Cat Conjunctivitis/ Need help

[Pusephulus]

A stray cat in the neighborhood has a bad case of conjunctivitis. He is very friendly, so I could treat him, but I cannot afford to take him to a vet to get meds. Is it even legal for me to ask anyone if they have any extra or leftover meds that I could use to treat this cat? He is basically blind and it looks really bad so I just feel sorry for him. I feed stray cats in the neighborhood, but cannot afford to take them to a vet if they are ill. Any help is appreciated. Thanks,
Ana

[squashynose]

Hi and welcome to the forum :)
I don't know about asking public for left overs, but you could try asking at the Vets for any leftovers or returned meds. I don't know if they'd give you it.
Have you got a local shelter who might help you foot the bill? Or even find him a home.

[e1beth1]

I appreciate that you are willing to help this kitty but you should never give an animal medications meant for an adult. The problem is that it may not be as simple as just conjunctivitis, it may actually be an upper respiratory infection as well. The other problem is that bad eye infections can cause the cat to loose its sight. I'm going to give you 2 suggestions to help, but this poor guy really needs to see a vet. First, you can rinse his eyes out with plain contact solution, nothing with additives, just plain old store brand solution. You can also soak his eyes with warm water, between the two you will help clear out the existing mess in his eyes. I'm not sure where you live exactly, but at many farm supply stores you can purchase a product called Terramycin. This is an antibiotic eye ointment that you can apply to both of his eyes twice a day that will help as well. Best wishes to your little guy and keep us posted.

[Pusephulus]

Oh! I think contacting the local vets is a great idea. I didn't think of that, so I'll try that tomorrow. I will also check on the antibiotic ointment from a farm supply if the vets turn me away. Thank you so much.

[special]

Hello and welcome to petlovers! Thank you for caring about this stray cat (and the others)

Beth has give you some excellent advice.

Terramycin, as Beth recommended is often what a vet will first prescribe for the infection anyway, so if you can find it at the feed store, that'll be great.

This kind of infection is contagious so keep an eye on the other strays, too.

it may be he has feline herpes. You can start adding some l-lysine to his food daily, that will not cure herpes, but it will control the outbreaks, which will help curtail any secondary infections.

the l-lysine will not hurt, in fact also helps to boost the immune system, so adding it to all the stray's food would not be out of line.

please keep us posted!

[cinphil01]

You can order the terramyacin ointment from Dr. Fosters and Smith without a prescription...my one cat has feline herpes and developed a nasty uri and 4 weeks of antibiotics didn't work but this ointment and a supplement of lysine 500mg once a day crushed in her food was all it took...she is 100% better and looks great...

[special]

You can order the terramyacin ointment from Dr. Fosters and Smith without a prescription...my one cat has feline herpes and developed a nasty uri and 4 weeks of antibiotics didn't work but this ointment and a supplement of lysine 500mg once a day crushed in her food was all it took...she is 100% better and looks great...

This is good advice.

One caution I will add is some cats can develop an intolerance to any ointments in their eyes.

Also, if the cornea is scratched, the ointment can cause the cat great pain. That's why a vet diagnosis first is best.

L-lysine can control the outbreaks, reduce the frequency and intensity of them, so the likelihood of the herpes flare up going into secondary infection, and needing an antibiotic like terramycin is reduced.

L-lysine, which is an amino acid supplement is excellent at controlling herpes virus infections in most cats.