If at birth, a kitten does not open its eyes, we may worry a lot. Let’s find out why it happens and how to intervene.
When we have a pet, we may have to learn to take care of him/her from the first months of life until his/her adult life. And maybe, even on the occasion of a litter. But what if at birth, a kitten does not open its eyes? Let’s find out what to do.
The difficult birth of a kitten
Usually puppies of dogs and cats are not given to new owners before sixty days of life. In the very first days, in fact, they need to be with their mother.
But at birth there can be difficulties, and we need to know what can happen and how to intervene in cases of problems for our kittens.
Despite the advice of veterinarians to sterilize their pets, still many people choose to raise their dogs and cats by also having them spawn young.
Especially in the case of cats, compared to other pets, the first days of life are quite difficult: a kitten is born blind and deaf, and can not meow.
Only using the sense of touch, and that of smell (which is already extremely developed), kittens remain close to the mother cat, and to feed on her milk.
In the following days, they will learn to use their voice to meow, and they will open their eyes. However, this does not always happen immediately. So what to do?
The risk of blindness in kittens
Those who find themselves caring for a cat that has just given birth, and her newborn kittens, can remain anxiously waiting for the little ones to open their eyes.
In fact, it is a very special moment: cats receive the first image of the world around them. But as we said, it does not always happen in a short time.
In some cases, however, the intervention of a veterinary expert may prove useful. This, however, in reality in most cases is not really necessary.
Owners may fear that a kitten that does not open its eyes at birth, remains blind forever, or that it will never be able to open them again, and it is quite understandable.
But in reality, it’s a fairly rare coincidence, and the only thing we need a little patience to wait for the little one to solve the problem on his own.
The period of natal blindness of cats, in fact, is around two weeks. But not all cats open their eyes at this point: some need a little more time.
What to do if the problem persists
In any case, if after this period the kitten still can not see, it will be essential to contact our trusted veterinarian.
If a medical expert deems it necessary, in fact, a possible procedure may be the manual opening of the cat’s eyes. But it is a procedure that only a veterinarian can perform.
In fact, if it turns out to be the only solution to the problem, only an experienced doctor can proceed. Never independently attempt to proceed to open the cat’s eyes.
This is a complicated operation, and the eyes are a delicate point of the cat’s body. If done incorrectly, it can cause serious damage to the cat.
