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I've had a kitten for 6 days and think he is sick. Diarrhea, lethargic......Need opinions please!
- Thread starter auroraei
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This morning I didn't wake up to a mess like the other day. Only a little spot. And he's eating and drinking and purring. He's a lot better than the other day. Do you guys still think it's bad enough to rush to another vet over?
I /was/ going to go to another vet after the course of this to get his shots and all that stuff, but you guys are saying to go NOW....but he seems fine? Is that okay?
UPDATE & CORRECTION: I am reading through papers the vet gave me, and I am reading that he gave Phoenix a dose of Pyrantel Pamoate (Strongid). I read it's something given once every 3 weeks.
I /was/ going to go to another vet after the course of this to get his shots and all that stuff, but you guys are saying to go NOW....but he seems fine? Is that okay?
UPDATE & CORRECTION: I am reading through papers the vet gave me, and I am reading that he gave Phoenix a dose of Pyrantel Pamoate (Strongid). I read it's something given once every 3 weeks.
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Ok..... So now things are starting to make sense. Pyrantel is an anti-parasite. Make sure to follow up with the other dosages :nod:
Glad to hear your kitten is getting better
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Strongid is for roundworms, which are common with strays. Almost all kitties have worms at some point in time in their life, usually as kittens. The parasites do cause diarrhea. Many kitties with really stinky, runny diarrhea also have coccidia which is probably why your vet gave the albon, BUT that can ONLY be diagnosed with a fecal test. Since you're going on day # whatever of diarrhea, I'd go to a different vet NOW. Diarrhea does a number on the body, especially a young kitten who isn't in the best of health to begin with. It's one thing when you have a healthy cat or kitty who gets an "episode" of diarrhea. It's something totally different when you have a young kitten who isn't healthy to begin with who has diarrhea for so long. Also, the change in diet could be contributing to the diarrhea. Additionally, the extra stress on you and your family isn't good and the kitty can pick up on that. It's a vicious cycle in a lot of ways.
If it were me, I'd be trying to find a different vet TODAY. If need be, take the kitty to the emergency vet and get him fixed up. While there, ask them for the name of a good vet. Fix him some boiled chicken (plain, no seasonings). Shred it and add some of the broth to make it the consistency of oatmeal. Plain canned pumpkin and yogurt are good to help stop the diarrhea.
As an added extra, listen to Carolina. She has a kitty who has battled diarrhea for a very long time and she knows her stuff.
If it were me, I'd be trying to find a different vet TODAY. If need be, take the kitty to the emergency vet and get him fixed up. While there, ask them for the name of a good vet. Fix him some boiled chicken (plain, no seasonings). Shred it and add some of the broth to make it the consistency of oatmeal. Plain canned pumpkin and yogurt are good to help stop the diarrhea.
As an added extra, listen to Carolina. She has a kitty who has battled diarrhea for a very long time and she knows her stuff.
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Will do for sure!Ok..... So now things are starting to make sense. Pyrantel is an anti-parasite. Make sure to follow up with the other dosages
Glad to hear your kitten is getting better
Thanks for the vibes
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Btw I think I accidentally wrote here that I was giving the cat 10cc's of Albon, I meant just 1cc. Don't worry, I didn't overdose the cat, LOL. It's a whole syringe full.
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UPDATE: So around 6pm I gave Phoenix his meds and around 7pm I had gone to the movies and came back around 10pm and Phoenix hadn't made any new messes so I let him out of his quarantined room to roam about, and he's even playing with me now! No accidents yet but, I won't keep my hopes up, we'll see. At least if he still has it, he had this brief moment of freedom and playfulness.
YAY!!! Sounds like he's improving.
So glad he's feeling better! 
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Still has runny poop, but not like before where it was a gigantic mess. He seems to be improving He's more playful now.
He's more playful now.
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UPDATE: He has loose stools still, but he isn't ACTING sick. He is playful and hyper like the day he came in my house. He's also not making messes all over the place and his fur isn't saturated in poo, so he is allowed to roam the house now. He's eating, drinking, ect......so I don't know what this stool problem is! After the 10 day Albon course I'm taking him to a different vet to get his shots and talk about getting him fixed and inquire about his loose stools.
I also clipped his nails today. I've never clipped a cats nails! He couldn't care less that I was doing it. From the day I got him I've been touching his paws. Also, I don't know if it's because he's black, but I CANNOT see his quicks! Even when I shine a light on them, no pink. So I just followed pics I saw online.
I also clipped his nails today. I've never clipped a cats nails! He couldn't care less that I was doing it. From the day I got him I've been touching his paws. Also, I don't know if it's because he's black, but I CANNOT see his quicks! Even when I shine a light on them, no pink. So I just followed pics I saw online.
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You may want to have a fecal test done and the test for Tritrichomonas Foetus. That requires a special test.
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He's been eating 9 Lives wet food and then dry kitten chow.
Today I woke up to poop ALL OVER MY COUCH, huge piles of it. I don't know why he's doing this, or why he has diareah anymore. He isn't acting like he's sick. If it IS food, well how long does it take for a cats system to get used to it? This is getting ridiculous.
The reason I mention the food issue is because my (now) 10 month old rescue cat Sammy, had constant diarrhoea when we got him, but was completely well, happy and active in all other respects. After 3 months of it (including vet checks) it seems as if it was food that was the problem. To cut a long story short, I was not feeding him the same food he had been living on at the rescue home since birth. This was born out when we eventually stabilised him and my husband inadvertently fed him some of the food (very high quality food at that that we had been feeding him before) recently, and this resulted in immediate diarrhoea lasting for two days. When this settled down (after a diet of boiled chicken) we returned him to his regular food and he seems okay again.
With your little chap, you don't know what his regular food was, so that is a challenge. He also may be suffering from stress, which again, can cause diarrhoea. Also, overfeeding can result in diarrhoea. He obviously cannot get to the litter tray fast enough.
I would start by feeding him just boiled chicken and absolutely nothing else, and plain water to drink. If he is not allergic to chicken, this in itself will settle the diarrhoea, and after at least a week of this diet, if the diarrhoea has stopped, then start introducing a commercial food - a tiny bit at a time added to the boiled chicken, the idea being to gradually withdraw the chicken in favour of the commercial food. Then if he has a diarrhoea reaction, that is the wrong food, so you try again with something else. I don't know anything about 9 lives cat food - is it fish? Perhaps your kitten is allergic to fish. Also too rich cat food can be the culprit. I have heard that dry food can result in huge piles of poop. I tried my cat on Orijen cat kibbles - these are extremely good. But they weren't food for him. I literally fed him 6 of these biscuits and he was having severe diarrhoea within 20 minutes of eating them! This gives you an idea of how quick diarrhoea reactions can occur!
This situation is very frustrating I agree. I have had kittens over the years and just fed them any cat food without problems. But my Sammy clearly has a food intolerance. I have no idea whether he may grow out of it, but I will never risk changing his food again.
I hope this helps. If he seems well in other respects, getting the diet right may be all that is needed. However, perhaps some more vet checks for parasites are needed too.
With your little chap, you don't know what his regular food was, so that is a challenge. He also may be suffering from stress, which again, can cause diarrhoea. Also, overfeeding can result in diarrhoea. He obviously cannot get to the litter tray fast enough.
I would start by feeding him just boiled chicken and absolutely nothing else, and plain water to drink. If he is not allergic to chicken, this in itself will settle the diarrhoea, and after at least a week of this diet, if the diarrhoea has stopped, then start introducing a commercial food - a tiny bit at a time added to the boiled chicken, the idea being to gradually withdraw the chicken in favour of the commercial food. Then if he has a diarrhoea reaction, that is the wrong food, so you try again with something else. I don't know anything about 9 lives cat food - is it fish? Perhaps your kitten is allergic to fish. Also too rich cat food can be the culprit. I have heard that dry food can result in huge piles of poop. I tried my cat on Orijen cat kibbles - these are extremely good. But they weren't food for him. I literally fed him 6 of these biscuits and he was having severe diarrhoea within 20 minutes of eating them! This gives you an idea of how quick diarrhoea reactions can occur!
This situation is very frustrating I agree. I have had kittens over the years and just fed them any cat food without problems. But my Sammy clearly has a food intolerance. I have no idea whether he may grow out of it, but I will never risk changing his food again.
I hope this helps. If he seems well in other respects, getting the diet right may be all that is needed. However, perhaps some more vet checks for parasites are needed too.
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Thanks for your input.
I have heard different things about wet and dry food. I've heard that wet can cause loose stools, and here you're telling me dry can cause loose stools. So no idea.
I've been feeding him a multipack of 9 Lives, some is fish, some is poultry, ect.....
The dry food I've been feeding him is Purina Kitten Chow Nurturing.
I've been thinking of maybe trying dry food exclusively, but like a really good brand, none of this by-product and corn stuff. Either Blue Buffalo or this Purina One Beyond stuff, with no byproducts or corn.
Either way he only has 2 days left on Albon. For all I know, this diareah really IS just a side effect of that medication. At this point, it could be anything. I'll wait a week when his antibiotics are done then I'm taking him to a vet for his shots and get him fixed and I'll inquire about this issue if it hasn't resolved by then.
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I think any cat food wet or dry can cause diarrhoea if a cat is allergic to it. Sammy was brought up on Felix meat in jelly (a plain formula UK brand as I am in UK) and Royal Canin kibbles Kitten 36. The lady who bred him at the rescue centre advised us to continue with the Felix meat in jelly and as Sammy is almost adult, Royal Canin Sensible 33. This we have done. She advised us not to use any of the other Royal Canin dry foods as they made cats "loose".
Hope he is soon better. I am off to sleep now as it is 3.59am here in the UK. Hubby has been keeping me awake with his coughing as he has a bad cold. He is asleep now, so hopefully I can get some
Hope he is soon better. I am off to sleep now as it is 3.59am here in the UK. Hubby has been keeping me awake with his coughing as he has a bad cold. He is asleep now, so hopefully I can get some
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Pooped on the couch yet again. I don't know what he has against that couch.
I don't know if it's because I have his litterbox and food in 1 room because he was sick, and now it stinks in the room and he doesn't like it, or if it's the medication, or he's just being a brat. I don't know.
I don't know if it's because I have his litterbox and food in 1 room because he was sick, and now it stinks in the room and he doesn't like it, or if it's the medication, or he's just being a brat. I don't know.
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I agree this might be food related.... All it would take to know is a few days on a boiled chicken diet..... If that works, a diet change will be in order :nod:
On the parasite side, a giardia and a T foetus test might be a good way to go too. Those samples are better if collected at the vet's office and the tests are special tests. The samples need to be fresh and not frozen/refrigerated.
On the parasite side, a giardia and a T foetus test might be a good way to go too. Those samples are better if collected at the vet's office and the tests are special tests. The samples need to be fresh and not frozen/refrigerated.
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