Hello everyone, I really need some help with my newest boy, Uri.
Adopted him 3-4 weeks ago when he was, at most, 8 weeks old though more likely 7 weeks old. He came in with his mom and two sisters, and his mom came in FIV positive (I can't remember for sure but I'm pretty sure she was positive and, as a result, was put down unfortunately).
Had to wait awhile to bring him home because he was in foster care, receiving medicine for a URI and then he would be getting his next round of boosters. (I think - terrible memory, sorry) I was told he tested a strong negative for FIV, but because of his age they want to retest when he's 6 months when the antibodies would be present.
When he finally got to came home his eye was still a little gunky and he sneezed occasionally.
I had him for around a week and then he started acting truly sick. His right eye was infected, oozing yellowish gunk, he was lethargic (normally he's a little ball of energy that can't wait to get out of my room and play, but he just sat there), sneezing, and sniffling. Still ate and played, but played rarely. I went to the shelter and was given Clavamox and eye drops. Did the drops for around a week or a little more and his eye cleared up fine. Did the Clavamox at 2.5ml twice a day for 14 days and even by day 10 he was perfectly fine and back to his usual self with no symptoms whatsoever.
He's been off of his medicine for no more than three days now, and he's back to acting sick again. He's lethargic, doesn't leave my room often (when normally he's very eager to go play when he's not sleepy), lays around a lot, plays much less, and sneezing and sniffling again while his left eye is starting to look a tiny, tiny bit watery/gunky and a little narrowed. His mew is hoarse and weak, when normally he has a loud, adorable bell-like cry (he's half Siamese, half DSH/tabby). I held him to my ear while he cried and it had a slight rumble to it, like he's a little congested, though his nose isn't leaking and his eye leaking isn't nearly as bad as it was last time. He does have playful moments though - he gets very wild chasing mice or trying to eat my hair (haha). In fact, as I was going to bed he was as hyper as he usually is, but today he's being lethargic again. He's eating plenty, though, and I'm pretty sure he's using the litter box fine but I'm unsure on his drinking as I wasn't around this morning to see.
Tomorrow I'm taking him back to the shelter to get his final set of boosters, and if he weighs 2lbs he'll also be fixed, and I'll be asking them all of this but for now I'm worried to death for him and would just like some helpful tips from you guys.
So now that the background information is out there, I'd like to ask this:
Is it dangerous to get a kitten with FIV fixed?
Does it seem likely that he has FIV, since this is the third time he's been sick?
Is FIV so noticeable in such a young kitten? (He should be about 9-10 weeks old on a guess since I don't know his exact age. Maximum 11 weeks though I doubt that.)
If he came back a strong negative, does that mean he likely doesn't have it? He'll be retested at 6 months old regardless.
Can FIV be deadly to a kitten?
Could my boy just have chronic URIs unrelated to the FIV, and if so, what is treatment for that like? Is it expensive?
He likes to play with my other boy and often bites at him. The other boy, Meeko, has had a few small scabs around his neck but nothing anywhere near severe. Is this enough to give him FIV, though?
I know FIV is not an immediate death sentence but I'm still worried about him, especially with him being sick yet again. I've had kittens come home with URIs, but they've never really persisted like this and I'm just worried. I mean, he can't be on antibiotics forever, and if he does have FIV, I'm terrified of what kind of cost that will have or what it could do to Meeko since he so loves to play with him.
Update: Is it possible that his lack of playing is due to teething? He's at the perfect age to lose the teeth on the sides, and lost his little teeth in the front last week. Because he's really not sneezing all that much, and the eye gunk is very, very minimal, which could be from him getting into dusty areas, right?
Adopted him 3-4 weeks ago when he was, at most, 8 weeks old though more likely 7 weeks old. He came in with his mom and two sisters, and his mom came in FIV positive (I can't remember for sure but I'm pretty sure she was positive and, as a result, was put down unfortunately).
Had to wait awhile to bring him home because he was in foster care, receiving medicine for a URI and then he would be getting his next round of boosters. (I think - terrible memory, sorry) I was told he tested a strong negative for FIV, but because of his age they want to retest when he's 6 months when the antibodies would be present.
When he finally got to came home his eye was still a little gunky and he sneezed occasionally.
I had him for around a week and then he started acting truly sick. His right eye was infected, oozing yellowish gunk, he was lethargic (normally he's a little ball of energy that can't wait to get out of my room and play, but he just sat there), sneezing, and sniffling. Still ate and played, but played rarely. I went to the shelter and was given Clavamox and eye drops. Did the drops for around a week or a little more and his eye cleared up fine. Did the Clavamox at 2.5ml twice a day for 14 days and even by day 10 he was perfectly fine and back to his usual self with no symptoms whatsoever.
He's been off of his medicine for no more than three days now, and he's back to acting sick again. He's lethargic, doesn't leave my room often (when normally he's very eager to go play when he's not sleepy), lays around a lot, plays much less, and sneezing and sniffling again while his left eye is starting to look a tiny, tiny bit watery/gunky and a little narrowed. His mew is hoarse and weak, when normally he has a loud, adorable bell-like cry (he's half Siamese, half DSH/tabby). I held him to my ear while he cried and it had a slight rumble to it, like he's a little congested, though his nose isn't leaking and his eye leaking isn't nearly as bad as it was last time. He does have playful moments though - he gets very wild chasing mice or trying to eat my hair (haha). In fact, as I was going to bed he was as hyper as he usually is, but today he's being lethargic again. He's eating plenty, though, and I'm pretty sure he's using the litter box fine but I'm unsure on his drinking as I wasn't around this morning to see.
Tomorrow I'm taking him back to the shelter to get his final set of boosters, and if he weighs 2lbs he'll also be fixed, and I'll be asking them all of this but for now I'm worried to death for him and would just like some helpful tips from you guys.
So now that the background information is out there, I'd like to ask this:
Is it dangerous to get a kitten with FIV fixed?
Does it seem likely that he has FIV, since this is the third time he's been sick?
Is FIV so noticeable in such a young kitten? (He should be about 9-10 weeks old on a guess since I don't know his exact age. Maximum 11 weeks though I doubt that.)
If he came back a strong negative, does that mean he likely doesn't have it? He'll be retested at 6 months old regardless.
Can FIV be deadly to a kitten?
Could my boy just have chronic URIs unrelated to the FIV, and if so, what is treatment for that like? Is it expensive?
He likes to play with my other boy and often bites at him. The other boy, Meeko, has had a few small scabs around his neck but nothing anywhere near severe. Is this enough to give him FIV, though?
I know FIV is not an immediate death sentence but I'm still worried about him, especially with him being sick yet again. I've had kittens come home with URIs, but they've never really persisted like this and I'm just worried. I mean, he can't be on antibiotics forever, and if he does have FIV, I'm terrified of what kind of cost that will have or what it could do to Meeko since he so loves to play with him.
Update: Is it possible that his lack of playing is due to teething? He's at the perfect age to lose the teeth on the sides, and lost his little teeth in the front last week. Because he's really not sneezing all that much, and the eye gunk is very, very minimal, which could be from him getting into dusty areas, right?
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