After effects of sore eye on kitten

poconnor16

My almost 6 month old kitten had a nasty dose of conjunctivitis recently which took a few trips to the vet and some 14 day antibiotics to heal. She is much better now, eye is fully open again and the discharge has stopped, but she is left with a 'mark' under her eye where the gunge was collecting.
I bought special cat eye wipes and have been trying to clean it but its not moving. Its looking a little bit red so I am worried that it could be infected now - any ideas?
I hope to god not because the poor little thing has had such a hard time of late...:(

dvet

Hi P.

I remember you posting on here before. Your poor cats have really had a tough time of it with this cat flu! When you say she has a mark under her eye, I'm not really sure what you mean (having a slow day!). Do you mean some hair with dried in discharge on it? Or is it something else? Is it on the hair or on the skin of her eye margin itself? Is there still discharge being produced at the moment?

If it's dried in discharge on the hair, and the surrounding area is getting red I would say it's probably irritated from being rubbed, so it might be best to leave it alone for a while. Unless you think it's causing the kitten discomfort... e.g. if eyelashes are caught up in it? Although it depends on if i've followed your description right

Edit: re-read your post and I am guessing you are talking about dried in discharge! Well, if it's the delicate skin around the eye margin which is getting red, I do think it could be irritation from rubbing at it. Rubbing at it any more right now could make it a bit sore. I would say give it a little time for the redness to cool down again, and when you next try to clean it, use soaked cotton wool balls to try and soften up the dried in discharge. Hopefully then it'll be easier to remove. Also, I would be slow to use any cleaning products without first making sure that they are very, very gentle, and suitable for use in the eye. It might take a few days for the stain to soften up and go away.

Also, if there's eyelashes caught up in the matted hair, you might have to see if you can gently pull them apart, or else try to carefully trim away the hair that is matted... but try not to trim the eyelashes themselves too short if you can help it - and obviously be careful you don't end up damaging the eye or skin!!

poconnor16

Hi Dvet,

yes that was me! My poor darling has had a miserable time the past few months. Started off with conjunctivitis and then had an upper respiratory infection. It took almost 4 weeks for the eye to improve and it has finally stopped weeping and is fully opened etc.
Since posting my question, I went and had another nosy at her. I'm thinking I will take her to the vet. (well both actually). She has what looks like a balding patch now on her ear and the little guy has one behind his ear and a tiny one on his leg....think it could be ringworm. (none of this related to the eye but at least I can check that then also.)

I am so worried about her immune system, she has been through so many injections, antibiotics etc and just when she has her spring in her step back, this. I'm worried if there is an underlying problem of all of this, dare I utter the F word but am reluctant to dish out the big dosh for the blood test as of yet.

Thanks for your advice, I'm trying to book them in for Saturday so will post next week to let you know.

dvet

That does sound like ringworm! It's relatively common in kittens and doesn't necessarily mean that they're immunosuppressed, like it might in adults or in dogs. But I see what you mean about all the different illnesses. Hopefully it's just a run of bad luck and they'll be alright after this! And yeah, since you'll be going to the vet, he might be able to trim/clip the eye area for you as well, so that's handy!

While you're waiting to go though, a bit of a warning: don't know if you're aware but ringworm can easily spread to humans from handling infected kittens. And it can also spread to other cats, dogs, horses, cattle etc. So for the moment I'd keep them inside, avoid letting kids play with them, and try to wear gloves when you're handling them! Could save you a trip to the doc

poconnor16

Yes, I know this very well....we kept dogs for years and I contracted it as a kid! They both have it by the looks of it, so already cross contaminated in that respect. They are indoor kitties, and no children near them so should be fine.

You know, I might try to book them in for tomorrow evening altogether, giving how infectious that it. (If thats what it is of course.) My skin is crawling at the thoughts of it...eeeeeeeuugh.

Edited: come to think of it, we could already be infected. They could have been carrying this for a while, and I am very hands on with them both.....severe paranoia now settign in

dvet

poconnor16 wrote: »

You know, I might try to book them in for tomorrow evening altogether, giving how infectious that it. (If thats what it is of course.) My skin is crawling at the thoughts of it...eeeeeeeuugh.

Edited: come to think of it, we could already be infected. They could have been carrying this for a while, and I am very hands on with them both.....severe paranoia now settign in

Hehe! Know how you feel! If it makes you feel any better, I've accidently handled an infected kitten in the past with no gloves on (only saw the patches on its belly afterwards), and didn't get it! But I think I got lucky

Let us know how they get on

poconnor16

I got an appointment for 6 tomorrow night so will let you know. I'm nearly a regular at the moment in my vet clinic. They should do frequent customer cards for me or something.:D

Seperate question, while I have you Dvet!
Tibby, my 6 month old who was sick, is coming due for her neutering soon. I haven't booked it yet. She is off to the cattery for 4 days in Feb, so given that she has been through so much and hates going to the cattery I was thinking it might be best to put the neutering off till March? Less upset for her the better, as you know stress lowers their immune system. good idea?
The little guy is 3 month younger, so a little bit more time left for 'puberty' there. :rolleyes:

dvet

poconnor16 wrote: »

I got an appointment for 6 tomorrow night so will let you know. I'm nearly a regular at the moment in my vet clinic. They should do frequent customer cards for me or something.:D

Seperate question, while I have you Dvet!
Tibby, my 6 month old who was sick, is coming due for her neutering soon. I haven't booked it yet. She is off to the cattery for 4 days in Feb, so given that she has been through so much and hates going to the cattery I was thinking it might be best to put the neutering off till March? Less upset for her the better, as you know stress lowers their immune system. good idea?
The little guy is 3 month younger, so a little bit more time left for 'puberty' there. :rolleyes:

It should be no harm putting it off until March if that's what you prefer. It might be better to wait until she's feeling better alright - the less she has to deal with at one time the better! In dogs I always feel that spaying should be done as close to 6 months as possible, but there isn't the same risks for cats luckily. You should bring it up with your own vet tomorrow though - since he/she will be the surgeon, they may have their own preferences!

poconnor16

True yeah, I'll ask him tomorrow night.
With everything I've been through since rescuing these kittens, I would be lost without the help of my good 'Boardy friends'. Thanks for your advice!

nearly

Good luck with your kitty! Hope things settle down to a healthier year.


Keep in mind, ringworm is a fungal infection- and antibiotics can aggravate that.

Your vet will know more, I suppose!

poconnor16

nearly wrote: »

Good luck with your kitty! Hope things settle down to a healthier year.


Keep in mind, ringworm is a fungal infection- and antibiotics can aggravate that.

Your vet will know more, I suppose!

Thats interesting to know, thanks. They are both just so gorgeous, and had such a hard start in life in a crappy shelter...they deserve the best now. I'll get them there!

The Sweeper

If they have ringworm, you may find that quarantining them helps a LOT. Dogs with ringworm are easier than cats - you can use a topical cream (which cats lick off), anti-fungal baths (bathing a cat can be difficult) plus dogs aren't pathological self washers (which cats are).

The bald patches in ringworm come from the fungus infiltrating the hair shaft. The shaft becomes brittle and breaks off at the skin, leaving sometimes inflamed and itchy round red patches. That broken off hair often has the ringworm fungus in it, and with the way cats move about, they'll persistently reinfect themselves by picking up the fungus from broken hair shafts left in the carpet and on soft furnishings and bed spreads.

You're best off quarantining them to a single room, preferably a room with no carpet and no soft furnishings. Vacuum and wash down the space they're in daily. Wash your hands after handling. Be conscious of fungal transfer onto your clothing and the fibres you're wearing.

Even if untreated, ringworm will often resolve itself, but it's better to have it treated so it isn't hanging around for months.

The vet will usually turn off the lights in the exam room and hold a woods lamp up to the bald patches, and most ringworm funguses will flouresce under the light.

boomerang

poconnor16 wrote: »

Yes, I know this very well....we kept dogs for years and I contracted it as a kid! They both have it by the looks of it, so already cross contaminated in that respect. They are indoor kitties, and no children near them so should be fine.

Edited: come to think of it, we could already be infected. They could have been carrying this for a while, and I am very hands on with them both.....severe paranoia now settign in

OP Don't worry too much about picking up ringworm from the kitties, if indeed that's what they have. Aside from children, most people are largely resistant unless they're immuno-compromised in some way themselves. It's also so very highly contagious that if you were going to get it, I think you'd have some symptoms of it by now. Incidentally, I've handled hundreds of cats and kittens in our sanctuary over the last few years and haven't had ringworm yet! Just take a few precautions until your vet gives you a firm diagnosis. It's very easy to treat in kittens, it just takes time.

About the F.. word... You won't get an accurate result on the test until your kittens are six months old or more - so if they are younger than that, no need to worry just yet. I wouldn't underestimate just how bloody dogged cat flu is... You'd be forgiven for thinking the kittens were immuno-compromised in some way, but it might just be the cat flu running its course. We had a mum and three kittens recently, and the mum had very persistent cat flu. All the kittens had it too, and gave us a couple of scares with high temperatures, diarrhoea etc. But guess what, mum tested negative so the kittens are in the clear. They'd just had a very bad start and were less resilient than other kitties 'cos they weren't found and rescued til they were five weeks old. They'are all grand now at 14-15 weeks and look the picture of health. Keep the faith!

For the eye staining, if it's down her cheek from the point of the tear duct, you can just wipe it gently every day with some nice hottish water with a good pinch of salt added. (My FIV foster cat used to love the sensation of the warm cotton wool on his cheek.) Just be sure to gently dab it dry afterwards with a bit of kitchen towel as leaving the cheek wet with saline can make the skin a bit irritated and lead to baldness in that spot over time.

A lot of kittens that have been sick with cat flu and eye infections will look a bit bald under the eyes if they've had them constantly bathed and dabbed at with ointment throughout their illness, so try not to worry. Also even when they are over the worst of the symptoms, remember that they remain carriers of the virus that causes the URT infection and eye infections, so you can expect their eye or eyes to stay a little bit weepy until they've built up full resistance to the virus, long after they've finished the antibiotics. You'll notice in the future that their eyes might get a little bit weepy again in times of stress, such as a house move. So long as there's no swelling of the conjunctiva or sticky discharge though, it should be ok without antibiotic eye ointment.

PS A combined FIV/FeLV test should only cost 50 euro tops - don't let your vet charge you anymore than that.

poconnor16

boomerang that is such a informative post, thank you.

I'm not itchy or anything yet so maybe I am ok or maybe it is not ringworm...hopefully the vet will let me know tonight either way.:)

We've just had such a stressful run with our two of late I guess I've turned into a worry wort over my kittens. They stayed in a cattery over xmas, and the owner made suggestion of the FIV test if the eye infection was not clearing up. But as soon as I got her home it really improved rapidly. I think the stress of being away from home was the delay.

The 6 month old (who had the conjunctivitis etc) is quite dependent on me for some reason. She gets very distressed in the car and is not a fan of going to the cattery. Where as the 3 month old is not a bit bothered. I feel terribly guilty about boarding them, eventhough the cattery is fantastic, and the owner is a pro. She even kept my 2 in their own room in her house over xmas given the cold weather and them being so young.

They are due to go there again next month for 4 days, and I am anxious already! I dont want her stressing and getting sick again. I dont have anyone that I would trust to look after them in my house so I'm left with no option.

See - worry wort!!:rolleyes:

The Sweeper

Be warned - if it's ringworm you may not have the all-clear before you go away, and I'd be astonished if the cattery would take them with ringworm tbh. It's just too contagious. You may have to see if your vet will let you board them there for the few days.

poconnor16

Update

Its not ringworm! Wohoo! It some kind of a rash, but I've been given a topical that will treat a fungal just in case, as we could see very slight flaking of the skin on one ear. Vet reckons it should be gone in a week.
As for the eye, she said its nothing at all to worry about. Just some warm water and cotton wool, give it a gentle clean everyday to help it along.
Overall, she said my little girl is in fantastic health and has really improved since her last visit.

I am so relieved guys! Thank you all so much for being my 'ears'.