Expert: Karen Craft - 5/10/2011

Question
hi, i recently rescued a pregnant mama cat that was homeless in my neighborhood. 3 weeks ago, she gave birth to two kittens. however, she would not feed them and cried for 24 hours.. the next day, she gave birth to another kitten! this baby was twice the size of the other 2. after she had it, she began to nurse the kittens and has not had problems since. however, the kitten that was born on the second day seems to have health issues.. although she is bigger than the other 2, she seems to be behind in developing, as far as walking and such. she also has had an eye infection in her right eye since they opened their eyes.. it is always "glued" shut after she sleeps, and i use a warm wet wash cloth to clean and open her little eye. it seems to have gotten worse, the discharge is thicker and there is more of it. it is a yellow greenish color. after i open the eye with the wash cloth, it is red around the rim and she still does not open it all the way, or as wide as the healthy eye opens. it also seems like her third eyelid, or the thin membrane inside or eye is covering one third of the eye. unfortunately, i cannot afford to take her to the vet, i plan on taking them to a shelter in my town after they are old enough. i just couldnt stand the thought of the mama cat having the kittens outside somewhere, where anything could hurt them. any advice is appreciated, i feel so terrible for this tiny baby, her eye is pitiful. thanks for taking the time to read my question.

Answer
Hi Janie,

I'm glad you are doing the right thing. The warm, wet, cloth is the correct thing to do to clean the eye. It sounds like this kit might have a virus and an infection in the eye. It sounds like it needs antibiotics. And it definitely needs medical care.

Call the shelter or your local rescue organization. This needs to be taken care of. If you cannot afford a vet then they may be able to help. Otherwise ask your vet if he will work with you on paying the bill. Most vets will help. Call around to see what is available. If you are not in a situation to take care of this kit give it up to the local rescue group. They will see that it is taken care of.
Good luck and take care.

Ciao, Karen