Cats with Eye Mucus: Effective Medication for Open Eyes

When a kitten's eyes are sealed shut due to excessive mucus, it's a situation that requires attention. Normally, just like humans, kittens produce a small amount of mucus around their eyes, especially upon waking up, which can be more noticeable. However, if the mucus accumulates to the point where it clouds the eyes, making them difficult to open, this is typically a pathological condition and should be addressed promptly.

Here's what you need to know:

What Causes a Kitten to Have Eye Mucus?

Eye mucus is a mixture of tears, oil from the eyelids, dead skin cells, and bacteria. While a certain amount of mucus is normal and serves to protect the eyes, an excessive amount can indicate an underlying issue.

Infection: Bacterial, viral, or fungal infections can lead to eye inflammation, resulting in an increase in mucus production.

Allergies: Cats may be allergic to certain substances like pollen, dust mites, or mold, causing itching, redness, and a surplus of mucus.

Abnormal Tear Production: Excessive tear production or a blocked tear duct can cause tears to pool and form mucus.

Entropion: When the eyelids roll inward, the eyelashes can irritate the eye, leading to increased tear production and mucus formation.

What to Do if a Kitten's Eyes Are Sealed Shut Due to Eye Mucus?

First, gently apply sterile saline solution or warm water to soften the mucus. Once it's softened, carefully wipe it away. Next, flush the eyes with sterile saline, ensuring the water flow is gentle to avoid irritating the conjunctiva. Simply add more saline to the eyes and wipe away with a cotton ball, repeating this process until all remaining mucus and debris are cleared.

If the eyes remain sealed even after cleaning, you can use Baiming (Neomycin sulfate eye drops) to treat the condition. Neomycin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic that effectively combats gramnegative bacteria, Salmonella, and is also sensitive to Staphylococcus aureus.

Remember to put a Elizabethan collar on the kitten during treatment to prevent it from scratching its eyes and worsening the injury or infection.

If the kitten also exhibits symptoms like sneezing or a runny nose, or if other kittens in the litter have similar issues, they may be suffering from contagious diseases such as feline herpesvirus or feline calicivirus. In such cases, it's essential to take the kitten to a veterinarian for a thorough examination.

In the case of feline herpesvirus, treatment often involves antiviral eye drops like ganciclovir or valacyclovir, combined with antibiotic eye drops for inflammation. To suppress the virus, interferon and ribavirin are used, and to control inflammation, antibiotics like Kenox (Amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium) are prescribed. Additionally, supplements like lactoferrin and Llysine can help boost the kitten's immune response.