My 8-week-old kitten has red, irritated eyes. Is it an infection?

Oh my goodness Oliver is adorable!! So happy you adopted him! Common eye issues in kittens are Herpes and Chlamydia. Cat herpes is responsible for most kitten eye infections. Cat chlamydia is close in the running for second place. Unlike human herpes, cat herpes is spread like the common cold and causes cold-like symptoms, including nasty-looking eye inflammation. Chlamydia is spread through close contact and causes cold-like symptoms and conjunctivitis. Neither are contagious to humans or any animals besides cats. Both have vaccines, but they don't necessarily stop infection but they can reduce severity. Most infections run their course (though kittens weakened by malnourishment, temperature extremes, injury, or other diseases do sometimes die from the added physical stress), but cats may have periodic outbreaks for the rest of their lives. Terramycin is the first line treatment for Chlamydia so if you are not seeing much improvement it could be that he has herpes virus and not Chlamydia. Of course he could have something else but those two diseases are the most common. My recommendation would be to give it the weekend since he seems otherwise happy and healthy and then take him in for a check-up at the beginning of next week. If you are applying the Terramycin twice a day I would recommend you increase to three or four times a day until the recheck appointment. I hope this helps. Best wishes to you and Oliver!

Hi and thank you for your post on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It looks as if Chiplo's eye may be infected. Sometimes if young cats or kittens are exposed to the Feline Herpes Virus or Calicivirus, these viruses can cause upper respiratory infections as well as ocular infections. Chiplo may need to be treated with your vet and placed on antibiotics for the eye infection. There is not a lot that can be done at home for an eye infection like this- your best bet is to visit her veterinarian. I hope this helps and thanks again for your post.

Poor Pete! Squinting and discharge from the eye are common signs of an eye infection. He will need prescription eye drops from your veterinarian to treat this problem, so I would recommend taking him in for an exam as soon as you are able to. In the meantime, you can try gently flushing his eye with plain saline eye wash, and wipe away the drainage with a warm washcloth or cotton ball as often as needed. This will not treat the underlying infection, but may help to make him a bit more comfortable until you are able to see the vet.

Yes, a lot of times an upper respiratory infection in a cat will cause conjunctivitis and other eye issues. So it's definitely possible that Argyle picked up something from your new cat. Things such as feline herpes and chylamydia are some respiratory diseases that can cause eye problems. You are also correct that although a corneal scratch is possible it is less likely because both eyes are affected. Because the eyes are involved I recommend having Argyle seen by your veterinarian as soon as possible. Eye infections can escalate quickly so it's best to start treating them right away. In the mean time you can start a lysine supplement as this will sometimes help hasten recovery from a viral infection. I hope Argyle recovers quickly! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Mila. Oh my, her eyes look really bad. If the Tetracycline isn't working, yes she needs a different medication but I can't say what without seeing her in person. I would say her eyes are a medical emergency and she needs to see a vet immediately. Please take her into one now. Best of luck.

Any eye problem is considered serious because leaving it untreated can lead to vision loss. It's possible that Shy does have a scratch on his eye, that can often only be visualized with a fluorescein stain. It could also be that he has an eye infection. I recommend taking him into the vet first thing in the morning. The vet can diagnose what is causing the discharge from his eye, and can prescribe a treatment for it. Best of luck, I hope this helps.

Cats often are infected with herpesvirus as kittens, and it can come and go throughout their lives, but often it flares up during times of stress (such as adding a new kitten). They can also get secondary bacterial infections in the eyes and upper respiratory infections. If it's not improving on its own or he starts squinting or pawing at his eye he may need antibiotic drops from your vet.