eyes are open!

I just returned from the vet with the kitten (who I have decided to call Trinity), who is 3 and 1/2 weeks today. She is very underweight (5.1 oz, she should be 9-11 oz). The good news is that she doesn't have an infection, but for some reason, one eye is open, her other eye has not developed as quickly as it should. It may continue to develop, but she will probably be blind in one eye. The vet said that she has very soft joints, her ear canals (?) are not developed but he couldn't say why. She may be simply slow to develop, or have a birth defect that is undetectable at this age. She is able to see and follow movement and can hear well enough to orient to my voice and find me when I place her on the floor. She is otherwise healthy, with a good appetite, the vet wormed her and we hope that she will begin to gain weight. Does anyone have any ideas, perhaps encountered this before? I would like to know if there may be other problems associated with this that I should look for. Alas, the vet said that though she is healthy, she may still not be strong enough to make it, and he doesn't want to give her any shots until 6 wks because she is so small. I want to thank everyone for their advice and concern, and I will keep updating with anything new.

Sounds like birth defect; I think you mentioned other aberrations with these cats in the past? This one may not make it, but you are certainly giving her the chance she would not have in the wild. Are you prepared to keep her if she survives but is still compromised?

Have you asked your vet about giving Trinity the Heska vaccine? It is safe for younger kittens and is delivered in drop form, not by injection. It would be good, to give her some protection against distemper and URI.

I'm glad she has come this far and hope she makes it. Tipsy and Googly (our resident handicapped cats) send love and hisses.

Sharon Talbert Friends of Campus Cats