# Third eyelid showing in kittens



## Purity (Jun 15, 2005)

My two boys are just over 10 weeks old, and I notice that their third eyelid is sometimes showing. It seems to be mostly when they are tired, and they are otherwise healthy, bouncy, normal kittens. They are eating, playing and using the litterbox fine. They've only been home for 4 days, could it be due to residual stress from the move away from their mum?

I have a vets appointment for tomorrow morning, but just wondered if anyone had any thoughts in the meantime?


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## Meowmie (Jun 4, 2005)

If they are from a shelter, it's possible that they have a very mild case of feline viral respiratory infection that is not producing any other noticeable symptoms. 
Since the third eyelid is not showing all the time, hopefully this means that nothing serious is going on with the kittens. 

The information you'll find when you click on the link below does not apply in your situation right now, I'm just including it because I believe it will be helpful to you anyway:

http://www.vetinfo.com/chorners.html


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## Purity (Jun 15, 2005)

I got them from a friend, saw both the mother cat and the other litter mates and none of them were showing any signs of illness at all. They've just woken up now and are running around again, full of energy and mischief! Thanks for the link, I'll take a look.


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## Purity (Jun 15, 2005)

Just an update - took them for their first vet appointment, and the vet said that they seem to be perfectly fine. The third eyelid _can_ be a sign of illness, but sometimes it's nothing to worry about at all. Can be due to the fact that they have light eyes and the third eyelid is white so it looks more prominent than on other cats.


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## Meowmie (Jun 4, 2005)

Good news, but there was no reason to believe there was anything seriously wrong with them in the first place. This, however,


> Can be due to the fact that they have light eyes and the third eyelid is white so it looks more prominent than on other cats.


is absolute, total nonsense, especially based on what you wrote in your original post:


> It seems to be mostly when they are tired,


Keep an eye on the kittens and depending on what you are feeding, it might be a good idea to upgrade the diet to make sure they have a strong, healthy immune system. Good food rich in animal protein is essential for that.


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## Purity (Jun 15, 2005)

Meowmie said:


> Good news, but there was no reason to believe there was anything seriously wrong with them in the first place. This, however,
> 
> 
> > Can be due to the fact that they have light eyes and the third eyelid is white so it looks more prominent than on other cats.
> ...


Keep an eye on the kittens and depending on what you are feeding, it might be a good idea to upgrade the diet to make sure they have a strong, healthy immune system. Good food rich in animal protein is essential for that.[/quote:1xshnese]

Just repeating what the vet told me!


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