of them!

That being said, your little kitty needs to see a vet. Take it immediately because you don't know what kind of complications it could have.

Answer 7

First off can I suggest spaying & neutering your 4 animals. Do you have any idea how many unwanted cats die on a daily basis. Second wipe out the kittens eye with warm tea & a soft cloth, give him time to heal, you may need to spend money on a vet.

Answer 8

Hehe don't freak out. It's nothing major. It kinda happens all the time. Happens to babies too. Most of the time they will grow out of it. It keep a eye on it (no pun).. once the kitten is strong enough, it will be able to open his eye on his own. Keep washing his eye with the warm cloth. If you are going to take them to the HA then don't worry. they have stuff for their eyes to keep it from getting crusty.

Answer 9

It is probably all right; kittens' eyes don't always open at the same time. A warm cloth is fine but its mother should take care of the crusties.

Answer 10

this is normal. here is what you do boil 1 cup of water and add a tea spoon of salt let the water cool and wash the kittens eye with it every few hours and then apply a good triple antibiotic ointment twice a day.