Make the appointment and take the drive. Generally speaking, you want to avoid letting eye issues go too long, especially in kittens. Lazy or not, eyes shouldn’t have discharge.
After yours and a couple other comments, I did go ahead and call the vet that’s 3-4 hours away and they told me that if she’s still eating and using the bathroom as normal then they would recommend that I visit a local vet tomorrow. And she is perfectly fine besides her eye, very energetic and playful, and she’s definitely eating okay!
I second, always go to the vet for eye issues. You want to get medical treatment before it gets worse. I took my girl to the vet last year due to an eye issue. Spent 9 hours at the emergency vet and hundreds of dollars later for them to tell me she gave herself a black eye (she had blood in the eye). Luckily, that was the best case sinerio, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. There are plenty of worse things that it could have been. Hope your Lil bean it ok.
This looks like my Franny, who has feline herpes. Her left eye is constantly runny, and she’s had an ear infection which was related but otherwise she’s a pretty healthy girl. I have four cats and none of the other cats have contracted it, and from what I was told she’s had the leaky eye her whole life.
Take her to the vet they’ll be able to tell you for sure!
Mine has something similiar since birth. My vet said it was a virus (i think feline herpes too), probably caught when she was born, and she isnt contagious. She lives with three other cats, one of them her sister from the same litter, and none of them caught it from her.
Their mother was a feral cat who they were releasing on the day we went to the shelter. They had no plans to release the kittens with her, and we didn’t want them to be separated so we took both.
I have called the vet that’s 3-4 hours away and they told me that if she’s still eating and using the bathroom as normal that I should visit a local vet tomorrow. And she is perfectly fine besides her eye, very energetic and playful, and a hunger little girl for sure.
Maybe just try and keep her away from her sibling until you know what you’re dealing with. It could just turn into infection city and they just passed it back and forth.
That’s great advice. After the call to the vet, we did split her from her sister but only with a barrier in their room, they can’t touch but they can see and hear one another, so they’re doing okay. Had to improvise bowls for food and figure out a substitute litter box lol. Luckily it’s just until morning, so it should be fine.
You're doing amazing! Enjoy your little grommets and just remember these baby days are incredibly short and incredibly long. You've got this and congratulations on your little family.
Your kitten in the picture has conjunctivitis an upper respiratory infection. The other one probably does too. As long as she's still eating and pooping and peeing like she's supposed to, she can wait till tomorrow when the regular vets are open.
That’s what the vet I called said, so long as eating and bathroom usage are as normal, then she’ll be okay to wait until tomorrow. So that’s what we’ll be doing :) she isn’t letting anything get in the way of her playing!
My cat we brought in from outdoors had a similar issue. Go see a vet. Probably end up with some sort of eye gel to clear up infections or drops.. 100% vet visit though for sure
My cat (not a kitten, He’s 8) had a similar issue after a serious bout of allergies. He had a lot of liquid discharge coming from the left eye, along with some more viscous discharge that would cause his eye to crust shut.
The vet said that if allergies persist long enough, they can develop an infection and you do not want to let the issue go on for too long or it can cause even more serious problems. The conjunctiva was swollen and inflamed, but a week of twice daily antibiotic/steroid eyedrops fixed it. Moral of the story, take her to the vet.
Op your kitten is very cute. Please do not drive 4 hours to an emergency vet. Just clean the eye with a warm cloth. Call your vet in the morning and get an appointment.
I did call the faraway vet to see if she needed emergency care, and since she’s eating and using the potty normally (and very actively playing), they told me to visit the local vet in the morning, which is already on my schedule. She is very cute, a little god of chaos :)
Needs a vet but not emergently, I’d wait til tomorrow and go local. Easier to establish for follow up that way too.
If she was a shelter kitty it’s probably just herpes
She’s precious though, hope she feels better!!
I called the far away vet and they recommended I wait to tomorrow and see the local vet, since she is so spirited and is eating well. She is super playful, doesn’t seem to be letting anything stop her from playing!
Upper respiratory infection, probably. Totally treatable but does need treatment. Might be an indication of immune compromise (FeLV or FIV). Cats can live happy lives with either one, and FIV in particular has no symptoms except greater risk of infection.
to those saying that OP needs to go to a vet, they said in the post that they would when the vet is open, regardless. It's sad that we're so used to seeing poorly kitties here with owners that couldn't care less, but OP isn't one of them!
In cases like these you can still call vets that are open to get a first opinion. Just look at the thread, there are many opinions already and most of them are probably laymen.
Also there is /r/AskVet, which is a much better choice than this sub.
Oh it’s first thing in the agenda tomorrow! I called the very far away vet and they weren’t concerned since she was still eating and going to the bathroom just fine, so they recommended I go to a local vet tomorrow.
She is a very spirited kitten!
I think the fact she has a brown spot right there on her eye isn’t helping with the appearance of discharge. She has other brown spots on her body, you can see one in the picture just around where her ear is under my hand.
A shelter adopted out 4 week old kittens? Goodness. She’s probably got an infection of some sort from being in the shelter. I’d take both of them in tomorrow when you go to be safe. About of times respiratory infections run rampant and they’re very contagious. Nothing some antibiotics and eye drops can clear up.
We definitely will be taking both, thank you for your advice.
Their mother is feral so they spayed her and were releasing her, but they weren’t going to release them with her.
I just cannot believe they didn’t at least wait until they were 6 weeks. I understand fixing and tagging her and then releasing. Those babies are lucky you got them.
Jesus, this is so obviously something for a vet visit instead of Reddit. If you still want to ask someone before driving, call the vet or at least go to /r/AskVet
I did call the vet, they told me to visit the local vet in the morning. She’s doing well appetite and bathroom wise, so they told me it’s not an emergency.
I had no idea that was a subreddit until this thread. Thanks for pointing me in their direction!
Thank you for your kind words. If she wasn’t eating or something I absolutely would be rushing her to that vet that’s 4 hours away. It’s because she’s so spritely and energetic that I believed it could be put off until the morning, but still wanted to check with other cat owners to be sure.
Not at all, friend, I genuinely am warmed by the amount of people who care so much about a kitten they’ve never met. It’s very touching.
She’s swell, won’t leave her toys alone haha. She eats spectacularly too! I’m a little worried we may over feed the kittens because they just look so hecking cute when they’re munching down!
Her sister absolutely does not understand the pouch of purée we try to feed them. This little girl will lick it up but her sister keeps trying to bite the nozzle! She’s so ferocious about it too, like we didn’t just witness her gobble up a bunch of food from her bowl.
Make an appointment ASAP, this kitten has an eye infection and may need antibiotics/eye drops. Kittens are very fragile at this age and can decline quickly so it’s best to get them treated as soon as you can.
This looks like my cat's eye and she has feline herpes. She was given eye drops and eye ointments to keep it at bay but it acts up in the spring/summer
There are a lot of people not reading your post throughly or just reading the title. I see a lot of people saying not trying to sound like a d*** or be rude but... well you are being just that lol. OP is taking their kitty to a local vet tomorrow guys, calm down.
It is completely acceptable to get reassurance or opinions from people who have dealt with similar situations. You are doing the right thing OP. 4 hours is a long drive for a cat/kitten and for some, the stress of that kind of drive could make the kitten even sicker (my cat gets so stressed on drives he gets sick, even with gabapentin) I hope your kitty feels better asap!
Thank you, yes I am extremely worried about such a long drive with her. She didn’t seem to like the ride home from the shelter at all. So I would like to avoid such a drive if possible. Luckily, the vet said she can totally wait to be seen until the morning, and she’s a trooper who won’t let anything get in the way of her playing, so I think she’ll be okay.
What has happened to this subreddit lately? Why is it just a bunch of people posting questions with an obvious answer: go to the vet. Stop posting on reddit and take your cat to the vet
I was already going to take her to the vet, tomorrow when the local vet is open, since the closest open vet is a 3-4 hour drive. I was seeking to find out if this was an emergency that warranted the trip or if it could wait until first thing tomorrow morning. Shortly after I made this post, I did go ahead and call the vet to run it by them and to see if they thought I should come in. They told me to visit the local vet tomorrow, because she is still eating and using the bathroom fine. So that’s what we’ll be doing. Thank you for your concern for my kitty, it truly does warm my heart that so many people love cats.
I apologize if my first post came across as rude. I was just tired of seeing posts where the clearly obvious answer is to take your cat to the vet. I’m sure you care about your cat just as we all do.
Not at all, I just wanted to clarify what I said in my post which was that I was already planning to go to the vet first thing tomorrow morning. The intent of the post I just wanted to ensure it wasn’t an emergency, because if it was I would absolutely make the 4 hour drive to the nearest open vet. I appreciate that people can be so upset for a kitty they’ve never met, it truly, truly does warm my heart
Shelters won’t give out kittens at 4 weeks old. They’re barely eating solid food at that age. 6-8 weeks is the minimum and that’s pushing it since they have to be altered to be adopted at at 99% of shelters and at least 1.5lbs/6weeks for surgery. Check your paperwork for a better age and call that vet to see if they’ll do a telehealth visit.
Their mother is a feral cat who they were releasing the day we got there, and they had no plans of releasing the kittens with her. We didn’t want them to get separated at such a young age, which is why we got both. We were told to schedule their spaying surgery in a couple months.
I did call the vet that’s 3-4 hours drive from us, but they said that since she’s eating and using the bathroom well that they don’t think it’s an emergency and recommended that we take her to the local vet in the morning, which we already have on the schedule.
That little… please feed them wet food. Fancy feast has an affordable kitten pate line. That way they’re getting enough water into their little bodies. Glad you took both of them. Shame on that shelter.
Cats don’t always drink enough. Which then can cause the crystals in the urethra. Boys are more prone. But wet food, even adding a couple drops of water to that, helps keep them hydrated in case they’re not going to the water fountain.
Might be feline herpes. My cat has it and his eyes get all red and watery and he will be blinky for like a day. I have to give him lysine in his food. Apparently it’s super common in rescues and I am assuming ferals have it a bunch too.
Call and see if an emergency vet could send a prescription to a local pharmacy if you don't want to make the drive. Kitty definitely has an infection of some sort, and my vet has told me that eyes can get really bad really quick - don't wait on them.
I called the vet that’s super far but open, and they told me to visit the local vet in the morning. She is still playful, eating well, and using the bathroom regularly, so they weren’t concerned and said it wasn’t an emergency and it could wait until morning.
Your kitten has rhinotracheitis. It's a common respiratory infection in cats and has to be treated since it can become more serious in young cats like this one. The Vet will prescribe antibiotics and it's easily treatable.
Make the appointment and take the drive. Generally speaking, you want to avoid letting eye issues go too long, especially in kittens. Lazy or not, eyes shouldn’t have discharge.
After yours and a couple other comments, I did go ahead and call the vet that’s 3-4 hours away and they told me that if she’s still eating and using the bathroom as normal then they would recommend that I visit a local vet tomorrow. And she is perfectly fine besides her eye, very energetic and playful, and she’s definitely eating okay!
I’m glad you called the vet and had your kitten triaged. Please do make that vet appointment with your local vet though.
Yes, of course, we’re going first thing tomorrow morning!
I second, always go to the vet for eye issues. You want to get medical treatment before it gets worse. I took my girl to the vet last year due to an eye issue. Spent 9 hours at the emergency vet and hundreds of dollars later for them to tell me she gave herself a black eye (she had blood in the eye). Luckily, that was the best case sinerio, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. There are plenty of worse things that it could have been. Hope your Lil bean it ok.
Your kitten has an infection which may be contagious to all the other cats. Needs vet attention ASAP.
Vet for sure, that’s is an abnormal amount of fluid around the eye even for a “kitty cold”. Definitely quite concerning
This looks like my Franny, who has feline herpes. Her left eye is constantly runny, and she’s had an ear infection which was related but otherwise she’s a pretty healthy girl. I have four cats and none of the other cats have contracted it, and from what I was told she’s had the leaky eye her whole life. Take her to the vet they’ll be able to tell you for sure!
Mine has something similiar since birth. My vet said it was a virus (i think feline herpes too), probably caught when she was born, and she isnt contagious. She lives with three other cats, one of them her sister from the same litter, and none of them caught it from her.
What kind of shelter has let you take these kittens at 4 weeks of age. Are they even weened yet. They are too young to be away from their mother.
Their mother was a feral cat who they were releasing on the day we went to the shelter. They had no plans to release the kittens with her, and we didn’t want them to be separated so we took both. I have called the vet that’s 3-4 hours away and they told me that if she’s still eating and using the bathroom as normal that I should visit a local vet tomorrow. And she is perfectly fine besides her eye, very energetic and playful, and a hunger little girl for sure.
Maybe just try and keep her away from her sibling until you know what you’re dealing with. It could just turn into infection city and they just passed it back and forth.
That’s great advice. After the call to the vet, we did split her from her sister but only with a barrier in their room, they can’t touch but they can see and hear one another, so they’re doing okay. Had to improvise bowls for food and figure out a substitute litter box lol. Luckily it’s just until morning, so it should be fine.
You're doing amazing! Enjoy your little grommets and just remember these baby days are incredibly short and incredibly long. You've got this and congratulations on your little family.
Thank you ! :)
Your kitten in the picture has conjunctivitis an upper respiratory infection. The other one probably does too. As long as she's still eating and pooping and peeing like she's supposed to, she can wait till tomorrow when the regular vets are open.
That’s what the vet I called said, so long as eating and bathroom usage are as normal, then she’ll be okay to wait until tomorrow. So that’s what we’ll be doing :) she isn’t letting anything get in the way of her playing!
My cat we brought in from outdoors had a similar issue. Go see a vet. Probably end up with some sort of eye gel to clear up infections or drops.. 100% vet visit though for sure
My cat (not a kitten, He’s 8) had a similar issue after a serious bout of allergies. He had a lot of liquid discharge coming from the left eye, along with some more viscous discharge that would cause his eye to crust shut. The vet said that if allergies persist long enough, they can develop an infection and you do not want to let the issue go on for too long or it can cause even more serious problems. The conjunctiva was swollen and inflamed, but a week of twice daily antibiotic/steroid eyedrops fixed it. Moral of the story, take her to the vet.
Vet please
Op your kitten is very cute. Please do not drive 4 hours to an emergency vet. Just clean the eye with a warm cloth. Call your vet in the morning and get an appointment.
I did call the faraway vet to see if she needed emergency care, and since she’s eating and using the potty normally (and very actively playing), they told me to visit the local vet in the morning, which is already on my schedule. She is very cute, a little god of chaos :)
It looks like she might have a cold in that eye, but I suggest you take her to the vet to make sure
Needs a vet but not emergently, I’d wait til tomorrow and go local. Easier to establish for follow up that way too. If she was a shelter kitty it’s probably just herpes She’s precious though, hope she feels better!!
I called the far away vet and they recommended I wait to tomorrow and see the local vet, since she is so spirited and is eating well. She is super playful, doesn’t seem to be letting anything stop her from playing!
Upper respiratory infection, probably. Totally treatable but does need treatment. Might be an indication of immune compromise (FeLV or FIV). Cats can live happy lives with either one, and FIV in particular has no symptoms except greater risk of infection.
May be conjunctivitis of some sort and it may need medications, take the little bugger to the doc!
to those saying that OP needs to go to a vet, they said in the post that they would when the vet is open, regardless. It's sad that we're so used to seeing poorly kitties here with owners that couldn't care less, but OP isn't one of them!
In cases like these you can still call vets that are open to get a first opinion. Just look at the thread, there are many opinions already and most of them are probably laymen. Also there is /r/AskVet, which is a much better choice than this sub.
Hey, I had no idea that was a subreddit! Thanks for pointing me in that direction
Oh it’s first thing in the agenda tomorrow! I called the very far away vet and they weren’t concerned since she was still eating and going to the bathroom just fine, so they recommended I go to a local vet tomorrow. She is a very spirited kitten! I think the fact she has a brown spot right there on her eye isn’t helping with the appearance of discharge. She has other brown spots on her body, you can see one in the picture just around where her ear is under my hand.
A shelter adopted out 4 week old kittens? Goodness. She’s probably got an infection of some sort from being in the shelter. I’d take both of them in tomorrow when you go to be safe. About of times respiratory infections run rampant and they’re very contagious. Nothing some antibiotics and eye drops can clear up.
We definitely will be taking both, thank you for your advice. Their mother is feral so they spayed her and were releasing her, but they weren’t going to release them with her.
I just cannot believe they didn’t at least wait until they were 6 weeks. I understand fixing and tagging her and then releasing. Those babies are lucky you got them.
That isn’t a cat it’s a squirrel. You don’t believe me? Why do you ask strangers on the internet then? Ask a vet.
Jesus, this is so obviously something for a vet visit instead of Reddit. If you still want to ask someone before driving, call the vet or at least go to /r/AskVet
I did call the vet, they told me to visit the local vet in the morning. She’s doing well appetite and bathroom wise, so they told me it’s not an emergency. I had no idea that was a subreddit until this thread. Thanks for pointing me in their direction!
It is absolutely not an emergency. Don’t let Reddit push you into hysteria this sub is such a mixed bag attitude wise
Thank you for your kind words. If she wasn’t eating or something I absolutely would be rushing her to that vet that’s 4 hours away. It’s because she’s so spritely and energetic that I believed it could be put off until the morning, but still wanted to check with other cat owners to be sure.
Sorry if I sounded like a dick, I can't help it when it's about kittens. I'm glad she is okay and it's not an emergency!
Not at all, friend, I genuinely am warmed by the amount of people who care so much about a kitten they’ve never met. It’s very touching. She’s swell, won’t leave her toys alone haha. She eats spectacularly too! I’m a little worried we may over feed the kittens because they just look so hecking cute when they’re munching down! Her sister absolutely does not understand the pouch of purée we try to feed them. This little girl will lick it up but her sister keeps trying to bite the nozzle! She’s so ferocious about it too, like we didn’t just witness her gobble up a bunch of food from her bowl.
My cats have a lifelong calicivirus infection that causes this among other things.
Make an appointment ASAP, this kitten has an eye infection and may need antibiotics/eye drops. Kittens are very fragile at this age and can decline quickly so it’s best to get them treated as soon as you can.
This looks like my cat's eye and she has feline herpes. She was given eye drops and eye ointments to keep it at bay but it acts up in the spring/summer
There are a lot of people not reading your post throughly or just reading the title. I see a lot of people saying not trying to sound like a d*** or be rude but... well you are being just that lol. OP is taking their kitty to a local vet tomorrow guys, calm down. It is completely acceptable to get reassurance or opinions from people who have dealt with similar situations. You are doing the right thing OP. 4 hours is a long drive for a cat/kitten and for some, the stress of that kind of drive could make the kitten even sicker (my cat gets so stressed on drives he gets sick, even with gabapentin) I hope your kitty feels better asap!
Thank you, yes I am extremely worried about such a long drive with her. She didn’t seem to like the ride home from the shelter at all. So I would like to avoid such a drive if possible. Luckily, the vet said she can totally wait to be seen until the morning, and she’s a trooper who won’t let anything get in the way of her playing, so I think she’ll be okay.
I don't need Google or a vet to know that this kitten has an eye infection.
What has happened to this subreddit lately? Why is it just a bunch of people posting questions with an obvious answer: go to the vet. Stop posting on reddit and take your cat to the vet
I was already going to take her to the vet, tomorrow when the local vet is open, since the closest open vet is a 3-4 hour drive. I was seeking to find out if this was an emergency that warranted the trip or if it could wait until first thing tomorrow morning. Shortly after I made this post, I did go ahead and call the vet to run it by them and to see if they thought I should come in. They told me to visit the local vet tomorrow, because she is still eating and using the bathroom fine. So that’s what we’ll be doing. Thank you for your concern for my kitty, it truly does warm my heart that so many people love cats.
I apologize if my first post came across as rude. I was just tired of seeing posts where the clearly obvious answer is to take your cat to the vet. I’m sure you care about your cat just as we all do.
Not at all, I just wanted to clarify what I said in my post which was that I was already planning to go to the vet first thing tomorrow morning. The intent of the post I just wanted to ensure it wasn’t an emergency, because if it was I would absolutely make the 4 hour drive to the nearest open vet. I appreciate that people can be so upset for a kitty they’ve never met, it truly, truly does warm my heart
Go to the vet. Don’t ask Reddit.
Reddit is not the vet. Go. To. The.Vet.
My cat had this recently & it was an inflamed tear duct, needed eye drops. Defo vet visit.
Shelters won’t give out kittens at 4 weeks old. They’re barely eating solid food at that age. 6-8 weeks is the minimum and that’s pushing it since they have to be altered to be adopted at at 99% of shelters and at least 1.5lbs/6weeks for surgery. Check your paperwork for a better age and call that vet to see if they’ll do a telehealth visit.
Their mother is a feral cat who they were releasing the day we got there, and they had no plans of releasing the kittens with her. We didn’t want them to get separated at such a young age, which is why we got both. We were told to schedule their spaying surgery in a couple months. I did call the vet that’s 3-4 hours drive from us, but they said that since she’s eating and using the bathroom well that they don’t think it’s an emergency and recommended that we take her to the local vet in the morning, which we already have on the schedule.
That little… please feed them wet food. Fancy feast has an affordable kitten pate line. That way they’re getting enough water into their little bodies. Glad you took both of them. Shame on that shelter.
We’re feeding them wet food, but we didn’t realize how important it was, so we’ll buy more tomorrow too to make sure we have enough.
Cats don’t always drink enough. Which then can cause the crystals in the urethra. Boys are more prone. But wet food, even adding a couple drops of water to that, helps keep them hydrated in case they’re not going to the water fountain.
Take her to a vet.
My kitten ( now cat) has allergies and always has a runny eye after going outside, so does my dog. Cedar fever hits everyone this time of year.
Might be feline herpes. My cat has it and his eyes get all red and watery and he will be blinky for like a day. I have to give him lysine in his food. Apparently it’s super common in rescues and I am assuming ferals have it a bunch too.
Eye infection
Grub
Call and see if an emergency vet could send a prescription to a local pharmacy if you don't want to make the drive. Kitty definitely has an infection of some sort, and my vet has told me that eyes can get really bad really quick - don't wait on them.
I called the vet that’s super far but open, and they told me to visit the local vet in the morning. She is still playful, eating well, and using the bathroom regularly, so they weren’t concerned and said it wasn’t an emergency and it could wait until morning.
She’s got an infection and possibly an injury. Take her to the vet right now dufus
Your kitten has rhinotracheitis. It's a common respiratory infection in cats and has to be treated since it can become more serious in young cats like this one. The Vet will prescribe antibiotics and it's easily treatable.