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- Aug 15, 2014
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Let me start by apologizing for how long this is.....
Last summer, I adopted a feral kitten that was about 5 weeks old. Her litter had been trapped 2 weeks earlier, and other than a little "eye cold", she was very healthy. She came to live with my 2 adult Maine coon kitties, and everyone was fine.
The week before Thanksgiving, a stray, barely alive, Cat showed up in our garage. She was a short haired calico with HUGE mats, and weighed 4 1/2 lbs. She could barely stand. I got her to the vet 2 days later and had her tested for contagious disease (FLV and aids) and she was cleared. We kept her (in the garage) as a foster with the help of a local cat rescue. My 2 adult cats had no contact with her but my kitten, Duma, is very cat friendly, and was more than willing to make friends. In February, Duma started acting lethargic and limping and shaking her head (mouth sores) so I took her to the vet and, of course, she had the calicivirus virus [emoji]128553[/emoji]. She got an antibiotic and pain shot for the mouth sores. Within a couple days, I noticed my 2 other cats also had it [emoji]128550[/emoji]. But, they were all healthy cats and we're better in a couple weeks.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago..... One of my Maine coons, Badger, was diagnosed with high grade lymphoma in June and even with a couple chemo treatments, quickly succumbed, and went to the bridge on July 19 [emoji]128546[/emoji]. Badger didn't like other cats or kittens, but Duma LOVES kittens, so we decided to foster 3 kittens through the same organization that helped us with the stray kitty, Gracie. They were about 7 wks old when we got them 3 weeks ago and very healthy. They had been caught 2 weeks earlier.
Last weekend, I noticed Duma was acting very clingy to me and slept on my lap whenever I sat on the couch, which isn't normal, especially with kittens to tend to. She sneezed a couple times, but no discharge, no mouth sores, and she seemed fine by Tuesday. This last Wednesday (3 days ago), a coworker trapped 5 feral, approx 3 wk old kittens (the same clan Duma came from last summer). One of them was Soooo tiny and didn't look very alert, so I took him, because I didn't think he'd make it on his own. He weighed 9oz when I got him home. It's been 3 days and he is almost 11oz,healthy, happy, playful and started cleaning himself yesterday and uses the litter box if I put him in it.[emoji]9786[/emoji]
This morning, Duma is sneezing, has a nasal discharge and is again lethargic. She's basically acting like anyone with a cold. Poor girl... My MAIN concern is the baby! Duma has been his mom for 3 days so I know he has been exposed to whatever she has/got from the other kittens. Or did she get it from him? What should I do? I don't think this is FCV, it's most likely FHV. Is the FHV something most kittens are already exposed to in the wild anyway? Would he still have immunity from his mother's milk? Obviously, Duma is highly susceptible to these viruses, and I feel horrible that in trying to help foster cats, I've made her sick. I guess that even though they aren't her babies, she's is still stressed from taking care of them (and she does, just like a real mommy, she even let's them "nurse"). What should I do?
Last summer, I adopted a feral kitten that was about 5 weeks old. Her litter had been trapped 2 weeks earlier, and other than a little "eye cold", she was very healthy. She came to live with my 2 adult Maine coon kitties, and everyone was fine.
The week before Thanksgiving, a stray, barely alive, Cat showed up in our garage. She was a short haired calico with HUGE mats, and weighed 4 1/2 lbs. She could barely stand. I got her to the vet 2 days later and had her tested for contagious disease (FLV and aids) and she was cleared. We kept her (in the garage) as a foster with the help of a local cat rescue. My 2 adult cats had no contact with her but my kitten, Duma, is very cat friendly, and was more than willing to make friends. In February, Duma started acting lethargic and limping and shaking her head (mouth sores) so I took her to the vet and, of course, she had the calicivirus virus [emoji]128553[/emoji]. She got an antibiotic and pain shot for the mouth sores. Within a couple days, I noticed my 2 other cats also had it [emoji]128550[/emoji]. But, they were all healthy cats and we're better in a couple weeks.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago..... One of my Maine coons, Badger, was diagnosed with high grade lymphoma in June and even with a couple chemo treatments, quickly succumbed, and went to the bridge on July 19 [emoji]128546[/emoji]. Badger didn't like other cats or kittens, but Duma LOVES kittens, so we decided to foster 3 kittens through the same organization that helped us with the stray kitty, Gracie. They were about 7 wks old when we got them 3 weeks ago and very healthy. They had been caught 2 weeks earlier.
Last weekend, I noticed Duma was acting very clingy to me and slept on my lap whenever I sat on the couch, which isn't normal, especially with kittens to tend to. She sneezed a couple times, but no discharge, no mouth sores, and she seemed fine by Tuesday. This last Wednesday (3 days ago), a coworker trapped 5 feral, approx 3 wk old kittens (the same clan Duma came from last summer). One of them was Soooo tiny and didn't look very alert, so I took him, because I didn't think he'd make it on his own. He weighed 9oz when I got him home. It's been 3 days and he is almost 11oz,healthy, happy, playful and started cleaning himself yesterday and uses the litter box if I put him in it.[emoji]9786[/emoji]
This morning, Duma is sneezing, has a nasal discharge and is again lethargic. She's basically acting like anyone with a cold. Poor girl... My MAIN concern is the baby! Duma has been his mom for 3 days so I know he has been exposed to whatever she has/got from the other kittens. Or did she get it from him? What should I do? I don't think this is FCV, it's most likely FHV. Is the FHV something most kittens are already exposed to in the wild anyway? Would he still have immunity from his mother's milk? Obviously, Duma is highly susceptible to these viruses, and I feel horrible that in trying to help foster cats, I've made her sick. I guess that even though they aren't her babies, she's is still stressed from taking care of them (and she does, just like a real mommy, she even let's them "nurse"). What should I do?
