New Kittens - Lemon & Enki

[Darky]

Lemon belongs to my fiance and I, the white and silver tabby. The sweet little white and ginger tabby, Enki, belongs to my parents.

They come from two different litters and were 'rescued,' though I don't know much about the story - all I know that that they were Mother-less and the word 'feral' was mentioned.

I am disappointed in the woman I got them from (through a friend of mine, totally free rescue kittens that needed homes.) as she was very disorganised.

I waited about a month to get these kittens, and when the woman finally arranged a date with me.. She vanished out of contact, and never contacted me despite having my home number. She got online the night before the day, with me begging to know the time that she would arrive with the kittens, and she simply said that she didn't know because she wasn't home and then went offline.

We did get the kittens, she contacted us last-minute after leaving a weird voice mail on my fiance's phone about how they have some little health issues and wondered if she should take them to the vet instead of giving them to us. (Despite already telling me that she was going to take them to the vet about a week earlier.) Also after telling my parents that she tried to call us but had the wrong number, despite me giving her our home number a total of four times (three times online, once via voice message.)

Lemon has one bad eye, which I was told about over a month ago and she has never mentioned it since, so I assumed it had cleared up - but no.

Enki has two rather bad eyes, they are swollen and very gunky, however he seems to have had no problem seeing. He also has sniffles and sneezes a lot.

I am regularly cleaning their eyes, and I think that Lemon's eye should clear up fine, but am keeping an eye on Enki. If his eyes do not show improvement (as I honestly believe that the women who kept them never bothered to bathe their eyes), he shall be going to the vet.

Other than that, they are both very healthy. They eat, drink, play and have normal bowel movements.

Surprisingly they were not scared in the slightest when they met us, but instead simply wanted play and affection. They are both super affectionate and love human attention, cuddling up on people to sleep and.. Chasing each other around the living room. XD

However! I was informed that they are 7-8 weeks old. Enki is definitely much younger, and I have no idea how old they both are. My guess is 5-7 weeks old, the both of them. Any ideas?

Spike is interested in them, in a very gentle sort of way - whilst Honey is absolutely terrified of them.

Finally, some photos! (The human featured in these photos is my fiance - and the 'big cat' is Spike.)



http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l116/english_years/Pets/Lemon%20Enki/Lemon_Enki002.jpg

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[Moli]

They are both very small, think about 5-6 weeks, I would have them vet checked....They do look like their eyes are quite sore....

[angieh]

I am sure that you will keep an eye on their eyes - poor wee mites, I bet they are thankful to be looked after properly. Glad they both seem friendly little ones and are happy to be around people. Good luck to them and to you - glad you have finally got them!

[Elaine]

I agree with Pat and would have them vet checked asap. There could be anything wrong with them, from cat flu to something more sinister. My friend DD has worked in rescue, mainly ferals, for years and has had some terrible heartaches after taking in kittens with gunky eyes. That said alot were fine after treatment but she had several who lost eyes due to infection and eventually lost kittens too.
Such a shame as they are adorable but I trust you will do right by them. Would be interested to hear what their story is, I know you dont know it but would be interesting none the less.

[Darky]

I doubt I'll ever find out what it is, due to the general uselessness of the lady I got them from.

I plan to take Lemon to the vet, however Enki is not mine and therefore it is not my place. My parents want to 'wait and see' after lots of regular cleaning, however I think I may end up taking Enki anyway as I would much rather be safe than sorry.

Unfortunately I will need to wait about a week, due to recent money worries - however I will take them sooner if their condition decreases in the slightest.

[Elaine]

Personally, if I were taking on any animal, gunky eyes or not, one of the first things I'd do would be to arrange a vet check and therefore would make sure that I had the funds available.

[Moli]

Personally, if I were taking on any animal, gunky eyes or not, one of the first things I'd do would be to arrange a vet check and therefore would make sure that I had the funds available.
I would do the same...........

[Darky]

I also expected the kittens at a completely different time, so things have been completely muddled up.

I didn't ask for judgement, thank you.

[Moli]

Not judging, just giving an opinion....:)

[Elaine]

http://www.catsey.com/showthread.php?t=30262
http://www.catsey.com/showthread.php?t=29740
http://www.catsey.com/showthread.php?t=25080

Sorry but it seems to me that any time one of your cats needs to see a vet, you cannt afford it. Maybe taking on more animals was not the wisest thing to do if finances are always so tight.
It's about whats in the animals best interests after all, isnt it?

[Darky]

Yet they are always taken to the vet.

I know it's dumb that often it happens later than it should, this is something that never ever happened with my now deceased cat Tiger who received constant vet care.

A lot of it has to do with my parents, whom I live with. It's difficult when I inform them that I must take a pet to the vet and they try again and again to assure me that it is not needed, especially when they are my main form of transport.

I will be taking both Enki and Lemon to the vet ASAP, as I have funds coming my way.

I completely understand all of your worries.

[calismum]

Your new kittens are lovely. Such a shame the woman was not so organised in getting them to you.

Their eyes do look quite bad. I really hope that they clear up with just washing and cleaning. What worries me is the third eyelid is so obvious, that can indicate underlying health probs. It would just be tragic after all they've obviously been through if they were to lose an eye or worse.

Is there no way you can get them to a vet earlier? What about PDSA?

I hope Lemon recovers and we see lots more pics.

[dandysmom]

They're adorable, so playful and friendly. I agree they're not as old as you were told they were, and also that their eyes need to be looked at. Spike does look a bit bemused, not quite sure what to make of his new housemates!

[random]

The kittens are lovely, my guess at ages would be the bigger one 6-8 weeks and the smaller 5-6 weeks, although from the pics of them with your fiancee the older one looks quite big, at 5 weeks our kittens would sit on the palm of your hand, as Anakin did when we brought him home and I guessed he was about 5 weeks, they look bigger than that, perhaps not as chunky as ours were.

Also, our kittens had a nasty bout of conjuncitivis when they were around 4-6 weeks if I remember right, they were given medicine but to be honest on how much they ate (as just being weaned and were told to put it in food) I couldn't say and it was just a vitamin of sorts, L-lysine I think? To boost their system. We were told they were far too small/young and it wasn't serious enough in comparison to offer them any kind of 'serious' drugs. I'm certainly not making a diagnosis of your kittens nor saying it's ok to skip the vet either but perhaps you could just ring for advice as that doesn't cost anything?

I would much rather see the kittens with someone who was clearly going to love them and look after them to the best of their ability, despite money worries, than with someone who blatently didn't care, who knows where they might have ended up otherwise? Be honest, how many of you would have taken on these kittens in the state they are in? I think they are lucky to be where they are by the sounds of things. JMO.

[Elaine]

Being honest Kelly, If the Diva allowed, yes I would take on one or two more and if they were in the state of these two little ones, I'd have them vet checked asap.

[random]

Being honest Kelly, If the Diva allowed, yes I would take on one or two more and if they were in the state of these two little ones, I'd have them vet checked asap.

As would I and all but one of the cats I have brought into my home from elsewhere have been in some kind of need, even Kiara to a degree, but when looking for a new kitten, i'm just saying, not many people would opt for these over a healthy and well bred one and they would be more likely to end up somewhere dodgy as the more responsible owner is more likely to be looking for a healthy well bred animal from a reputable source or rescued animal from a center or organisation, JMO of course.

[Darky]

Your new kittens are lovely. Such a shame the woman was not so organised in getting them to you.

Their eyes do look quite bad. I really hope that they clear up with just washing and cleaning. What worries me is the third eyelid is so obvious, that can indicate underlying health probs. It would just be tragic after all they've obviously been through if they were to lose an eye or worse.

Is there no way you can get them to a vet earlier? What about PDSA?

I hope Lemon recovers and we see lots more pics.


I am certainly going to try. C:


Thank you so much for understanding, Random.

I certainly wasn't planning to get another cat until I moved out, however the news of about 11 kittens suddenly needing homes was something that I could not ignore.

Their condition was fairly hidden from me, but I would have taken them on regardless. Enki's eye condition was never mentioned to me once, and was a total surprise. I am really worried about how bad his eyelids look, one eye worse than the other, and he is my main priority at the moment.

I need to try and arrange travel to the vet, first and foremost, really.

[EmmaG]

Darky where abouts in Essex do you live?? I also live in Essex and can give you a lift to a vets anytime next week (in the evening) if you are close.

[Darky]

Well I live in North Weald, near Epping.

Thanks so much for the offer, but I think I should be okay! They're very good in the carrier, so I've decided that if I need to I shall simply take them by bus (or cab, depending on the weather.)

[EmmaG]

No problems, North Weald is only down the road from me ( I live near Braintree) so if you get stuck just let me know and I would be happy to help.

[Darky]

Brilliant offer, thank you! C:

I've managed to convince my Mother that it's a good idea, by saying that I'm just taking them for a check-up to get their entire health looked at and whatnot. (Which is true.)

I'll have their eyes looked at but I'm also going to see if I can get them weighed and have them checked over for any other potential problems.

Also, I don't think she gave them anti-flea treatment like she told me, but oh well.

So y'all know, Enki's eyes are better today which is lovely, but Lemon's one eye has yet to show any improvement. I'll be continuing with regular cleaning.

[Tanya]

Gorgeous cats! When I first got Oli (who is now 3), he had gunky eyes and sneezed alot. He had cat flu and chlamydia in his eyes. To treat the bad eyes we had to put some yucky yellow cream into his eyes twice a day. It soon cleared up.

However, every once in a while, Oli looks like he is crying and this is because his tear ducts were damaged when he had the cat flu.

Goodluck with the kittens. :)

[HappyKatz]

How wonderful of you & your parents to rescue those precious kittens :smt049
Hope to see photos of them as they grow & hope their eyes get better :cat27

[yola]

Darky, I'm sure you're going to do the very best you can for your, and your parents' kitten. Good on you for taking them on and fighting their corner. Please keep us updated on their progress.

[Darky]

Definitely! And any advice that can be thrown my way is always appreciated.

I am now very worried.

Enki looks about 5-6 weeks old, he is very small with a rather big belly and he is very sleepy a lot of the time, like a small kitten. We figured it was fairly normal, due to his age. (As Lemon is much stronger, alert, etc. and looks much older and to my knowledge is 1-2 weeks older.)

However my friend just informed me that she last saw him about six weeks ago. She looked at photos and confirmed that it is indeed the same kitten, and when she saw him six weeks ago he looked about 3/4 weeks old.

It's bad enough that Lemon's eye was as bad as it is now for about four weeks without ever being taken to the vet... Ugh.

I want to strangle the woman that was looking after these kittens.

The vet appointment is booked and I'll get back to you all with how it goes.

[dandysmom]

"Looking after" is putting it mildly! I'm so glad you have them and they're going to get proper care now; thanks for the progress report.

[Elaine]

Have they been wormed? If there is a worm infestation, it might account for the bloated belly and lethargy.

[EmmaG]

I was thinking the same Elaine. Darky please don't get any over the counter worming treatments for the kittens, they need to have some worming treatment from the vets (sorry if you already know this)

[Darky]

The lady who cared for them told me that she had wormed them before I got them. :roll: Because of the bloated tummy.

[Darky]

Here to update!

The vet said that they both seem to be doing really well, and aside from sneezing and their eyes they both seem very healthy and a good weight.

I got oral anti-biotics for them to take, three drops twice daily.. And eyedrops each, one drop twice daily. She also gave me flea & worm treatment, hurrah!

A grand total of £82, yaaaay~ :lol:

[angieh]

I do hope that they both get fully well very soon - also your wallet!!!

Good news that they are otherwise healthy.

[Elaine]

Good news, now they should go from strength to strength. Very pleased they are healthy other than the gungky eyes etc.

[calismum]

That's great news. Hopefully they'll pick up once their eyes have cleared up.

???more pics??? (pretty please)

[dandysmom]

Very good news! Out of pocket now, but preventive care should avoid more vet trips with more serious and costly problems down the road. May I add to the chorus of more pics, please?

[Moli]

Great to hear the are ok, their eyes will soon clear........

[janey83]

They are sooo gorgeous. Glad they are on the mend. Give them a hug and a kiss from me x

[Darky]

The eye drops seem to be working lovely!

I've not really managed any nice new photos yet, because.. They don't stay still for more than two seconds. :shock: I'll try to get some today!

I have a couple of blurry photos of Enki that I took the other day to show my fiance how much his eyes have improved (little pools of darkness that they are.), which are improving even more now with the eye drops.

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l116/english_years/Enki_Eyes002.jpg

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l116/english_years/Enki_Eyes003.jpg

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l116/english_years/Enki_Eyes001.jpg

[dandysmom]

The difference is noticeable already, great! It must be difficult giving eye drops to a kitten, they're so wiggly and I imagine they have a strong blink reflex as we do .....

[Darky]

Luckily they seem to keep their eyes open for it just fine, it's the holding them still bit that's so difficult.

[Leesy]

Just caught up on this thread and seen the pics of Lemon and Enki they are both sooooooo cute and adorable:D .

Glad to see that their eyes are looking so much better and that they are on the mend, it makes me so mad that people can let them get in that condition in the first place, glad that they are in such a caring responsible home now, would love to see some more pics:D