One of my kittens has limping kitten syndrme?? Anyone familiar with this strain of Calici?

One of my recent rescues was 10 kittens from one home, 6 were 3 1/2 wks, 5 were 4 1/2 weeks.

They had the same father, diff moms.

So, at the time of intake, I asked if any fosters were willing to take a few of the younger ones, I had my hands quite full!

A foster came and picked up 3.

She had them for 2 weeks, and brought 2 of the 3 back, keeping one behind (Clara) because she was not fully adapted to eating Babycat just yet. Fine. This was last week.

The day after she brought the 2 back, she called and said she didn't think Clara was going to make it. WHAT? WHY?

She described a limp, feverish kitten, not eating or drinking. I walked her through giving sub-q's, etc. and she perked back up to her spunky self.

2 days later she was back to her ol spunky little kitten playful self, so she brought her to me on Wednesday. Thursday (yesterday) I noticed she was limping, holding her right front paw up and not wanting to play, just lay around, but not too alarming, I thought she might have stuck her paw through the cage and maybe a littermate pounced on her, something like that. It happens occasionally, especially the volume of kittens that come through my home, eventually you see it all

However, today she was limping on the other foot, her left. She felt feverish and wanted to just be babied and held.

I gave her fluids but she is still just sort of hanging out, sleeping lots.

The fact that she switched paws alarms me. So I did some digging and apparently Calicivirus has several strains, one of them being limping and fever only.

How odd...especially since the Calici I am familiar with and have (Too much!) experience with in kittens is symptoms of an upper respiratory infection.

NOT a limping kitten!

Anyone know anything about this at all?

Thanks!

I should add that none of her littermates have anything going on, just spunky playtoys.

Clara's not even the runt!

Here's her pic I took last night, poor little dumpling


She's in a little shoebox cubbie I made for their cage.

Poor baby.

I have had kittens start out with a high fever and limping that was calici. Mine progressed to the worst case of calici I have ever seen. They had ulcers all over their mouths and didn't eat. There was not much upper respiratory symptoms with them, until they developed pneumonia. I really hope that she does not have that strand.
There seems to be a strand that keeps popping up at my friends house that is the limping and fever. Her kittens get lethargic and don't eat well. They never show any signs of upper respiratory and tend to be sickly for a while and then they start to recover. But hers always have a fever and limping as the main symptoms.

Wow...and no symptoms like nose, eyes, nothing?

I mean she has none, clear everthing. I don't even know how she would have contracted this.

Im feeling like I should get her started on clavamox now.

Nope clear eyes and nose. When I first brought mine to the vet they had fevers of 107 and were limping, one couldn't even walk at one point. They were lethargic and not eating but that was the only symptoms they were showing. The vet was not sure what it was at that point, they were not actually diagnoaied until the ulcers in their mouths appeared. I would start her on antibiotics and maybe some lysine, and I would seperate her from the others if you have not already.

I have no idea how mine caught it, I had them for three weeks perfectly healthy and playful. Then one day they were super sick.

I just went out to the cat room and scooped her up, I put her in her own seperate cage this afternoon, but gosh she was in the same cage as her sibs...

I set up a lg carrier with a small litterbox, a sheepskin type plush bed, food and water. I want to have her in the house so I can check on her often.

I gave her .01 cc of clavamox and forced some KMR into her via syringe, but only about 7-8ml's.  Well that's not too bad. She fought it.

So we;ll see what the morning brings now.

Thanks CatNamedPanda.

No problem, I hope she starts to feel better and none of her litter mates get sick too. Keep me updated how she is doing. I know she is in good hands being with you.

Thank you for saying!

Same this morning, no change or signs of improving...

The entire thing puzzles me, and I doubt taking her to the vet at this point will help either since they will simply go by her symptoms and tell me the same as what I know to do....frustrating!

I know I went back to mine only for more antibiotics, viyo and a/d food. That's all they could really give me to help. Hopefully she starts to improve soon. lll be thinking about her.

Okay, now the runt Rosie....and tonight possibly another one.

I feel helpless.

Now 5 of the kittens......

This happened to my Dinah because of a staph infection from her spay incision!  Is there anything that they can be given, like antibiotics?

Poor babies!  It breaks my heart.  I know what a sad limp kitty is like and its torture!!!

I don't think antibiotics will help. It is a citrus right? At least in humans, antibiotics are for colds, infections, etc. They don't help viruses.

Vibes for your babies. I can't imagine that amount of helplessness. Hang in there

I do have them started on clavamox. Although it's a virus, often times a secondary bacterial infection will hit, like pneummonia. The antibiotic should keep that from happening, although I'm not that confident...2 yrs ago I had an outbreak of calici, the common strain which is stuffy/runny nose, crusty eyes, mouth ulcers, had them on antibiotics then too but the 2 smaller ones still got pneummonia and died.

I can't bare for that to happen again.

I'm waiting to hear what LDG finds, if this strain of only fever and limping turns into pneummonia or not. I think so.

Thanks for the vibes, we sure do need them now, this could end disastrous.

OK - so far, this is the best information I've found: http://www.fabcats.org/owners/cat_flu/limping_syndrome.html

Most cats affected with this syndrome will spontaneously recover without the need for any treatment. However, if clinical signs are severe, anti-inflammatory medication may be required and veterinary attention should be sought.

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This is hissy's site: http://www.felinexpress.com/cat-health/feline-calicivirus.asp

The information hasn't been updated recently, but she does mention this:

The virus seems to be mutating in an unhealthy direction. In her upcoming book Cat Wrangling (due out November 2007) author, Dusty Rainbolt explores the newest form of the calicivirus that is “claiming over 50% of its victims.” The vets are puzzled by this newest deadly strain that appears to be resistant to all wide spectrum antibiotics.

The calicivirus can spread through direct contact with infected saliva, feces, and nasal discharge. Owners are advised to keep infected kittens and cats away from the resident cats and to follow strict hygiene when handling an ill kitty. Dishes should be washed in a bleach and hot water mixture after every meal.

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...and....

Once infected, the kitten is best tended at home with supportive care. Fluids need to be pushed and the kitten should be tempted by tasty morsels of food so that he doesn’t become anorexic. Smelly mackerel in water, sardines in oil, canned tuna cat food, and pieces of raw fish are good taste tempters for a reluctant eater.

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BTW, the Fabcats article mentions the alternating paws, or not wanting to move at all. Apparently the problem is joint pain/inflammation, which is why anti-inflammatories may be used to help the kitties feel better. Sounds like a good idea to give the vet a call tomorrow. I have NO idea what anti-inflammatory options there are outside of steroids, and I have no idea what a kitten dose would be. But it may help them to feel like eating, which can help get them the nutrition they need to combat this thing... :cross:

Laurie threw me into this post:

If this is a mutated form of calici, the antibiotics will not touch it. I have seen several different forms of calici in the last few years which is maddening because it seems to sometimes defy description. It has taken lives, it has spared lives no matter what I did or what the vets tried. When they are limping they have a severe case of calici and should be isolated from all other uninfected kittens as the disease is highly contagious. Keep litter pans sterile clean as possible, wash food and water bowls several times daily. Know that once they are infected, they are carriers of this disease and although most older cats are strong enough to be immune, kittens are not and they can die quickly. They limp because edema is building up in their limbs causing them pain and discomfort therefore, they are reluctant to move.Keep them eating, check mouths for oral ulcers (sometimes they will appear way back in the throat) Wear a certain set of clothes and shoes with low tread when treating the sick ones, keep a bottle of Hibiclens nearby to clean your hands and arms before leaving the room. Keep your clothes in the room in a separate plastic bag and a set of clean clothes in another room nearby. Outside the room make a bleach step. It's an easy process- take an old towel and soak it bleach with just a little bit of warm water. Set it in a container large enough that you can step into it with both feet AT once- step several times to get the crud off your shoes, then step out- leave your shoes near the step and put on fresh ones before visiting your other cats. Don't be deceived, this virus is tricky and it can spread in a nano-second taking down healthy kittens in its wake. Antibiotics won't touch it- try to find ways to bump of the immune system feed organ meats to the kittens (cooked of course) and know that despite all you do- it might not be enough.

I wish you luck-

Forgot to add to keep your bleach step covered when not in use. Bleach is extremely attractive to cats and kittens and they love to roll or lick anything that has bleach on it or in it. I use the big rubbermaid covered containers you can buy cheap at target or wal mart and keep the top on when I am not using it-

MA

Im sorry they are all getting sick. I know how you feel right now, it was almost exactly a year ago I was battling the same thing. I hope they recover and it does not progress to pneumonia. for your babies to pull through.

Mary Anne, thank you SO MUCH for posting here. I thought I remembered a horrible mutation of ... apparently calici, that was devastatingly sad.... I know you've been through it all with the kittens over the years. :heart3:

Lisa, I so hope this is not that mutation. :heart3: and prayers for you and the little ones. :heart2:

Thank you so much for all the information!!

How would I know the mutation?

Also the isolation part, here's the scoop. All of my fosters are kept in a cat room, it's separate from the house, and it's a lg room with shelves and cages used for recovery, evaluation, TNR, kittens too young to be fixed and adopted, and moms with babies to care for. There are 2 resident cats who live there,  one who is feral and had her ears amputated from cancer, and her companion cat friend. So currently I have those 2 adults, I have a feral mom with her 3 babies, I have a large cage with 4 kittens, 8 weeks old, and then the 2 story cage with the 6 kittens. I feel like everything is already contaminated because Clara and all her siblings have been kept together in the 2 story cage. (more like a townhouse)  each day they are all let out into another huge room, like a mother in law unit turned into a playroom for the kittens, including the 4 who are 8 weeks old, oh and the playroom they romp in also has an adult Hope, who I JUST recovered from pneummonia.

Each day the they all play, tackle, you know kitten play. Clara had no signs of illness at all. Just suddenly she went down. Now one by one they are all getting sick.

If I'm rambling or sound scattered it's because I am, I'm extremely worried...

Since all the 6 week olds are sick now I have them together in their cage again. I did have Clara and Baby Rosie separate, but now they are all sick.

I haven't seen any signs yet with the 8 week olds, and am really wondering if I should vaccinate them now. If this will help AFTER exposure.

Thankfully, the feral moms kittens do not get out to play with the others yet, they are too small and behind in weight. However, the kittens were definitely handled after handling Clara and the gang. Who knew??!

What I'm getting at is, the cat room is contaminated so to speak. Of course I am not putting them with any of the others, and I am sanitizing constantly, but I think it's too late to try to prevent the others from getting it. At least I expect the 4 8 week olds to come down with it.

Should I be assuming it's that particular mutation, or is there any way to know?

I am giving the 6 Clavamox, and I am syringe feeding them each about 30-24 mls of KMR milk replacement for nutrition.

What else is there I can do?

Am I going to lose these kids?