# Kitten has eye gunk in eye



## ZeroTransPat (May 9, 2012)

These are stray kittens I found s few weeks Ago. 
A few days ago I checked on them, and they seemed fine, 2 days later they looked like this. 

I cleaned their eyes with warm water and removed the gunk.
Someone recommended neosporn for now, but I'm not sure. 
I'm worried.
Can't really take them to the vet, don't have the funds.

Any advice would be fantastic.

Thanks.


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## ownedby4cats (Jan 23, 2012)

I don't think I would put neosporin in their eyes. Maybe someone else will chime in with something you could use, but I wouldn't use neosporin.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Terramycin eye ointment and l-lysine added to their food. Both available over the counter. Since they're young kittens I'd start them at 250mg l-lysine per day split into two doses, if it doesn't seem to help then up it to 500mg.


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## ZeroTransPat (May 9, 2012)

They're too young to eat on their own. 
They're only about 2-2 1/2 weeks old.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

It's powder....mix it in their formula.


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## ZeroTransPat (May 9, 2012)

But I don't feed them, I just check on them.


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## ZeroTransPat (May 9, 2012)

I let the mother take care of them, and I just check on them every day, socialize them, clean them up a bit. I can't take them in. I have 4 cats with me right now.


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## ZeroTransPat (May 9, 2012)

I feed the mother a few times a day, and she feeds them. 
She comes around every day and waits until I feed her.

This is her.
She's pretty small.


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## gizmothecat (Jun 26, 2013)

those eyes are bad


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Does the mom cat act nervous at all when you're handling her kittens?
If she doesn't, go ahead and keep their eyes wiped clear, and get some of that terramyacin ointment to put in their eyes, 2 to 3 times a day, I think would be good.
Can you feed mom cat some canned cat food for extra nutrition? It looks like she could really use it, because now she's got to feed babies...
See if you've got a rescue that does spay and neuter, because she can come back into heat very quickly.
This is the cat you had posted about in a different thread isn't it?


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## ZeroTransPat (May 9, 2012)

We've been feeding the mom 2-3 times a day, we give her science diet kitten food for the extra neutrition, and now she is on iams. 

We are going to trap her in September and hopefully the kittens in September too.
The mother hisses at me when she sees me, but she will let me get close.
If I approach the kittens, she runs away. She knows my scent though. 
The first time today when I went to see them today; the gunk was so bad they couldn't open their eyes. I came back 10min later with some warm water, and cotton balls and a lot of the gunk was gone, and their eyes were opened slightly.
The mother is probably cleaning the gunk off their eyes.
She seems very thin, I can barely tell she is lactating. 
My main concern is that the mother has worms; and she passed them on to the kittens: that's why they're all so thin. But I don't know. 
They look fine other than their eyes. Kittens are supposed to be skinny, especially the out door ones. 
As for the wet food, I suppose I can try that. 
It can't hurt, but I don't want to start buying wet food all the time.
I have to have my parents buy it, and they've forked enough money over as it is buying dry food for them. 

I just don't know what to do.. 
I'm stressing out.

Someone. Please help!


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

That kitten isn't just skinny, she's starving! She's also ill. NO kittens should be skinny - outside or inside. Kittens should be nice and round if they're being properly fed by their mother. I am very grateful that you and your parents are trying to help this feline family, but without being able to bring them indoors and provide them with necessary veterinary care, you really can't give them what they need right now. Please contact an animal shelter in your area and have them come get the family. Or borrow a live trap from a shelter/pound/animal control agent/or government wildlife agency and trap the queen yourself, then bring her and the kits to a shelter. Do it immediately, please, or the kittens may die very quickly. They need veterinary care NOW if they're going to survive.

If, for some reason, you can not get this cat and her litter to a shelter for more extensive care, the best you can do right now is to provide the queen with a LOT more food. She obviously isn't producing adequate milk for her litter, so she needs a LOT more nutrition in order to increase her milk production. 

Please get this family to a shelter where they can get the care they need.

Laurie


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## ZeroTransPat (May 9, 2012)

Ugh! I don't know anyone who can taken them in.
I can't take them in myself, because I have 4 cats in the house! 

I've tried all the people I know of.

Should I buy some KMR and feed them myself and have the mother do the stimulating?

I'm so scared. I can't let these kittens die!
I'll be heart broken.


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## ZeroTransPat (May 9, 2012)

Please, someone help! 
I just put some wet food outside for the mother to eat.
The kittens weren't THAT skinny, I think it's just the camera angle. 
I feed the mother 2-3 times a day.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Where do you live? Aren't there any animal shelters? Mama cat and her babies need serious help, I know you and your family are doing the best you can, but mama cat and her little family need special help...
I know you don't want the babies or mama cat to die and I'm so sorry you are in this
position, I know its hard and it hurts...


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## ZeroTransPat (May 9, 2012)

I live in New York. 
I'm sure there are plenty of places I can go to, but it's not easy. Especially if its kitten season. 
Lots of places cannot take in kittens.
If they were older, I would be willing to do this, but they're still very young.

The mother seems healthy. She waits for me to come feed her every morning, afternoon and night. When I go check on the kittens, the mother is usually with them.


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## ZeroTransPat (May 9, 2012)

Should I try bottle feeding them myself? 
I just don't know what to do..

They've survived up until now, so I don't think they're starving. 
They're just very young.
I would say around 2 1/2 weeks old.


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

These kittens and their mother NEED to be sheltered and given veterinary care ASAP. The best thing you can do for them is to do an Internet search, locate and call every shelter and cat rescue within 50 miles or so, and beg them to take this family in. You won't know if you can find them a placement until you try. You need to emphasize the urgency of this situation with the organizations so that they understand that the kitten's lives are in immediate jeopardy. You could also call all of your area veterinary clinics and see if any of them would be willing to treat the family pro bono and perhaps even put them up for adoption in their clinic. Also, check Facebook and see if there are any cat or pet adoption Facebook groups in your area.

What town are you in? You can PM me if you'd rather not put your specific location on this thread. I'll be happy to help with Google and Facebook searches to locate possible rescue or foster options for this feline family.

I think that helping the queen take care of her litter by feeding the kits KMR would help the whole family. That way you could mix 250mg of L-lysine into each kit's milk once daily every day to help with the infected eyes. You can buy L-lysine over the counter anywhere human vitamins are sold. It'll probably come in pill form in a pharmacy or retail store, so you'd have to crush it with a hammer in order to mix it into the formula. Or you might be able to find it in powdered form in a health food store.

It'd be best for the queen if you made food available to her all the time. She needs a HUGE caloric intake during lactation. 2-3 meals a day isn't even close to meeting her nutritional needs right now.

Until you get these felines into a shelter or foster home, can you set up some sort of warm shelter for them? If they're out in the open, not only are they vulnerable to predators, but the kits are probably getting badly chilled overnight. Cold kittens can't eat or digest food. They need to be kept toasty warm.

Laurie


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Here is another suggestion for you.
Since biggest problem during kitten season is no room and not enough fosters to help, why not call the shelters around you, explain the situation and tell them you are willing to foster the little family? it never hurts to try, and if one of them said yes!
Then vet bills and food would be taken care of for these guys.
To feed babies that age they need to be fed every couple hours AND they need a very special milk replacement, plain milk or cream won't do.


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## ZeroTransPat (May 9, 2012)

The kittens eyes look a lot better.
Unfortunately, the mother moved them to a spot I cannot reach.


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