US Ex-pat w. new stray needs help - kitty won't eat! :-(

You have two of the luckiest kitties in China.
Without you ....

Your vet sounds wonderful and so do you.
Please keep us updated about both sweetie pies

Mucho hungry vibes still going out to Slotty.

what lucky kitties you have, and beautiful! is your new one also deaf?

keep the updates (& pictures) coming!

Oh look at the little cherubs!

You angels for taking on another kitten like that, but i promise you, you won't regret it because they'll be perfect play pals together

I'm certainly looking forward as we all are at seeing these babies thrive with you both

More mega healthy on their way over

Friday Morning Update - 2 Steps Forward, 1 Step Back

2 Steps Forward
Slooty was content to do nothing but lay in bed for the rest of the day after her big Vet visit. I wasn't too worried since I was confident I'd be able to force-feed her and she was getting shots for her fever, but my fiancee was troubled by Slooty's lethargy and her lack of purring when gently stroked.

I brought her waterbowl to the bed and she drank a little on her own, which was good. Before bed, over the course of a very patient hour with lots of breaks to let kitty relax, I managed to get 5mL of goat's milk into Slooty with the dropper. I also cleaned her face with a babywipe and gave her some more eyedrops before she was ready to go to sleep.

She perked up a bit after all that, and gave us a little listen to her purr-motor before bed.

1 Step Back
NewKitty, who has been named Luna, went face first into her Purina kittenchow when we brought her home. 90 minutes later the first round of vomit began and the chow ended up on the floor.

Luna vomited periodically all through the night and has had a little diarrhea as well. We called the Vet after the 2nd round of vomit and the Vet said it sounded like she just had too much to eat, too quickly - and not to let her have any more food that night.

***

Slooty will be back to the Vet today for another round of shots to treat her fever and a thorough eye-cleaning. We will call the Vet before going to update her on Luna's vomiting and see if she wants to have a look at her as well.

Despite their health difficulties, both kittens felt well enough to join us in bed last night. We've got a very comfy box for them with a nice big blanket inside for padding and a space heater nearby radiating warmth, but they climbed up onto the bed to be with us and that's where they stayed.

Slooty in the foreground, Luna in the background.


More updates as they happen...

Well I hope that Luna only have an upset stomach! That's a thing that can happen in cats that have been hungry, they eat too much, much more then their body can take it. Just feed her less quantity but maybe more often.

About Slooty, 5 ml doesn't seem enough for a cat that age ( I have had cats, 4 weeks old, drinking 10 ml...). Is that the amount of milk the vet prescribed? I think you will have to try and give her more... or like for Luna, more frequently.

Keep us posted! and some going your way....

Oh my....Slooty and Luna are beautiful kitties.

I wonder if your vet could suggest a food that is not so rich for Luna right now? Be sure to check out Sharky post above.
The link she posted might be of use to you.

I imagine that they will both need worming when they are stronger, but one thing at a time.

You are taking such good care of your little sweetie pies.

Thank you for keeping us updated....
Slotty and Luna

Awwwww look at them, bless their little hearts They look like siblings!.

More mega healthy coming over for them both, and i hope Lunas tummy settles down and Slooty starts eating and drinking properly soon

What beautiful kitties!! I hope they are feeling better real soon. With all the love they are getting I'm sure they will come around in no time!

They are beautiful little babies. I think they wanted to sleep on the bed with you because -even at their tender ages - they have already bonded and know that you are helping them.

Your kittens are beautiful, but they should not be together. URI are very contagious, and without proper antibiotics for both kittens, this strain could turn harmful. They will pass this infection back and forth and as much as it may break your heart Andrew, they should both be isolated from each other until they are healthier.

If they start to fade on you-do you have access to coffee? If so, make up a strong batch and give the kitten fading a syringeful of coffe.

To help them breathe better create a steam bath in your bathroom (if that is possible) I am not up to what a traditional bathroom in China is like, but hopefully there is a shower. Run the water as hot as you can until the room fills with steam. Wrap each kitten in a warm towel and each of you carry the kittens into the room. Stand with them so their head is closest to the steam without coming into contact with the hot water.

The kitten may not be eating because it can't smell. Be sure that the nostrils are clear of any discharge, and if available, get some baby nose drops and put those into their noses several times daily.

Thank you for caring for these two kittens when doing so is such a hardship. We in the west have no idea how lucky we are with so many vets to choose from and stores stocked from floor to ceiling with products to help sick kitties.

You can reach me via email if you have any other questions, and I will do all I can to help you. My email is (no spaces of course)

Kitten-rescue is my website that i share with another kitten rescuer and I have been working with bottle babies and sick and abandoned kittens for over twenty years. Keep your kittens separated if possible, keep them in a dark room with quiet and just go in and spend quiet time with them. They need to recover, both of them. I am not sure what diseases are rampant in your country but they should be tested for whatever is. They look pretty sick and you have a long road ahead of you. You will experience set-backs that is normal. You can only do your best and hope to God it is enough.

You have no idea what these kittens ate or went through before they arrived in your care. Your one kitten could be vomiting because of what the kitten ate before you got into the picture. Feed very small amounts several times a day, not a large amount all at once. Steer clear of dry food for now, and feed canned meats, or cooked meats with no spices.

Hissy is an expert, who is highly respected in the rescue community.
If I had 2 sick rescues and the opportunity to have her personal help, I would contact her immediately.

How are they today?

Friday Evening Update

Slooty & Luna went back to the vet in the mid-afternoon.

Slooty received another round of shots for her fever/eye infection and had her eyes cleaned.

Luna performed admirably by throwing up foamy liquid right on the vet's table while she was being examined - how's that for getting the point across? She was promptly rewarded with shots of her own. Even so, the vet still thinks she's just reacting to her dry kitten chow feast. We've been ordered to withhold food until tomorrow. Tomorrow she'll get a very small amount of wet food and hopefully she'll want it.

I've just finished giving Slooty another 5mL of tepid goat's milk over the course of a gentle hour. We're getting better at getting it down as calmy as possible.

To clarify an earlier post - the Vet advised 20mL total g-milk per day, administered in four 5mL doses throughout the day until she starts recovering and wanting to eat on her own. Slooty will get her last 5mL before bed tonight, as well as another round of antibiotic eyedrops.

Luna has rapidly declined from your average inquisitive kitten into a fuzzy lump on the bed. We've been assured that she'll be up and running again tomorrow, but we can't help but be worried.

My fiancee, bless her heart, had to take them to the Vet by herself today, and the trauma of watching them get shots, cry during cleanings, and just her general worry and heartbreak over caring for these two finally pushed her over the top. I came home from work today to find the 3 of them in bed, and my fiancee burst into tears almost immediately upon seeing me. We had a good long cry together.

I will be contacting Hissy directly as soon as this post is finished, and I'll be back again before bed with one last update.

Thank you for your love and support, everyone!

We are with you in spirit.
Slooty & Luna

Sending good vibes your way and hoping that things will get better. Please give your fiancee a big hug from me, you two are being great!!

Thanks for the update, we appreciate it because we want to see these little ones flourish!

They are deffinatly two lucky cats!!

It seems you are doing a great job with them

Studio - fiancee appreciated the hug immensely!

Saturday Morning Update

The four of us were all much too tired last night to post another update before bed, so our apologies to anyone who was waiting for one.

Slooty and Luna slept on the bed with us again. Hissy has strongly advised that we separate them if possible, but our living space is so small here in China that they would still be close enough to infect each other. We're going to keep them comfortable and just medicate and love them the best that we can.

Luna spent the night curled up against one or the other of us near our heads, and Slooty was down at the foot of the bed by herself. This has been their usual behavior from the beginning.

Luna was up in the middle of the night and had a small, very runny bowel movement in the litter box. This one was considerably firmer than the pure liquid she had been producing all day Friday though, so are hopeful.

At about 7:30 this morning Luna started whining - Slooty is a nearly silent cat, perhaps because she's deaf? but Luna is quite loud - and I got up to prepare a test breakfast for her. Both cats followed me into our kitchen area and plopped down to watch. Slooty then went into the bathroom and peed - not in the litterbox but about 2 feet short of it on the tile floor. We hardly cared though, so happy were we to see her make a nice pool of healthy yellow urine for us!

Both Slooty and Luna have had a bit of water on their own this morning, and Luna has been to her litterbox to pee.

Slooty had her 5mL goat's milk breakfast via dropper-syringe with hardly any protest.

Luna, who was whining but didn't show interest in her food, was given 2mL of the same. Luna's considerably smaller than Slooty and they will both be fed several more times today, so we didn't want to overdo it and set Luna into vomiting again.

Both kittens are now resting comfortably on the floor watching us tidy up around them. Slooty will get her morning antibiotic eyedrops very soon. Her eyes look tremendously better than when we picked her up Tuesday night, although they're still not better yet.

This afternoon both kittens will return to the Vet. We are switching from shots to orally-administered human antibiotics today. The Vet (and we) don't want to torture them with 3+ shots in the back each day, and she assures us we can buy a strong human antibiotic to treat what they have in a local pharmacy. She told us this yesterday but I still elected for them having shots at that time because I was not yet confident in my ability to give them liquids orally with the syringe.

We've got a humidifier going 24/7 now and will keep steaming their respiratory systems as best we can. We've got a dinky little water heater - quite large by Chinese standards actually! - so we can't give them the sauna that we wish we could.

Time for Slooty's eyedrops!

Comments and feedback are ALWAYS appreciated!!!

I was so happy to see your post. I'll continue sending prayers and healing vibes for these two little fur-babies and hugs to you and your wife for the wonderful thing you are doing for them. I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say our thoughts, prayers and hearts are with you.

Your struggle to help Slooty and Luna has captured our hearts.
More vibes on the way.

Thank you for the gifts everyone! Your PM's won't go unanswered, I promise we'll get to them eventually!

Brief update to mention that Slooty made a BM in the litterbox at 10am! It was very runny, but it was formed, and this was her first BM since Thursday when we began the forcefeedings so we are very happy!

Baby steps, right?