# Feral kittens with congestion



## ignatz13 (6 mo ago)

Hi,
Just joined and looking for some advice. A cat had a litter under a car in my driveway and I've been feeding them .Three of the kittens have congested noses and their eyes have mucous in them. I can't afford to take them to a vet and we only have one here anyway that is very hard to get an appointment at all. So, I've been washing their eyes and I have some antibiotic drops for the eyes, but I don't know what to do about their congestion other than trying to keep their noses clean..


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## lcordaro (Dec 21, 2015)

They need to be seen by a vet. Sounds like they might have a respiratory infection. How old are these kittens? Is the mommy cat still around taking care of them? Make some calls and find the nearest no kill animal shelter to help you. Are you putting human antibiotic drops in their eyes? There is always a way to afford a trip to the vet. You have done a good deed. Now take it to the next level.


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## ignatz13 (6 mo ago)

The kittens are about two months old and their mother is taking care of them..I ordered the antibiotics online. The closest shelter closed last year due to funding and all rescues are full. No, there's not always a way to afford a trip to the vet if you are on a fixed income or you do not have access to one nearby. I tried to get an appointment on a Monday with our local vet for one of my dogs that was having a severe problem and they said it would be first come first served on Saturday. He died a horrible death that night.


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## FurbundlesOfOregon (6 mo ago)

*My Experience:*
Hey we have a couple of formal feral cats that live in our home, prior to us adopting (they were kittens at the time as well) them they were experiencing the same thing, congestion, really bad goopy eyes (this got better when they got older but may not always), and sneezing fits. I had brought them in to the vet in case it was contagious as I didn't want to infect the other cats in the household. They cleared them and said there was nothing wrong, however, the veterinarians were extremely wrong. I ended up taking them to a vet later down the line where they were diagnosed with *feline herpes*, which had ended up spreading to all the cats in my household. This seems to be extremely common in feral cat populations and is contagious. Usually, this isn't a major medical concern unless the cat has other existing issues that affect its breathing apart from herpes, some cats can also experience it very severely and need additional help with it. I was given lysine tablets to help with the symptoms, however, it obviously isn't treatable and will continue to stay contagious.

That being said, this is only what I suspect. And I recommend keeping them away from other cats, and if you are to take them into the vet or a trap and release program inform them before hand that herpes is a possibility. *They could also have something else majorly wrong with their respiratory, and may need immediate medical care.* 

*What I did in between veterinary appointments:*
Before and during their vet visits, before the diagnosis was made. I was told to distill some water and flush their eyes with it, as well as taking them into the bathroom and letting it steam up to help with some congestion as a more money safe method as I could not afford consistent vet appointments.


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## ignatz13 (6 mo ago)

FurbundlesOfOregon said:


> *My Experience:*
> Hey we have a couple of formal feral cats that live in our home, prior to us adopting (they were kittens at the time as well) them they were experiencing the same thing, congestion, really bad goopy eyes (this got better when they got older but may not always), and sneezing fits. I had brought them in to the vet in case it was contagious as I didn't want to infect the other cats in the household. They cleared them and said there was nothing wrong, however, the veterinarians were extremely wrong. I ended up taking them to a vet later down the line where they were diagnosed with *feline herpes*, which had ended up spreading to all the cats in my household. This seems to be extremely common in feral cat populations and is contagious. Usually, this isn't a major medical concern unless the cat has other existing issues that affect its breathing apart from herpes, some cats can also experience it very severely and need additional help with it. I was given lysine tablets to help with the symptoms, however, it obviously isn't treatable and will continue to stay contagious.
> 
> That being said, this is only what I suspect. And I recommend keeping them away from other cats, and if you are to take them into the vet or a trap and release program inform them before hand that herpes is a possibility. *They could also have something else majorly wrong with their respiratory, and may need immediate medical care.
> ...


What's strange is there are seven kittens...3 solid black...and 4 brown and black striped. Only the 3 black kittens are the onew with problems.


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## FurbundlesOfOregon (6 mo ago)

ignatz13 said:


> What's strange is there are seven kittens...3 solid black...and 4 brown and black striped. Only the 3 black kittens are the onew with problems.


Honestly, if you can't afford to take them to the vet. I'm sure you can speak with a trap and release program and see if you can trap them when they're a little bit older, usually, they'll cover costs of whatever is necessary and rarely, but some do get into the Humane Society, and adoption programs if you push for it. Though it's very difficult to achieve, it's worth trying. Otherwise, in the meantime, I know there are some recommendations you can receive and free advice, so call around to local cat/pet programs, as well as veterinary offices, and emergency vets within a reasonable distance (as some might be willing to let you pull from donation pools or offer numbers to other helpful programs), and see what else you can do for them from home. It also wouldn't hurt to see if you're qualified for care credit or scratch pay.

Also, keep a close eye on them, if it's contagious, it's very likely it will spread to the other kittens/cats around them as well, and note down any new or developing symptoms; third eyelids sticking out (can be a herpes symptom, but not always, and is not always a major issue), increase in congestion or runny nose, lethargy, etc. Herpes is extremely contagious. But also once again I must say it could be something else entirely so it's best to call around and see what your options are


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