Eye Issues

So my new kitten that I got at the end of May, as a companion for my other cat (I wanted another kitten from the breeder I got my first cat from, but she has a waitlist now, so I went with some one else... now very much regretting that).

My MIL came to stay with us a few days ago and this morning she pointed out that my new kitten had a bit of a watery eye and he was squinting (he was fine when we went to bed last night). So I thought maybe he had gotten poked or something. We went to get groceries, come back and his eye was completely crusted shut and swollen with whitish/yellowish goop. I wiped the gunk away with a warm cloth and noticed his eye was red and you could see his third eyelid.

I got him into the vet, they put some dye in his eye to see if maybe he got scratched or something but the vet couldn't see any thing. She said that it may be herpes, chlamydia or something else but I can't remember the name. They have to order swabs to do the test to see what it is, but it will take a few days to get them. They gave me antibiotic drops to put for the next week.

I googled feline herpes and chlamydia, and other than the eyes he has no other symptoms. He is eating and drinking, and was happily playing (not so much now that he has a cone of shame so he can't rub the antibiotics out of his eyes and then lick his paws). No difficulty breathing, coughing, nasal discharge or sneezing.

If there is a test for chlamydia, herpes ect is that something a breeder would normally test for? The lady I got him from said she tested for feline aids and leukemia and progressive retinal atrophy, but didn't mention any of that stuff.
I just wanted to know if it does come back positive if it was negligence on the breeders part for not testing their cats or is it something people don't usually test for and it just happens sometimes?

I am thankful that my other cat has not shown any symptoms and I am hoping that she isn't infected now too, if that is what he has!

Hi!
I'm not sure how this is supposed to work, but did you receive documentation of his shots records?

I'm sorry you're unhappy with the "other" breeder. Glad to hear you contacted your vet and brought him in for an exam. Here is an Article about eye issues in cats that may be helpful for you:
Eye Problems In Cats: What Every Owner Needs To Know

Fingers crossed you get some answers soon. Please keep us updated on his progress.

Yes he received the FVRCP vaccination before I got him and I was given the record from the vet

No, those are not tests that are normally done by breeders. If it were something that he contracted at the breeder's he most likely would have come to you with the symptoms, not developed them a month later.

What breed is your kitten? The test for progressive retinal atrophy is not one I would expect to see unless it's in a breed that is known for having eye problems.

What antibiotic did the vet give you? I've treated eye infections a number of times, both in my own cats and in fosters, and I've never had to use a cone on any of them.

As long as the eye clears up and the kitten is acting normally, I would just wait for the lab results and try not to worry too much. It could be something as simple as getting a bit of dust in his eye.

GoldyCat has given good information and advice here, and the Articles neely linked will help too.
It is so tough when you see your kitten get sick in any way. This doesn't sound like a breeder issue to me: you would most likely have seen your kitten sick with infections as soon as you brought him home, and perhaps come with a few parasitic 'unwanted friends'(which is what happened to a friend of mine).
I think the swabs are likely to be for checking the antibiotic is the right one for the infection your kitten has. Some infections only respond to particular drugs.
While it is possible the puss from the infection was making it hard to see the surface of the eye clearly it is less likely to be down to Herpes virus if the vet said they could not see any evidence of scratches or anything. When a cat has Herpes affecting their eye it causes tiny little ulcers on the surface of the eye. Also the cat / kitten is likely to show signs of being run down and in pain such as low energy and wanting to be somewhere quiet.

A few months after adopting Mouse he started to show signs of health issues with his mouth and then one of his eyes (watery). After the vets were able to put together a picture over several months and an experienced opthalmic vet examined Mouse's eye while it was watering, they diagnosed probable feline Herpes. I was very worried and did a lot of research as he came straight to me from the breeder. He had only been in contact with his mom as an only kitten, and is an only cat in my home. I talked it through with my vets and the conclusion was that the mother probably had feline Herpes and it was transmitted at birth. I had (and still do) great trust in the breeder and was able to talk through the situation with them too. It transpired that the mom hadn't shown any obvious symptoms of Herpes but did occasionally have little sneazes. Conclusion was that the stress of pregnancy and birth triggered a Herpes outbreak which she then transmitted to her kitten.
No symptoms before or since. As she found having kittens stressful the mom was retired from breeding.
My research reading also found that the presence of feline Herpes virus is suspected to be present in almost all cattery populations but where cats are healthy they rarely show symptoms.

I hope your kitten gets well very quickly and the infection is down to nothing complex or serious.

Oh, and I've never been told to use a cone for cats when treating eye infections either.

He is Siamese.
He gets Tobrex: tobramycin ophthalmic solution 3 times a day for 7 days in both eyes, because the other eye was starting to look goopy while we were there.

The vet tech said it was a steroid and to make sure he wasn't scratching at. She said that most kittens do fine without a cone, but I wanted it just to make sure he wasn't ingesting the solution. I put it on immediately after I put the drops in and take it off 20 minutes later, just to make sure.

Pictures #1 was immediately after we removed the crust #2 is this morning. It's still sore looking but definitely better than it was yesterday! Sorry about the background he is now put away in my sons room until we figure out what's going on

What a gorgeous meezer!!