Big cat health concern

Hi, I would love input on one of my kitten's health issue. As some may know I purchased two bengal kittens about a month and a half ago. The breeder (who I have since found out is not a quality breeder but deals in many breeds and is in it for the money) sold me two kittens at a discount because they were small. The smaller of the two seemed unhealthy and wasn't growing and just seemed like there was something really wrong, we ended up returning her and even though there was a no return policy and only a 72 hour health guarantee she gave me a replacement kitty from another litter. Seeing how the replacement kittty is growing makes me realize how small and fragile my other kitty still us. Now, replacement kitty came with a respiratory illness and they both got colds and conjunctivitis. Because I do rescue with ferals and worked at a vet for a few years I am used to treating mild veterinary issues myself. I treated both cats with antibiotics and terraycin antibiotics for the eyes. The replacement kitty did great on the antibiotics and got better and has more energy, the small kitty did improve some on antibiotics but then started doing worse while still on the antibiotics which concerned me. Now his eyes look bad while on the eye medicine, and he is low on energy. SO, I have a vet appointment scheduled for Wed, the soonest they could see him, but in the meantime I would like opinions. My concern is that his immune system is not good, and I am wondering if the "kitty cold" is coronavirus and might be developing into FIP because he's not doing well? He had initial vaccine but not booster because I was waiting until he was healthy to give it to him. Thanks for any advice.

It could also be the very common herpes virus. Are you giving them L-lysine? If not, I'd definitely do that. You can easily order NOW L-lysine powder online. I give adult cat 500mg split into two doses (am and pm) during a flare-up. That is dose for a minimum 7 pound cat, so I'd just adjust given the weight of your kitty(ies). A maintenance dose is half (250mg).

Hmmm, herpes virus. I somehow had myself convinced it was bacterial but I guess it could be viral. Might be worth a shot. I might be able to get L-Lysine powder at the health food store.

Have they been de-wormed a few times already? Also, have they been tested for FeLV? That's not a nice one to think about , but if the breeder has a lot of untested cats it's a strong possibility, and would account for the kitty not thriving.

They were dewormed once and they are supposed to have a second deworming but I am waiting until the bug is gone because I don't want to stress out their systems anymore. I don't think worms could cause this kind of issue, their symptoms were sneezing, lethargy, runny eyes, and one threw up twice. Still eating and drinking. I don't think leukemia should effect the eyes if I am not mistaken and it seems to be respiritory. Also, I saw on Cats 101 that bengals have a gene that makes them immune to leukemia, and scientists study bengals. It has something to do with their wildcat ancestors. Use link if you want to see the clip.

I got lysine powder today at the health food store.

Worms and FeLV don't cause respiratory symptoms, but they do weaken the kittens' bodies so that they more easily catch respiratory diseases. It is interesting if Bengals are immune to FeLV but I don't know if it's true. I also hate to stress a kitty with de-worming but if a kitten has parasites he won't grow properly so I do think it's worth it.

I hope you get a good and easy to treat diagnosis tomorrow, Kaikrishna!

AC

KaiKrishna, I didn't look at the youtube link you posted, because unless it's from the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Winn Feline Assocation, or Cat Fancy or something, it's meaningless. I don't want you functioning under the assumption that Bengal cats are naturally resistant to FeLV, because that's a myth. A very short search turns up plenty of Bengal cats up for adoption that are FeLV+, and about a gazillion bengal breeders that test for FIV/FeLV before sending kittens home with adoptive families, and another gazillion breeders that encourage the adoptive familiest to vaccinate for it.

You can read about the Breeder Myth here (Scroll down to the bottom of the page, it's the fourth article from the bottom) : http://www.santafebengalcattery.com/healthalerts.html

And here is the sad story of a kitty that died of FeLV: a bengal from one of the top breeders in South Africa: http://is-is.facebook.com/topic.php?...469&topic=3799

I sure hope it's something simple like the herpes virus, but please do not assume it isn't FeLV because of an incorrect myth.