My newborn kitten has green goop in its eye. What should I do?

Hello. Most of these kitties have a viral infection of the eyes often complicated with a secondary bacterial component. Other than keeping the eyes clear by gently cleaning with warm water a few times a day, there is not much more you can do except having the kitten seen & treated by a veterinarian. With the proper medications, the kitten will start to feel & look better pretty quickly. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. The most common reason for the green ocular discharge in the kittens is Chlamydia bacteria The other possibility is a herpes virus. ( https://www.petful.com/pet-health/chlamydia-cats/ ) I suggest you get the kittens to your vet for an exam. They can then dispense some eye medication to see if the symptoms will clear. If it is Chlamydia it is easily treated and shouldn't get to the point of them losing sight or the eye itself. If the mother cats are not up to date on their vaccinations you should do that as this can help alleviate symptoms in the kittens. If they are not handleable, you can get humane traps from your vet or the local shelter and trap the cats. They can then be vaccinated through the trap. Of course, the kittens should get their vaccinations too! This should be something easily remedied. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

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.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely due to an upper respiratory infection. This is usually treated with antibiotic eye drops and cats usually respond well to therapy. I recommend that you have Bubbles evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. If they agree that based on an examination, that seems to be the issue, they will likely prescribe medications to make him feel better. Good luck and best wishes!

Hi there and thank you for using PetCoach to address your concern. Judging from the photo, it appears that this is just tear staining. It does not appear to be infectious to me. I would consider the following product and see if this helps ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/angels-eyes-natural-tear-stain-remover-for-cats ). I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please take the time to mark this question as helpful or not as it helps us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners. Thank you kindly!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely due to an upper respiratory infection though something else like bilateral corneal ulcers or even dry eye are possible. This is usually treated with antibiotic eye drops and oral antibiotics and cats usually respond well to therapy. I recommend that you have Deimos evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. If they agree that based on an examination, that seems to be the issue, they will likely prescribe medications to make him feel better. In the meantime, you may try to decrease his activity and rest him up which may help. Good luck and best wishes!

Most likely no, your kitten will not die from green eye boogers and a raised 3rd eyelid. I recommend going to your vet who will likely prescribe a topical opthalmic antibiotic ointment or drops. He/she may also recommend a fluorescein stain of the eyes to rule out corneal scratches/ulcers. It is possible that after the infection/inflammation is resolved, the third eyelid may return to normal. Feline herpes virus infections in kittens can often lead to secondary bacterial eye infections. Viral infections can not generally be treated but lysine supplements/paste may be helpful in boosting your kitten’s immune system while being treated for a bacterial eye infection. Good luck!