I noticed my Ruby had some eye discharge (like a watery fluid) in just one of her eyes, more than just the usual "goobers" from sleeping. I wiped it off w/ a warm cotton ball & a little while later she had a little more, now her eye looks a little different, kind of reddish.
Any idea what this could be? Now I've only had her for 4 days! And of course these things happen on the weekend when the Vet is closed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It could simply be allergy. When new kittens come to a new environment they sometime sneeze for a while or the eyes will run. Is the discharge clear and watery? If so, that's probably the case. If it's thick then it could be an indication of an upper respiratory infection (which is also something that happens quite often when a kitten goes to a new home). I'm sure she'll be fine until tomorrow when you can reassess and decide if it needs a trip to the vet. However, it is usually advisable to take a new kitten to a vet anyway for a wellness check when you first get them. Many times it is written into the purchase contract that they MUST be examined by a vet within 24 - 72 hours after going to their new home. So taking her to the vet is still a good idea, just for a wellness check.
In general, a clear discharge would be associated with a viral infection. However, sometimes that is complicated with a bacterial element and medication is appropriate - oral and/or an ointment. You should have a vet take a look.
I have an appt for her already on Friday, but I'll have to call tomorrow morning to see if they can see her sooner now because of this. I hope it's nothing major.
Hopefully it's not, but let us know what the vet says. It could be as simple as she got something in her eye. I rushed Simone to the vet one day sure that she had a URI because her eye looked funky after she sneezed, and when I got there it was fine. Maybe in a little while her eye will just clear up on its own. Let us know though.
It definitely sounds like kitty needs to see a vet. If its an upper respiratory infection, the vet will prescribe antibiotics to combat the eye goobers and also ensure your kitten doesn't run a high fever. Hope your kitten gets well soon!
I hope Ruby's eye is better today and your visit to the vet goes well.
So I took Ruby to the Vet today and they said it's a viral infection in her eye and prescribed her 2 different meds, one is a drop and the other is to take orally and then she also gave us this powder stuff to add to both her & Molly's food. She did good at the visit, even for the awful rectal thermometer (poor baby). She weighs 2.8 lbs which I thought was pretty light but the Vet said she's in the normal range.
One thing the Vet did ask me is if I've researched the breed and that they are known to have heart problems and frequent diarrhea. She asked me if I knew the health of the parents and I should ask the breeder if they have any heart problems. I was kinda surprised at that. I don't recall during all my research on the Ragdolls of any heart problems.
Anyways...her eye should clear up by mid-week.
I'm so glad they squeezed us in today.
HCM (hypertrophic cardio myopathy) is a thickening of the left ventricle (main pumping chamber of the heart) and is seen in some cat breeds, as well as dogs and humans for that matter. I didn't know that it was prevalent in Ragdolls but their must be lines with it as breeder cats are screened for it at some ragdoll catteries, my breeder had documentation on her cats testing for it.
I actually looked for a breeder who tested for this as we had lost our little "foundling" kitten Gracie to it in March and were devastated. Did the vet mention if he noted a murmur or anything amiss with your little Ruby or was he talking about the breed as a whole? You could ask your breeder if they did testing for it maybe.
I hope that Ruby gets over her viral infection quickly and is her jolly self in no time!!!!
So glad you got her into the vet. And as for the heart - Ragdolls do not have any more heart problems than any other breed or moggie - however they have received more attention because of the HCM gene that was identified in Ragdolls and can now be bred out of Ragdolls. There has not been a case of HCM discovered that has occurred in a Ragdoll that doesn't carry at least 1 HCM gene. So, I think what your vet was asking is.....did your breeder test their breeder cats for HCM. That is something you should ask your breeder if you don't know that already.
I've never heard that Ragdolls have more diarrhea. But there is rumor that their stomachs are sensitive, which I don't believe is based in fact either. While it may seem so based on many posts on the forum, what you have to remember is that many people seek out a forum when they are having problems and looking for answers, so the forum may have more than it's share of diarrhea problems, but I don't think it's any more prevalent among Ragdolls than any other cat.
Hope her eye clears up quickly for you and the meds aren't hard to get in her! Let us know how she does.