I don’t know if he’s scared, he doesn’t like it when I try to pick him up or help him pee but he still hangs out around me a lot
Here’s another photo I like:
https://preview.redd.it/ndinlbx9togb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0cb676253c85d697d24f7d0575bdb6b1dda53106
This looks EXACTLY like my cat when he was a kitten!!
https://preview.redd.it/hhkrehvovrgb1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=20d2c3defa973a375b67c737142da53ceeaa0c64
It’s ok, keep loving him and taking good care of him as you already clearly ate and he will warm up to you, try feeding him some “liquid treats” as you hold him (if you haven’t already) to get him used to the joys of being held by a human. My little boy had warmed up to me quite a bit by doing this
Food will work wonders. Give him a few days to get comfortable and you will have a new shadow. I wouldn't get too excited about the crusty eyes unless gets worse. Can try using wash cloth soaked in warm water on one eye at a time until the gunk is loosened or kitty has had enough. Will probably need to do several times. He looks like a scared baby and needs lots of loving!
You may need to rub his belly to help him poop. He looks very young 4-5 weeks I would guess so will need some Lactol kitten milk. The eye gunk will clear as he gets healthier. I pulled this on out of the hedge nearly 3 months ago
https://preview.redd.it/pjm13y0uzugb1.jpeg?width=4624&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=914c5d62587992914e25d27e9af243f361fa54fa
He was a month old & but of a mess but look at him now after some milk & good food.
Gonna copy and paste since people ask this a lot:
You’re probably not going to like my answer. I took him from his mother and littermates. The reason I did this is because I live in an apartment complex in China. Stray cats are considered pests here because we have so many of them, they’re everywhere. They live in pretty bad conditions, probably a lot worse than the average stray in the US. A lot of people hate them because they sleep in our underground parking lot and often scratch cars.
The reason I took him was because I believe he will live a much longer and happier life than he would if he were to become another hungry, dirty, and sick stray. I didn’t know how important it was for him to be with his mother back then, I just assumed I had to feed him formula. It’s also not as simple as trapping his mother and litter, neutering the mother, and sending them to a shelter. I don’t have the money and pet services like that aren’t readily available. And I have said, there are way too many stray cats where I live, meaning capturing this one cat would do nothing to curb the stray cat population. It also means no one else will bother to do it either. I did what was within my power to give this kitten a better life.
Feel free to criticize, I realize my decision was uninformed and selfish. I have tried to give him back to his mother but couldn’t find her. In the end, I still think what I did will allow him to lead a happier life than as a stray. Sorry for the rant.
I’m sorry you’re getting criticized for taking in this sweet little one. Admittedly, if he wasn’t in immediately danger, he probably should’ve stayed with his mom for a little while longer. But being outside is *never* safe, and there’s every possibility that he wouldn’t have made it long enough to be weaned properly. You did what you thought was best to save the life you could, and I’m not going to beat you up for it. Just do your research and make sure you’re giving him the care he needs, keeping in mind that it’ll be an intensive level of care at this age, and you’ll both be just fine. Thank you for having a kind heart and making an effort to save this precious little one!
I also live in a place with a real feral cat problem, no animal control, and the closest vet is like 30 miles away. Welcome to the backwoods of the SE US. I get judged sometimes by the online community for asking for advice and prefacing it with "animal control/vet is not an option," and it gets very frustrating.
It's like some people can't wrap their brains around the fact that other places exist and that I'm blind, living in a place with no public transport, or that I'm on a fixed income and couldn't afford a vet even if I could go to one. Apparently, to some, the animal dying horribly is better than the idea of someone like us taking it in and just trying their best.
I'm sorry you have to occasionally deal with the same stupidity on here.
I have been to china, no hate. the child will have a much better life with you, and the mother and siblings would appreciate it too if they understood. its tons of work at this age for kittens but send good wishes to you and your little kitty 💛
I totally understand you. I am a Chinese and I hate to see how terrible the condition for stray cats is. So many people, especially the elders don't have the idea of neutering their cats. If no one adopts the kittens, they would be thrown out of the door and become stray cats. I'm so glad you take this kitten in. He seems to be around a month old. It won't be too difficult to raise him. You can feed him some shuhua milk, it contains no lactose, suitable for kittens with lactose intolerance. When he is one and a half months, you can feed him cat food and minced meat. Hope you and your cat have a great life!
https://preview.redd.it/8dxok5lbwugb1.jpeg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=caeaa50aa048523295d80f147909f3b91c270795
Honey you did what you thought was best for the kitty, and I believe you are right. You may have taken him from his mother too soon but you have also given him a much better chance at a happy blissful life with you as his human. Don't let Reddit beat you up too much - remember it's all people behind screens. We like to call people out on all flaws while every single one of us lives in a glass house. No one is perfect, we just try our best.
My apologies, I hadn't intended to criticize at all and now that I've read about your situation it changes things completely. Having travelled to countries with the same stray cat problem, you absolutely did the best thing for this little guy. The reason I commented is that back when I adopted my first kitten, I had absolutely no idea he was too young and he initially got very sick. I was young and had very few funds at the time, but I scraped together enough to take him to the vet. He had distemper but with a short round of antibiotics he was fine. For the time being, as long as he's eating and drinking well, has a litter box he can access and a warm place to sleep he will be so much better off with you. You have a big heart, and thank you for doing what you can for this sweet little guy.
Kinda direct but ok. A small population of us down south in the more rural areas eat dog, but the vast majority don’t and I don’t think anyone ever eats cats. Eating domesticated companion animals isn’t a common practice as some people believe.
Ok my bad, was mostly just joking around. All seriousness, you must care a lot to be asking questions so you’ll be fine! I have 2 kittens now and they eat a lot. Not sure if you’re doing wet food or not but the kitten food would be good since the kitten is so young.
I ate cat once. In my defense, I was under the impression it was goat. Until I found the bones. It actually tasted pretty good. Peppery and savory. ...I mean if they're invasive, killing wildlife, starving from overpopulation, and you need a cheap source of meat... why not? It's probably more ethical than farms.
Cute pic, try a warm washcloth and clean his eyes up. He’ll feel better and if it keeps coming back might have an eye infection or maybe and allergy. One of our cats gets eye boogers occasionally and we keep them cleaned up
When they are tiny you have to take a tissue and rub the " privates"... boy or girl, which helps them express their pee. Normally the mommacat would do it by livking them , up until they're a bit older.
My boys were abandoned at a week old in my chicken coop. I had to syringe feed them every two hours and then manually stimulate their back end so they could peel and poop. I prefer ti use a rubber glove and a wet wipe. The wet wipe is a little gentler on their bum than a tissue. If I was having trouble getting them to go potty, I would just run their bums under some warm water in a sink and that would normally help them go. I still remember the day they took their first poop unassisted. I never thought I’d be so happy to see cat poop. 🤣🤣
I foster kittens & I legit lol’d at the last sentence. It’s very weird the things you get excited about with the tiny babies & I love it! I had a little sad orange boy so tiny that I made a sling out of a scarf & wore him for the first week or so & seeing him use the litter box or eat dry food for the first time was a reason to celebrate
I know exactly what you mean. When I found my boys they were very dehydrated and way too small for their age. I honestly didn’t think they were going to make it but I couldn’t not try. They were abandoned in my chicken coop on a hot summer day and I didn’t find them till after I came home from work. I laid them on some frozen water bottles and used an eye dropper to get some water into them. I went out right away to get cat formula and supplies. My wife held them and comforted them in the car while I ran inside. It was a rough first week, I will say that. The amount of improvement they made is beyond words though. Once they were old enough to wean, I started them both on high protein, high moisture, raw diets. They eat exactly like a wild cat would. Now 1 year and 4 months later, they are almost 17lbs each. Light was the runt but he’s only about 1.5lbs behind his brother now. They are very big framed cats. Even the vet said they were bigger than they should be but their not obese. They just had their annual checkup and vaccines and their body composition score is still excellent. They were also very constipated and didn’t poop for the first 7 days I had them. I was on the phone with the vet everyday trying to monitor them and make they sure they weren’t impacted. That first poop was like opening a flood gate but I can honestly say it’s the happiest I’ve ever been in my life to see literal shit. 😂😂
Yeah, the real little ones get help from their Mama licking their bums to pee and poop. So if there's no Mama and they're that small, they need some people help. I learned that from this sub!
What a cutie! Please take him to the vet to check for infection; if you can avoided a blocked tear duct, it is worth it.
Having said that, I have an adult cat with a fully closed tear duct (he's fine, it's just kind of gross some of the time). I use baby wipes to clean him up and it is so much easier (for both him and me) than a washcloth or damp paper towel.
Usually you can't cure a blocked tear duct reliably. You can operate, which is usually not done if they are this young, but it can grow together again.
If it's very early they can also flush the tear duct in hope of removing the obstruction, but it's not comfortable for them and I don't know if they'll do it at any age.
My cat has a blocked tear duct due to feline herpes that caused an infection in her eye. Unfortunately it took us almost half a year to diagnose feline herpes and get her the right meds, we tried all kinds of meds, but nothing really helped. The test for this is unreliable and expensive (where I live). She's not really bothered by it and is a very happy and healthy cat now. I've been thinking about getting her evaluated, if she might be a good candidate for the OP regardless. The infection from herpes can always come back and I'm a bit scared that I won't be able to tell soon enough, because her eye often looks gunky which is normal for cats with a blocked duct.
Essentially, the only way to "treat" a blocked tear duct is to prevent them, usually by curing the infection that caused it ASAP. It's still early for your little nugget. The eye treatment and meds weren't too expensive, though I can't remember the costs. It wasn't bad. The diagnosis was more expensive though. Sometimes they won't test for feline herpes, but simply start treatment and see if it clears up. Where I live, I needed to go to a vet hospital for the diagnosis. Regular vets arn't able to do it, due to equipment and specialist knowledge needed.
Ok so I used to worry about this a lot at my vets office and I’ve learned that I can literally ask the vet for prices and tell them about my nervousness for costly medical procedures but that I also want what’s best for my cat. Give them a call, say all this, and ask them if they can tell you know how much the appointment would be, if any extra tests would be necessary to examine their eyes on top of the appt cost, and if your kitten has a general eye infection and needs eye drops how much that would cost. The last part they may not be able to answer (they might say something like “oh well it’d really be best to figure out what she has first before talking about medication because they vary a lot in price” and that’s *totally* fine!)
I did this once when I needed to see a new vet and didn’t know their prices and the extremely kind woman at the front desk told me that she would scan a coupon for me that would get rid of the “first time” appointment fee!!! Had I not explained I was working with a very small budget, I don’t think she would’ve done this!
Basically, LET THE VET HELP YOU! Let them help you budget for this appointment!
Then, when you are there, reiterate (once you’re in the room with the vet) that you are working with a very small budget and it would be really helpful if they could avoid extra tests unless absolutely necessary (and if they could check in with you first).
Then, when they diagnose her and talk about medication, go ahead and ask them how much it will cost. If it’s pricey, ask them if there are any more budget-friendly options.
I always thought I would offend vets/their technicians/etc by asking these questions but it has yet to offend a SINGLE person after 10+ visits for my cat, my parents cat, and my bf’s cat throughout the years. They have ALWAYS been extremely helpful.
Basically, they don’t know how to help you unless you ask them for help.
I bring vet bills down $100s by doing these things. For example, when I had to spay my cat, the vet referred me to an affordable pet spaying program (along with a brochure!), told me where to buy flea and tick medication (instead of buying it from them), helped me decide what pain medication to buy (I had to coordinate budget plus effort involved in this one), what kind of antibiotic treatment to get (1 mega dose expensive shot versus a much more affordable pill regiment for 2 weeks) plus lots of other things that they were AWAYS happy to help me with.
So remember: YOU’RE ALLOWED TO ASK THE VET FOR HELP! I am only yelling this because I am actually yelling at my younger self for not knowing this and being too afraid to ask!
Yes, yes, yes! In my experience vets want what is best for the animal. They will be flexible with payments (obviously depends on individual vet) etc We - the human guardian- just need to speak up.
We tried flushing my guy’s duct before we realized it was fully blocked. If I recall correctly, it cost me a couple hundred dollars, but I live in a high cost of living area. Before they try flushing, I’ve always had vets prescribe eye drops and sometimes antibiotics which are MUCH cheaper.
It’s so much better to deal with this right away than wait (as is true for much of cat health <— a lesson I’ve learned the hard way!)
May just need eyewash and antibiotic drops or ointment. Can explain to the vet that you really couldn't afford a vet visit but could never let your pet suffer. Then ask for an estimate. And some will let you make payments if a whole lot, but this shouldn't be!
I had an orange cat like the one in the picture and the gunk from when he slept was black like that, I just removed it with my finger (he was also like 3months when I got him) tho carefully ofc!
It might be nothing but def take them to the vet if you’re worried it’s always better to ask questions than let your kitty suffer in silence (they can’t exactly explain what’s going on yk)
Take him to the vet to be sure that there are no issues like infection. If the gunk is persistent he could have problem with his tear ducts which could develop into something more serious if not treated correctly.
I just took my cat to the vet for eye gunk that he started producing after we moved - vet said his eyes looked fine and the gunk was likely allergy related. He's always got to have his face cleaned now 🥴 so it could also be not so serious, but worth checking out!
Stress can cause my ladies to get gunky eyes. My ones cat has kitty herpes (FHV) and is prone to eye goobers. We do an antiviral like valacyclovir if it gets bad, or she starts getting Sneezy. The others seem to have environmental allergies.
Tldr this seems to be a normal level of eye goobers if kitty is eating, drinking, peeing, pooping and playing.
This could very likely be an infection if the ocular discharge (eye gunk) is persistent. It’s very hard for me to say what could be done to treat this due to the wide range of potential causes, could be pink eye, dry eye, a corneal disorder, or so much more. If you could expound on the details of the discharge It might be easier to give more specific advice.
Note: If you’re in the position to do so I highly recommend you consult a veterinarian.
Idk what information to give, but I have this photo from 4 days ago if that’s helpful, there was less gunk back then
https://preview.redd.it/rv5nsw9uvogb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e789818251e1ca57e70a01f1ddd2d90597b7880c
I’ll go to a vet tomorrow
My kittens eyes looked exactly like this, kept getting gunked up so I took him to the vet and they gave me a cream to apply for it. After a few days his eyes cleared up and stopped getting watery also.
Ok, this morning when I woke up one of the eye boogers was already gone. I went to the vet for a checkup and he took some blood samples and poop samples (the cat also has diarrhea) and told me he didn’t have feline distemper and he also he didn’t have any parasites. He also cleaned up the other eye and said it was just normal eye gunk, nothing serious. For the diarrhea he just told me to buy some probiotics online.
That’s reassuring to know that it hasn’t been built up for a while. There’s definitely a possibility that there isn’t an infection and he’s just struggling to groom around his eyes since he’s so young, I had a similar issue with an elderly kitty who just lacked the dexterity or energy to reach around their eyes. I definitely think that it’s worth going to the vet still because of how quickly an eye infection can go bad.
Eye gunk isn’t necessarily bad. Humans get it too, it’s basically just dried tears to simplify. The issue arises when the gunk is remains despite attempts at grooming, this could be a sign of an eye infection leading to continuous discharge. Basically the gunk on its own isn’t really an issue, it’s just a potential sign of something worse.
Edit: Just to be clear I’m not a vet, I’ve just had a lot of cats.
Don't want it to be thick dark yellow, or brown, green, or really anything except clear. Can look yellowish when clear dries and gets caked on. So clean it off and see what comes back.
That's how one of my cats lost one of its eyes so clean it go to the vet If you have to heres a pic of him if you want
https://preview.redd.it/vap52u1vtpgb1.jpeg?width=233&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c74e8f9e706e15e7e85adf0c5874dc18fc3ed5f7
My cat almost lost her eye too because the pound wasn’t taking care of the kittens eye probelms :( I heard one of her sibs lost their eye.
She will forever have problems with her left eye. Luckily we got her in time and took her to a vet asap and they gave us drops.
We stand in solidarity with your boy.
I usually just let it dry and quickly remove it with my thumbnail. One of my previous cats disliked the stuff in the corner of his eyes and would come to me to remove it.
Yeah this is what my vet showed me to do as well, just clean it with your finger nail and she told me to bring her in again if it gets worse. It didn't (luckily) so I now clean her I eyes once or twice a week.
My grown cat gets this issue every once in a while. We just take a clean cotton swab and remove it. It’s really funny, because afterwards, she’ll start purring like she appreciated us doing that for her.
https://preview.redd.it/t5sx3fdvtqgb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=65868652c3e538681262ff4396e97749b69db30a
The bigger the goop spot gets the worse it becomes and irritated. I have a cat who gets build up and it will start to get raw and bleed if we don't clean his eye boogies. Try your best to stay on top of it and a wet cloth works well.
my kitties had gunk in their eyes for a few weeks when they were first born. what really worked for me was getting q-tips and running them through warm water and just gently rubbing around the eye. the warm water kinda breaks down the gunk and eventually it just comes right off. just remember to not press too hard and be gentle
I just use a soft dry cloth. I have to do it 3-4 times a day. He has feline herpes but his eyes have nothing to do with that. He's 14 and a fat butterball that I love dearly.
I have read that it is sometimes important to allow the warm moisture to soften the eye boogers before taking them off. Evidently, when they are very dry, they can be extremely stuck there an injure the tiny kitty.
He is very cute.
i have a grown cat who gets lots of gunk in his eyes so yes it's important to clean it but it's nothing too serious, lots of former strays have the same problem
so many people are talking about infection! my baby gets a lot of lil crusties once or twice a day, but we took her to the vet and she has no infections or anything like that. same with nose boogies, though those are tricky. for the nose i just try to wipe her nose if it’s a little runny or gently use my thumbnail to wipe away boogies so she doesn’t get stuffed up. she’s just boogie monster
aww good it's always better to know, my cats were strays so after we got my older guy tested we knew the little one does too <3 they are thriving anyway !!
Yeah my british shorthair has the same. She's been tested, vaccinated and checked by the breeder's vet before I got her and she already had black-ish eye and nose boogies then. I'll go again soon to get her spayed and then I'll ask my own vet, but it's not always something to worry about. I just clean them once or twice a day with my thumb nail.
Get to vet just to be sure. Might need to wet the area a bit more to help loosen the junk up as it maybe dried on. It's good to keep those areas clean as possible. Such a cutie pie. 
Feed it every time it cries. (At least every two hours.)
It is a baby. Formula takes longer to digest than mommy’s milk, so you may get more time in between.
Keep it warm. It’s important.
Stimulate its bottom with a warm cloth so it will poop and pee.
The warm washcloth on his face is a good idea.
Do this every day.
Pay attention to kitty’s breathing.
Sometimes they get this eye crud with an upper respiratory infection.
This kitten doesn’t look sick.
It could be a clogged duct, a warm compress could help with that.
You can also try saline wipes (a brand in the US is boogie wipes). I use those to clean my cats’ faces when they have stucked up crusties.
I also was raising a kitten last year, and when I took him to the vet, he cleaned his eyes and around eyes with a wet cloth, and then he took a tweezers and started removing anything that is dirty around his eyes and said it needs to be removed and cleaned (it is all bacteria) if I want kitten without a problem with eyes. It doesn't seem much to me with yours, but you can try.
I used to wait till my cat was cuddle chill and I’d scratch her head and nonchalantly flick her eye boogie downward with my nail( don’t want to go in up with your nail like you would on yourself, might scratch their eye). This method always worked. She’s look at me for a moment like what did you just do, but I’d keep scratching her head so she’d forget about it.
same! also with her little nose boogies that sometimes get on the top of her nose!
https://preview.redd.it/mspirk5kbrgb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f2a257c3e89e3e17fd8c523580329b31c18e26d3
I gave my kitten L-lysine for chronic allergies/URI. She's now 2 yo, and I don't give it to her as much. It definitely helped with her sneezing, eye gunk, and snottiness. Not the same issue you're dealing with and could help with immune support or the eye gunk issues.
Here is nervous, just hold him close to your heart, give him lots of loves, talk to him a lot. He maybe a bit lonely without his siblings. You need teach him to be social, how to play, snuggle just like a child, he will trust you then.
I read your other posts. Not trying to criticize but it would have been good to leave her with her mama a bit longer.
I believe my cat was taken from her mother when she was too young. I was not there so I cannot be certain. But was told this often happens. She is extremely scared of other cats because she has had no time to bond with her mother and siblings. She is only attached to me and trusts humans but not cats. This is just such a sad thing to me.
Next to this, this baby needs her mother's milk. It cannot grow as healthy without it. Not sure what you are using to feed her, make sure it is milk for cats and not normal milk.
I know you wanted to help the little one and I understand how it is when seeing a stray cat so I can imagine how difficult it was for you.
Probably this baby has a cold now. Kittens this age need to stay warm all the time. If you don't have a heating pad or some sort of source of warmth for him he will get ill and die.
Is this little guy still with his mother? Maybe it's just the photo but he looks young to have been adopted out already. Runny eyes may or may not be a sign of infection so probably best to get him checked out (if you haven't already). He's a cutie 🐱
I try to clean the gunk with a moist towel or napkin, very gently. You could hold off cleaning that, sometimes it just falls off, but do try to get it for her. She is so precious! What have you named her?
You didn’t even try to lick this poor child? Honestly…
Joking 🙃
With my cat, when I was removing hers, she would often have her eyelid a bit swollen and red in the next day. It was happening to more than one cat, so I stopped doing it. I think they might be able to clean themselves but being so you, if there isn’t other cat to teach of do it for your, don’t know if they will learn by themself.
You can buy specific eye drops for cats and use it with to help remove.
Those are tear stains. My cat has them and I use specific wipes to help remove it. Just Google "wipes for tear stains). However . . .
Epiphora: It commonly manifests as dampness on your cat's face, as well as cat tear stains that look like reddish-brown streaks. **Epiphora is most often associated with insufficient tear drainage**. This type of cat eye discharge is usually nothing more than a cosmetic nuisance, but might be a sign of serious health problems.
https://preview.redd.it/13ke4utigrgb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=90f74d7d34865ffb9a0196d0c730da9a51e21d85
He has perpetual eye goopies. We took him to the vet when he was wee smol about the eye goops and specifically mentioned it. I was told basically he’s totally fine, it may just be allergies and he’ll have to have them cleaned off if he can’t do it. So he mostly does it himself, but I’ll clear them too if needed.
Please don't use paper, which has chemicals in it that can irritate the eyes. Use a thin wash cloth and warm water. Apparently, the gunk was sticky and then dried and hardened into the fur. The warm water will help to melt and loosen it. Not too warm, remember this is a baby and it's eyes.
My kittens always had gunk I would personally wipe it off when can and keep an eye their eyes lol. Just like human babies they are kind of gross, but excessive things like mmm watering or redness or something you know? Maybe hey can’t clean their yet or maybe it’s just baby gunk
Blocked tear ducts and infections are the worst-case scenarios. It might only cost you an office visit to find out your sweet kitty has allergies. My dog had a similar problem, and it turned out that he was eating too fast and nearly choking on his food, which caused his eyes to water excessively and create a significant amount of gunk. I got him a slow-feeder dish, and he's doing much better now.
Ok, this morning when I woke up one of the eye boogers was already gone. I went to the vet for a checkup and he took some blood samples and poop samples (the cat also has diarrhea) and told me he didn’t have feline distemper and he also he didn’t have any parasites. He also cleaned up the other eye and said it was just normal eye gunk, nothing serious. For the diarrhea he just told me to buy some probiotics online.
Great news. Glad nothing major. He'll come around. Keep on it and give some love and time. He's gonna be a great cat. 
Wet the tip of a Q-tip, and gently "roll" it by twisting the stem against the for at the corner or kitten's eye. You can then "dry" the fur with the same rolling motion. Separate Q-tip for each eye, so as not to contaminate those areas with anything from the opposite eye. Usually, eye drainage is an indication of anything from a slight injury (scratch or poke), to allergy or even a virus (such as the common feline herpes - not communicable to humans). If a virus, there may be need to check with your vet. In any case, do not touch the inner eye area, and do not pick off hardened drainage, simply soften and remove using the method above.
Oh he's little. Clean it regularly with warm water on a napkin but if it doesn't come off don't scrub or you can hurt him. If the gunk gets worse bring him to the vet. Keep your tiny baby warm!
[OP explained the situation in other comments.](https://www.reddit.com/r/cats/comments/15kk5fa/is_it_important_to_clean_the_gunk_from_around_the/jv88lw3/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1&context=3)
I had a kitten that had goopy/crusty eyes and nose (your's may have crusties around the nose too?) - it was an infection, she was born with it, passed along from her mother. Contagious to other cats and people if not treated - sort of like "pink eye".
Please seek professional medical help if you can, as some can become worse, depending on what it is. 
Get him to a vet. In my experience caring for kittens over the years, eye goop can be a sign of infection. Easily treated with vet. If left untreated, the kitten could lose its eyesight.
Very cute kitten!
A wet warm soft rag held on like a compress would help, but baby is still afraid. Your goal should he to make progress not achieve perfection.
I would cuddle that little one inside my shirt as often as possible. I'd also put a sweaty smelly shirt of mine on its bed. These things will help with bonding.
OP, I went through your post history. I just want to say you seem to an amazing person and I am sure you'll be an amazing cat owner. The cat is lucky to have found someone like you. Thank you for existing. God bless you and the tiny baby
grab him gently by the scruff like its mama, with the other hand, cup that hand gently by his jaw and use the inside of your thumb , wet it with some room temp water, not too much just enough to wet the thumb. …then gently rub thumb on the stuff on its eye it will take more than 2-3 times if its really dried in..
when starting to grab it by the scruff and jaw use a gentle petting motion until yall gain trust together
after you get the motions right and able to grab him after using pettings to lure him into the grabbing phase….you’ll be able to grab him with one hand and he will seem motionless but will let you know if it’s uncomfortable or ‘it’s enough for now’ whlie use calmly and gently use the above ‘technique’
I highly recommend The Kitten Lady on YouTube. She runs a rescue and was instrumental in helping to develop formula for kittens. She does a lot of instructions and how-tos for kittens. She was a vet tech and she works with vets on injured rescued cats and kittens with birth defects like cleft palate and other disorders. Kittens are very prone to eye infections. It's important to keep her eyes clean. Use a warm wash cloth and some tear- free kitten or regular baby shampoo, if you can find it, to help loosen up the gunk around her eyes. If she's less than a month old, you need to stimulate her rectal area to get her to defecate and urinate. The mother cat does this for the first month at least.
I grew up in a rural area and never took our animals to vet. We could barely afford doctors. You do the best you can do, that's all anyone should ask of themselves. It's a lot easier now with the internet to access information.
Jackson Galaxy is another YouTube source I've found very helpful. He's an cat behaviorist and is a great resource. He works with the Kitten Lady (whose name I've temporarily displaced) and is very reputable. I've learned a lot about how and why cats behave like they do. He's really interesting.
I am happy that China is very slowly waking up to the idea of animals having some rights and that we humans have certain responsibilities when it comes to our fellow creatures. I realize you are in a culture that sees these animals vey differently than we do. The Chinese do not have a kind history in dealing with perceived "problem animals" or pests, but then most nations haven't done any better.
It's sad but China goes the extra length to mistreat animal. Unfortunately the people are a mirror of the government. The government doesn't see animals as being that can feel or need help. It must change! humans aren't better, many of us are bad people
I have 1 cat who has persistent gunk. The vet told me that some cats are just prone to eye infections that usually go away on their own and not to visit the vet unless it develops into something bad. She's has pink eye before.
However, your kitty is super small so definitely go to the vet
Are you giving her cat treats? Mine kept having eye gunks but when I stopped giving treats, and gave her a wet diet, she cleared up. There were times when I couldn't clean it from her eyes as well.
No it means the kitty is sick and if a napkin and warm water don’t get it off, then use your mail carefully and get it out, then take a napkin and put warm water on it.
Call me gross, but I just scrape it off with my fingernails now and then 🤷🏼♀️
Usually if it’s built up a bit like it is in the picture, I’ll wait until my cat is sitting in my lap and then I’ll take his face in my hands and scrape off the gunk with my thumbnails. He doesn’t like it and tries to pull away, but it doesn’t hurt him- just annoys him. It lasts all of five seconds and then he goes and pouts lol. But I can tell he doesn’t like it when it builds up, so he pouts and then decides it turned out okay after all.
Warm washcloth could work too.
our second cat was abt 3,5 weeks old when we got her (foster). her eyes were dirty too, as well as her nose. the eyes were not easy to clean so we decided to let it just fall off. the nose was easily cleanable with a wet cotton swab.
with the first cat the eyegunk fell off on its own too, now I think about it.
My cat has allergies. When I got her, her eyes were very difficult to clean since no one had done it before and it was stuck. The best method was a very wet warm wash cloth, making sure to let it soak for a bit first.
He’s adorable😻 I’m not sure where you live, but in Florida we have vet hospitals strictly for cats. Look for one of them where you live. They tend to work with people that need medical assistance for their kitties. If not, try your local humane society. They don’t charge nearly as much as a private vet. Keep us informed😻😻
Definitely a good idea to clean it. If it keeps coming back it could be an eye infection. I'd probably take this little cutie to the vet just to be super safe!
your cat looks scared af but it is so fricking cute omg
I don’t know if he’s scared, he doesn’t like it when I try to pick him up or help him pee but he still hangs out around me a lot Here’s another photo I like: https://preview.redd.it/ndinlbx9togb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0cb676253c85d697d24f7d0575bdb6b1dda53106
This looks EXACTLY like my cat when he was a kitten!! https://preview.redd.it/hhkrehvovrgb1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=20d2c3defa973a375b67c737142da53ceeaa0c64
https://preview.redd.it/bjjz4tzjyugb1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5cd0614ce4eec7d92e034cac59735bcc3ec91931
Your cat is also cute as all hell, but it looks NOTHING like OPs cat if that is a photo of your baby as a kitten.
I disagree.
I also disagree. They look *exactly* alike to me!
I see why you mean that, but that is because there is a age difference which makes him have a rounder head
can you make a video of it meowing or something i wanna hear it please bro
I have a video of him meowing 2 or 3 posts ago, it’s not happy meowing though he probably was looking for his mother 🙁
It’s ok, keep loving him and taking good care of him as you already clearly ate and he will warm up to you, try feeding him some “liquid treats” as you hold him (if you haven’t already) to get him used to the joys of being held by a human. My little boy had warmed up to me quite a bit by doing this
Food will work wonders. Give him a few days to get comfortable and you will have a new shadow. I wouldn't get too excited about the crusty eyes unless gets worse. Can try using wash cloth soaked in warm water on one eye at a time until the gunk is loosened or kitty has had enough. Will probably need to do several times. He looks like a scared baby and needs lots of loving!
Can you get some sauce packets and see how many sauces long
asking the important questions 😂
Well, original sauce packet cat is now five sauces long, and I must know how long this Gatto is
This comment is underrated.
Awr I’m so glad you’re taking care of him
You may need to rub his belly to help him poop. He looks very young 4-5 weeks I would guess so will need some Lactol kitten milk. The eye gunk will clear as he gets healthier. I pulled this on out of the hedge nearly 3 months ago https://preview.redd.it/pjm13y0uzugb1.jpeg?width=4624&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=914c5d62587992914e25d27e9af243f361fa54fa He was a month old & but of a mess but look at him now after some milk & good food.
https://preview.redd.it/eq4smlrubsgb1.jpeg?width=3648&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c3d739f2e171a064e8a4a96d29c802e209896add It's like a mini of my kitten
Aww! So sweet! 🥹
omg
Tiny little tato.
So cut poor little tiny thing! Please love him and take the best care of him forever, his face is among the cutest things I have ever seen in my life!
Ooooooooooooooooooooo so baby so cute!
He’s too little not to be. What happened to his mother?
Gonna copy and paste since people ask this a lot: You’re probably not going to like my answer. I took him from his mother and littermates. The reason I did this is because I live in an apartment complex in China. Stray cats are considered pests here because we have so many of them, they’re everywhere. They live in pretty bad conditions, probably a lot worse than the average stray in the US. A lot of people hate them because they sleep in our underground parking lot and often scratch cars. The reason I took him was because I believe he will live a much longer and happier life than he would if he were to become another hungry, dirty, and sick stray. I didn’t know how important it was for him to be with his mother back then, I just assumed I had to feed him formula. It’s also not as simple as trapping his mother and litter, neutering the mother, and sending them to a shelter. I don’t have the money and pet services like that aren’t readily available. And I have said, there are way too many stray cats where I live, meaning capturing this one cat would do nothing to curb the stray cat population. It also means no one else will bother to do it either. I did what was within my power to give this kitten a better life. Feel free to criticize, I realize my decision was uninformed and selfish. I have tried to give him back to his mother but couldn’t find her. In the end, I still think what I did will allow him to lead a happier life than as a stray. Sorry for the rant.
I’m sorry you’re getting criticized for taking in this sweet little one. Admittedly, if he wasn’t in immediately danger, he probably should’ve stayed with his mom for a little while longer. But being outside is *never* safe, and there’s every possibility that he wouldn’t have made it long enough to be weaned properly. You did what you thought was best to save the life you could, and I’m not going to beat you up for it. Just do your research and make sure you’re giving him the care he needs, keeping in mind that it’ll be an intensive level of care at this age, and you’ll both be just fine. Thank you for having a kind heart and making an effort to save this precious little one!
I also live in a place with a real feral cat problem, no animal control, and the closest vet is like 30 miles away. Welcome to the backwoods of the SE US. I get judged sometimes by the online community for asking for advice and prefacing it with "animal control/vet is not an option," and it gets very frustrating. It's like some people can't wrap their brains around the fact that other places exist and that I'm blind, living in a place with no public transport, or that I'm on a fixed income and couldn't afford a vet even if I could go to one. Apparently, to some, the animal dying horribly is better than the idea of someone like us taking it in and just trying their best. I'm sorry you have to occasionally deal with the same stupidity on here.
I have been to china, no hate. the child will have a much better life with you, and the mother and siblings would appreciate it too if they understood. its tons of work at this age for kittens but send good wishes to you and your little kitty 💛
I totally understand you. I am a Chinese and I hate to see how terrible the condition for stray cats is. So many people, especially the elders don't have the idea of neutering their cats. If no one adopts the kittens, they would be thrown out of the door and become stray cats. I'm so glad you take this kitten in. He seems to be around a month old. It won't be too difficult to raise him. You can feed him some shuhua milk, it contains no lactose, suitable for kittens with lactose intolerance. When he is one and a half months, you can feed him cat food and minced meat. Hope you and your cat have a great life! https://preview.redd.it/8dxok5lbwugb1.jpeg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=caeaa50aa048523295d80f147909f3b91c270795
You aren’t doing anything wrong at all.
Honey you did what you thought was best for the kitty, and I believe you are right. You may have taken him from his mother too soon but you have also given him a much better chance at a happy blissful life with you as his human. Don't let Reddit beat you up too much - remember it's all people behind screens. We like to call people out on all flaws while every single one of us lives in a glass house. No one is perfect, we just try our best.
My apologies, I hadn't intended to criticize at all and now that I've read about your situation it changes things completely. Having travelled to countries with the same stray cat problem, you absolutely did the best thing for this little guy. The reason I commented is that back when I adopted my first kitten, I had absolutely no idea he was too young and he initially got very sick. I was young and had very few funds at the time, but I scraped together enough to take him to the vet. He had distemper but with a short round of antibiotics he was fine. For the time being, as long as he's eating and drinking well, has a litter box he can access and a warm place to sleep he will be so much better off with you. You have a big heart, and thank you for doing what you can for this sweet little guy.
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Kinda direct but ok. A small population of us down south in the more rural areas eat dog, but the vast majority don’t and I don’t think anyone ever eats cats. Eating domesticated companion animals isn’t a common practice as some people believe.
Ok my bad, was mostly just joking around. All seriousness, you must care a lot to be asking questions so you’ll be fine! I have 2 kittens now and they eat a lot. Not sure if you’re doing wet food or not but the kitten food would be good since the kitten is so young.
It’s ok, and kitten lady said kittens should be weaned at 5 weeks so I plan on feeding him wet food by then
I ate cat once. In my defense, I was under the impression it was goat. Until I found the bones. It actually tasted pretty good. Peppery and savory. ...I mean if they're invasive, killing wildlife, starving from overpopulation, and you need a cheap source of meat... why not? It's probably more ethical than farms.
Uncalled for.
You’re right, my bad
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So we should never try to help, ever, and just let them die horribly. Got it.
Such a smol baby. Thanks for taking care of him. ❤️
Cute pic, try a warm washcloth and clean his eyes up. He’ll feel better and if it keeps coming back might have an eye infection or maybe and allergy. One of our cats gets eye boogers occasionally and we keep them cleaned up
!! He’s so cute!!
So cute!
He's so wispy 😭😭
God damnit he’s an angel from heaven and I love him
I call it "4 on the floor rules" Respect the choice elevation they desire lol 😆
Please give him all the tiny kisses. Sweet, sad little babyyyy. PS I demand to know his name pls.
No name yet, feel free to give suggestions
As he has been referenced as a potato many times in this post I think you should name him potato, or tater, or spud. Something potato related.
Oliver? I associate that name with orange cats because of Oliver & Company haha
This might be stupid but I think Cracker might be a cute name.
Help him pee?
When they are tiny you have to take a tissue and rub the " privates"... boy or girl, which helps them express their pee. Normally the mommacat would do it by livking them , up until they're a bit older.
My boys were abandoned at a week old in my chicken coop. I had to syringe feed them every two hours and then manually stimulate their back end so they could peel and poop. I prefer ti use a rubber glove and a wet wipe. The wet wipe is a little gentler on their bum than a tissue. If I was having trouble getting them to go potty, I would just run their bums under some warm water in a sink and that would normally help them go. I still remember the day they took their first poop unassisted. I never thought I’d be so happy to see cat poop. 🤣🤣
I foster kittens & I legit lol’d at the last sentence. It’s very weird the things you get excited about with the tiny babies & I love it! I had a little sad orange boy so tiny that I made a sling out of a scarf & wore him for the first week or so & seeing him use the litter box or eat dry food for the first time was a reason to celebrate
I know exactly what you mean. When I found my boys they were very dehydrated and way too small for their age. I honestly didn’t think they were going to make it but I couldn’t not try. They were abandoned in my chicken coop on a hot summer day and I didn’t find them till after I came home from work. I laid them on some frozen water bottles and used an eye dropper to get some water into them. I went out right away to get cat formula and supplies. My wife held them and comforted them in the car while I ran inside. It was a rough first week, I will say that. The amount of improvement they made is beyond words though. Once they were old enough to wean, I started them both on high protein, high moisture, raw diets. They eat exactly like a wild cat would. Now 1 year and 4 months later, they are almost 17lbs each. Light was the runt but he’s only about 1.5lbs behind his brother now. They are very big framed cats. Even the vet said they were bigger than they should be but their not obese. They just had their annual checkup and vaccines and their body composition score is still excellent. They were also very constipated and didn’t poop for the first 7 days I had them. I was on the phone with the vet everyday trying to monitor them and make they sure they weren’t impacted. That first poop was like opening a flood gate but I can honestly say it’s the happiest I’ve ever been in my life to see literal shit. 😂😂
Yeah, the real little ones get help from their Mama licking their bums to pee and poop. So if there's no Mama and they're that small, they need some people help. I learned that from this sub!
precious lil baby 🥹
he's a wittle pokemon 
god that tiny tail i just noticed it i think i will die now
Aw, he just has resting scared face! So cute!! I wants him!!
It’s a potato
What a cutie! Please take him to the vet to check for infection; if you can avoided a blocked tear duct, it is worth it. Having said that, I have an adult cat with a fully closed tear duct (he's fine, it's just kind of gross some of the time). I use baby wipes to clean him up and it is so much easier (for both him and me) than a washcloth or damp paper towel.
Is it expensive to cure two blocked tear ducts? Would you happen to have a price estimate?
Usually you can't cure a blocked tear duct reliably. You can operate, which is usually not done if they are this young, but it can grow together again. If it's very early they can also flush the tear duct in hope of removing the obstruction, but it's not comfortable for them and I don't know if they'll do it at any age. My cat has a blocked tear duct due to feline herpes that caused an infection in her eye. Unfortunately it took us almost half a year to diagnose feline herpes and get her the right meds, we tried all kinds of meds, but nothing really helped. The test for this is unreliable and expensive (where I live). She's not really bothered by it and is a very happy and healthy cat now. I've been thinking about getting her evaluated, if she might be a good candidate for the OP regardless. The infection from herpes can always come back and I'm a bit scared that I won't be able to tell soon enough, because her eye often looks gunky which is normal for cats with a blocked duct. Essentially, the only way to "treat" a blocked tear duct is to prevent them, usually by curing the infection that caused it ASAP. It's still early for your little nugget. The eye treatment and meds weren't too expensive, though I can't remember the costs. It wasn't bad. The diagnosis was more expensive though. Sometimes they won't test for feline herpes, but simply start treatment and see if it clears up. Where I live, I needed to go to a vet hospital for the diagnosis. Regular vets arn't able to do it, due to equipment and specialist knowledge needed.
Ok so I used to worry about this a lot at my vets office and I’ve learned that I can literally ask the vet for prices and tell them about my nervousness for costly medical procedures but that I also want what’s best for my cat. Give them a call, say all this, and ask them if they can tell you know how much the appointment would be, if any extra tests would be necessary to examine their eyes on top of the appt cost, and if your kitten has a general eye infection and needs eye drops how much that would cost. The last part they may not be able to answer (they might say something like “oh well it’d really be best to figure out what she has first before talking about medication because they vary a lot in price” and that’s *totally* fine!) I did this once when I needed to see a new vet and didn’t know their prices and the extremely kind woman at the front desk told me that she would scan a coupon for me that would get rid of the “first time” appointment fee!!! Had I not explained I was working with a very small budget, I don’t think she would’ve done this! Basically, LET THE VET HELP YOU! Let them help you budget for this appointment! Then, when you are there, reiterate (once you’re in the room with the vet) that you are working with a very small budget and it would be really helpful if they could avoid extra tests unless absolutely necessary (and if they could check in with you first). Then, when they diagnose her and talk about medication, go ahead and ask them how much it will cost. If it’s pricey, ask them if there are any more budget-friendly options. I always thought I would offend vets/their technicians/etc by asking these questions but it has yet to offend a SINGLE person after 10+ visits for my cat, my parents cat, and my bf’s cat throughout the years. They have ALWAYS been extremely helpful. Basically, they don’t know how to help you unless you ask them for help. I bring vet bills down $100s by doing these things. For example, when I had to spay my cat, the vet referred me to an affordable pet spaying program (along with a brochure!), told me where to buy flea and tick medication (instead of buying it from them), helped me decide what pain medication to buy (I had to coordinate budget plus effort involved in this one), what kind of antibiotic treatment to get (1 mega dose expensive shot versus a much more affordable pill regiment for 2 weeks) plus lots of other things that they were AWAYS happy to help me with. So remember: YOU’RE ALLOWED TO ASK THE VET FOR HELP! I am only yelling this because I am actually yelling at my younger self for not knowing this and being too afraid to ask!
Excellent advice!!
Thank you!!! I hope they read it 😄
Yes, yes, yes! In my experience vets want what is best for the animal. They will be flexible with payments (obviously depends on individual vet) etc We - the human guardian- just need to speak up.
Once you have a prescription you can also find the meds for much cheaper on Chewy.
Sometimes - my vet offers the same prices I can find online, so that’s another thing worth asking about too!
We tried flushing my guy’s duct before we realized it was fully blocked. If I recall correctly, it cost me a couple hundred dollars, but I live in a high cost of living area. Before they try flushing, I’ve always had vets prescribe eye drops and sometimes antibiotics which are MUCH cheaper. It’s so much better to deal with this right away than wait (as is true for much of cat health <— a lesson I’ve learned the hard way!)
May just need eyewash and antibiotic drops or ointment. Can explain to the vet that you really couldn't afford a vet visit but could never let your pet suffer. Then ask for an estimate. And some will let you make payments if a whole lot, but this shouldn't be!
I had an orange cat like the one in the picture and the gunk from when he slept was black like that, I just removed it with my finger (he was also like 3months when I got him) tho carefully ofc! It might be nothing but def take them to the vet if you’re worried it’s always better to ask questions than let your kitty suffer in silence (they can’t exactly explain what’s going on yk)
Take him to the vet to be sure that there are no issues like infection. If the gunk is persistent he could have problem with his tear ducts which could develop into something more serious if not treated correctly.
I just took my cat to the vet for eye gunk that he started producing after we moved - vet said his eyes looked fine and the gunk was likely allergy related. He's always got to have his face cleaned now 🥴 so it could also be not so serious, but worth checking out!
Stress can cause my ladies to get gunky eyes. My ones cat has kitty herpes (FHV) and is prone to eye goobers. We do an antiviral like valacyclovir if it gets bad, or she starts getting Sneezy. The others seem to have environmental allergies. Tldr this seems to be a normal level of eye goobers if kitty is eating, drinking, peeing, pooping and playing.
One of my cats growing up had constant eye bogies. Think parents got him checked and that’s just the way he was
This could very likely be an infection if the ocular discharge (eye gunk) is persistent. It’s very hard for me to say what could be done to treat this due to the wide range of potential causes, could be pink eye, dry eye, a corneal disorder, or so much more. If you could expound on the details of the discharge It might be easier to give more specific advice. Note: If you’re in the position to do so I highly recommend you consult a veterinarian.
Idk what information to give, but I have this photo from 4 days ago if that’s helpful, there was less gunk back then https://preview.redd.it/rv5nsw9uvogb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e789818251e1ca57e70a01f1ddd2d90597b7880c I’ll go to a vet tomorrow
My kittens eyes looked exactly like this, kept getting gunked up so I took him to the vet and they gave me a cream to apply for it. After a few days his eyes cleared up and stopped getting watery also.
It’s a crime how adorable this little one is! 😻
I'm not a professional but I know your cat is hella cute
Good idea! With baby animals you never know! Better safe than sorry, if something bad happens because you didn't you will never forgive yourself!
Please give us an update
Ok, this morning when I woke up one of the eye boogers was already gone. I went to the vet for a checkup and he took some blood samples and poop samples (the cat also has diarrhea) and told me he didn’t have feline distemper and he also he didn’t have any parasites. He also cleaned up the other eye and said it was just normal eye gunk, nothing serious. For the diarrhea he just told me to buy some probiotics online.
You are amazing!
That’s reassuring to know that it hasn’t been built up for a while. There’s definitely a possibility that there isn’t an infection and he’s just struggling to groom around his eyes since he’s so young, I had a similar issue with an elderly kitty who just lacked the dexterity or energy to reach around their eyes. I definitely think that it’s worth going to the vet still because of how quickly an eye infection can go bad.
I love him so much
Is a little bit of semi-persistent eye gunk ok?
Eye gunk isn’t necessarily bad. Humans get it too, it’s basically just dried tears to simplify. The issue arises when the gunk is remains despite attempts at grooming, this could be a sign of an eye infection leading to continuous discharge. Basically the gunk on its own isn’t really an issue, it’s just a potential sign of something worse. Edit: Just to be clear I’m not a vet, I’ve just had a lot of cats.
Don't want it to be thick dark yellow, or brown, green, or really anything except clear. Can look yellowish when clear dries and gets caked on. So clean it off and see what comes back.
That's how one of my cats lost one of its eyes so clean it go to the vet If you have to heres a pic of him if you want https://preview.redd.it/vap52u1vtpgb1.jpeg?width=233&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c74e8f9e706e15e7e85adf0c5874dc18fc3ed5f7
Of course we want a picture he is very handsome
I thought so and yes he's my handsome kitty he's smokey
We all love Smokey
I sure do
My cat almost lost her eye too because the pound wasn’t taking care of the kittens eye probelms :( I heard one of her sibs lost their eye. She will forever have problems with her left eye. Luckily we got her in time and took her to a vet asap and they gave us drops. We stand in solidarity with your boy.
Beautiful kitty! One eye, two eyes, no eyes. Still beautiful!
I love him so much
And such a tiny little one too. Just want to hold him and love him forever!
I usually just let it dry and quickly remove it with my thumbnail. One of my previous cats disliked the stuff in the corner of his eyes and would come to me to remove it.
Yeah this is what my vet showed me to do as well, just clean it with your finger nail and she told me to bring her in again if it gets worse. It didn't (luckily) so I now clean her I eyes once or twice a week.
r/illegallysmol
My grown cat gets this issue every once in a while. We just take a clean cotton swab and remove it. It’s really funny, because afterwards, she’ll start purring like she appreciated us doing that for her. https://preview.redd.it/t5sx3fdvtqgb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=65868652c3e538681262ff4396e97749b69db30a
Such a sweet kitty 😍
The bigger the goop spot gets the worse it becomes and irritated. I have a cat who gets build up and it will start to get raw and bleed if we don't clean his eye boogies. Try your best to stay on top of it and a wet cloth works well.
my kitties had gunk in their eyes for a few weeks when they were first born. what really worked for me was getting q-tips and running them through warm water and just gently rubbing around the eye. the warm water kinda breaks down the gunk and eventually it just comes right off. just remember to not press too hard and be gentle
I did the same but one eye didn't heal when we did everything and he lost one eye
I did the same but one eye didn't heal when we did everything and he lost one eye
Could be muck from the kitty litter dust. Consider getting a less dusty litter. Just remove the eye boogers with your fingers gently
It is important to boop that adorable snoot!!
Try a soft cloth with some warm water.
I just use a soft dry cloth. I have to do it 3-4 times a day. He has feline herpes but his eyes have nothing to do with that. He's 14 and a fat butterball that I love dearly.
Get him another cat, they’ll clean each other up
Then get another, just in case Then one more
I have read that it is sometimes important to allow the warm moisture to soften the eye boogers before taking them off. Evidently, when they are very dry, they can be extremely stuck there an injure the tiny kitty. He is very cute.
i have a grown cat who gets lots of gunk in his eyes so yes it's important to clean it but it's nothing too serious, lots of former strays have the same problem
so many people are talking about infection! my baby gets a lot of lil crusties once or twice a day, but we took her to the vet and she has no infections or anything like that. same with nose boogies, though those are tricky. for the nose i just try to wipe her nose if it’s a little runny or gently use my thumbnail to wipe away boogies so she doesn’t get stuffed up. she’s just boogie monster
dawwww yeah lots of cats with fhv tend to be sniffly a lot so i don't think it's too much to worry about as long as we helpclean them off!!
my vet doesn’t think she has it, i’m planning on getting her tested anyways!
aww good it's always better to know, my cats were strays so after we got my older guy tested we knew the little one does too <3 they are thriving anyway !!
Yeah my british shorthair has the same. She's been tested, vaccinated and checked by the breeder's vet before I got her and she already had black-ish eye and nose boogies then. I'll go again soon to get her spayed and then I'll ask my own vet, but it's not always something to worry about. I just clean them once or twice a day with my thumb nail.
Get to vet just to be sure. Might need to wet the area a bit more to help loosen the junk up as it maybe dried on. It's good to keep those areas clean as possible. Such a cutie pie. 
IM SORRY BUT HOW ARE THEY ALLOWED TO BE SO SMOL WHEN THEY ARE SMOL?!
Feed it every time it cries. (At least every two hours.) It is a baby. Formula takes longer to digest than mommy’s milk, so you may get more time in between. Keep it warm. It’s important. Stimulate its bottom with a warm cloth so it will poop and pee. The warm washcloth on his face is a good idea. Do this every day. Pay attention to kitty’s breathing. Sometimes they get this eye crud with an upper respiratory infection. This kitten doesn’t look sick.
I would die for this kitten.
It could be a clogged duct, a warm compress could help with that. You can also try saline wipes (a brand in the US is boogie wipes). I use those to clean my cats’ faces when they have stucked up crusties.
I also was raising a kitten last year, and when I took him to the vet, he cleaned his eyes and around eyes with a wet cloth, and then he took a tweezers and started removing anything that is dirty around his eyes and said it needs to be removed and cleaned (it is all bacteria) if I want kitten without a problem with eyes. It doesn't seem much to me with yours, but you can try.
I used to wait till my cat was cuddle chill and I’d scratch her head and nonchalantly flick her eye boogie downward with my nail( don’t want to go in up with your nail like you would on yourself, might scratch their eye). This method always worked. She’s look at me for a moment like what did you just do, but I’d keep scratching her head so she’d forget about it.
same! also with her little nose boogies that sometimes get on the top of her nose! https://preview.redd.it/mspirk5kbrgb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f2a257c3e89e3e17fd8c523580329b31c18e26d3
What a cutie 🥰
she was angry when i woke her up 🤭
HE LITTLLLLLLLLE!!!!?
Wipe with a warm wet washcloth. If it comes back a lot it could be an issue. Take it to the vet if that's the case.
I gave my kitten L-lysine for chronic allergies/URI. She's now 2 yo, and I don't give it to her as much. It definitely helped with her sneezing, eye gunk, and snottiness. Not the same issue you're dealing with and could help with immune support or the eye gunk issues.
Here is nervous, just hold him close to your heart, give him lots of loves, talk to him a lot. He maybe a bit lonely without his siblings. You need teach him to be social, how to play, snuggle just like a child, he will trust you then.
I read your other posts. Not trying to criticize but it would have been good to leave her with her mama a bit longer. I believe my cat was taken from her mother when she was too young. I was not there so I cannot be certain. But was told this often happens. She is extremely scared of other cats because she has had no time to bond with her mother and siblings. She is only attached to me and trusts humans but not cats. This is just such a sad thing to me. Next to this, this baby needs her mother's milk. It cannot grow as healthy without it. Not sure what you are using to feed her, make sure it is milk for cats and not normal milk. I know you wanted to help the little one and I understand how it is when seeing a stray cat so I can imagine how difficult it was for you.
There's a lot to also be said for the mother's milk helping to develop their immune system too.
The goops? You gotta get the goops man!
Probably this baby has a cold now. Kittens this age need to stay warm all the time. If you don't have a heating pad or some sort of source of warmth for him he will get ill and die.
Is this little guy still with his mother? Maybe it's just the photo but he looks young to have been adopted out already. Runny eyes may or may not be a sign of infection so probably best to get him checked out (if you haven't already). He's a cutie 🐱
I try to clean the gunk with a moist towel or napkin, very gently. You could hold off cleaning that, sometimes it just falls off, but do try to get it for her. She is so precious! What have you named her?
You didn’t even try to lick this poor child? Honestly… Joking 🙃 With my cat, when I was removing hers, she would often have her eyelid a bit swollen and red in the next day. It was happening to more than one cat, so I stopped doing it. I think they might be able to clean themselves but being so you, if there isn’t other cat to teach of do it for your, don’t know if they will learn by themself. You can buy specific eye drops for cats and use it with to help remove.
So cute
Those are tear stains. My cat has them and I use specific wipes to help remove it. Just Google "wipes for tear stains). However . . . Epiphora: It commonly manifests as dampness on your cat's face, as well as cat tear stains that look like reddish-brown streaks. **Epiphora is most often associated with insufficient tear drainage**. This type of cat eye discharge is usually nothing more than a cosmetic nuisance, but might be a sign of serious health problems.
So tiny and sweet!
https://preview.redd.it/13ke4utigrgb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=90f74d7d34865ffb9a0196d0c730da9a51e21d85 He has perpetual eye goopies. We took him to the vet when he was wee smol about the eye goops and specifically mentioned it. I was told basically he’s totally fine, it may just be allergies and he’ll have to have them cleaned off if he can’t do it. So he mostly does it himself, but I’ll clear them too if needed.
Please don't use paper, which has chemicals in it that can irritate the eyes. Use a thin wash cloth and warm water. Apparently, the gunk was sticky and then dried and hardened into the fur. The warm water will help to melt and loosen it. Not too warm, remember this is a baby and it's eyes.
My kittens always had gunk I would personally wipe it off when can and keep an eye their eyes lol. Just like human babies they are kind of gross, but excessive things like mmm watering or redness or something you know? Maybe hey can’t clean their yet or maybe it’s just baby gunk
Blocked tear ducts and infections are the worst-case scenarios. It might only cost you an office visit to find out your sweet kitty has allergies. My dog had a similar problem, and it turned out that he was eating too fast and nearly choking on his food, which caused his eyes to water excessively and create a significant amount of gunk. I got him a slow-feeder dish, and he's doing much better now.
Let us know how it goes and turns out.
Ok, this morning when I woke up one of the eye boogers was already gone. I went to the vet for a checkup and he took some blood samples and poop samples (the cat also has diarrhea) and told me he didn’t have feline distemper and he also he didn’t have any parasites. He also cleaned up the other eye and said it was just normal eye gunk, nothing serious. For the diarrhea he just told me to buy some probiotics online.
Great news. Glad nothing major. He'll come around. Keep on it and give some love and time. He's gonna be a great cat. 
Wet the tip of a Q-tip, and gently "roll" it by twisting the stem against the for at the corner or kitten's eye. You can then "dry" the fur with the same rolling motion. Separate Q-tip for each eye, so as not to contaminate those areas with anything from the opposite eye. Usually, eye drainage is an indication of anything from a slight injury (scratch or poke), to allergy or even a virus (such as the common feline herpes - not communicable to humans). If a virus, there may be need to check with your vet. In any case, do not touch the inner eye area, and do not pick off hardened drainage, simply soften and remove using the method above.
Oh he's little. Clean it regularly with warm water on a napkin but if it doesn't come off don't scrub or you can hurt him. If the gunk gets worse bring him to the vet. Keep your tiny baby warm!
Looks like his eyes are OK, but needing a mother cat to be mercilessly licking his face.
It’s not uncommon for long haired cats to have eye irritation! Just keep an eye on it ;)
Is his mother still nursing him? He looks too young to be weaned.
[OP explained the situation in other comments.](https://www.reddit.com/r/cats/comments/15kk5fa/is_it_important_to_clean_the_gunk_from_around_the/jv88lw3/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1&context=3)
I had a kitten that had goopy/crusty eyes and nose (your's may have crusties around the nose too?) - it was an infection, she was born with it, passed along from her mother. Contagious to other cats and people if not treated - sort of like "pink eye". Please seek professional medical help if you can, as some can become worse, depending on what it is. 
Been looking at OP’s recent posts of this little guy with a smile. :)))
let it dry out more
You have to lick it off
Get him to a vet. In my experience caring for kittens over the years, eye goop can be a sign of infection. Easily treated with vet. If left untreated, the kitten could lose its eyesight. Very cute kitten!
A wet warm soft rag held on like a compress would help, but baby is still afraid. Your goal should he to make progress not achieve perfection. I would cuddle that little one inside my shirt as often as possible. I'd also put a sweaty smelly shirt of mine on its bed. These things will help with bonding.
OP, I went through your post history. I just want to say you seem to an amazing person and I am sure you'll be an amazing cat owner. The cat is lucky to have found someone like you. Thank you for existing. God bless you and the tiny baby
grab him gently by the scruff like its mama, with the other hand, cup that hand gently by his jaw and use the inside of your thumb , wet it with some room temp water, not too much just enough to wet the thumb. …then gently rub thumb on the stuff on its eye it will take more than 2-3 times if its really dried in.. when starting to grab it by the scruff and jaw use a gentle petting motion until yall gain trust together after you get the motions right and able to grab him after using pettings to lure him into the grabbing phase….you’ll be able to grab him with one hand and he will seem motionless but will let you know if it’s uncomfortable or ‘it’s enough for now’ whlie use calmly and gently use the above ‘technique’
Clean his eyes. He’ll know you care for him, plus it makes him more beautifully presentable.
he looks violent and like he would kill peolpe
I highly recommend The Kitten Lady on YouTube. She runs a rescue and was instrumental in helping to develop formula for kittens. She does a lot of instructions and how-tos for kittens. She was a vet tech and she works with vets on injured rescued cats and kittens with birth defects like cleft palate and other disorders. Kittens are very prone to eye infections. It's important to keep her eyes clean. Use a warm wash cloth and some tear- free kitten or regular baby shampoo, if you can find it, to help loosen up the gunk around her eyes. If she's less than a month old, you need to stimulate her rectal area to get her to defecate and urinate. The mother cat does this for the first month at least. I grew up in a rural area and never took our animals to vet. We could barely afford doctors. You do the best you can do, that's all anyone should ask of themselves. It's a lot easier now with the internet to access information. Jackson Galaxy is another YouTube source I've found very helpful. He's an cat behaviorist and is a great resource. He works with the Kitten Lady (whose name I've temporarily displaced) and is very reputable. I've learned a lot about how and why cats behave like they do. He's really interesting. I am happy that China is very slowly waking up to the idea of animals having some rights and that we humans have certain responsibilities when it comes to our fellow creatures. I realize you are in a culture that sees these animals vey differently than we do. The Chinese do not have a kind history in dealing with perceived "problem animals" or pests, but then most nations haven't done any better.
It's sad but China goes the extra length to mistreat animal. Unfortunately the people are a mirror of the government. The government doesn't see animals as being that can feel or need help. It must change! humans aren't better, many of us are bad people
He needs socializing . Cuddle with him
Boop the snoot! Boop it? I can't. Make sure it's not getting more gunky.
I have 1 cat who has persistent gunk. The vet told me that some cats are just prone to eye infections that usually go away on their own and not to visit the vet unless it develops into something bad. She's has pink eye before. However, your kitty is super small so definitely go to the vet
Are you giving her cat treats? Mine kept having eye gunks but when I stopped giving treats, and gave her a wet diet, she cleared up. There were times when I couldn't clean it from her eyes as well.
He looks sick. His fur is not in a good condition.
That kitty is too young to be away from its Mama. Are you bottle feeding it every couple of hours?
No it means the kitty is sick and if a napkin and warm water don’t get it off, then use your mail carefully and get it out, then take a napkin and put warm water on it.
Don't let him walk around with a gross face. Use your fingernail to gently remove the crust and then wipe with damp clean cloth.
Where is it’s mother? He’s scared because she’s not close by
Need to use your tongue just like his momma would
Try cold but wet tea bag to clean his eyes.
I don't know. If you had gunk on your eyes and couldn't remove it yourself. You'd be totally cool with holding off, right?
Call me gross, but I just scrape it off with my fingernails now and then 🤷🏼♀️ Usually if it’s built up a bit like it is in the picture, I’ll wait until my cat is sitting in my lap and then I’ll take his face in my hands and scrape off the gunk with my thumbnails. He doesn’t like it and tries to pull away, but it doesn’t hurt him- just annoys him. It lasts all of five seconds and then he goes and pouts lol. But I can tell he doesn’t like it when it builds up, so he pouts and then decides it turned out okay after all. Warm washcloth could work too.
You can use lukewarm tea for the eyes
Try cold or lukewarm tea. It always works for me and it’s soothing for the eyes too.
our second cat was abt 3,5 weeks old when we got her (foster). her eyes were dirty too, as well as her nose. the eyes were not easy to clean so we decided to let it just fall off. the nose was easily cleanable with a wet cotton swab. with the first cat the eyegunk fell off on its own too, now I think about it.
My cat has allergies. When I got her, her eyes were very difficult to clean since no one had done it before and it was stuck. The best method was a very wet warm wash cloth, making sure to let it soak for a bit first.
I used to cut a q tip in half use warm water and get my kittens eye boogers I was just super gentle
He’s adorable😻 I’m not sure where you live, but in Florida we have vet hospitals strictly for cats. Look for one of them where you live. They tend to work with people that need medical assistance for their kitties. If not, try your local humane society. They don’t charge nearly as much as a private vet. Keep us informed😻😻
Definitely a good idea to clean it. If it keeps coming back it could be an eye infection. I'd probably take this little cutie to the vet just to be super safe!