Eight Month Old Kitten Suddenly Unwell

Hi there, 

I am new here and the proud Mom of 9 beautiful cats, most of them are middle aged, two are geriatric, one is four, and my youngest, Quinn, is about 8 months old.  He literally walked into my house when I opened the front door to take the trash out (he is the photon on my avatar). 

Of course, I did not need another cat, but I knew if I turned him away, he would 1) get hit by a car; 2) get maimed or infected with something from another cat; 3) make a little girl kitty pregnant.  So, into my bathroom he went for isolation until I could get him to the vet. 

He had "the works" done - neuter, check for FELV / FIV (negative), check for parasites and fleas, all standard vaccinations, etc.  After he healed up from his little surgery he was introduced to the rest of the house and has been terrorizing everyone and breaking things and doing the "wall of death" motorcycle type of running around that all good kittens do!  

Quite suddenly, it has only been a couple of days, he is very lethargic, low low energy and barely eats.  Sleeps alot... Checked his bathroom situation and poop and pee look totally normal. Tummy not swollen.

I should mention two things:  one is that last Thursday I had to put to sleep my beloved Declan (hence my username) who was extremely ill with a combination of hyperthyroidism and kidney disease.  It was beyond sad but I stayed with him the entire time, reassuring him that Mommy wuld ALWAYS be with him and telling him how much I love him, always.  Now, Quinn, the sick, kitten, cannot be pining for Declan as he was never close to him and has only been living with us for about 2 months.

The other thing is that although I have a full time job, but the pay is awful and I am alone, supporting all nine cats, an apartment, all bills, and a car with only one meager salary.  I want you to know that when I rescued the majority of my cats, I had a much better job and was in a completely different situation with many things, mainly money, so I did not just go out and get all these cats, not having enough money for their proper care.  The point is, I cannot afford a huge vet bill, especially as I still owe the vet from Declan last week.

Could it be FELV, perhaps they didn't catch it on the first test?  I have seen FELV kittens before and that is how he is acting.  Also, two of my cats are from London, where I lived for a long time.  One of them had calici when she was a baby.  Curiously, the second youngest cat although vaccinated, caught Snowflake's strain of calici (different country) and had similar symptoms to Quinn.  It took about two weeks, but he made a full recovery.  

Other than that, any guesses?  It is too late to isolate him as he has already been all around the house & sharing bowls, litterboxes, etc for last few days.  I'm really worried and have no money for this... 

I would appreciate any input or ideas.  

Best,

Dec's Mom

"Bump"

Sorry, this is very important - could someone please reply???????

I've had some cats have an off week or so. . .I have no idea what it is but occasionally one will act weird like that for a few days and then be back to normal :dk:. As long as he's eating, drinking, eliminating normally, doesn't have a fever, isn't in pain, I don't even know what the vet could do anyway. I guess sometimes I feel lousy for a few days and cats aren't any different.

But of course if he stops eating or otherwise shows signs of something worse, you will at least need to call the vet for advice. Calls are free, can't hurt.

Thank you, Willowy.  Puts my mind at rest a bit.  I'll keep an eye on him and keep you all posted. 

Also going to post pics of all my babies (current and ones that have crossed the Bridge) under my profile if anyone wants to have a look... should be there in a few hours (at work!!). 

Any other replies to this thread very welcome and appreciated  

Thanks again!

I should mention that he does not have any signs of an upper respiratory infection - no stuffy nose or discharge, weeping eyes, etc... nothing like that.