Foster kittens have yellowish gunk hardening over their eyes and oozing out when i clean them! What can I do?

Question

I clean their eyes with wet cotton balls dipped in warm water every few hours. It melts away the gunk which prevents the two week old kittens from opening their eyes. When the top hard layer has melted away there is fresh, yellowigh-white stuff that oozes out from the bottom inside corner of their eyes. I clean that up and they are fine for a while. However, when I am at school and sleeping their eyes harden closed again. What can i do to clear the gunk for good?

We called the shelter and they said that it is normal in young kittens. We should clean their eyes and if that does not work they have some medicated sauv which we could use...but im still worried

Also, some of the kittens have sneezed a few times. I think this is just because when I am cleaning their eyes some water drips down their face and they inhale it through their nose, therefore they sneeze to clear their nazal passage. However, I have also noticed little black, hard spots next to some of their noses.

We are hesitant about taking them to the vet because we signed a form agreeing to pay for all vet bills for the kittens and their mother. We don't have the money for un-nessisary vet visits. The shelter is going to give us some sauv for their eyes. Does anyone have any past experience with kittens and sauv for their eyes?

Answer 1

that's normal in some kittens, my cat had that. all you need to do is keep it clean. if you don't than it will dry and prevent your kitten from opening its eyes. if it does dry you can still clean it you just need to be gentle.

Answer 2

They may likely have some sort of respiratory infection - many kittens from rescue agencies get these. Some bunce out of them without medical atention, some don't. You obviously care for the little darlings and I suggest that a vet appointment to have them checked for everything already is in order. In the meantime, clean their eyes with cotton balls dipped in sterilized warm water with a pinch of ordianry table salt melted into it. This will help regress or actually prevent bacterial growth. Good luck.

Answer 3

Seeing that you are fostering for a Shelter, they should cover all vet costs.
The "gunky" eyes is not good. You could try Golden Eye ointment, after you have washed them with warm salty water. Make sure you use a clean and fresh cotton ball for each eye or you will continue to spread the infection.

Good luck with them and thank you for fostering. Do you have the mum as well or are you doing all the feeding yourself?

Answer 4

Keep cleaning the eyes. I remember that when I was a kid we had that problem with kittens, and I seem to remember using some sort of ointment on their eyes. I'm sure the vet has something like that.They are only 2 weeks old, their eyes will heal in time with care and stay open.

Answer 5

Wipe the eye with diluted Piroxide and warm water. It has an infection in the eye. It should be seen by a vet for antibiotics for it's eye. This little purrson could easily go blind without the proper medical care. DO NOT give an animal human medication. This can and does kill many daily. They cannot break it down to function as it does for humans. IF you cannot or do not want to get the medical treatment the kitty needs take it to the nearest shelter and surrender it to them. They will care for it and adopt it out.

Answer 6

They need to be seen by the vet and get treatment!! ASAP! Contact whatever group you are fostering for and have them do something. Kittens can lose their sight if left untreated!!!

The shelter you are dealing with is BAD!!! It is COMMON in kittens, but not NORMAL!!! They have a URI and need treatment! Either YOU get them to a vet, or take them back!!!! Then they may be forced to do something. Eye ointment alone is NOT going to fix the problem!!

Answer 7

Your foster kittens need a vet appointment. They may have a respiratory infection, which causes discharge around the eyes. Consult the rescue/shelter you are fostering these kittens for, and have them set up a vet appointment for these babies, before you end up losing them.

Answer 8

You need to get some Tri-thalmic or Terramycin ointment to put in their eyes.If they are otherwise acting OK;that is,eating,no nasal discharge or sneezing,then it is probably simple conjunctivitis,which will respond quickly to the eye ointment.I would go to the shelter and get some first thing tomorrow.Good luck with the kitties.

Answer 9

They really need to be seen by a vet and I'm surprised the shelter didn't recommend that. I've had many rescue kittens over the years, and I can assure you that is not normal, nor common, though not that infrequent. It oould be many different things, including URI, feline chlamydia etc. Please have a vet have a look & maybe swab them to find out what is causing it.
Good luck.

Answer 10

You need to take them to he vet NOW! It sounds like they have an upper respiratory infection. Hopefully that is all it is. They could have a disease called PanLeuk, which is the kitten equivalent to Parvo. You need to know what they have so that you can begin to treat it and they can be more comfortable. Please do not wait any longer to take them in.

Answer 11

If you are fostering them for the shelter, the shelter needs to get them vet care. They are sick. It isn't normal at all. They need to be looked at by a qualified DVM. I would call the shelter tomorrow and tell them that you are taking them in and they are paying the bill. Do it, they need to be seen.