Do you know what causes these eye infections in very young kittens, Lesley? It is so sad. I can't believe that some evil bast**d could have dumped those dear little babes next to a bin to die... I wonder if there were any more that weren't found.
It's too heartbreaking for words. You must be gutted.
I think often it is started by cat flu and the kittens are so weak that it takes a good hold and the eyes are very susceptible before they open. But Tiggy was slightly different in that the Vet thinks it was the eyeballs that were affected and she thinks it was something he was born with, probably the reason he and his sister were dumped - not worth the effort of raising them for £40 the b:censored:d who dumped them would probably have got when selling them.
On a brighter note, Persia is doing well, her eyes are open 80% of the time and although the third eyelid still covers alot of the open area, they are not so infected and she is bright and bubbly in herself. At first, she just wandered round the incubator crying for her brother which was heartbreaking to watch, but she seems to have settled a bit more and she has the snugglekittie with the heartbeat and some rattly toys to keep her amused.
I have found she is developing teeth now, not quite such a gummy grab when she gets your finger anymore.
Have just ordered the smaller size intensive care unit to make it easier to transport to work. The big purrs one is fantastic and when there is more than one kitten it is perfect but Persia looks a little lost in it and it is very heavy to carry down the stairs and into the car each day. Hopefully the new one will arrive shortly and I can still use all the accessories with the new one. Will also mean I can now take in more than one litter at a time without cross infection.
Thanks for all your kind thoughts, losing Tiggy was not only heartbreaking, but sometimes makes you despondent about what you are doing, but you lot and Persia and Cornelius and Kali make it all worthwhile and shows that Tiggy did not die in vain; everytime I look at Persia I will see him in her eyes.