I'm panicking, please reassure me!

bnwalker2

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I've had the bottle babies for almost 2 weeks. There were four and someone with bottle baby experience adopted one. She sent me an email the day after she got him and said he had passed away.. the vet said he had coccidia. My vet gave me Albon for the other kittens, and they have had a little diarrhea but have been acting fine.
Annabelle is extremely frantic about eating, she has been for about a week now. When she sees the bottle she will claw my hand apart trying to get to it, and will continue to claw at me until she's done eating. I thought it was just her personality. But today, one of the other kittens has started to do it. And he's acting extremely odd. He seems to have no balance and is getting weak but the second I pull the bottle out he starts tearing my hand apart and eats a ton. When I touch him he kinda "jerks" to life and starts going nuts for a second and then back to a sleepy state.
I'm worried about the kittens, but while I'm probably being ridiculous and panicking for no reason.. Rabies is the first thing I thought of. I know animals with Rabies are disoriented and aggressive (which is what I'd consider the clawing at my hand when they see the bottle).
I have literally dozens of scratches from these guys so I know that if they've got it, so do I.
Annabelle and Chili are playing and acting alright, but Sebastian is just not.

Do these sound like symptoms of anything in particular. I'm going to get them into the vet ASAP but it won't be for a few more hours and I'm flipping out NOW! It couldn't be Rabies, could it?
 

goldenkitty45

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I don't think its rabies but our prayers are with you - just try to be calm till the kittens are checked out. Its weird reactions - hope its not too serious!
 

kai bengals

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It's not Rabies. They would have had to have been bitten by an animal already infected with Rabies.
Haven't you had them since birth?

Sounds like the kittens "think" they are starving. Seeing the bottle means food to them, so they panic to get to it. Can't explain the jerking behavior, but your Vet will be able to help you.
 

white cat lover

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Are they dehydrated at all? I've seen dehydrated BBs get frantic about the bottle as they feel stronger/better after eating. And coccidia can dehydrate them easily....
That's my only thought!
 
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bnwalker2

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It's not Rabies. They would have had to have been bitten by an animal already infected with Rabies.
Haven't you had them since birth?
I haven't had them since birth. These kittens were found in someone's yard after the mother disappeared. I took them in almost 2 weeks ago (on Sunday). Maybe I should call her and see if the mother cat ever returned. That was why I was kinda thinking Rabies, maybe they got it from her and since she disappeared, maybe she died?
 
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bnwalker2

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Are they dehydrated at all?
They're not dehydrated. The one kitten has been frantic about the bottle for around a week... I thought it was just her personality. But the little boy has always been pretty calm about eating until today.
 

catsallover

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If they have a little diarrhea, they may be thirsty. You might want to try adding a bottle or so a day, and see if that helps. I've had kittens do that before, but they usually stop clawing once they are latched on well and sucking the bottle dry. Maybe your vet could give them some sub q fluids until the diarrhea clears up? What brand of formula are you using? They may need the one from your vet (sorry, the name is eluding me right now) if you are using a store bought brand - been there
).

I would get the one who is acting odd to the vet right away- it may be dehydration that is making him act that way, and he may need fluids asap. It can be very difficult with small kittens to tell if they are getting dehydrated. I almost lost one because I didn't realize he was dehydrated- he was just acting odd and lethargic. He needed fluids badly and then he was fine. His other 2 brothers never had a problem, and they all had the slight runs (starting big cat food) and all ate the same amount out of the bottles.
 
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bnwalker2

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Well, I haven't taken him to the vet yet because he started acting completely fine. After I posted, he took about a half hour nap. Then he just sprang to life and has been running all over the room since. He's following me around and begging to be picked up and he ate quite a bit.

I do have sub-q fluids and needles on hand, just in case. I've also got pedialyte in case it's needed. I'm currently giving him formula from the store but it's KMR... it's the exact same thing the vet sells (my vet anyway). I'm gonna keep an eye on him and if he starts acting bad again I'll take him to the vet right away or in the morning if need be.
 

sandtigress

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I just want to reassure you - you shouldn't get rabies from scratches, just bites. Unless you've somehow gotten their saliva into the scratches somehow, your chances of getting it even if they have it are slim.

So I hope that's not the case for these babies, and you find out what's wrong with them, but until then, I think you don't have to worry so much about getting sick yourself.
 
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