My 7-week-old kittens have swollen eyes and head lumps. What to do?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is quite unusual. This may be a birth defect for example. Regardless, they need to see a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment as soon as possible as this is likely causing significant discomfort. They would be able to evaluate the eye and see what the functional condition of the eye is. They can make treatment recommendations based on that. Good luck and have a great day!

This is a classic presentation of a cat with an upper respiratory disease and conjunctivitis. Conjunctivitis can be caused by a few different infections, but is commonly caused by a virus that most cats harbor and comes out during times of stress. These infections can become complicated with bacterial infections and cause more problems. Nugget's eyes appear rather infected, so I recommend taking her to the vet for an evaluation. They will be able to better inspect the eye and provide the most appropriate treatment. For now, you can flush the eye 3-4 times a day with saline (can get this at the pharmacy) to help clean and soothe it. Below is a link to a good video that demonstrates how to do this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDGzdUTUdNI You can also help the congestion by giving a steam bath. Below is a link to information about upper respiratory disease in cats and explains how to do the steam bath. http://www.wikihow.com/Help-Your-Cat-Breathe-Easier It's best if you can get Nugget to a vet within the next day or two. The vet would be able to prescribe the necessary treatment to make her feel better and keep the infection from getting worse. I hope this helps and Nugget feels better soon.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely an upper respiratory infection. This is usually treated with antibiotics and eye drops. I recommend that you have Weasley evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for this possibility and start therapy accordingly. Best of luck!

I am having some difficulty understanding what you are saying. From the picture, I would be very concerned about more than just Zity's eye. His skin on the face also is not normal. This could be caused by a severe bacterial or fungal infection, viral infection, mites, among a few others. His eye itself looks very unhealthy, and it may have a corneal ulcer, which would need specific veterinary treatment to try to save it. Terramycin will help with minor bacterial infections, which I do not think this is a minor infection. An enlarged abdomen in a kitten can be caused by a severe intestinal parasite infestation, FIP, low blood protein, congenital defect, among a few others. Zity should have both the distended abdomen and the eye/face problems evaluated by a vet as soon as possible.

Cute kitty. Any swelling on the body that does not go away within a few weeks, that is somewhat soft and not causing any pain, is likely a hematoma. Hematoma's come from trauma that has burst a blood vessel underneath the skin. It can take 1-3 weeks for the blood to then be slowly absorbed back into the body. If this is a hematoma, it should go down slowly. If it happens to not go away, then yes it is best to have your vet take a look at it for other possibilities (i..e cyst, abscess, etc). I hope your fur baby Woofie resolves this swelling soon. Best wishes and take care.

This may be the start of an upper respiratory disease. They usually do have a fever and swollen lymph nodes (possibly causing the face to swell) early in the infection, which will make them feel bad. They also tend to avoid eating and drinking early in the infection. It appears that both sides of Blue's face are swollen, but if it happens that only one side is swollen, then this can indicate a local infection/abscess. This can happen with bite wounds, other puncture wounds, or dental disease. I wouldn't be too concerned about this being an emergency, but it's best if you can get Blue to a vet within the next day or two. While these infections are often mild, they can become complicated, which will make things much worse. The vet would be able to narrow-down the cause of this and prescribe the necessary treatment to make him feel better and keep the infection from getting worse. I hope this helps and Blue feels better soon.

Poor kittens! Eye infections can be viral or bacterial. Unfortunately you’re not likely to clear an eye infection with at home care. Just like with humans, these guys require antibiotic eyedrops which you will need to get from the veterinarian. I recommend to call your clinic and make an appointment ideally today. Eye infections in young kittens can become serious and cause permanent damage to the corneas. Bring the whole litter and the mother. Certainly cleaning off the teats and the rest of the environment will help but all the kittens have been exposed at this point. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.