My stray kitten has eye problems. What should I do before the vet?

Oh boy. Felix needs to see a vet ASAP if you want a chance at saving the eye. There could be an ulcer, infection, or it could be secondary to several upper respiratory viruses. The vet will do an exam and look closely at the eye to determine what treatments and pain medications are needed.

Hi Caron, thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question. At 5 and a half days of age, that is young for the eye to be open, and there is a concern that it won't be fully developed as you fear the eye was forced open. He needs to see a vet right away, as this could permanently damage his eyesight. You are doing the right thing by keeping the lighting dim and covering the windows, and you want to make sure the eye isn't too dry, which is why he needs to see a vet to get checked out. He can't be separated long from his mother, so please bring the mother and siblings to the appointment as well, and I would take them all in today. He should see a vet asap. I hope this helps!

Your kitty likely is suffering from an upper respiratory infection and should be seen by a vet for an exam and deworming. It will likely need prescription antibiotics. In the meantime (until you can take her to a vet) you can tak a cloth with warm water an soak the eyes. This should help with opening them. You can then gently wipe off the purulent discharge.

It is very hard to say based on the pictures alone. There is a possibility it could be saved but he would need to see a vet in person to know for sure. If not and it's not bothering him or getting worse, he could keep the injured eye. Worst case scenario is he needs the enucleation but if the eye is painful, he will experience relief from the pain and be just fine. Good luck and kisses to the little one!

I suspect Alex has an infection. Kittens seem to be prone to both viral and bacterial eye infections and often require eye drops in order to heal. Additionally, if the infection gets bad enough, it can cause ulceration of the eye which is painful and can lead to the eye needing to be removed it not treated in a timely fashion. I recommend to call your veterinarian and have Alex seen today if possible. Hopefully it's just something that needs an eye drop! I hope this is helpful. Please feel free to post any additional questions!

Unfortunately, Bear's condition will require veterinary attention. He may require topical antibiotic ointment to help his eye heal. I would try to locate a veterinarian who will accept payments or even contact the humane society and see if they provide low cost veterinary care.

It's always tough trying to deal with feral cats. The best option would be to take her to the vet (maybe they could spay her at the same time? Not all vets would be able to do that, but might be worth asking). The vet could sedate her, check out her eye, and vaccinate her for rabies at least. There is a risk of her biting, but we usually can take appropriate precautions to avoid this. If you do take her in, ask your vet ahead of time what preferences they have for type of carrier etc so that they have the best chance of successfully looking at her. It will probably end up costing you a decent amount of money to take her in, because of the extra time +/- sedation that will be required (plus costs for testing, vaccines, medications), so just be aware of that ahead of time. That said, to answer your question about care at home - she could have a viral eye infection (very very common in cats), or it could have gotten worse and become a bacterial infection or an ulcer. She could have issues with the pressure in her eye or have a congenital problem. All we really know is that her eye hurts for some reason. All you can really do at home is keep the eye clean with a warm wash cloth and maybe put some lubricating drops in (GenTeal severe is best for this, it's an OTC human eye drop). You can also give her L-lysine treats which will help fight off a viral infection. That won't be enough if she has a bacterial infection, an ulcer, or really any issue other than a mild viral infection. Eye issues can get bad fast she risks losing sight or the eye itself, so definitely consider going the vet route if at all possible. I hope she's feeling better soon! Good luck!