# kitten eye injury



## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

i have never had this problem before so need some advise please.
came home yesterday to find my healthy kitten has an eye injury so rushed to the vets, seems to have been scratched whilst playing with littermates.
the eye is very sore and blue with a red mark on the eye ball, vets have given eye ointment and antibiotics but is not too hopefull of a recovery and we are possibly looking at a removal of the eye on friday but will get to this later.
my main concern is what type of home do you rehome a kitten with possibly one eye, of course i want the best home for him so if anybody has any suggestions please post, im very worried.


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## gskinner123 (Mar 10, 2010)

So sorry about your kitten. Several years ago a 6 week old kittten of mine sustained a claw injury from a litter mate to one eye - I actually saw it happen. Despite immediate treatment and then ongoing treatment for a fortnight the cornea ulcerated. Despite the further efforts of my vet unfortunately the eye had to be removed. It was quite major surgery for a 9/10 week old kitten but he sailed through it and came home none the worse, it seemed. It looked pretty awful at first with a large'ish shaved area around the eye. He was given to one of the vet nurses who'd cared for him during/after his surgery. He made a brilliant recovery... I saw him several times in the following months (the vet nurse lived above the surgery) and it all healed very neatly and looked so much better once the fur had all grown back. Having only one eye certainly never hindered him!

I do hope your kitten's eye heals and doesn't need to be removed... you just never know sometimes, even when the vet's outlook is gloomy.


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

thankyou.
there is definite damage to the eye as the vets just phoned, they want to remove the eye which is fine but i want to give him the chance of keeping it, would a few days really make much difference to give the eye a chance.

i am happy to keep him if he will be fine with my other cats but if he will get bullied then i would prefer him to be adopted to a special home.
this is going to cost a fortune i know.

sorry about your kitten, mine is 11 weeks old and did have awonderful home to go to in 2 weeks time, sadly this is not something the new owners want to take on once hes recovered.


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

a grim way of looking at this is:

£864 if he makes a recovery.
£564 to pay if he dies on the operating table.
£68 to just pts.


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## Ang2 (Jun 15, 2012)

So sorry to read this. Do you have insurance on the kittens? I have a cat who is blind in one eye and lives life to the full. It certainly wouldnt put me off!

Just as an aside, have you shopped around for the surgery costs? It seems like an awful lot for this type of surgery.


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## gskinner123 (Mar 10, 2010)

Goodness me, that seems a lot. I know we shouldn't really compare as vet fees vary wildly from one practice to another. The surgery for my kitten was around the £300 mark, six years ago. I'm really not sure what that might equate to today. It's very hard, especially when you have a good vet with whom you have a good relationship, to say that you're going to 'shop around' but if you can find it in yourself to do so....

Or perhaps ask for a consultation referral to an eye specialist vet; there seem to be plenty of them around.


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## colliemerles (Nov 2, 2007)

_i am so sorry to hear about your little kittens eye, how awful, i have everything crossed that he makes a full recovery and the vet can save the eye, failing that i do hope you can find him a loving forever pet home, xxxxxx sending you a big hug x_


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## gskinner123 (Mar 10, 2010)

The reason for mentioning an eye specialist... my own vet, though not a specialist in eyes, does have a particular interest in feline/canine eye problems and is furthering his training in that field. I had (yet another) cat, an adult this time, with an eye injury last year and saw (whilst my own vet was away on a course) the stand in vet... sewing the eyelids together temporarily - for her particular problem at the time - was mentioned as and the next possible step and I knew (or thought I knew) that to be the current standard practice. On seeing my regular vet with her next time for a check on her eye I mentioned this... to be told that was no longer best practice and that a temporary, clear lens was placed over the eye so that the injury/eye could be monitored and topical treatment continued. It can be quite surprising, the level of knowledge and treatment between vets who have a particular interest in something and some further training... and those who don't.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

Sounds a huge amount but as someone else said, vet fees do vary. The best chance of the kitten keeping the eye may well be a referal to one of the vet schools, but that would be £££.

If he loses the eye but survives I don't think he needs an extra-special home. He is young (obviously!) and will adapt well. And unlike a human, he won't go around saying 'woe is me I have lost an eye' he will just get on with life.


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## kelzcats (Aug 1, 2011)

Sorry to hear about your kitten i have never had this happen so i cannot comment.

There is always that special person for your kitten if you cannot keep him.

A nice quite home with a good understanding of his needs.


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

thankyou, sadly he is not insured but this doesnt matter as i will provide the best veterinary treatment for him.
im happy to keep him if he can get along ok with my other cats, wasnt sure if having one eye would affect him in any way.

ive also had a second opinion today and this vet has suggested to try the eye ointment for 10 days whilst i wait for an eye specialist to see him.
i dont want to rush with surgery if his eye can be saved, so we are doing this for now then once the specialist has seen him will have to do what they say.
i know its going to cost alot but never mind, you cant put a price on a kitten's life.
it would be £300 alone for the stay in veterinary hospital for 3 days but if i can hopefully bring him home and look after him then the cost will be less.


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## cats galore (Jul 17, 2012)

i'm really sorry to hear about your kitten. at least he will get the best care now. it certainly would not put me off having him as a pet but obviously people pay a lot of money for pedigrees and want 'the best'. if he doesn't settle with you - which i'm sure he will - i hope you can find him a lovely home. good luck with the treatment. hopefully he won't need his eye removing and he'll make a full recovery


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

cats galore said:


> i'm really sorry to hear about your kitten. at least he will get the best care now. it certainly would not put me off having him as a pet but obviously people pay a lot of money for pedigrees and want 'the best'. if he doesn't settle with you - which i'm sure he will - i hope you can find him a lovely home. good luck with the treatment. hopefully he won't need his eye removing and he'll make a full recovery


thankyou. i will ensure either way he will have the best veterinary care possible.
of course i understand people paying alot of money for pedigree kittens, but payment is for top quality 100% healthy kittens. payment is not given for special kittens, the best home is the most important and to be honest money doesnt even come close when you have a special baby.

taking my tiny kitten for example, he will be fine and is now eating normal kitten food but as he had been poorly and needed syringe feeding he will be going to a fantastic home free of charge where i am paying the monthly insurance fee for the new owners plus if any vet treatment was needed which the insurance didnt cover this would still be paid from my own pocket. i breed to give others the joy of being owned by a beautiful breed, not to make money as we all know if you wish to make money you had better get a job that pays.


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## spotty cats (Jul 24, 2012)

catcoonz said:


> payment is not given for special kittens


The side of breeding most pet owners never hear about, free or substantially discounted kittens

Hopefully the eye ointment works.


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## polishrose (Oct 26, 2011)

Hope his eye recovers. Personally even if his eye had to be removed it wouldn't have put me off having him.


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

im surprised at how many people wouldnt be put off by a disabled kitten, the world is getting better then, thankyou.
so who of you is going to give my beautiful baby a loving home?


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## colliemerles (Nov 2, 2007)

polishrose said:


> Hope his eye recovers. Personally even if his eye had to be removed it wouldn't have put me off having him.


_that is exactly what i was thinking, as long as he has an indoor home, or maybe a secure area in the garden i dont think it would make any difference, if i had allready booked a kitten it really wouldnt put me off if he had an accident like this, _


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## Ang2 (Jun 15, 2012)

CC, I would strongly recommend that you try manuka honey. It is used routinely in the USA by vets and can give amazing results - far better than prescribed antibiotics. It has a proven track record for healing eye infections.

Man cures painful eye infection with 99p jar of honey | Mail Online


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## we love bsh's (Mar 28, 2011)

I hope he gets better


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

Ang2 said:


> CC, I would strongly recommend that you try manuka honey. It is used routinely in the USA by vets and can give amazing results - far better than prescribed antibiotics. It has a proven track record for healing eye infections.
> 
> Man cures painful eye infection with 99p jar of honey | Mail Online


According to the article he used the cheapest of honey - Tesco Value, 99p for a jar, not the very expensive Manuka honey. It also sounds like he was badly advised about prescription charges, unless he was either getting private ones, or trying 'stuff' to see if it helped. If he needed more than so many prescriptions a year he should have got a 'season ticket' which caps the cost.

Do note also this chap has a false eye in that socket, dunno what putting honey in a natural eye would feel like.

Finally I'm not sure if the OP's kitten has an infection as well, or just the damage.


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

thankyou. i have used manuka honey (expensive stuff) before when my queen had a chest infection and this cleared it up due to having an antibiotic effect.

i will need to ask the eye specialist if i can use in kittens eyes before i do this method as i dont want to make his eye worse, hopefully my vet can speak with the specialist today.


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## Ang2 (Jun 15, 2012)

catcoonz said:


> thankyou. i have used manuka honey (expensive stuff) before when my queen had a chest infection and this cleared it up due to having an antibiotic effect.
> 
> i will need to ask the eye specialist if i can use in kittens eyes before i do this method as i dont want to make his eye worse, hopefully my vet can speak with the specialist today.


Aldi have some very cheap manuka honey


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

Thankyou Ang2..... we dont have that store here so been to sainsburys, price was £15.99 but worth it if it can be used.
my vet doesnt know as he couldnt speak with the eye specialist today so just going to keep with the eye ointment the vet has given until i know for sure. im abit worried about changing treatment at the moment as the eye has an open ulcer and i dont want to irritate it too much.


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## colliemerles (Nov 2, 2007)

_how is the kitten, i hope he is ok and not in to much discomfort, still have fingers crossed the eye may be saved xxx_


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

at the vet check tonight he is being given metacam for the pain every day, still very sore but more hopefull the worse that will be is blind in that eye, of course i still dont have a definite answer until next week when the eye specialist sees him.
hes happy, eating and playing but i have to have the lights in the house very dim as the light hurts his eye.


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

Oh I am sorry to hear about the injury.....but like many others on here, I would not change my mind about a kitten I had chosen just because of something like this.
My Monty only has one eye...he arrived at mine like that and the wound/stitching still raw. I think he is a magnificent cat and he certainly shows no sign of the lack of an eye holding him back from enjoying his life.
My cats are all kept in an enclosed garden and I presume you would have similar requests for your cats anyway.


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

It was your photo of Monty that gave me hope of my kitten having a good long life.
yes an enclosed garden is a must for all my kittens who leave but this is more important with this special kitten.
i would like yo keep him but im worried with 5 big coonz racing around the house he will get bumped into, but then maybe with him staying with his mum would be fairer on him as she is very protective of him even now.
mum is being neutered next week as she lost so much weight after having kittens then keeps coming into season and there is no way she is in the best of health to have another litter, so maybe her being neutered and keeping her special kitten would work out.


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## PetloverJo (Nov 4, 2011)

Sorry to hear about your kitten CC, your are really not having it easy at the mo'. I hope his eye heals well. x

If it doesn't I'm sure he'll cope perfectly well without it.


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## Ang2 (Jun 15, 2012)

Another little read for you - relating to ulcerated eyes.

Manuka Honey For Eye Care


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## polishrose (Oct 26, 2011)

Manuka honey is awesome stuff. I had MRSA and it helped sort out all my ulcers,even the ones that had to be operated on first were packed with honey afterwards to help the healing process.


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

I can honestly say that Monty lives a totally happy and full life, and hurtles round my house at full pelt with no hint of impediment! I don't even see his missing eye when I look at him these days and as it happened to him when he was young, I don't think he knows any different.
Of course if he had been my cat when the accident happened I would have agonised over the situation and probably imagined he was suffering but I was spared all that (and the cost of the op! )
As far as I know there should be no ongoing medical complications once (if) the eye is removed and I am sure you will find a new owner whose heart will be melted by the idea that this little one has had such a sad accident early in life


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## cats galore (Jul 17, 2012)

i remember reading about a lovely cat that patsy at rushden persian rescue took in and re-homed that had no eyes. he lived with his sister if i remember correctly and had a fun filled and happy life. there is always hope for any cat or other animal come to that, no matter what their disability


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## cats galore (Jul 17, 2012)

catcoonz said:


> thankyou. i will ensure either way he will have the best veterinary care possible.
> of course i understand people paying alot of money for pedigree kittens, but payment is for top quality 100% healthy kittens. payment is not given for special kittens, the best home is the most important and to be honest money doesnt even come close when you have a special baby.
> 
> taking my tiny kitten for example, he will be fine and is now eating normal kitten food but as he had been poorly and needed syringe feeding he will be going to a fantastic home free of charge where i am paying the monthly insurance fee for the new owners plus if any vet treatment was needed which the insurance didnt cover this would still be paid from my own pocket. i breed to give others the joy of being owned by a beautiful breed, not to make money as we all know if you wish to make money you had better get a job that pays.


that is so lovely of you to think so much of the kittens that you are prepared to pay for their treatment/insurance even after they leave your care. as you know i have quite a few cats already but i always have space in my heart and home for more
but seriously, i do know a breeder local to me that would not entertain what you are prepared to do. i really do hope he will be ok and i'm so glad your tiny boy is doing well too. you should be really proud of yourself showing such love and devotion


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## Ingrid25 (Oct 1, 2011)

oh no I hope his eye heals on its own, and the drops help!
But if it does have to be taken out it he will be fine- he will learn to live with it and will soon be a almost-normal kitten again


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## colliemerles (Nov 2, 2007)

_how is he today, can you see any improvement, still have my fingers crossed for him.xxx_


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## Rolacolacube (Aug 21, 2012)

How is the little one today? Must admit I wouldn't be put off rescuing/adopting a cat or kitty with a disability either? Would be lovely for him to stay with his mom though xx


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

he has his eye open now which is good but i can clearly see a little chunk taken out his pupil, and his eye is a cloudy blue so he may end up being blind.
im more worried about his eye being removed but if after 2 weeks of treatment it heals then hopefully his eye will be saved.
its just going to take a long time.
i dont even know if the eye will heal where the chunk is taken from, its all a worry at the moment but i give him metacam every night until the vet sees him again monday morning.


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## Alaskacat (Aug 2, 2010)

I am so sorry to hear of the awful time you are having, poor kitty, my thoughts are with you, I hope the gods are on your side and he makes a recovery.

I do have to say that I know you are completely doing your best by the kitten, but I would say not to be too afraid of having the eye removed if the Vet's feel that to be the best option.

My horse went blind in one eye and unfortunately he poked the eye out and had to have emergency surgery to remove it. Obviously cats have very different anatomy and I expect do not have the same blind spot if they can only see out of one eye. However, he was so much better without the eye if I was in your position I think I would remove it. Before he lost the eye he was forever needing drops and was getting infections in it due to not seeing out of the eye and brushing it on things (I think). In a horse the blind eye was always in danger of being hurt, he couldn't see to blink and suffered his awful injury within a year of losing his sight. You would not have known he had lost the eye and he competed in show jumping and cross country without it.

There is no comparison, horse and cat and I know it is early days for your kit, so I hope he is able to keep the eye. Sending my support to you for the stress you must be feeling for him though.


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

thankyou for your kindness. it is a worry but if his eye needs to be removed and he stays with me thats not really any bother, i have room to keep him but what i dont want is for him to be passed from home to home that really scares me.
i have spoken to the eye specialist on friday and we have given him 2 weeks, if there is no improvement or it gets worse then an operation will be done to help him.
i dont think it will bother him too much as hes had 11 weeks of free running around the home so he knows where everything is.
i dont like the thought of metacam being given so young everyday as the side effects are not good but for now i have no choice.
if and when the vets say treatment is enough i will do the right thing for him and help him recover.

your poor horse, that must have been such a worry for you but to be competing is fantastic, my horse has both eyes and hes blimin useless, he cant jump a fence now without knocking it down and hes an ex racehorse so should be able to jump something.


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## ESAB (Jan 29, 2010)

so sorry to hear about your kitten, hes lucky to have such a caring slave xx


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

not the best photo but its all i can manage for now.


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## PetloverJo (Nov 4, 2011)

He's a beautiful boy, I really hope his eye improves. x


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

i hope he gets better, hes very cuddly poor baby.
the vet did give eye drops but he screamed with this so we are now on ointment which is slowly making an improvement.


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## ESAB (Jan 29, 2010)

wow hes lovely


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## cats galore (Jul 17, 2012)

oh catcoonz he is gorgeous. i really do hope his eye heals but i'm sure he'll do well whatever the outcome. he has you to love and care for him and you're doing a fantastic job. good luck


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## colliemerles (Nov 2, 2007)

_Oh my he is gorgeous, what a beautiful boy, :001_wub::001_wub::001_wub::001_tt1:_


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

he is a gorgeous boy.
sadly ive had to rush him to the emergency vet with bleeding from the eye. they are keeping him comfortable for today and going to the eye specialist in the morning, which then i hope a decision will be made.
its very painful for him and hes currently sedated, the vet said it doesnt look good but ive made it perfectly clear and have signed the form that no matter what happens he is not to be pts. i dont care how much it costs i now just want him better.
even with one eye he can lead a healthy long life. he is of a good weight so an operation should affect him too much.

i do have a question though, its a deep laceration on the eye and the vet said eye tissue rarely recovers, just wondering as io cant find anything online, would eye tissue grow back, if it would and takes along time to heal i would rather try this first.


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## Cazzer (Feb 1, 2010)

so sorry to hear this news. Will be thinking of the poor little man x x


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## colliemerles (Nov 2, 2007)

_Poor little boy,. im so glad you told the vets not to have him put to sleep,if he does have the eye removed im sure he can lead a very happy life.I am sure their is the perfect home out there, i bet theres afew members on here that have fallen for him, as i have, and would give him a loving home. _


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## Ang2 (Jun 15, 2012)

Eye tissue cannot grow back restoring sight. The best outcome would be for the eye to heal without the need for it to be removed. One of my rescues is blind in one eye. Its the result of an injury that was never treated. The eye is opaque but is healed and doesnt bother him.

Poor little might, I hope the eye can be saved.


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## Cazzer (Feb 1, 2010)

cats galore said:


> i remember reading about a lovely cat that patsy at rushden persian rescue took in and re-homed that had no eyes. he lived with his sister if i remember correctly and had a fun filled and happy life. there is always hope for any cat or other animal come to that, no matter what their disability


I remember those two as well. They were dead ringers for my Karlo and Kaisa. I seriously considered trying to take them but Patsy wanted a local home for them which I wasn't.


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## kelzcats (Aug 1, 2011)

Poor little man he's gorgeous hope he gets better soon....lots of love to him!

Good luck


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

the vets today want to remove his eye but ive refused this until he has seen the eye specialist tomorrow morning. i feel the specialist is the only person who can make this decision for him.

if he is blind i know i cant bring his sight back but at the moment he is sensitive to light so he can see. weather this changes i dont know. 
there is improvement where he will keep his eye open now before it was always closed. difficult decision to make and i dont feel im the one to make it.
hopefully the eye specialist will tell me more than the locum vet as they have more experience.


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## dagny0823 (Oct 20, 2009)

I've been following his story here and I do hope that the specialist has good news for you tomorrow. He is utterly gorgeous, with one or two eyes. I'm sorry he's in pain with it, but healing takes time. I know when I've merely scratched my own eye, it hurts terribly for a couple of days. I can only imagine what a deep laceration must feel like. But he's young and they heal fast, so sending extra healing vibes that it gets better soon.


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## Rolacolacube (Aug 21, 2012)

Oh what a beauty. I hope you get all the answers you need from the eye specialist and that little man's pain eases up xx


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## Alaskacat (Aug 2, 2010)

Poor baby, please let us know how it goes tomorrow. I am sure PTS would not be an option, my horse recovered well from his op to remove his eye and I am sure your baby would too. I very much hope it can be saved of course. So much worry for you, this thread alone would put many off breeding. I do think that the right person will fall in love with him and be willing to give him a special home at some point down the road - when he is fully recovered of course. 

Thinking of you and kitten


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

we have seen the eye specialist this morning and will need to see him again on thursday morning.
my boy has an ulcer over his pupil, he can see at the moment and i have to give him antibiotic cream every 4 hours and hope it works.
at the moment we are looking at a 50/50 chance of improvement but he may still need the eye removed later, but for now we still dont know for sure the outcome.
good news that it doesnt need to be removed today so hoping for improvement with the cream.


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## Alaskacat (Aug 2, 2010)

That's really good news that there is hope for the eye. I'm so pleased that there is still sight in the eye too. I'm crossing my fingers and will be looking for the update on Thursday. Fingers crossed for him.


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## Cazzer (Feb 1, 2010)

that sounds quite positive, hope it all goes well on Thursday x


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## colliemerles (Nov 2, 2007)

_fingers crossed the cream works, and good news on thursday._


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