Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Cats & Kittens

1. 

   Hi everyone, it's me again with my problems :(

   This morning my kitten seemed fine, made the usual noise at 7am with his litter box. But he hasn't been eaten very much in the past few days.

   I came to check at lunch and he was still in the same position as I left him in his bed. He looks completely lethargic (very unusual since he's usually pretty lively), and he's been sleeping all day and hasn't touched his food.

   I've tried force feeding him with a seringe with wet food mixed with water, but only got so far to about maybe 4-8ml the whole day. He won't touch wet or dry food. I've tried warming up his food, rubbing his tummy, but he just won't eat.

   And just now he threw up white foam. I'm very concerned since it's incredibly important for him to eat. I've already made a vet appointment but they will only have space open on Tuesday. I'm afraid that 4 days is too long to go by before he's seriously sick. I'm not sure if he could've eaten something he wasn't supposed to, or if it's something else.

   At best, I can bring him to the animal hospital (but it's super far! I could never make it there by public transportation) on Saturday.

   In the mean time, anyone have any advice in feeding him? He really refuses to eat even through seringe and it's a battle to get his mouth to open.

   Please help!! :(

   Posted 2 years ago by Dahlia #

2. 

   I wish there was something I could say that would make things better, but the truth is your kitten needs to see a vet. I suggest a call to the vet and explain what you have said here. This should get you an appointment earlier then next Tuesday. My prayers are with you both.

   Posted 2 years ago by SoxsMom #

3. 

   Thanks Soxsmom, I'll be bringing him to the vet hospital tomorrow after work (was able to get a ride there).

   Wish me luck!

   Posted 2 years ago by Dahlia #

4. 

   Yes, vet, emergency if he gets worse. Try to get some pedialyte down him. (Gatorade or luke warm water is better than nothing.) I'm worried by the lethargy, really sick kittens go 'flat' -- limp and unresponsive and it's not good. Try smearing a little Nutrical or Karo corn syrup along his gums -- a small smear, no lumps he could choke on -- for a little energy.

   Keep him warm and comfy (heat pad or close to your body heat or hot water bottle wrapped in towel with room to get off if he needs to). Keep trying to get the fluids down him (put the syringe (with no needle of course) or dropper through the side of the mouth), and stroke the underside of his jaw till he swallows. (Hold him gently upside down if he chokes or they go down the wrong way until he stops choking.)

   Hope this little one makes it through. Many hugs to you both!

   Posted 2 years ago by jcat #

5. 

   Hi JCat,

   Thanks for the tips! I'm hoping to get some advice from the vet today after work.

   This morning I was able to feed him 10ml of water, and about 5-6ml of wet food mixed with water. I'll repeat that again for lunch, since I don't have time to go to the pet store to buy other types of food. I'm feeding him Wellness wet food. I'll probably get most of the ingredients this weekend and see how that goes.

   Posted 2 years ago by Dahlia #

6. 

   How is the child doing today?

   Posted 2 years ago by Skyron #

7. 

   Hi Skyron,

   Well I took him to the ER vet last night, they told me that his lower back was sensitive and that he didn't liked to be touched there. They wanted to run some x-rays but with the cost of running that, would run me (for the first time at the vet ER) at about $800. Which is something I can't afford right now. I had them keep him overnight for 24hrs to try to rehydrate him, and so far he still shows no signs of wanting to eat and ran a fever last night as well.

   He's on antibiotics and that seems to help with his temperature. Unfortunately there's not much else they could tell me or do. They don't know why he has a fever, he's been tested negative for parasites and coccidia. But as far as FIP goes, we can't say for sure.

   So he's coming home tonight, I was advised to keep to antibiotics and keep force feeding him hoping for the best.

   Unfortunately this is not really good news and I'm not sure if he'll get any better :(

   Posted 2 years ago by Dahlia #

8. 

   The hydration and antibiotics might do the trick. The painful lower back could be from a urinary tract infection. Or he might have eaten something that disagreed with him, in which case time will help.

   I'll keep him (and you) at the forefront of my thoughts to day.

   Posted 2 years ago by CheetahBoysmommy #

9. 

   What kind of antibiotics did they give him? Its very important that you keep him hydrated, so something like pedialyte is definitely necessary. You can also try getting some food into him by using either hills science a/d cans, or royal canin's recovery food. These foods are really high in calories and should go a long way towards getting some strength back into him. Watch him closely - is he just vomitting, or does he have diahrrea as well? If he has both, its probably due to an infection; but if it's just the one or the other, it might be because he has a gastric obstruction (that would be what they need to check on xrays). My vet once told me it's not the gastritis that kills kittens, but that they cant keep them hydrated enough to keep them going. So lots and lots of fluid! Also check his temprature and keep him warm if necessary. Good luck!

   Posted 2 years ago by Skyron #

10. 

    Prayers he gets better soon. Bless you for taking him to the vet.

    Posted 2 years ago by Sheba's Mom in Raleigh, NC #

11. 

    Oh, Dahlia, I'm sorry to hear this about your little boy. Do they think he might have injured his back somehow? Poor little boy, please let us know about his progress. Hoping he starts to feel better soon, and eat some more. Are you warming his food to make it more appealing? Smelly foods (like fish) and pure chicken baby food (US TDKers recommend Gerbers), without any onion or additives, may help to tempt his appetite.

    Posted 2 years ago by jcat #

12. 

    Oh I am sorry to hear about this. What antibiotic did they give you? He also might get diahrrea from being on the meds. Good luck with your little guy!

    Posted 2 years ago by Crystal #

13. 

    Good luck my dear..hope your kitten does better soon

    Posted 2 years ago by iliketea #

14. 

    Thank you for your prayers and concern everyone, it helps in trying to take care of a sick kitten!

    I apologize for the late update.

    The vet was unable to determine his condition, considering that it would be too costly to conduct any further test. I was however prescribed Clavamox 0.14mg every 12hrs for 10 days. That brought his fever down. I checked his temp this morning and it was 37C (a bit low from the 38C-39C average). He seemed more lively today, going to his scratch post and began to eat his dry kibbles (I've reverted to his owner brand - Purina Pro Plan) by himself, although not all of it. So I'm still force feeding him Science Diet's a/d (prescribed by vet) as his main meat (but oh so messy to feed him!).

    He doesn't drink much by himself, so I'm also feeding him water by the syringe. Btw, to hydrate a cat, is water enough?? Or does it really need to be pedialyte or of the like?

    So far he's still pretty skinny, 10 weeks and at 1.2lbs, so prayers to have this little guy pack on the pounds asap.

    The only thing the really concerns me is his diarrhea. He was cured of it a week ago, but now it's back (and has some bloody stools). I'm guessing there's something irritating his stomach, I'm not sure what it is. Would x-rays be necessary in this case? Because of it, I'm making sure he gets enough water in his system, but again, am not sure what else to feed him to keep him hydrated.

    Thanks again for your support, am looking forward in seeing better progress from my little Ennio. So far he seems better, but I can only hope his condition improves from this point on.

    Posted 2 years ago by Dahlia #

15. 

    Oh I forgot to mention, Ennio's inner eyelids have creeped up since he has fallen sick (since Thursday), when he's awake they mostly retreat back to normal, but sometimes when he's half awake half dozing, his inner eyelids seem to linger.

    Is this normal? Should I be concerned?

    Posted 2 years ago by Dahlia #

16. 

    Hi, Dahlia, sorry to hear that Ennio is still sick but very glad he's improving a little. I would think (but don't know) that he is drowsy from the meds and that is why his third eyelid is lingering a little. I would only be worried about that if he seemed to have something wrong with his eyes as it can be a sign of pain if they are closed or the third eyelid comes across.

    Yes, I think pedialyte would definitely be better than water. From what I understand, it shouldn't cost much in the baby aisle of the supermarket -- get unflavoured. It is definitely more helpful than plain water.

    The bloody stools are a bit worrying, aren't they? I wish I could help more. Would the vet or a vet tech talk to you if you rang for advice on them? Hopefully the antibiotics will clear them up. They could be a helpful sign to the vet in diagnosing what's wrong. Please let us know how Ennio gets on. Scritches and smooches to him and hugs to you!

    Posted 2 years ago by jcat #

17. 

    Check around your house carefully. Could he have eaten yarn, string or something similar? Or have your houseplants been chewed? Look places you wouldn't usually see, like the underside of the bed, chairs, etc. It helps if you actually crawl around on your hands and knees.

    If he has ingested a lot of string-like stuff, it could be balled up inside. If he ate part of a plant (or chocolate), he could have made himself sick.

    If he just had a UTI, the Clavamox will take care of it. It could also be giving him the diarrhea.

    Do you know how to do the "tent" test? You put up the skin between his shoulder blades, then let go. If it snaps back into place, he is hydrated. If it goes down slowly, he needs more water. If it just stays up, he's really dehydrated. Most cats get the liquid they need from wet food. And if you are syringing food that has been mixed with water, he should be okay.

    If he has something stuck inside, the vet may be able to feel it the next time you take him in. Also, ask the vet to show you the "tent" test so you can see how it should look. That will make you feel more confident.

    I'm hoping that it's something minor, a little virus or a UTI. Please give him a little snuggle from me and tell him I'm thinking about him.

    Posted 2 years ago by CheetahBoysmommy #

18. 

    Hi Cheetah,

    I recently bought him a sisal mini jungle gym thing, and he seems to like chewing on the sisals bits that are getting loose. Although none of them are long enough to be harmful (I usually cut off the ones that look too long). I don't have any plants in the house, and I can't think of anything that could be small enough or get loose enough for him to actually eat. He mainly stays in the living room and it's full of box cartons, DVDs, books, and computer wires (i've taught him not to wander there and I haven't seen any wires showing signs of being chewed - plus I unplug the main outlet for safety measure).

    I know the tent test and have done it, it's not looking good, he was hydrated at the hospital, but now it's up to me to keep him hydrated. I will try to find some pedialyte (didn't see any at our local Shopper's Drug mart) if not, perhaps KMR? I read Gatorade could help, but I'm really against giving him something so sugary to replace electrolyte.

    @JCAT: Thanks for the tip, I'll try to call the vet by phone tomorrow and see what they have to say.

    Posted 2 years ago by Dahlia #

19. 

    Dahlia, if he gets really dehydrated he may need the vet to give him subcutaneous fluids. These are injected under the skin and you can also ask the vet to show you how to do this so that you can do it at home, which would be cheaper. It's terrible that vets cost so much :(

    Posted 2 years ago by jcat #

20. 

    Hi JCat,

    This morning Ennio looked in good shape and was playful. He drinks a bit on his own and I fed him 5cc of a/d wet food (and he ate a good chunk of his kibbles) and it was a breeze. He gained 3/4 ounce and weighs exactly 1.3lbs, so some progress!

    I will still buy him some pedialyte or something of the like just in case, and will continue to get him to drink water for now until I get what I need.

    For now I'm going to refrain from seeing the vet, the Vet hospital bill broke my little piggy bank temporarily. But I will definitely contact them if his condition degrades.

    But at least he's getting better :)

    Posted 2 years ago by Dahlia #

21. 

    I know hookworms and whipworms can cause bloody diahrrea, maybe you should have the child dewormed again? Just to be sure? You should also ask your vet for some flaggil (I know it has a somewhat similar name in the US, I just cant remember what it is right now) for the runny tummy.

    Posted 2 years ago by Skyron #

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