help~

i think i have a cat who has been infected with distemper and she is a stray. she was pregnant and JUST had kittens. i called my vet about this and well, unless i wanna fork out cash on this animal, the vet seems unreasonably hateful and not at all helpful with my situation. (and they say vets are humanitarians) whatever~

anyhow, i came to the web for some kind of compassion and help~ it is amazing what true colors come outa the animal "service" industry when questions need answers and people, like myself, is only trying to do the right thing. even my local human society treated me with hatred and made me feel ignorant. totally unnecessary.

here's my question......i know the contagiousness of this particular disease and that kittens born from a mother with this disease have little chance to live. i want to know what the life expectancy is for these kittens and when do the first signs display themselves? how soon will i see these signs? what are the first signs? as soon as i can .....i will take the mother in and have her neutered and start her shots. she has an appointment set for may 2nd for these things.

thanx for any help i get~


shecreed

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Welcome to the site! You came to the right place, I'm sure people will be able to answer your questions. Unfortunately I am not one of them but I will move this to the Health & Nutrition Forum where our experts are most likely to see it and give you some help.

If mom has distemper (what are her symptoms that lead you to believe she has this?) It is a strong possibility that the kittens were infected in utero- and they could have some genetic defects as a result of it. They are too young to fight off the disease, because their immune system is compromised (and so too is mom's milk) The mortality rate for these types of kittens is generally high. It would be a good idea to have the mom into a vet and get her tested so you know just exactly what she does have. Most of the vets are good with payment arrangements- for the most part. I would call around to the different vets and just plead your case.

Best of luck---

yes.....well i live in a rural area and the vets are limited~ one is SUPER expensive and overwhelmed and the other is the right price....but not very *clean* and the last one i haven't tried because it is 15 minutes away and honestly, i don't trust medical establishments because of greed....this includes dentist...lol

also, rural areas have such an overwhelming problem with over population, and of course, simple ignorant *hicks* (i can say this... i come from the *finest* of white trash and i having been born in arkansas...relatives in west virginia, kentucky, tennessee, indiana...you name it.....i am related to it~ truly....this is a statement of truth not prejudice or simple uneducated *attitude*)
people let cats have babies then dump off the ones they don't want out in the streets or on the outskirts of town and some don't even do humane things like that around here....some put the kittens in a plastic bag and throw them away or use them as target practice or worse yet....give their lame pitbulls *that they train to "go for the throat" a cat or kitten to play with and shred.

so yes.....i come here for sanctuary and sane people and humane people~ you wouldn't believe how cruel hicks are here in my homestate~ truely~ i run into people ALL the time who say they HATE cats....it is awful~


i appreciate this board~ and those who have responded to my anguish.

thanx~


she}{

i have been told that it would cost over a hundred dollars to test her and the best they can do is anitbiotics and treating any dehydration......duh! i find it amazing that a simple test for this has not been *invented*.....what kind of nation do we live in whose medical resources for our pets are so limited? why should it cost 129 bucks to test for ONE thing? i don't get it~ because they test for not just one thing but EVERYTHING! that is what i was told~

*shrugs


ah, whatayado?


sucks~


she }{

what are her symptoms? There are so many kitty viruses out there, without having her to the vet you really don't know for certain what is wrong with her. You may not trust the medical profession but this cat needs to go to the vet if she is indeed sick. I do not personally know of how to test just for distemper. I know they run a blood level and check for several diseases all at once.


If she has it, she will have high fevers, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach upset, she will be very lethargic and her kittens will be severly compromised health wise. She might survive the distemper, but it is doubtful her babies will.

What's the lastest info and what EXACTLY are her signs. I would take the kittens away immediatly and feed them KMR. Even if it is just an upper respritory thing the kittens could get it. How close is the nearest town with alot of vets?

she had all the lethargic, vomiting, diarhea, ...everything....dull coat....dehydration. so i gave her care and kept fluids in her and she got better. although, she gets "reoccurring" episodes~ she did her last week of pregnancy~

i have been through two pregnant strays with litters dying after two weeks from feline leukemia.....very tragic~ horrible way for a kitten to die~ it is a painful and humiliating death~ i have put away a mother and her litter twice~ almost clinical~ which is not like me....so ....somehow, i am hoping by giving this stray a chance at life and not simply *throwing her away* with her dying litter, that i will spiritually break the cycle~ weird ...huh? even if the litter dies, she will be a part of my family as long as she wants. i will get her neutered and get her her shots and hope for the best for her~


thanx for all your help~ truely~


she }{

KMR is a kitten formula that can supplement or be fed strictly to kittens. Have you got any new info on what is wrong? Please take her to the vet if you haven't yet.

Without medical intervention this cat has only a slim chance of surviving and her kittens will more than likely die as well. Taking them off the mother now, and putting them on bottle feedings every 2 hours of KMR may help, but they are already compromised as she was sick when they were in utero. It sounds like the cats in your area need to be trapped, vetted, neutered and released, because they appear to be very sick. Inbreeding as they are, they keep the disease stronger not weaker and many of these poor cats are destined to not survive. Please find a vet that will see this cat and help her. She needs subcutaneous fluids, and if she is nursing, the kittens will be zapping all of her strength she has left. If you take them off of her to try and *save* them, you will need to feed every two hours, stimulate their bowels the same amount of time, and keep them warm at least 90 degrees until they are stronger. Pet heating pads are strongly advised, not human ones, as they can burn the kittens.