Worried about Ninja

I'm worried about him and I'm not sure what to think. Since yesterday afternoon he has been really lethargic. He spends all of his time curled up in one of the cat carriers we have on the porch for the cats, or on a folded up towel that we have in a chair. He usually has a lot of energy (one of the reasons we named him Ninja, he moves really fast) but I haven't seen him move much, if at all since yesterday.

He usually goes hunting every day, but hasn't the past two, and if he has to pee he normally goes out to our woods, but today he just walks out into the grass a bit and then comes right back. He also normally has a good body shape, but it seems like he has lost quite a bit of weight just in the past couple days. I don't know if he is eating, I haven't seen him do so, but then again I'm not out there all the time. His stomach is really sunken.

Our vet charges a big "new patient" fee, and we are pretty broke right now so I can't afford to take him to the vet. Plus, he is still kinda feral even though he will let me pet him once in a while, so I think the trip (it is a 1 hour drive, one way) would be extremely stressful on him.

Is there anything I can do for him? Anything I should keep an eye out for? Any other suggestions? I put a frozen water bottle up next to the outside of the carrier that he's in so he keeps cool, and I have a fan blowing on him. I feel so helpless.

Hi, wll the vet not speak to you over the phone?

I hope Nija is ok! and its just a seasonal weight shift thats all

Oh NO, poor Ninja... It does sound like he needs a vet, . What about the shelter/rescue? Can they help you with all of these kittens? Sometimes they have vets on staff or techs that will assist people such as yourself with a sick stray kitten . Worth making a call. It does sound like to me that he is not feeling well. Mega for Ninja.

I haven't seen him in two days (since the evening I posted the OP), even though his sister (who he is always with) has been here. I'm really worried about him. That evening he was starting to look really bad so I was going to take him to the vet first thing in the morning, but he disappeared. I really hope he is okay, and is just off hiding b/c he doesn't feel well and is healing on his own.



Ninja

Oh sweetie , I know how awful you must feel This is one of the painful and emotional downsides of caring for strays/ferals. We don't have any control over their safety. Sometimes they will disappear for days and then all of the sudden come back. Although, I am very concerned too because Ninja was sounding sick and is just a kitten and usually the kittens will not stay away from the group/colony. I am sorry and will be praying for Ninja to come to you so you can get him to the vet if needed

Still no sign of him. I haven't seen him since the afternoon of the 22nd, so for a little over 3 days. I wish I knew if he had an injury, or if it was an illness and whether or not I should be worried about the rest of the cats.

Sending vibes that your little baby makes it home to you!

Do you think Hazel could have pushed him out? The afternoon that I last saw him, he tried a couple times to nurse from Hazel but she growled at him and swatted him away. I have never seen her do that before. How old, typically, are cats when they go off on their own?

I am very, very sad to hear this, Kara...... If I feel sad for Ninja, I can imagine the hurt you are feeling . Are the other kittens still nursing? Does Hazel push away the other kittens? I just don't think Ninja would venture away on his own and stray away from the colony, especially for three - four days. I am really sorry but if you say he was looking sick and now he has gone away, I fear he might not be back ... You are doing the best you can, Kara, just keep taking care of those babies and good luck with finding them homes. I wish you could get them into a foster home situation through a rescue/shelter ...

The younger kittens do still nurse every once in a while, maybe a couple times a day. Callie doesn't at all anymore, though. Hazel doesn't push the other kittens away, ever, so I was surprised when I saw her do that to Ninja.

Still no sign of him, though. It's been almost 4 days now.

Originally Posted by kara_leigh

The younger kittens do still nurse every once in a while, maybe a couple times a day. Callie doesn't at all anymore, though. Hazel doesn't push the other kittens away, ever, so I was surprised when I saw her do that to Ninja.

Still no sign of him, though. It's been almost 4 days now.

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..... I am wondering if Hazel knew he was very ill and pushed him away by natural instinct to keep the other's healthy ??????? I am so sad for Ninja... and you too

Well, tonight it will have been 7 days since I've last seen him. I don't think he is coming back.

RIP Ninja

I fear you are right. I am so sorry . Poor little guy. Unfortunately, this is all too common with stray kittens, only the strong survive. I just hate the suffering . Ninja so sorry little one

B/c of this, once the kittens all get to be around 10-12ish weeks old (estimated since I have no real idea of how old they actually are, but I'm guessing they were 3 weeks old when they first came here) I will be contacting a local cat rescue so they can all get into nice indoor homes with shots, flea and tick prevention (they are all covered in fleas and I've tried to get rid of them but have had no luck) and spayed/neutered. I'm keeping Hazel, though, which is one of the reasons why I'm waiting until they are older to hand them over to the rescue.

I wish these kittens the best luck in finding forever homes. I wish I could take two of them, I really do. I just love Henry and Wilbur, for more reasons than one....... They are very, very lucky to have found you, Kara, I know losing Ninja was a stab in the heart , but unfortunately, caring for strays/ferals is a risk we take with our hearts.

I have spent most of the afternoon looking for any rescues, but I couldn't find any close by. The only one I could find doesn't take animals from the general public. I found another one over by Joplin, but we can't afford to drive over there. I contacted them anyway, just in case they would be willing to come to me. We'll see if they even email me back. Other than that, there is nothing. I may have to end up finding them homes myself after all.

I hate to give out flea covered cats, though. Is there anything inexpensive that I can do? I have tried Diatomacious Earth, but so far it hasn't worked.

Inexpensive? Well, you can get Frontline for dogs at Costco. Get the dosage for a big dog, and then put the fluid in a small syringe (no needle) and dose lots of smaller cats. The dog dose is about $60, but if you get the dosage for a 90 pound dog, that's enough for at least 6 cats, and there are 6 phials in the container, so that would be dosage for 36 cats, at least.

Originally Posted by mrblanche

Inexpensive? Well, you can get Frontline for dogs at Costco. Get the dosage for a big dog, and then put the fluid in a small syringe (no needle) and dose lots of smaller cats. The dog dose is about $60, but if you get the dosage for a 90 pound dog, that's enough for at least 6 cats, and there are 6 phials in the container, so that would be dosage for 36 cats, at least.

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Would that kill all of the fleas on them right now? Do they sell it at Sams? We don't have a Costco down here, unfortunately.

I have 6 that I need to treat, 4 only once and then they will hopefully go to new homes, two that will be staying with me. I won't be able to treat Callie b/c I can't hold her.

Sam's has Frontline and. . .um, the off-brand equivalent, I forget the name. I haven't used the off-brand yet (and probably won't--I prefer Advantage and Revolution) so I can't fully recommend it, but it should theoretically be the same. You buy the biggest dog dose (since all sizes cost the same) and put half a cc on each cat (less for small kittens). You'll need a small needle-less syringe, though. It usually comes out to $1-$2 per cat. You can do this with Advantage and Revolution, too (but dosing is different). You can also order it online and it might be cheaper, depending where you order from.

P.S. NEVEREVEREVER do this with any other brand! That will definitely cause some damage to cats, possibly killing them. Most brand of flea meds made for dogs are very toxic to cats. Only those 3 brands are the same (and maybe their off-brand equivalents).

And, yes, the meds should kill the fleas on the cats. Maybe not all of them right away, but it should help.

I would never recommend using dog products on cats.... BUT..... yes, it is safe to use the dog Frontline on cats for this situation and would save you alot of money. I know a woman who does rescue out of her home and she buys the Dog Frontline and has used it on her cats for a few years. Her vet confimed for her that is it is the exact same thing as the cat Frontline. But you have to divide it up very carefully. A bit tricky, but the syringe is an easy way to do it. Much luck, Kara!!!!