Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Purrs

1. 

   I have a little kitten named Lily. She is about 8 1/2 weeks old. Last Tuesday she was at the vet for her shots and by Friday she seemed weak, skinnier. I told my husband to take her to the vet but he said she probably doesn't like her cat food and he would get her something different. He grew up on a farm, and, even though I have always had a cat growing up, I figured he knew best. Well by early Sunday morning Lily was barely breathing. My husband took her to the emergency vet where she presented as "comatose." They revived her and gave her glucose but they are only open when other clinics are not so she stayed until MOnday a.m. when we transfered her to a local vet for the day. The emergency vet was $1000 for one night. We could not afford to take her back there and the local vet thought if we kept her warm with sailine bags heated up, fed her every two hours, etc. she would do okay through the night until we brought her back this a.m.

   Little Lily is not well. And it hurts so bad. I don't know what to do. Try to make her better even though she is sooooo skinny and dehydrated from diarrhea or what? I am extremely emotional right now because 10/27 was one year since I lost my mom to cancer and 11/2 was 7 since I lost my brother to a motorcycle accident.

   Can she make it? Is there hope? Has anyone had a kitten in this situation pull through? I need to know that there is hope....... She is such a sweet little thing...a little calico with the cutest face and a pink nose outlined with a black line. ....

   Prayers please....for my Lily....

   Posted 3 years ago by cupcake #

2. 

   Oh Cupcake I'm sorry your Lilly is so ill. Is she at the vet's now? She needs fluids badly. Kittens have gotten better from being very sick before. I will pray for your baby and you. [[[Cupcake]]]

   Posted 3 years ago by Buttercup #

3. 

   Oh CC, I'm sorry you are going thru such a tough time right now..I'm sorry I don't know that much, but there are many here who can probably give you better advise...I will say prayers for you and Lily.

   Posted 3 years ago by 2bpurring #

4. 

   CC, I'm so sorry about baby Lily. But she does need to be at the vet's. If you talk to them I'm sure that they would be willing to work out some sort of a payment schedule. It sounds as though Lily needs more intense care than you can give at home right now.

   Posted 3 years ago by WillowandWindismom #

5. 

   Cupcake, I am so sorry. I don't know anything I can tell you. I will keep you and baby Lily in my prayers. ((Lily))

   Posted 3 years ago by cricketsmama #

6. 

   I'm on my way out the door but had to write something really quickly. First prayers for your precious Lilly.
   Many here will be able to give you great advice, please stay logged in. Kittens can make it through very difficult times, but it does take a lot of work. I know the vet can be very expensive, but many of us have given subcutaneous fluids at home and you can get the fluid bag and necessary needles etc from the vet at a low cost. They would just need to give you instructions. Of course keeping her warm is very important.
   Did they test her for parasites and/or worms?
   Please stay close, many will give you very good advice.
   Prayers for Lilly and her Mom

   Posted 3 years ago by Tigerlilly #

7. 

   Cupcake, so sorry that you are having to deal with this. We've heard miracle stories here. We'll pray that Lily will be another miracle.

   Posted 3 years ago by LadyKat of IA #

8. 

   Cupcake, I don't know if your kitten will make it or not. I do hope she does! I know how expensive emergency vets are and it is hard to keep spending money when you don't know if it will make a difference.

   If your kitten is at home with you now, you should try to keep her warm and comfortable. If you have a syringe, you can remove the needle and gently give her fluids a little at a time. Try not to do this when she is on her back to avoid her aspirating the fluid into her lungs.

   I'm sorry this crisis for you kitten is triggering memories of loss of your mother and brother. You are in my prayers.

   Please let us know how you and the kitten are doing. You are welcome to continue posting her for support and comfort. {{{hugs}}}

   Posted 3 years ago by Kitten Whisperer #

9. 

   If finances are a concern, you might be able to use CareCredit to get your kitten the treatment she needs. www.carecredit.com

   Posted 3 years ago by Kitten Whisperer #

10. 

    {{Lily and CC}}

    Posted 3 years ago by SammyandOliversmama #

11. 

    Prayers for sweet Lily.

    Posted 3 years ago by caroline #

12. 

    Lily is at the vet right now but I am afraid to call and see how she is. I told my husband to call and he said he would a bit later. I am sobbing - just sick at the thought of losing her.

    She was at the local vet all day yesterday and we had her home last night from 6:00 pm (when the local vet closes) until 7:30 this morning when I brought her back. I stayed up with her most of the night reheating her warming bottles, feeding her "slurry" every 2 hours and helping her make it to the litter box. we kept her in the bathtub so she would be contained as per the vets request. I pulled the cushions off my couch and laid next to the tub so I could keep checking on her. She wanted to crawl out of her "warm" spot that I created with a fleece baby blanket with the warming bottles underneath. I set my alarm for every 2 hours but I didn't really sleep in-between. She didn't want to eat so I had to force feed her with a syringe. I know she would be better kept on the glucose if we could afford that. I didn't mind getting up and feeding her...I just want her to improve...gain weight. I just dont understand how she could be at the vet last tuesday for shots and then by Friday begin such a steep decline in health. I don't understand!!!!!!
    We need to pray that she will eat and that the antibiotics will help the diarrhea so she wont be dehydrated. This is so hard.....

    Posted 3 years ago by cupcake #

13. 

    I know it's hard, but you are doing all you can right now! Call the vet, not knowing is worse!! I will continue to pray for Lily!

    Posted 3 years ago by 2bpurring #

14. 

    P.S. My mom was a cat lover too. I have been asking my mom to help Lily eat...I know my mom is my angel so I am asking her to help me too..
    I think the hardest part is that she was so near death and then came out of it..still very sick but she came out of it and now what...?? Have her decline again? I was a wreck on Sunday when she went to the emergency vet and even though I knew she was still sick..I was thinking she was getting better. But she can't get better if she doesn't EAT and GAIN WEIGHT!!
    I think she would have done better if she could have stayed on the glucose overnight. NOt sure if our vet would let us do thtis at home...does anyone know if local universities care for sick animals at a cheaper rate for teaching purposes...I was thinking of the Univ. of MInnesota not far from us.

    Posted 3 years ago by cupcake #

15. 

    CC do the doctors know what is wrong with her? If you are worried about finances, ask the vet about giving her fluids under the skin at home. It is much cheaper and is not hard once you know how to do it. It's such a tough situation to be in. I can relate. My Taco had terrible diarrhea when he was a baby, about 10 weeks old. He weighed 1 1/2 pounds, and the first few nights I slept on the living room floor with him to keep an eye on him. It can be scary. Hang in there and know you are doing the very best you can for this sweet angel. You are both in my thoughts and prayers. Are the vets giving her vitamin supplements or anything like that to help with nutrition since she isn't eating well?

    Posted 3 years ago by gini #

16. 

    I'm not sure, do they have a vet med dept at the university??

    Posted 3 years ago by 2bpurring #

17. 

    The vet does not know what is wrong with her. They are treating her with two antibiotics - one for Clostridium (?) and the other because they think it MIGHT be sepsis - total body infection. Last night I was feeding her with A/D Cat food..supposedly high calorie but she had diarrhea too so not absorbing much of it. We also had chicken baby food and some KMR milk. All were warmed before giving to her. I don't know if we can give her fluids under the skin because she is gotten so skinny - she had no body fat.
    I am just sick...I can't stop crying....

    Posted 3 years ago by cupcake #

18. 

    [[[[CupCake]]]]
    Prayers for Lily and CC.

    Posted 3 years ago by Buttercup #

19. 

    CC you should see if the vets can try I/D cat food instead of A/D. If she has diarrhea, it may help. I/D cat food is easier for kitties to digest and break down in their tummies. Some antibiotics can cause diarrhea unfortunately, so that may be a factor too.

    Posted 3 years ago by gini #

20. 

    How is I/D different from A/D?

    Posted 3 years ago by cupcake #

21. 

    Oh, Cupcake, I cry for you and for lil' Lily. I also send my prayers and healing white light for her.

    Posted 3 years ago by miu #

22. 

    So so sorry Cupcake; I will pray for you and Miss Lily {{hugs}}

    Posted 3 years ago by sullis #

23. 

    don,t know if this will help ,Cindy was once told to try ensure or pediasure
    and I think she has used pureed chicken baby food

    Posted 3 years ago by Renee in Arkansas #

24. 

    How do I add avatar? I wanted to post picture of Lily....
    I am really mad at hubby right now as he told me Lily had diarrhea "last Wed or Thursday" if I had known that, I would have watched her more closely and taken her in sooner. I am MAKING HIM take her to the overnight vet or University...I DON"T CARE HOW MUCH IT COSTS HIM!!!

    Posted 3 years ago by cupcake #

25. 

    I can see Lily in your avatar. She is beautiful!

    Posted 3 years ago by Kitten Whisperer #

26. 

    Cupcake, the kitten needs to be seen by your vet. Undoubtedly, the poor thing will need to be kept on the antibiotics, but those antibiotics may be stripping her gut of beneficial bacteria used in digestion. I haven't seen you mention anything about worming; worms are a common cause of malnutrition in kittens. Also, if the kitten has fleas, she could also be suffering from anemia, which would be making it hard for her to recover.

    If she can't get glucose any other way, every 2 hours rub a Q-tip coated in corn syrup on her gums. That will help keep her blood sugar from crashing altogether, but it does need to be frequent.

    When I took in Ellis, he was not eating or drinking voluntarily, and his temperature was dropping. I had to force-feed him for a week, and even then I wasn't entirely sure he would fully recover. He suffered from diarrhea, which also made his recovery difficult.

    I got him wormed and tested for anemia (negative).

    Since he was already weaned, he got fed every 2.5 - 3 hours with a mix of 1/3 baby food (turkey or lamb), 1/3 wet cat food, and 1/3 plain Pedialyte. I worked to get a minimum of 10 ml into him at every feeding, using either an eyedropper or 1 ml syringe. You might also be able to work in 1/4 tsp. of plain, unsweetened yogurt into the food each day, which might help with restoring the gut's balance and allow beneficial bacteria to re-establish faster.

    I also supplemented each feeding with the corn syrup on a Q-tip and about 1/4 tsp of NutriCal or KittyVite (a sweet paste with vitamins added). Later, on the advice of a vet, I was able to add 1/10 of a tablet of loperamide HCL once per day to his food; this helped the diarrhea abate. (It's really, really hard to split a tiny tablet into 10 approximately equal pieces.)

    Provide the kitten a warm, snuggly area for sleeping, and plenty of cuddling. Offer the kitten a shallow litter box filled with corncob or plain clay litter after each meal. (Don't use clumping litter at this age; kittens can accidentally ingest it and it does bad things internally.) Also keep fresh water and dry kitten chow offered at all times; I've found most kittens like Iams or Science Diet.

    You will need to work with your vet if the diarrhea doesn't abate; the kitten may have a digestive defect or intolerance to a food ingredient. Keep track at each feeding of exactly what you're feeding and how much; a simple notebook will do. And if you can, take a rectal temperature at least 2x daily; if the kitty's temperature starts dropping, get to a vet.

    Good luck!

    Posted 3 years ago by anncetera2 #

27. 

    Sorry about the delay CC, I was working on some school work. I'm not positive about the difference betweeen i/d and a/d. All I know is when Taco was in the hospital for the week with diarrhea he was on i/d because they said it's the easiest prescription diet for kitties to digest who are having diarrhea problems. Perhaps you could ask the vet the difference and see if (s)he thinks it's worth a shot? I see Lily in your avatar, she's beautiful

    Posted 3 years ago by gini #

28. 

    Cupcake, please try not to be too stressed about hubby. Instead, focus on Lily and give her lots of positive attention. That will undoubtedly help her get through this rough patch.

    Posted 3 years ago by anncetera2 #

29. 

    {{{{{{Cupcake}}}}}}} {{{{{{Lily}}}}}} Those are virtual hugs for you and your little kitten.

    Posted 3 years ago by tinafishfrombirthplaceofElvis #

30. 

    Cupcake & Lily, best wishes for both of you.

    Ron, see you picked up more than you thought about taking care of kittens :)

    Posted 3 years ago by AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew #

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