Expert: Tomay - 4/4/2006

Question
Hello.
    My husband and I are having a problem with our baby cats. The kittens (there are four, two males, two females)seem to have conjunctivitus. Their eyes were opening on schedual at around 8 days and then we noticed that the smallest female had one eye gummed shut. I shrugged it off thinking that it just wasn't open yet and decided to give her some time. Now however it seems to have spread to the others. I've been washing their eyes gently with warm water while we get the money together to take them to the vet as we live on a very small fixed income. Is this conjunctivitus? Where could they have gotten it from as both my cats, the mother and the new young nutered male are healthy as are my husband and I. It seems to have come out of nowhere! Should I be worried and try to borrow the money to rush them off to the vet, or is this maybe just a kitten thing? Can you please help me, we're starting to worry.
  Thank you kindly,
                   LeeAnn in Lewiston Maine

Answer
Hi LeeAnn,
I am so sorry to hear of your delimma.  I know how worried you must be.  Unfortunately I am not a vet, I normally just deal with coat and skin care and such as that.  There are vets on this site you may be better off asking.  I raised persians for a brief while, but don't remember having any problems with the eyes, so I don't have anything to relate to.  It certainly could be conjunctivitus I suppose,or some kind of bacterial infection.  Sometimes things can be passed to kittens from mothers who show no signs of problems.  Perhaps you could take just one to the vet, and have the problem diagnosed and treated if needed.  As the other ones have the same problem, you would know, then, what it is and how to treat the others.  If a medication is involved, perhaps the vet will give you enough to treat the others, if he knows your situation.  
Hope this is helpful and that all turns out well.
Thank you for your inquiry and good luck..
Tomay