Help : Kitten Failing to Thrive

Just wonder if anyone has had experience with a kitten who is not really growing and seems lethargic.  We have two brothers we adopted around 6 weeks ago and both were playful kittens, about 2 months-old.  Within a week or so the one started becoming very lethargic and felt warm, so went to vet and was told he had an upper respiratory infection and prescribed 14 days of antibiotics, which we administered. He eventually got better enough  to start eating and drinking regularly, but not was not nearly as energetic or ate as much as his brother. Now it is a couple of weeks later and we went back to the vet again to see why he still will only pretty much eat wet food (will nibble on dry food to an extent), still isn't really growing like his brother (who is like a wild man running all over the house and is super-strong), and just wanting to lie around all day.   The vet tested the feces for worms and was all clear, Vet also said there is no signs of anemia by looking at his gums.   She was concerned about him not growing so did feline leukemia test which came out negative, but did say he had a "fever of unknown origin" and prescribed a week of c-pack antiobiotics.  He has been on them two days and seems to be perking up slightly but is still just pretty much curled up on the couch and not playing or getting any exercise.  It is amazing how much bigger and more energetic is brother is. His brother always wants to play and wrestle but the sick kitten wants nothing to do with it.   Anybody have experience with this?  Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?  Do you feel the vet is doing all she can within reason?

I don't have any advice on dealing with the fever.

Grain free wet food is going to be better for your kitten over kibble.  So don't stress if the little guy is eating only wet.

Please do call your vet and see if there is anything you should be doing before getting him in to see the vet, preferably first thing in the morning if not tonight.

Is there another vet you can visit nearby?

I'm willing to bet the second antibiotics were a z-pack.  Two doses at once, then one each day for four days.  This is a long-life antibiotic that is very effective in URI cases.

At our shelter, we find that amoxacillin doesn't do it for a lot of respiratory infections.  Keep in mind these are viral infections, like a cold, and all you can treat are the secondary infections.

Check threads on here about supplement with L-lysine, which is easily available and most cats don't even notice it.  It will actually fight the viral part of the infection.

If you start seeing problems in the eyes, a trip to the vet is very important.  These infections can blind a cat.
 

Sorry this might be long... (if there are typos I am writing this on my phone with a very cracked screen:lol3

I have some experience dealing with young sickly kittens. I have two sisters, Penelope and Delilah, who are the only survivors of their litter. I have been nursing them back to health now for 2 months. The first time I took them to the vet was because they were not growing and they had diarrhea, and Delilah was sneezing. They went on antibiotics and Penelope began to improve and play like a wild child, like your kitten. Delilah on the other hand got sicker and developed more problems (swelling and then necrotic tissue on her face and paw, so she had a big difference in circumstances from your little one). She was not eating on her own and required force feeding. She didn't start to improve until I was feeding her every 2 hours at least. She was weak and didn't do anything for weeks, like your little one. She is having a minor set back at the moment because of a uri and is back on antibiotics. She was on them for a month strait and then had a few weeks without them before she got sick. We were just at the vet yesterday and at 14 weeks Delilah is 1lb 6oz, while her sister is 2lb 3oz.

From that experience I would recomend feeding him as often as you can, at least 4-6 times a day. If he is bot eating or not eating well I would syringe feed him. I don't know what kind of wet food you are feeding him but hills makes special food called a/d that you might want to look into getting, you will need to buy this from your vet. My two were on that for a long time and then I mixed it with other high quality, grain free wet food, their favorite being wellness. They ate the wellness better at this point so I put them on just that. If what he wants to eat is wet then give him all the wet he will eat.

The vet is doing everything that she can do. Especially in kittens this young and small there is only so much you can do. I have practically lived at the vet with Delilah. So don't be afraid to go back.

There is light at the end of the tunnel just keep caring for him, I'm sure when he starts to feel better you will start to see more energy.

Has your sick little one been pooping okay and regularly?

I would highly recommend not feeding dry/kibble to the kitties. Due to their physiology, kitties derive moisture from the foods they eat and do not have the thirst drive to drink enough water to compensate for the lack of moisture in kibble. Choosing a grain-free canned, if one isn't open to feeding raw, is much, much better for them. If your little one is at all constipated, that could be due to his diet and his refusal to eat kibble. JMO.

I am moving this thread to Kitten Care forum, where you might get even more advice!

We are putting this kitty down this afternoon, unfortunately.  He still does nothing but sleep and hasn't really grown. When he does walk it is unsteady. He will only eat food if we carry him to the bowl and even then that stopped a few days ago. He won't eat at all.  The vet tech from our adoption group came to see him and gave two series of IV fluids, and said if he doesn't bounce back from this it would be cruel to let it go on. Starvation would be worse than just humane euthanasia.   Could be FIP, although his two fevers did seem to respond to antibiotics. One theory is he may be brain damaged by the high fever he had with his upper respiratory infection.  Whatever the case is, he and his brother came to our house two playful normal kittens, and somehow Hershey never thrived, had an upper respiratory infection within a week and hasn't been a normal kitten since. Meanwhile his brother has grown by leaps and bounds and buzzes around our house like a housefly.  I guess just like with all living creatures, some of our finish lines are a lot sooner than others. 
 

So sorry   Rest in peace little one.

You did everything you could.
 

You Jeffy did what you could. Strong of you to have the guts to make this last decision. Few of us dare to admit such to ourselves, but it was surely right. Hershey and his soul is grateful to you.

RIP, little Hershey.

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Welcome to our Forums!

Good luck with the bro and yourself too!