Kitten With Poo Problems

amythyst

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Woah is me... every time I adopt a cat IT HAS DIARREAH!  Ugh!  Ok, venting over. :)  So, we just adopted a really cute kitty on Saturday and I asked at the Petsmart (they adopt through outside cat services) if the kitty had diarreah and they said no nope...none.  I get him home and the first time he poos, liquid... yay.

So, the kitty is supposedly 12 weeks old and he weighs 1.5 pounds.  The first night I brought him home would not eat...wet or dry food.  But he was drinking water, playing and being all around cute.  Sunday morning I wake up and go into his room and when he sees me he comes out and then starts eating yay!  But he is a nibbler?  He only seems to want some nibbles of food and then leaves it... he does come back at later hours to nibble a few bites again.

I figured maybe he was just really stressed... after coming from an animal shelter and being neutered the day before we got him!  Poor liitle guy... so today it was sort of the same thing he's been nibbling.... I tried a few different types of food chicken, seafood.  He seems to like chicken but only nibbles.  I can't seem to get him to eat dry food either.  Before I put out wet food, he would take like 1 or 2 pieces of kibble and then walk away.  But he does drink a lot of water or at least go to the bowl and lap.

So, since he still had the runs .... I called a vet and took him today.  I have never been to this vet before as we just moved to this area and I'm not sure I want to go back... this vet was crazy!  She was sort of mean and at the end of every sentence she would say "does that make sense?"  Then she even got into a fight with one of the techs in the room with me.  She told the vet "you need to slow down and stop trying to do everything the way you want to" .. they were trying to shove a pepcid down my kitty's throat ... they almost made me cry cause they were being so rough with him and turning him upside down by the neck to try and get this deworming stuff in him (even though he had already been dewormed, so the animal shelter said).

She then accused me of not feeding him enough... told me he was underweight and slightly dehydrated.  I'm like I have had this cat for 2 days, he came to me in this condition... was sort of pissing me off that she was trying to make it look like my fault.  She then got some prescription a/d food and put it in front of him and said he should EAT THIS UP!  But he nibbled at it and had some good bites of it but she was all frantic cause "he should be scarfing that down!".  She also crumbled up some Asadolpholis (I can't spell that word) and put it on top of the food... he did munch at the food but apparently not to her liking.

So, they gave him some Vitamin B12 in an injection and told me they couldn't really do more without a poo sample.  I totally spazzed and forgot to bring it.  His poo is green by the way... but as soon as I brought him home he went and took a poo - so I scooped it up and took it back to the vet.  They said they would call me with the results before they closed which was like 20 minutes ago... and nothing.

I thought I would come and post here and see what you guys think.  He is super tiny .... I'm wondering if he's just not really 12 weeks old?  Maybe a runt?  He has an itty bitty mouth and I am just thinking that it could be a) stress and b) he's just a nibbler!  I have 2 other cats and 1 is a Siamese .... he is the worlds worst nibbler ever... he's incredibly picky and will just nibble go back nibble go back... so I usually have to leave the wet food out awhile for him.... so, maybe our kitten is just a nibbler?  If he didn't have the runs, I don't think I would care so much... but the vet gave me a syeringe and told me I would have to force feed him!!!  I was apauled!  I can't force feed him... I just think that would be terrible.  What if it makes him not want to eat ever?

Do any of you have any thoughts?  Suggestions to help him eat?  I bought some kitty replacement milk at the store and he seemed to like that.  But again, he didn't gorge himself he just drank it a little bit left and then later went back for a few more licks.  I got royal canin baby cat food and kitten food in gravy, I got fancy feast kitten food, I got purina kitten food and I got purina one dry food and royal canin kitten dry food.  He always has dry food in the bowl which he hasn't really touched and I've been putting down spoonfuls of wet food to try and get him to eat.  Am I doing something wrong or is he just going through something?

Here's a couple pics :)


 

denice

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I am no expert about kittens, a lot of people who do rescue know more than I do, but that kitten doesn't look 12 weeks old to me.  I would guess 8 weeks at the most.  Cats do usually really like the A/D but after the experience he had at the vets I am surprised he ate anything at all.  I would say give him tiny meals of wet several times a day and keep kibble out for him and hopefully you will get results back from the fecal.  I would not be at all surprised if he does have parasites and it could also be stress.  I adopted one of my cats when she was 8 weeks old and she had foul smelling diarrhea for a few days.  I thought she had to have parasites but she came out of it.
 
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amythyst

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Thanks for the post!  I was thinking the same thing about his age!  But it makes me even more upset to think they neutered an 8 week old.  Yea even at the vet today she force fed him the A/D and I thought wow this cat is never gonna eat again. :)

But, actually right after I posted this I put him down in front of his bowl and he nibble nibbled and then when he was done I pet him a few times and put him back in front of it and he nibbled some more.  So I was really happy about that!

Then the vet called at almost 8PM and said there was nothing in his poo.  I was actually surprised by that.

But he's been getting better as the night has gone on... we have the upstairs part of our house blocked off so he can't get downstairs and closed some of the extra rooms and let him run around a bit.  He does have his own bedroom but he likes to come out and run up and down the hallway. :)  So, after that I just gave him some fresh food and put some more of that asodopholis on it and he ate again... this time a little bit more than a nibble.  Maybe 3 nibbles. :)  So, I gave him encoragement afterward and he purred.

I also checked the litter box a little while ago and while he does still have diarreah it sorta seemed a little stiffer?  It could be just wishful thinking or that I can't tell cause it has cat litter all over it... but I have high hopes.  He still isn't cleaning up his feet or his bum (course I don't blame him I wouldn't wanna eat my runny poo either) ... so I have to clean his bum and his paws.  Boy is that stuff hard to get off!

So, hopefully its just that he is younger than they told me he is and its all the stress of stuff lately  and it will get better.... here's hoping. :)
 

catpack

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The general rule for humane socities is to spay/neuter at 8 wks and weigh 2 lbs. I'm more surprised that they did the surgery with him only weighing 1.5 lbs! Also, the vet should have been able to pull a stool sample.

My first thoughts with this kitten is Giardia/Coccidia. Both of these can be diagnosed in clinic (although Giardia is harder to catch.) Both are also pretty easy to treat.

It could also be stress from surgery and a reaction to anesthesia. One of my cats had a reaction post neuter to anesthesia in which he vomited for 2 days. It took him a little longer for his system to function normally and to eat a normal amount.

As for food encouragement, you can try mixing some Gerber stage 2 chicken or turkey into his wet food. Most kitties go crazy for the baby food. If you cannot get Gerber, just make sure there is no Garlic or Onion in the baby food. Beechnut meat foods are also good; but, my kitties prefer Gerber.

I would definitely find another vet (although I understand the circumstances of trying this first vet.)
 
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amythyst

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Thanks, this vet did think maybe he had Coccidia but his poo is green and not the color she said it would be.... like yellowish or light beige.  Would they have checked for Giardia when they did the stool sample last night?  Cause they told me they didn't find anything and it was very fresh poo he literally went to the bathroom and then I baggied it and drove it over there like 5 minutes later.

This morning was much better!  He ate quite a bit of food!  He would eat dry food, eat some wet food then come over to me to get some love then go back to the bowl and then back to me....rince and repeat. :)  I then gave him some fresh wet food and he gobbled on that too.  So, hopefully he has a full belly today.  My husband is in charge of him today while I'm at work.  So, I'll miss the little bugger. :)  While I was feeding him he would put his paws up on my chest and want me to pick him up and I'd snuggle him near my face... then he would take his nose and rub it up on my nose and rub my face with his face.... the little buggar is adorable. :)
 
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