**Help** Sick 13 day old Kitten!

I am helping take care of a litter of 6 kittens. They were born on Tuesday the 8th. One of the little boys seems to be sick. When I checked on them on Friday, he was beautiful and wide eyed.


Now today, his eyes are crusted over. They are only open a little on the edges. He also is opening his little mouth and curling his tongue up and making a really weird noise. I am not sure if he is sneezing or if he is spitting/hissing.


The kittens have been sleeping on the hard wood floor b/c their mom took them off the blanket there were on. Do they need to be warmed or put in a box with blankets? I have no idea what to do with this little guy. Please help!! The other kittens seem to be ok, except I think I heard another one making the same spitting/sneezing noise. I couldn't tell who it was though. I am really worried about the little boy. :-(

This was the kitty on Friday:




These are from today:

oops

Friday:

http://aycu36.webshots.com/image/389...5791920_rs.jsp

Today:

http://aycu37.webshots.com/image/414...4592700_rs.jpg

They should not be on the floor. It is too Cold for them. Take him to the Vet kKittens get Sick easy and it can go through the whole litter. My Sasha was from alitter of 6 but all died from Colds except her and her brother. You need to make sure they are warm.

Another from today:

[img=http://aycu21.webshots.com/image/41660/2004105585877658757_rs.jsp]

the pics from the post above this don't work, sorry. PM or post here please. I am really worried. :-(

Originally Posted by mews2much

They should not be on the floor. It is too Cold for them. Take him to the Vet kKittens get Sick easy and it can go through the whole litter. My Sasha was from alitter of 6 but all died from Colds except her and her brother. You need to make sure they are warm.

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We are in Florida, so it is fairly warm during the day (70s), but the nights get a little chilly. Should I separate the boy from the rest of the litter?

Yes, the kittens must be kept warm. Here is a link with more information:

http://www.kitten-rescue.com/

There is also a sticky at the top of this forum with more links that could help you out. Hopefully one of members more experienced with kittens will be along soon to offer advice.

Hang in there.

ETA - I am not an expert, but after looking at the picture of that kitten, I would call the Vet.

Thanks AbbysMom. We have a neighbour who is a retired vet (he used to take care of our dogs). Do you think I should take the sick kitten to him tonight? Or should I wait and see how he is in the morning? Do the kittens need a rice heating bag with them? I put them on a pillow so they weren;t on the cool floor.

I would call your neighbor now and see if he can come to your house to look at the kitten. I really wouldn't wait. A kitten is very fragile and can slip away fast.

Is the mother still with these kittens and taking good care of them? Do you have a nest for the mother and kittens?

Nikki, the warm rice bag is a good idea. Is he nursing? If he is and mom cat isn't rejecting him then leave him with her and kittens.

Originally Posted by AbbysMom

Is the mother still with these kittens and taking good care of them? Do you have a nest for the mother and kittens?

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yes she is with them. The kittens are actually at another neighbour's house, and he had them all on a pillow, but the mama took them off of it. I put them all back on the pillow a few hours ago when I went over to check on them.

Originally Posted by snosrap5

Is he nursing? If he is and mom cat isn't rejecting him then leave him with her and kittens.

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Yes I think he is nursing. He was with the other kittens and the mother, all piled on top of each other. I just hope he isn't contagious.

The best thing you could do right now is call your neighbor that used to be a vet.

Calling the vet is a good idea. As well as try to find something to keep the kittens in, like a box or crate lined with blankets. Are mom and kittens out in the open? If they are try to move them in the box into a closet or a bedroom that isn't a high traffic area and out of any drafts. That might keep mom from moving them off the towels.

Have you tried a warm cloth to clean the goop away from his eyes?

The kittens and mom are behind the bed (where she delivered). They have about a foot wide and 3 feet long crawl space between the bed and the wall. I tried cleaning his eyes with a warm, wet paper towel when I was over at the house, but the goop is crusty and hard. I didn't want to put alot of pressure of his eyes by rubbing at them, and I couldn't get anything off.

Nikki, my best advise is to take him to the vet now. Kittens can go down hill so fast. I hope he's going to be ok.
Keep us posted.

Originally Posted by snosrap5

Nikki, my best advise is to take him to the vet now. Kittens can go down hill so fast. I hope he's going to be ok.
Keep us posted.

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The guy who has has been taking care of Marguerite (the mama) just returned my phone call and said he had checked on Mohawk. He said he is coughing still. But he doesn't seem to be in too much of a hurry to take the kitten to the vet. And since they are not technically my cats, my mom said I shouldn't call our vet friend. :-( I think the guy taking care of them is going to put some more blankets around with them and possibly make a hot water bottle heater or rice heater for them. I will check on them tomorrow when I get home from school, and if Mohawk has gotten worse, I am planning on talking to the vet.
:-(

I made a rice heater and I am planning on going over tomorrow to check on them. I think I will make a bed for them in a cardboard box with blankets and towels, but it is up to the guy to do rice heaters/water bottles at night. I am trying to convince my parents to let me foster the little guy and nurse him back to health. I told them it would be amazing practice for me since I am planning on being a vet. But if I took him away from his momma I would have to bottle feed him at various hours of the night. It probably won't work out..... :-(

maybe is the weird noise him hissing ? right around that age, i find they start hissing and sometimes even spitting for a bit, until they come to recognize people as a source of fun, the eyes definately do not look good, possibly a URI, or even just an eye infection, definately vet care is recommended asap. Even if it was just a mild URI, it could get really bad if you wait too long

Originally Posted by qtcat

maybe is the weird noise him hissing ? right around that age, i find they start hissing and sometimes even spitting for a bit, until they come to recognize people as a source of fun, the eyes definately do not look good, possibly a URI, or even just an eye infection, definately vet care is recommended asap. Even if it was just a mild URI, it could get really bad if you wait too long

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Yah I can't tell if he was hissing or coughing. But something is definitely wrong with his eyes. I will check on him tomorrow and hopefully he will be ok.