Found Kitten needs health tip!

little black <3 · May 31, 2007

I found a little black kitten on the side of the rd today. I have a weak spot for animals so I brought him home with me. I don't know how old he is but he has teeth and walks/climbs pretty decently. His eyes were madded shut so i took a salt water solution and a wash rag and cleaned his face, eyes and nose. When he opened his eyes they had some mucas in them and the left eye looks as if he might be blind in it b/c its is glazed over in white while the right eye appears to be normal besided the mucas. Is this something serious that he needs to go to the vet for b/c i really can't afford it for a couple of weeks at least? Also what should I be feeding him? Someone please help!

Little Black <3
ps he is solid black and his name is Sampson

white cat lover · May 31, 2007

He really needs to see a vet. Sounds to me like he's got at a bare minimum an eye infection(possibly upper respiratory infection). Call local vets & see if any will put you on a payment plan. Sampson needs to go to a vet ASAP. If no vet will work with you, call around to find a no-kill shelter. He might still be young enough that he needs to be bottle fed as well....you never know. My 4-5 week bottle baby gets are pretty darn good, too.

bonnie1965 · May 31, 2007

Yes, the little one needs to see a vet. Will most likely need antibiotics. White Cat Lover gave good advice. There just isn't any way to know what is the matter until you take him in. Call around to local vets and don't get discouraged. If that doesn't work, try local shelters and animal control for vet recommendations.

As for food, a good quality kitten food soaked in KMR (kitten milk replacement) would probably work until you know how old he is.

Thanks so much for having such a big heart! I know the unexpected expense is hard. Please keep us up on how things go for you and Sampson

ldg · Jun 1, 2007

Our kitty Flowerbelle looked like your description when we rescued her - her diagnosis was herpes virus. It requires treatment ASAP or your kitty may have to have surgery to have the eye removed, and that costs a lot! We worked for a long time to save her eye, but ended up having to have it removed. Her energy level went up so much after that - and she does just great without it.

But your kitty is in distress and really should see a vet ASAP - eye problems hurt.

Lysine helps boost the immune system to fight the herpes virus, but a kitty with herpes virus will be more susceptible to upper respiratory infections, colds, etc.

Here is a link that will help you search for assistance. You can call around to local shelters and rescues to see if they can provide low-cost vet services - or if they are familiar with anyone in the area who can, or any vet that may be able to work with you with a payment plan.

http://www.pets911.com

Thank you for rescuing this kitty!

Laurie

little black <3 · Jun 2, 2007

Thanks to all of you who gave advice and expressed concern. Samson had a vet appointment today at 11am. He was given amoxicillen and eye ointment. They said that if he had a respritory virus that this should help and if he didnt start getting better in the next 2 weeks to bring him back and we can test him for Feline-lukemia which is gonna cost $40 or we would've gotten him tested today. All and all he seems to be doing well. He follows me around and and stays right under my feet. He is using the bathroom and is accepting the replacement milk a little at a time. Just wanted to let you guys know and say a BIG thanks! I'm lucky to have found this site and will keep posting updates on Samsons condition.
Thanks Again

sammymykitten · Jun 2, 2007

Originally Posted by Bonnie1965

Yes, the little one needs to see a vet. Will most likely need antibiotics. White Cat Lover gave good advice. There just isn't any way to know what is the matter until you take him in. Call around to local vets and don't get discouraged. If that doesn't work, try local shelters and animal control for vet recommendations.

As for food, a good quality kitten food soaked in KMR (kitten milk replacement) would probably work until you know how old he is.

Thanks so much for having such a big heart! I know the unexpected expense is hard. Please keep us up on how things go for you and Sampson

He NEEDS to see a vet, ASAP.

bonnie1965 · Jun 2, 2007

Originally Posted by Little Black <3

Thanks to all of you who gave advice and expressed concern. Samson had a vet appointment today at 11am. He was given amoxicillen and eye ointment. They said that if he had a respritory virus that this should help and if he didnt start getting better in the next 2 weeks to bring him back and we can test him for Feline-lukemia which is gonna cost $40 or we would've gotten him tested today. All and all he seems to be doing well. He follows me around and and stays right under my feet. He is using the bathroom and is accepting the replacement milk a little at a time. Just wanted to let you guys know and say a BIG thanks! I'm lucky to have found this site and will keep posting updates on Samsons condition.
Thanks Again

How wonderful! Good job

Did the vet say how old the little guy is?

little black <3 · Jun 6, 2007

The vet says that Samson is about 6 weeks old now. He is so spoiled and sleeps with me every night. When I am home he must be in my lap at all times. He is still not eating on his own dddddddddu z (thats him saying hello) I am having to feed him thru a syringe the milk replacement and sometimes water. He has peed since I've had him but not in the past 2 days. Any suggestions? He has plenty of energy though and is playful.

laureen227 · Jun 6, 2007

Originally Posted by Little Black <3

The vet says that Samson is about 6 weeks old now. He is so spoiled and sleeps with me every night. When I am home he must be in my lap at all times. He is still not eating on his own dddddddddu z (thats him saying hello) I am having to feed him thru a syringe the milk replacement and sometimes water. He has peed since I've had him but not in the past 2 days. Any suggestions? He has plenty of energy though and is playful.

try him on some wet food. most cats really like human meat baby food, like chicken. i'm surprised he's not eating on his own, tho - Firefox, my new kit, is, & my vet told me she was probably only about 4 weeks old

she eats the adult wet out of a dish - i'm mixing in some KMR-type formula with it to liquidate it more & add calories & nutrients. if you make it soupy enough, you could probably get it thru a syringe if necessary.

jen · Jun 6, 2007

i would think that he should be eating and going to the bathroom at 6 weeks. Either that or else the vet has his age wrong. Especailly since you had him for a little bit now, he should be doing things for himself more. Just keep working at it I guess. Put a bowl of gloopy food down there for him and put his nose right by it gently.

I would also hold off on the FeLV screen, he is still too young. They tend to have false negatives or positives this young, plus if he was exposed to it after he was born as opposed to being born with it, then it would take anywhere from a month or two for it to show up accurately anyway. Either that or else do it now to make sure he wasn't born with it, if you get a positive, do a second one. If negative then do one again later on.

momofmany · Jun 7, 2007

I found my little black boy Boris in a ditch by my house many years ago. He also had a URI poor baby. You have to wonder how kittens so young are left on their own by the side of a road. Either someone dumped them there, or they were too sick to keep up with their momma and got separated from them. Great job for rescuing him and I love his name!

If Samson was just recently separated from his mom, he may not be fully weaned, even at 6 weeks old. If he likes KMR, you can start weaning over to dry food by covering a small bit of dry with the KMR to soften it. Get him lapping from a bowl by putting some KMR in it. Then you can try the food mixed with KMR. Some cats get spoiled and want you to do all the work for them and don't let him con you!! Canned food is also good, particularly one that is very soft. When they are younger than 3 -4 weeks, sometimes you have to stimulate them to go potty. Keep a close eye on him to make sure he goes. If he doesn't, you really want to call the vet and ask about it. At 6 weeks old you shouldn't have to stimulate them at all.

laureen227 · Jun 7, 2007

i've been mixing Firefox's wet food with her formula, & she thinks it's delish! we haven't even started with kibble yet...

bnwalker2 · Jun 8, 2007

My kittens are 4-6 weeks old. I started out introducing KMR in a bowl for them and now I put down canned food with a tiny amount of dry mixed in with it. 7 out of 10 caught on immediately and are eating very well. The other three showed no interest in the canned food. Out of curiousity, I put down a bowl of dry food last night and one of the three that wouldn't eat the canned food went crazy over the dry food. It surprised me quite a bit, but I guess she just has a different taste than the rest of them, LOL.

Found Kitten needs health tip!

little black <3

TCS Member

Thread starter

white cat lover

TCS Member

bonnie1965

TCS Member

ldg

TCS Member

little black <3

TCS Member

Thread starter

sammymykitten

TCS Member

bonnie1965

TCS Member

little black <3

TCS Member

Thread starter

laureen227

Darksome Duo!

jen

TCS Member

momofmany

TCS Member

laureen227

Darksome Duo!

bnwalker2

TCS Member

Latest Posts

Connect with us