Very Sick Kitten Please Help

I have a 6mo old kitten who has been living in my back yard. He has had his rabies, feline aids and feline leukemia vaccines. He had an appointment to be neutered on Friday that I have had to cancel. He is very lethargic, he is having a bloody, mucus discharge from his nose and bloody watery discharge from his mouth. Last night he was eating and playing. This morning is when he began displaying these symptoms. We took him to the vet and he gave him IV fluids, steriods, pain medication and an antibiotic. he said that he should be eating my in the morning or we should bring him back tomorrow. He is a little more active tonight, very weak, and not eating. His breathing is also very raspy. Any tips on how to make breathing easier for him??? Any help would be very appreciated.

If you have access to an ER vet, call one and take him in. If you don't call your vet. Most vets either have an answering service or instructions for after hours care. If your vet doesn't call every vet in the area or in a 100 mile radius until you talk to someone.

Sounds like he's either gotten into something or he's got a very serious infection of some sort. Whatever it is, he needs to be seen by a vet NOW.

Where are you in TX?

Without knowing what's wrong with the little fella, there's not much we can offer. Can you call the vet back and ask him what you can do to make the kitty breathe easier?

I sure hope he feels better soon!

Sorry, I went back and re-read your original post. I missed the part about going to the vet this morning.

To help with breathing, run a vaporizer near where he's sleeping and/or get the shower very steamy, take him in there with you and shut the door. Sit in the sauna with him until the steam goes away. This will help open up his nasal passages and make it easier for him to breathe. Do this as often as you can. Also, keep him eating and drinking water. That is very important. Get some smelly wet food and warm it up a bit in the microwave. Offer it to him on your finger.

I am in Fort Worth. I feel so bad for the little guy. The vet said he this it is respiratory infection. That is what he is treating him for. My mom really thought they would want to keep him over night with IV fluids but the sent him home. Hopefully tomorrow morning will be better. I am going to take him into the bathroom and run the shower in a bit. I hope that will help.

Ah. He's got a nasty cold. Poor baby. In that case, I second Stephanietx shower and vaporizer suggestions. (Maybe, though, instead of heating the food in the microwave, you could take the chill off it by putting it in some warm water. Microwaving destroys nutrients in raw foods and while the nutrients in commercially-prepared products are synthetic, I'm thinking the result might be the same.)

Britt, which part of FW? I'm also in FW, on the southwest side south of 820 and near McCart/Hulen.

This sounds like calicivirus, which two of my cats currently have. The virus can inflame the throat, mouth, and nasal passages, so there's blood and sores that look very scary. There's not a lot you can do to treat it, but it should take its course. Pain medication can really help cats who have this virus.

You just want to watch for pneumonia ("wet" breathing, struggling to breathe, etc.). And you need to make sure the kitten keeps eating and drinking. If the kitten stops, get back to the vet ASAP and ask him or her to show you how to force feed and give fluids yourself.

You might notice the kitten limping; this is from the virus, too. It causes muscle pain.

A couple of nursing tips to try, in addition to the vaporizer (which can really help if you run it in the same room with him):

I dissolve 1/8 tsp of salt in a half-cup of warm water, lay my kitten on his back in my lap, and put small droplets from an eyedropper into his nostrils. Just 2 or 3 will do. You can do this a few times a day, alternating nostrils. Try to keep his nose in the air so the saline can get into the sinuses and drain in his throat. This will moisten his nasal passages and unblock them. It's working if you get some nice sneezes.

If you notice sores around the kitten's nose, you can put on a tiny dab of plain vaseline with a Q-tip. My vet has me doing this to prevent infection.

Ask your vet about L-lysine, a supplement that boosts the immune system, that you can mix into his food. I'm using it at my vet's suggestion.

Good luck with this. I've been nursing my cats for three weeks and I can't wait until they are well. Your kitten should recover much sooner; I think my two guys are reinfecting each other or something's in the air here in Boston. Good luck, and hang in there! You're saving a little life!

He is very weak this morning. He can not even stand up. I am going to take him back to the vet. I have been giving him water in a little dropper and he has voided twice, but I am scared that he is so weak. He also has so much mucus and congestion. I am going to see if they can do a breathing treatment. I took him to the bathroom with it steamy twice and that seemed to help but I think he needs more help that I can give him at home.

Originally Posted by Britt0285

He is very weak this morning. He can not even stand up. I am going to take him back to the vet. I have been giving him water in a little dropper and he has voided twice, but I am scared that he is so weak. He also has so much mucus and congestion. I am going to see if they can do a breathing treatment. I took him to the bathroom with it steamy twice and that seemed to help but I think he needs more help that I can give him at home.

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Let us know what happens! Poor kitten!

Keep us posted!! If you need to, inbox me as I'm also in Fort Worth. If you're near me, I can recommend 2 great vets.

Poor kitty He does sound very, very sick. I'm glad you are taking him back to the vet this morning since he needs more treatment than you can give him at home.

Please let us know how he is doing when you can. Praying for the little guy.