My new baby was born with one eye :)

[stormyjei]

Hello everyone, my name is Stormy, and I just joined. I found this wonderful forum after searching through the internet for tips on how to care for a cat who was born with one eye.
A little bit about my new precious lady:

It was karma, that we found her, really. On the 11th of this month, my husband and I lost one of our beloved companions to stomach cancer. Our old dog was an amazing dog, and we could never replace him. And with this death, our second companion, our little Shiba Inu, became incredibly lonely. He had always enjoyed the presence of cats, and we have had many. We decided it would be appropriate to get him another companion, and give a new buddy, a new home.
We went to this house, whom was giving away older cats. They had 4 left out of 9, 1 boy, 3 girls. 2 of the girls had birth defects. One had an issue with her hind legs sagging and would drag them across the floor. The other girl, was born with one eye, and a small bumpy mutation on her nose. My husband and I fell in love with both her and her sister, but we were not able to take her sister. We were told that every time someone came to pick up a cat, they would notice she only had one eye, and they would turn her away, despite her loving up to them. But I couldn't help but love her personality and charm! And my little Shiba absolutely loved her. So we brought her home. She has been home for a couple of days, still, she is in hiding, getting used to the home, she has everything she needs close to where she found a comfortable hiding spot. We spend a good hour or two every day since we got her, laying on the floor, reaching under a cabinet, just to pet and talk to her.
Because she was on the road to being put into a shelter, and because of the week my husband and I have had, Karma seemed a fitting name. So we named her that.

Now, I noticed about an hour ago, she is beginning to have eye goopies, both coming from the intact eye, and the slit where her other eye would have been. It doesn't look like an infection, it just looks a little wet. I was curious, if cleaning such with a warm cloth every day or when she has these goopies, would be ideal, and also, at what stage of goopiness would I need to bring her to the vet? Also, should I clean it soon, despite her being in a new place? I do worry about infection. Thank you all for the help!

[Christine]

Hello and welcome to our group! I am so sorry for your loss and so touched by your story of Karma. What a lucky kitten to have been adopted into your family.

We have some very experienced cat owners and rescuers on our board, so hang tight.

Could you post a picture of this little one - we love pictures and it might help if they could see what you are talking about.
So glad you found us!

[BendyMom]

Hello and WELCOME to the board! very glad you found us
and thank you for rescuing little Karma!

We have an assortment of birth defect, injured and otherwise special needs cats here. Karma will be fine without her eye. I'm glad you noticed the eye goopies. Often when kittens are relocated they break with upper respiratory and/or eye symptoms that if you get right on it aren't a problem.
there are a couple things you can do.
warm water washes are good,
L-lysine is an anti-viral that is particularly effective agaisnt eye and upper respiratory stuff in cats. You can get it at any health food store or nowadays I have even seen it in pharmacies. An adult cat gets 500mg 2x day. I usually crush it up and sprinkle it on their food, they don't seem to mind. For little kittens I just sprinkle a small pinch of the powder on their food.
if you notice any swelling around the eyes or colored discharge you are getting into a bacterial infection.
Terramycin is what the vets will perscribe, but it is NOT a prescription medicine. You can get it much cheaper online or from farm supply stores (if you have them in your area), it is in the livestock section actually. it si a little tube. I get mine off e-bay and buy it by the 12 pack. it is good stuff (and yep my vet knows i do this).

the bump on her nose interests me, as I have not seen that in connection with a missing eye before. Is it hard if you press on it? I'm very curious and always trying to learn more about cat deformities.

I hope you can post pictures soon and again thanks for bringing Karma into your home.
I hope she can keep your Sheba Inu company. Condolences for you loss, cancer is an awful thing

headbonks n purrs from teh crew

[stormyjei]

Hello everyone, my name is Stormy, and I just joined. I found this wonderful forum after searching through the internet for tips on how to care for a cat who was born with one eye.
A little bit about my new precious lady:

(all about Karma)

This is a photo I took last night of Karma and my little doggy companion Kiba. He really loves his kitty.



And this is one better showing her face. All she does is nuzzle up against me when I try and take single photos of her haha!

[stormyjei]

Hello and welcome to our group! I am so sorry for your loss and so touched by your story of Karma. What a lucky kitten to have been adopted into your family.

We have some very experienced cat owners and rescuers on our board, so hang tight.

Could you post a picture of this little one - we love pictures and it might help if they could see what you are talking about.
So glad you found us!

Thank you so much for the warm welcome! I believe Karma came to me at the perfect time. She has truly been an angel. And I think we are the lucky ones, to have found such an amazing new pal!

I just posted a couple, for all to see. I am going to try and take more within the next few days, as she becomes more comfortable! Thank you so much!! I am so glad I found this site!

[stormyjei]

Hello and WELCOME to the board! very glad you found us
and thank you for rescuing little Karma!

We have an assortment of birth defect, injured and otherwise special needs cats here. Karma will be fine without her eye. I'm glad you noticed the eye goopies. Often when kittens are relocated they break with upper respiratory and/or eye symptoms that if you get right on it aren't a problem.
there are a couple things you can do.
warm water washes are good,
L-lysine is an anti-viral that is particularly effective agaisnt eye and upper respiratory stuff in cats. You can get it at any health food store or nowadays I have even seen it in pharmacies. An adult cat gets 500mg 2x day. I usually crush it up and sprinkle it on their food, they don't seem to mind. For little kittens I just sprinkle a small pinch of the powder on their food.
if you notice any swelling around the eyes or colored discharge you are getting into a bacterial infection.
Terramycin is what the vets will perscribe, but it is NOT a prescription medicine. You can get it much cheaper online or from farm supply stores (if you have them in your area), it is in the livestock section actually. it si a little tube. I get mine off e-bay and buy it by the 12 pack. it is good stuff (and yep my vet knows i do this).

the bump on her nose interests me, as I have not seen that in connection with a missing eye before. Is it hard if you press on it? I'm very curious and always trying to learn more about cat deformities.

I hope you can post pictures soon and again thanks for bringing Karma into your home.
I hope she can keep your Sheba Inu company. Condolences for you loss, cancer is an awful thing

headbonks n purrs from teh crew

Oh thank you so much for such insightful information! Last night she allowed me to put a warm damp cloth on it, and it cleared it right up. This morning she has some, but when I went to check her a few hours after, she had managed to clean it on her own. I will get both the terramycin and L-lysine this week, just in case she has any issues in the future. For the time she has been here, she hasn't had any swelling, or pussy/bloody discharge coming from it. It has only been clear, like normal eye goopies. She gets it on both her functioning eye, and her eye slit.

I did call the vet, and they explained to me that she may not have been born with the eye, but instead, a tear duct may have formed there. They said if it gets too bad, or infected, I had the option of getting the slit sutured. But I am not sure if it has already been, or hasn't, because the lids are fused, and her socket isn't visible.

The bump on her nose was examined by a vet from the previous owners, and was said to be part of her birth defect. The owners said all the kittens of that litter were born with defects. One they had, had an issue with dragging her hind legs occasionally, and she couldn't jump up on things. I didn't see any of the others from that litter. They told me that the litter came out too big, but I have seen inbreeding in cats when I was a child, and noticed that more often, the offspring would have defects. If I can get a better photo of it this week, I will post it here. It is hard when you touch it, kind of like a wart. It doesn't bother her, in fact, as of late, nothing really bothers her.

It is amazing how quickly she's grown to love being here. She loves everyone, she has an incredible appetite for a kitty who just got moved to a new environment, and she is super playful. Aside from the concern I have for her eye slit, and some matted fur (she is getting pampered at the groomer's next week) she is as healthy as any kitty I have ever had.

Her and Kiba get along beautifully, they really do love each other very much. They are still both learning boundaries, but they will cuddle with each other often, Kiba really needed another companion, and Karma was just a perfect fit!

Cancer is a terrible thing, but I am so blessed he died peacefully, in the home he was raised, and around the people he loved. It wasn't a slow death, it was very sudden, and I can also be grateful for that as well. We made him a beautiful grave with a cross and plan to plant some beautiful flowers on it this summer. Thank you so much for the support and kind words!

[Christine]

Your story is very touching. I am so glad to hear that little Karma is right where she belongs and your pup is beautiful and loving. You are definitely one of us. Please stick around.

[CarolC]

Well, it is shedding season, maybe that's why she matted. If she's eating well probably her mouth is OK. She's really pretty. She looks like a Norwegian Forest Cat.

[stormyjei]

Your story is very touching. I am so glad to hear that little Karma is right where she belongs and your pup is beautiful and loving. You are definitely one of us. Please stick around.

Thank you so much! He does love his little Karma. The whole family loves her. It is so nice to see her progression in such short time of being here. She isn't shy about really anything anymore!I am so blessed to have found such a special kitty. Thank you for the support, and you bet, I would be honored to stay around

[stormyjei]

Well, it is shedding season, maybe that's why she matted. If she's eating well probably her mouth is OK. She's really pretty. She looks like a Norwegian Forest Cat.

I think it might be the reason also, I know she tries to work out the matts but, she will be happier and less annoyed by them once I take her to the groomer
Her mouth is in great shape, she has beautiful teeth, she does have this thing where her lower lip is slightly saggy, so it shows one part of her teeth, but it doesn't seem to bother her at all. (it's on the same side as her nose bump and eye slit). I have never heard of that type of cat before! But her sister looked identical to her, and now that I have seen photos, she may very well be that! Hehehe I sometimes think she knows she is pretty, of course me telling her every day how beautiful she is could make an ego grow pretty fast haha!

[BendyMom]

the saggy lip could be caused by a weak branch of the facial nerve, wouldn't surprise me with the other facial defects.
my theory is 'if it isn't causing a problem, don't worry about it "

glad she has come around so fast! she knows she is in a good home

[stormyjei]

the saggy lip could be caused by a weak branch of the facial nerve, wouldn't surprise me with the other facial defects.
my theory is 'if it isn't causing a problem, don't worry about it "

glad she has come around so fast! she knows she is in a good home

That's a good way to look at it! She has gone 3 years (or so) with these wonderful facial features, and she seems as healthy as any "average" kitty, nothing seems to bother her, well, except when Kiba licks her for too long. Haha!

I am so glad too! I was surprised, other cat companions I have had in the past would hide for a week to two weeks, but I haven't even had her for a full week, and with enough positive reinforcement and attention, she is now pretty trusting and aware of the rest of the family. Thank you for the support!!!

[critters]

I couldn't agree more with all you already know. If she didn't have facial problems, I'd wonder more about the nose bump, but I expect it just goes along with the rest of her. IF anything causes problems you could try to fix it, but, personally, I wouldn't worry about any of it for now. CUTE pics!

[stormyjei]

I couldn't agree more with all you already know. If she didn't have facial problems, I'd wonder more about the nose bump, but I expect it just goes along with the rest of her. IF anything causes problems you could try to fix it, but, personally, I wouldn't worry about any of it for now. CUTE pics!

If I can get a good picture of her nose bump, I will post it. Fur has grown on it, it just looks like a furry bump. Doesn't cause her any breathing problems or anything, which is good! I have a good vet who is excited to meet with her next week just for a checkup, and so I will see if she needs any further treatment for anything, or if she is perfectly fine. Nothing really seems to bother her at all, she even lets me touch the bump, and she lets me clean her eyes slit.

Hehehe thank you!

[critters]

My Fifi, who is a lifelong snotter, has a nose with the bridge pushed in some, just the opposite of Karma.