I just got a new kitten and she was kept outside by the previous owners but we are planning to keep her inside only but anyway she has a crusty stuff in her eyes all the time, she eats good and is a healthy weight, very playful so I dont think she's sick. Do you think it could just be because they kept her outside? Can cats catch a cold? Or is this a symptom of a serious disease that I need to get het checked for. I clean her eyes everyday but by the next day it's back.
Answers:
Most young kittens will have a build up in their eyes. They are usually crusty and sometimes runny. This is perfectly normal.
Make sure that you clean her up everyday. Use a cloth and warm water.
She may also develope some respiratory ailments as well.
Most kittens go through this process, it helps build their immune system..so don't worry.
It can last as long as a couple of weeks. If you feel that she becomes irratated or in pain, you can take her to your veterinarian to get some antibiotcs.
Good luck
No I don't think its a serious disease but it sounds like an eye infection. My friend got a cat from the pound and she had an upper respitory infection which caused the crusty eyes. Its treatable with meds but you def need to take the baby to the vet.
It sounds like an eye infection. Take her to the vet and get her checked out.
good for you, gonna make her an inside cat! I hate when people make their cats stay outside. as far as the eyes, it sounds like it may have an eye infection, you need to take her to the vet and have her checked, also keep her up to date on her shots. If it is an eye infection, they will give you meds. Good luck and make sure you take her in, you dont wanna mess with infections of the eyes cause eventually it could cause bad eye problems in her older years.. good luck
Cats CAN catch a "cold" or virus. If she is eating, drinking and playing well, not to worry it will run it's course. If the eye discharge turns yellow or green, if she starts to have yellow or green discharge from her nose, or if she stops eating and/or drinking, then it's time to make an appointment to see the vet. Congrats on your new kitten!
I'd take her to the vet. Could be anything, allergies, tear duct not draining, conjunctivits, chlamydia, herpes, injury. Vet will give you the proper meds to treat it.
She can have a serious infection in her eyes. Get some antibiotic drops from your pet store. I had a rescue kitty whose eyes were like that and he ended up with permanent eye damage in one of his eyes, but I got him too late to prevent the problem. He grew up quite attractive except for the damage to his cornea.
The most common disorder in cats is runny eyes. Infectious organisms such
as the flu viruses or chlamydia cause conjunctivitis, an inflammation of the
membranes lining the eyelids. This results in a discharge which is either
watery and runny or thick and a greenish yellow color.
Occasionally a runny eye is caused by a disorder of the normal anatomy.
Tear glands continually produce secretions which lubricate the surface
of the eyeball and flush particulate material into the tear ducts which
then drain into the nose. If there's a blockage of the ducts, the tears have
no choice but to spill over and run down the face. Blockage can occur if
there has been previous damage to the ducts or if the cat has an abnormal
anatomy.
Persian cats frequently have tear staining, partly because their tear ducts
are kinked and partly because their eyeball shape prevents effective
drainage. Chronic tear overspill causes a brown staining on the fur which
is most noticeable in pale colored cats.
Runny eyes are also a result of tear overproduction if there is an irritation
to the sensitive eyeball. The cause may be easily identified as in some
longhaired cats where a clump of hair rubs the surface. Some can be
much more difficult to detect; solitary aberrant hairs may grow inside the
eyelid and can only be discovered by carrying out an extremely
thorough examination under general anaesthetic.
The cornea is the clear outer covering of the eyeball and is a very sensitive
structure. Flu infections can sometimes extend beyond the membranes and
also affect the corneas. In very young kittens, the damage can be so
severe that the cornea is extensively scarred and the cat grows up
visually impaired or even blind.
Most corneal disease is encountered as a result of a bit of a punch up
with another cat and a claw being poked in the eye. The puncture wound
may be very obvious, particularly if a bit of claw is left behind in the eyeball.
In other cases there may be no apparent defects.
Mild corneal damage will heal well if the cat is supported with antibiotics
but more severe damage may require surgery. Stitching the eyelids
together often helps with the healing.
The iris is the structure which gives the eye its color, ranging from pink in
albinos, to blue in Siamese, through all shades of yellows, coppers and
greens. The iris is a muscular structure which contracts and expands in
order to vary the amount of light which passes through to the back of the eye.
It has very delicate blood vessels and if a claw has managed to pierce
through the cornea to the iris, the bleeding can be very dramatic.
Some of the more unpleasant feline infections, Feline Infectious Peritonitis
(FIP) virus, Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV), Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)
and toxoplasmosis can all cause disease in the iris.
The first sign an owner may notice is a change in color of the eye.
Close examination reveals changes in the shape of the iris and the presence
of debris in the fluid behind the cornea. It is very difficult to distinguish
which one of these infections has caused the abnormality, so further
investigation is always necessary.
If there is a diseased iris, also have to consider the possibility of a tumor. T
he two most commonly encountered are lymphosarcoma, a solid form
of leukemia, and melanoma, a cancer of the pigment producing cells.
If an iris has been affected by a treatable condition, it may be left with
permanent color change and a distorted shape because of adhesions
or scar tissue produced during the healing response. Not all areas of
new pigment are associated with disease. Some cats, particularly
orange colored individuals, can develop little dark patches of pigment
in the iris as they age, but any change in eye color should always be
checked by your vet.
The retina is a fine membranous structure which lines the back of the eyeball.
Light passes through the pupil and the lens and lands on the retina.
There it stimulates nerve endings which cause electrical signals to be
sent to the brain where the information is interpreted as vision.
Any abnormality of the color, the reflectivity or the blood vessels indicates
disease of the retina. One of the most serious conditions is a generalized
degeneration of the retina. The retina appears to be very bright.
Blood vessels become much finer and in advanced cases are barely visible.
The retina can detach from the underlying tissue if there is a leakage
or overproduction of fluid between the layers, or if there is bleeding.
High blood pressure resulting from kidney failure or an overactive
thyroid gland can cause this eye problem.
Retinal detachments tend to be quite dramatic in onset and owners
report that the cat appears to have gone blind overnight. The pupils
are massively dilated and instead of a smooth concave surface there are
billowing folds of retina. There is virtually no hope of restoration of eyesight
in these cases.
The thought of a blind cat is quite horrifying to most owners but a
combination of the cat not knowing it's supposed to worry about its
lack of vision and its other senses being so well developed means
they actually cope remarkably well. If the environment is kept as
constant as possible, most individuals adapt very well to their surroundings.
Many problems in cats are self -limiting and given one or two days
most will rectify themselves. Eye conditions should be treated with
a little more respect and a little more urgency even if the cat appears
to be totally indifferent to its problem. A mild disorder can result in
quite dramatic and devastating changes to the eye if left untreated so
don't delay and seek expert advice as soon as possible.
Source(s):
http://petcaretips.net/cat_eye_problem.h.
Kittens are terribly prone to colds and infections especially of the eye and upper respiratory system. A bacterial infection that is left untreated without antibiotics can quickly turn deadly. Your kitten could go blind or get pneumonia. It's very common. You have to think of a kitten in the same way you think of a newborn infant. They are extremely delicate with weak immune systems. You should definitely take your kitten to a veterinarian.
Good luck.
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