Sick Kitten

I have had a new kitten for about a week now, she is about 7 weeks old and has just recently gotten very sick. Since last night she developed a little cough. I immediately brought her to the animal hospital just to get it checked out where they gave her antibiotics and said it was normal for a cat being in a new environment. This morning I realized she had not eaten since last night and therefore decided to bring her back. The vet who I got today rushed me a little and was very degrading because I'm a younger female saying things like "have you ever had a cat before?" I explained I had had cats my whole life and never come into a problem like this before. He gave her new anti-biotics along with a tube of medicine called nutracal which is supposed to maintain a cats bloodsugar and keep them hydrated when their not eating. I don't know what to do because the cat is now throwing up everything I give her. Please someone let me know if their is anything i can do to make this little baby eat!!!!

Wow, that's crazy about the vet you got today! At 7 weeks old, they really need to keep their weight up, so you were ABSOLUTLY RIGHT to rush your kitty back there! If you'd ever been through this before with a little kitten, you'd have done exactly the same thing, because they can go down hill so fast - they don't have the immune system built up yet and they've got no extra weight to spare! That's just horrible of her!

...but I am REALLY sorry - I don't have any advice. We've never had a problem like that before. We've had sick cats and cats that wouldn't eat - but not a cat that threw up everything we gave it.

I would think there must be some kind of anti-emetic. Are you anywhere near Newton, NJ? I know NJ is a big state - but Newton has a great 24-hour animal emergency hospital. I know you've already spent a lot on this kitten's health - but how long has it been since she's kept food down? How long has it been since she ate?

The antibiotics might be making her throw up.
I have had it happen with my cats before.
That kittenis also to young to be away from its mom.
See if you can find a er vet and go there.
Kittens go down hill very fast.
I have raised a lot of very young kittens.

In order to help such a young kitten you really need a feline specialist. For a seven week old kitten to be throwing up everything you give it- really everything? or does it just feel like everything you are feeding it is being brought back up? Normally a vet will give you sulcrafate which you mix with warm water in a syringe and gently drop the solution in the mouth about 24 hours before feeding.

Is the vomit immediate? In other words, is the food going down into the stomach and staying there for just a bit, or is it when the food is going down the throat that it is being rejected?

If you PM me what town you live near, I will consult my list and see if there is a feline specialist near you. Most vets don't know what to do unless the kitten is 6 months old or older.

I would call the vet again and explain what you told us regarding the kitty throwing up and express your displeasure with the bedside manner of the vet you had. That's very unprofessional! Most likely, the antibiotic is making the little one sick, which is a common side effect of antibiotics.

Keep us posted!

All,

Thank you so much for the information I have a slight update. I work at 5AM so when I got up this morning I tried to give the cat some food again but she would not take I gave her some nutrical that she was forced to take but later threw it up. The vomiting is not immediate but has occurred since yesterday an hour or so after we give the cat anything orally. When my fiance got up this morning at 9 AM the cat was shaking so I immediately called my primary vet and she insisted on taking the kitten to the animal hospital as we did. They want to hospitalize the kitten for two days and see how she is doing, she was dehydrated along with having low blood sugar and her temperature dropped. She said it could be an infestation or an extremely bad reaction to medicine or even just an infection gone wrong. I am waiting to hear from the doctor in regards to her white blood cell count so if I don't hear within the next ten minutes I will call and see how she is doing. I really appreciate everyone's help I really didn't expect to get such a quick response yesterday. If the hospitalization does not work I will definitely call a feline specialist. I will update later and within the next two days.

Thank you for caring so much about this kitten! Yes, do please keep us updated when you can!

Sending MEGA vibes they can figure this out and she pulls through!

Check your PM box and best of luck with this sick little one. generally, the meds will take them off their feed and make them have diarrhea. I am hoping that it is just a reaction and not something more severe.