Kitten eye care

by Katrina Marcy Van Wagner
(Danielson CT)

My female cat recently had 6 kittens 2 weeks ago. All of the kittens sneeze and one of them had an eye that seemed to be fused shut and was crusty. I put a warm wet compress on his eye and it opened half way. My question is... Is this normal? And if not, what do you think the problem is and what should I do?


Dear Katrina,

Try the warm compress again and very gently encourage the eye to open. If it opens entirely and looks okay, you can observe the kitten for any signs of recurrence. However, often the symptoms you described are the result of feline herpes virus and require immediate veterinarian attention.

If your kitten's eye does not open entirely after using a warm compress and gently prying the eye lids apart, or if the eye is red or there is mucus or inflammation upon opening, your kitten needs to be seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible. Unfortunately, feline herpes virus could result in the kitten losing his eye without treatment.

Best wishes,
Dr. Neely