Kitten not playing and jumping anymore

Originally Posted by missmun52

will this bleach out my carpet and such or will it be too weak to do so? I dont want all my stuff changing colors. lol. My entire house is carpeted except the bathroom and kitchen.

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Now you've got me. The carpets at the shelter are light beige, and bleach doesn't mess them up. We don't have carpets, and our furniture is leather or wood (I have asthma). I know there's Chlorox for colored fabrics, but I don't know if it sterilizes like regular Chlorox.

Could you rent a steam cleaner for the carpets? That's what I use on our floors and the Oriental rug in the living room.

Well I used the bleach solution on my carpets and couch and it did not turn them colors. My house does smell like bleach however but I have the windows open and hope the smell goes in a few days. I bought a vacume two nights ago and it is wonderful. Its a bissell pet hair eraser. I had a small vacume that was not really any good and when i vacumed with this thing I was amazed at how much stuff it got up so I think I did a good job at cleaning everything. I dont have to have a heart attack when my son rols around all over the floor and puts his face on the carpet which he loves to do (thats why no shoes in the house)

Ernie seems to be doing a little better. he is still not eating as he should but he will take some bites of the dry food and his breath does not smell anymore. He has been taking his meds with no problem at all; he opens his mouth for my husband and everything.

He is still not jumping very much though. I have locked him out of the bedroom and living room until the worms are gone for my sons sake and i had the baby gate up last night, He was so sad and determined that he cried and cried and then finally jumped over it. Well, we had to put him in the bathroom but he stays in the closet in there all days anyway, he just came out at night and at feeding times and slept either with us in the bedroom or in the living room.

How long does it usually take for them to be rid of the worms? And what can I do to stop this from happening again if anything?

jcat, right now I rent but I plan on getting a home with all wood floors and buying a leather couch. Right now I am in school and I was just accepted to the Nursing program for jan . When I am finished we plan to buy our first home. I think it is much cleaner to have a set up like yours especially with pets.

Thanks!

Well last night we gave Ernie Strongid. I picked up two doses from the vets office for him and it only cost $12 for both. I gave him one last nigt and they said to give him the next three weeks after.

I had given him revolution on 10/21 (did a bad job however and he licked it off) and hope it was ok to have given him the strongid 2 1/2 weeks later.

Right now he still seems sick and only ate about 1/2 a jar of baby food today but has been eating about 2 jars each day for the past few days so i dont know what happened today; maybe the strongid? He is still not drinking but I do mix his food with water.

he lives in the bathroom as I am crazy about worms and hope he does not ever have them again as its a big fear of mine; I had them as a child and still have memories. the doctor told my mom she was lucky when she brought me as i was heavily infested and they were moving up to my brain. I was deathly thin thats how my mom knew things were not ok. dont want that happening to my son. Hopefully Ernie wllbe as good as new soon!

If I were you I wouldn't keep him in the bathroom much longer, the worm medication is supposed to work in a few hours so you and your family should be ok. However by keeping him any longer in the bathroom I am afraid your cat might get into a depression hence not eating much. It is much more difficult to treat a cat against depression then against worms.

I certainly don't blame you for having a worm phobia, not after going through what you did as a kid. But I think it's safe to let Ernie out of "lock-up" now: those dewormers generally work pretty fast..

Ernie's appetite probably will take awhile to pick up - not only b/c he's not feeling well (we're the same way too, when we get sick) but also b/c he probably can't smell or taste very much due to the URI. When a cat can't smell or taste their food, they usually don't want to eat...

You are a good Meowmy, and Mommy too, worrying about both your babies' health.

~KK~

I let ernie out yesterday night only to notice that his tummy is now really fat and round. He did not look like this before and my husband said it really did get bigger. we just dewormed him and since he never had a big tummy I dont see how it could be worms as it got bigger after we gave him the wormer.

I have an appointment with the vet this Sat and will try calling today to see if this is anything I should be concerned about.

Is it normal for thier tummies to get round and bloated after you give them to wormer; also I never saw any worms come out and it has been about 3 days maybe they are still in there and are making his tummy big now??(sorry to sound silly but I just dont know)

Also let me add that I felt his tummy and it is very soft, not at all hard.

I am going to try to get some pictures on here later.

It is unlikely you will see any worms - they usually get absorbed. I normally consider 24 hours long enough to keep cats in isolation. The round tummy may be due to the action of the wormer but check with your vet in a day or two if it looks abnormal or if he is not eating. Good luck - you have had a bad time, but I am sure it will get better.

Here are some pictures of Ernie. I called the vet and they said maybe its the worms that are dying....after 4 days?!?! Then she says maybe I fed him too much, after I told her he is not really eating much. (this was not to the vet I originally saw by the way, she was working at the time). Well I am trying to wait to go on sat as cant go twice this week, but please tell me what you think.

Before


After

I don't think that's normal at all. I think you should take him to the vet ASAP. Have you touched his tummy? Does he let you or does he protest as in pain? Does it seems "liquid" or "solid". Has he passed some bowel movement?

On the first photo he does seem sick (the before photo) poor little guy...

Originally Posted by Studio224

I don't think that's normal at all. I think you should take him to the vet ASAP. Have you touched his tummy? Does he let you or does he protest as in pain? Does it seems "liquid" or "solid". Has he passed some bowel movement?

On the first photo he does seem sick (the before photo) poor little guy...

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He lets me touch his tummy just fine actually. He never liked it before and would give you a very light nip as a warning but now he lets me not only touch it but press it. It is not hard but soft like liquid. He has been having bowel movements once a day, they are small however.

He has been sick for about 2 1/2 weeks now and has been progressivly getting worse it seems. I am going to call the vet and try getting an appointment for sooner than Sat.

The first thought that came to my mind when you said his belly was swollen was FIP. That's why I suggested you went to the vet... I hope it's not ( and I am not a vet, just someone with "some" experience of cats so I hope I am wrong!) it could be also that he might need another round of worm medicine. He could be constipated with hard feces difficult to pass. Anyway, it's not normal. I don't think it's related to food since you said he was not eating a lot. Only the vet with an examination will tell you what's wrong.

Don't be discouraged though, some shelters don't have the money, the time or enough vets to make sure a pet given to adoption is 100% healthy but Ernie is lucky to have found you to help him get back his health... Keep us posted.

I just called the shelter that i got Ernie from and I have no choice but to take him back there and have thier vet take a look at him tomorrow night. I do not want to take him back as I know its hard on him going back there but I dont have to pay to be seen (the person I spoke with was very nice). I am still going to take him to his vet on Sat but since he needs to be seen asap this is the only option for me.

He has not eaten in over 24 hours so I just fed him some food through a syringe; I also gave him just a little water. He is cleaning his face as I made a big mess of him trying to do it I have a class tonight and a important exam and i can neither study nor concentrate on it. I will give him some more food before I go and ask my husband to give him some when he gives him his medicine tonight.

FIP has crossed my mind as I have searched the internet for what might possibly cause this, the fact that his breathing has gotten worse has not helped either. I just hope for the best.

Do you have a vaporizer you could use in a small room to ease the congestion? Just use plain water. If not, try running a hot shower while you have him in the bathroom - if it's nice and steamy, it might help.
for Ernie!

Originally Posted by Studio224

The first thought that came to my mind when you said his belly was swollen was FIP.

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That's what I thought, too. One of the symptoms of FIP can be a swollen belly that expands rapidly. Plus, you say he's having a difficult time breathing: That would indicate to me that his lungs are filling with fluid - another FIP symptom. You need to get him to the vet ASAP..

I sure hope it's NOT FIP. I will be praying for Ernie, and be sending more good vibes you way..

Keep us updated!

~KK~

Missmun52, you and Ernie are in my prayers... I hope to God this is not FIP, I am praying so Ernie who has been through so much already gets better and gets the life he deserves...

missmum-

Let me introduce you to Charlie:



He was found on the highway next to his dead littermate. He has been here just over 30 days and he has given me a crash course in the damage that roundworms do to kittens and cats.

Like Ernie, Charlie was also rounded in the belly, had poor appetite, had to be given supportive fluids from home and so far has racked up quite an impressive vet bill!

It is possible that Ernie also has a URI because the worms can cause this, and block up sensitive tissues and wreck havoc inside and literally make the cat unwilling to eat.

Here is charlie during his bloated days



He was wormed repeatedly with different types of wormers, but finally after he grew healthy and began to gain some strength and body weight, I wormed him with Profender a brand new topical wormer with the assistance of my vet.

Here is Charlie today:



We have had scary moments, times when I was sure he wasn't going to make it, long prayer vigils, and many good wishes and assistance from the members on this board. He still wheezes, his breath still smells, but there is no more open-mouth breathing, his URI changed into the diagnosis of the feline herpesvirus after I took him to a feline specialist. He is clearly the most expensive kitten I have ever had the pleasure to know. I do not have a full-time job. I rescue privately out of pocket and write articles for a living. I know how you are struggling to not spend money on Ernie, but don't give up.

Roundworms can do major damage to the heart, lungs and other tissue. They can become such an obstruction when they start to die off, that bowel movements are difficult, appetite goes way down and the cat just doesn't feel good.

Talk to your vet about profender. It is made by Bayer Health- but remember that this is a brand new wormer for cats- and being one that goes on the skin, there is controversy surrounding it, so read ALL the literature.

I went this route with Charlie because he was doing so poorly for so long. Now, his name has evolved from Hardluck Charlie to Hurricane Charlie and he is a fiesty in your face type of kitten.

I pray I have offered you hope and I wish you luck- You can PM if you like-


MA

Thank you Hissy. I sent you a PM

Ernie has had three very very liquid stools. I gave him some water with a little sugar and salt in it earlier because he is not eating and drinking on his own anymore and he seemed to really like that and drank the entire bowl. Now it is all coming out. I checked for worms but none.

Why is he having diarrhea; is it the water I gave him??

I don't know... Are you going to the shelter vet today? He still doesn't want to eat?