General Help Request

[Raina]

Hi, I would like some help and suggestions on a few different issues. First, here's some info about my kitties.

-I have 2 cats, Muffin and Princess, and there is also a male cat in the household.
-Muffin and Princess are strictly indoor, while the male cat is indoor/outdoor.
-Muffin is a kitten. When I got her, she was just weaned. She's definitely under 6 months of age, for sure.
-Princess was a bigger kitten when I got her less than 6 months ago, and is now a full grown cat. She has a litter of 4 kittens right now that she had with the male cat.
-I currently feed them an off brand cat food (Home Harvest) that has all of the crude protein and fat that I've heard are reccommended. I am thinking of switching, though, to something that might have a better quality (Any suggestions on a brand that is great, but not too expensive?).
-I feed them Purina Whisker Lickins tartar control treats for their teeth, and Pounce Hairball treats.
-Neither are spayed, though I plan to do so asap.

Here are my questions.
1- The baby kittens that Princess has are sniffling a bit and have a yellowish matter around their eyes. Their eyes are open part of the time right now, but not all the time. I am wondering if there is something wrong with them, or the yellowish matter and sniffling is normal. It doesn't sound normal to me, but I could be wrong. Also, the mother cat doesn't sniffle at all, and none of the other cats have matter around their eyes.

2- I am quite sure that all of the cats have at least tapeworms. The male cat has them for sure, (There was a piece of the worm on his butt. ) and if he has them, I know the others probably do as well. I am wondering if there is if possible, any over-the-counter medication for them. I've heard Hartz makes pills that work well. It's going to take me awhile to get them to the vet, because money is very tight right now.

3. I think they might have ear mites, as well. The two females rub their head against things a lot (though they could just be marking their scent) and occasionaly, but not often, they'll put their paws over their ears. I'm wondering what to do about this as well, though it appears to be a very minor issue.

4. I haven't seen fleas on any of them, and they don't scratch much, but there's a good chance they have them, especially since the male cat goes outside. I know that to treat tapeworms you should treat fleas as well, since the cats get tapeworms from fleas.

In general, I love my feline friends a lot, and am wondering what to do about their current health problems.

Thanks,
Raina.

[Traci]

I've never heard of Home Harvest, where do you get it, and how was it recommended to you? For more information on dietary, see Dietary Pages , Dietary Part 2 , and Reference Articles

Your kittens need to see your vet, chances are they have an upper respiratory infection, which would require antibiotics and opthalmic eye ointment.

Never ever use over-the-counter wormers or flea products, and NEVER use Hartz products...see Just Say No ...Use only Advantage or Frontline from your vet to treat fleas, and remember your kittens need to be a certain age and weight before flea applications can be given, I wouldn't treat them if they are suffering an upper respiratory infection (unless the flea infestation is severe, in which only your vet should advise and treat accordingly). Same for dewormers, for the kittens, these are prescribed based on age and weight, consult your vet about treating all the cats. When treating for fleas, you must also treat the environment (i.e., frequent vacuuming, washing bedding and areas where the pets sleep, etc)

Ear mites are not a minor problem, they can become serious and induce serious inner ear infections. They must be treated appropriately by your vet. Ear mites are transmittable to all of your pets, so getting a handle on them now will help prevent problems in the future. (again, no o-t-c products, leave this to your vet please)

Please get the females spayed as soon as possible, for every heat cycle, for every litter you allow them, they are at risk for mammary cancer, uterine cancer, pyometra, etc....(Love Your Pets-Spay & Neuter) . Same applies to your male cat, please get him neutered ASAP.

You must understand that as long as you allow your un-neutered male cat outdoors, not only does this put him at risk for outdoor hazards, but he can pick up fatal infectious diseases and pass them on to your other cats. If none of your cats are vaccinated or up-to-date on their vaccinations, all of them are at risk for feline infectious disease, plus a host of other health problems (as you've witnessed, worms, fleas, etc).

Please, get your cats to your vet for exams, proper deworming, get the kittens evaluated and treated for URI's, discuss vaccinations and spay/neuters with your vet.