New Rescue Kitten Can't Keep Anything Down Need Suggestions ASAP Please! Thank You!

Hello  Everyone!

I come to you needing some help with advice as to what to do about our little rescue kitten "Ash".
 

My wife and I have run a feral colony shelter for the last 7 yrs. We trap/spayed/neuter/release and feed daily (multiple times in Winter) and make insulated shelters with straw to help them survive the sometimes bitter cold here. (which they do) Due to recent construction near (almost at) the location of the original colony, we've had to move the colony 3 times. Not too far, but enough that it was quite a bit of work. 
 

That said, there was a few that we were aware of that never attached themselves to the colony. Seems territorial. So we do what we can and leave food separate for them, and had till recently been able to provide a bit of shelter for them away from the main group. Though it seemed they preferred the use of irrigation tunnels that had been laid previous years. 
 

Long story short, we have had a hard time trapping these for various reasons due to being so close to businesses and the construction and their apparent natural hyper-caution to people and it seems traps. Recently we began seeing a very leery little kitten that was always there in the mornings where we drop off food for these "outsiders" cats. Though we hardly ever see them, the food i always gone or near gone each morning. 

Also of note, is a  few weeks ago, another white cat, that we assumed was a parent/mother to the kitten was seen with a pretty wicked neck wound. It looked like a possible bite, perhaps from a raccoon or fox (as we have both in the area) or another cat or dog? No clue really. But they had actually ventured over to where the main colony was set up looking for food. I gave it it's own dish and tried to get close enough to get a better look but it wouldn't let me and would quickly move away even though I could tell it was struggling. This is the first time we've ever had a wounded cat at the colony (or near) that we've encountered, though we've always known there were plenty of natural predators in the area. I saw the cat once, never saw it again. I'm fairly certain that the wound was simply too severe.
 

Now we're not certain, but we believed that this wounded cat was the mother to the kitten, that we named Ash. And we began to worry that with out the normal shelter they used (the old tunnels) and the loss of it's mother as well as not a mbr of the colony, and probably not likely to be welcomed there by the group...we decided to adopt him ourselves. Now we already have several "rescue" cats at home that came to us through various circumstances, and we were a bit hesitant to add another. But after trapping him and getting him fixed and his shots, our hearts one out and we brought him home.
 

Over the new 2 weeks he was amazing. Exhibiting all the normal signs and actions expected from a 3-4 month old (at just over 4lbs we're thinking 3). He ate veraciously and warmed up to our other cats after a week of isolation in the master bedroom in order to slowly introduce him. Our only other male cat named Jackson (no relation heh) immediately took to almost mothering him with attention and grooming and play. We felt very good about our decision to add him to the family.
 

Then about a week ago, one evening he began to vomit/dry heave, very little came up except some white foam and a bit of liquid, not much. This was the first time we'd seen or head him do this. He proceeded to do it 6-7 more times that night. Almost every 2 hrs. I got up early before work and got some more KMR to try and re-hydrate him. We'd got a can initially to try and help him get the nutrients that he might of been missing and to also compensate to no longer being able to nurse, which after a bit of affectionate stimulation he almost always would begin trying, normally in my armpit . He was quite thin when we got him. And he seemed to quickly begin to add a bit of weight with the food, mostly wet and the kmr. 

So with great concern we called our vet and took him in that afternoon. We feared that he had eaten/swallowed something, part of a small cat toy that he chewed off or anything else that he'd come across that should not have been swallowed. We felt/feel horrible.  The doctor seemed to agree that that was the main possibility. But we checked for Feline Leukemia as well as another possibility that I can't think of off hand, first. Just to rule them out. They were negative. His temperature was normal as well. And his blood work came back in the normal ranges, not red flags. So we them moved on to x-rays (2)...they also came back negative, nothing showing.  They gave him an anti-nausea shot and gave us some wet/can food that was suppose to be easier to digest. And a shot of fluid on his back to help his hydration. They told us to watch him and perhaps he was just going through "something" and that is would pass. 
 

A bit irritated that we had no definitive answer to his condition we took him home. He had a lethargic night but no vomiting. He would eat very little and we began using a syringe that the doctor had given to us and used the food which we watered down enough to inject. We did this every few hours, about 1 1/2 ml...the doctor said he should be eating about a 1/2 of can a day of the food. But thinned out with enough water to pass the syringe, that equals quite a bit of fluid. We're not 100% sure how much to give him in this manner at one time. We've been ranging anywhere between 1 1/2 - 4 ml at one time, slowly and over multiple applications to allow him to swallow easier. He is not a fan of the syringe! And it's challenging. Thank goodness for the protective nature of a wrapped towel!
 

But it seemed that once the anti-nausea wore off he began to vomit again. Eating very little if any and hardly drinking, the syringe was basically the only way he way getting anything. 
 

We made another appointment at the vet for the following morning and did the routine of trying to keep him hydrated and fed throughout the night. He had several more throw-up/dry heaves throughout the night. 
 

I took him in and their next suggestion was to do a Barium test and battery of x-rays over a period of time to see if/where the barium stopped or went around a foreign object in his intestinal track. I left him and they called that afternoon saying that nothing could be seen. Which on one hand is good I guess because no surgery would be needed and we're already pushing over $800 in bills and the cost of a surgery would have been challenging. 
 

On the other hand it seems that there is no clear answer to what's causing him to feel the need to vomit. 

They decided that even with a low temp and normal blood, that he might have an infection of some type and gave us some antibiotics to give him twice a day for 5 days. Also some anti-nausea tablets that need to be split and crushed and infected with the syringe. Some more nutrient dense food...and that's it. 
 

He has seemed better at times, and actually eaten some wet food and drank water with a little encouragement. But he then threw-up what he'd eaten this morning. It was before I'd given him the nausea med. I'd hoped that the antibiotic was working and he felt better. 

Basically I feel like we're flying blind here and watching as his condition continues to deteriorate.
 

I thought I'd come here and see what if anything else I could do or should be doing.  Or if there was something else that I should suggest to our vet to do. I know that some have more experience than others and perhaps there is something being overlooked or not tested for that could be.

I'd love and be grateful for any thoughts or suggestions/advice anyone could give.
 

I'd really like to know how much we should be giving him each time with the syringe. We worry about giving too much per dose as well as how much or many times we should be doing it throughout the day. The vet wasn't that clear and we'd hoped that with the anti-nausea med and the antibacterial that his appetite would bounce back and he'd begin to eat on his own more. 

This simply isn't happening...yet. 
 

We're worried that we're not giving him enough through the syringe to keep him hydrated and nourished as much as he should be.

Thank you for listening/reading.  I know it was a long journey. But I wanted to give the background on what's happening and how we got to this point
 

~ Best Regards to All ~   
 

Stu       

I wish I were more knowledgeable about health issues--but my first thought is pancreatic/gallbladder issues. Possibly IBS/IBD. There are a couple of threads about both; here is one.
How is his poop/appetite? Has an ultrasound been done?

It sounds like the episodes that my kitty would have with IBD flares but he is awfully young for that.  My kitty was 18 months old when he had his first flare and he went undiagnosed for a long time I think because he was so young.  No one thought of it because of his age.  I am wondering if it's something bacterial going on.  Is he constipated?  Constipation can make a kitty very nauseated, Patches is prone to constipation.  It's kind of a chicken and egg thing, is not eating causing the constipation or is the constipation causing the nausea.  Has he been given a round of Flagyl?  I know there is some controversy around it now but it is good for intestinal bacterial issues.  It is an antibiotic with anti-inflammatory properties.  It is very bitter, my vet that I take the kitties to now would cut up the pills and put them in empty gel caps so Patches wouldn't taste them.  You can find the gel caps on Amazon and a couple of people have found them at The Vitamin Shoppe.

We would like to know about the kittens poop. Avoid beef and organs as these are hard to digest for fit cats. Chicken and turkey are best and of course no seafood. The kitten should already be eating a kitten chow hard food as well as can food. Was his teeth examined. I have 6 cats and are very used to seeing the white foam throw up which is normally a sign of too much water on an empty stomach. The kitten is too old to be syringe feeding. Stay away from milk and milk by products unless it's goats milk.

I found one of my kittens eating her liter which of course made her vomit all day. But it's made of wheat so no chance of poisoning. I would have requested a heavy metal blood test just to see if the kitten ate paint chips or other toxic item. Since he is vomiting so much I would look for some sort of toxin or poison the kitten ate or is exposed to daily. Perhaps detergents or household cleaners your other cats ignore. Kittens are screwy and get into every thing such as toilet water.

Try dry food for kittens. My Sophie is now 10 months old but I swore she wouldn't make it pass 6 months because of her bad habit of eating everything in sight. He may have even eaten a bug that started all this vomiting. Or even a poisonous plant. My cats are given probiotics 3 times a day to keep their digestive track in line, did your vet recommend that as well. For the money you spent your vet can only provide diagnostic results. A waste of money. I would continue the antibiotics as if she ate something she shouldn't have eaten it will help but be careful as they can also do more harm then good.

Thank you for the replies.

His stool is soft to runny, it fluctuates. But he is having bowel movements and urinating. 

We are using the syringe to give him his anti-nausea med ( 1/2 tablet crushed) mixed with watered down soft that the Dr. gave to us. It's supposedly easy to digest.  We give about 5ml at a time slowly over 3-4 doses every couple of hours.

He has little to no appetite. He will drink a little water and lick a bit at food. But he's not eating or drinking anywhere near what he should be to stay hydrated or nourished on his own atm

We're hoping that the antibiotic (Metronidazole) 3ml  every 12 hrs (twice a day/ morning & evening)  will help clear up whatever is causing him distress and that his appetite will gradually return. 

Without the anti-nausea med I doubt he'd be keeping anything down...and how long can that go on before his body/organs start to shut down? Not long I think.

Didn't realize that seafood (soft can?) would be hard to digest. 

Will keep him away from that.

He does have kitten hard food...and has eaten it, but threw it up the last few times he's tried it. Now he acts like he doesn't trust it. An understandable reaction.

We'll keep going like this till the antibiotic runs out. Another 2 days looks like. 

Will pick him up some Science diet soft (chicken/turkey) as he's not too fond of the can food from the Dr., pretty bland...though that's what we're using in the syringe atm .

We really have no clue what might of set this off. Like I said, he was acting and eating fine for about 2 weeks. He wasn't exposed to any toxins that we're aware of....

Wish we knew more to do.

Right now out main focus is getting the meds down and enough water/food to keep him alive.

Regards,

Stu



 

Has he been tested for panleukopenia aka feline distemper? I would be surprised if the vet hasn't already thought of this possibility, but thought I'd ask just in case. It's a common virus in kittens. Does he have a fever?

In any case I hope you are keeping him separate from any other cats in case he has something contagious.

The suddenness of his illness makes me think of either panleukopenia or having swallowed something that got stuck, but it sounds like the latter has been pretty thoroughly checked out.

I once had a cat go through something very similar, and despite several examinations by the vet it was almost a week before they discovered she had swallowed a piece of string - it was knotted around the base of her tongue and trailing down her throat. She, however, couldn't keep anything down, even the anti-nausea meds, which is different from your kitten. She had surgery to remove the string and made a full recovery.

"Has he been tested for panleukopenia aka feline distemper?" 

Yes. Was the second test they ran and he came back negative.

Also he wasn't running a fever. Which is why I guess they didn't go with the possibility that he might have an bacterial infection sooner. 

Though there is no proof yet that that is the case.

He's eating kitten hard on his own just now, not a lot, but it's a good sign. 

I'm hoping he keeps it down this time!!!

Hi Stu,

Several things here, first of all you are a hero for caring for the ferals, I have a cat rescue group and ferals are my weak spot, I also care for many colonies I have tnr'd.

I will get right to the point.

If your kitten weighs 4 lbs he is likely a little over 4 months old.

The kitten sounds to me like it is infact panleukopenia. 

I understand he has been tested, but the snap test is actually designed for dog parvovirus, and is certainly not foolproof. The swab for a fecal sample must be pushed deep inside, not just the inner lining area.

I had a 4 month old sick kitten who was tested, negative on the results, I was so relieved. He died the next day, was then retested and it was positive.

I am telling you this because sometimes it doesn't show up on the test results until the virus is well on it's way to creating havoc and damage to the kitten.

While panleuk is certainly the biggest dreaded virus because of it's high mortality rate, it does not mean that a healthy otherwise kitten of 4+ months is unable to survive through it.

But it take vigilance of supportive care.

The number one thing is to keep WELL hydrated.

As for feeding, I would give just kmr and sometimes kmr mixed with chicken or turkey baby food.

KMR provides lots of nutrition, enough to live on even, and is digested very easily over canned food.

Don't look for a fever, there are usually only mild spikes that can be attributed to a cat's normal temp.

It will even cause his temp to be under the norm.

Fluids and an antibiotic like clavamox.

Metronidazole is not an antibiotic like that. It is given more for poop/intestinal issues and is super mild.

Kitten is not interested in play, walking around, sleeps alot, lethargic and weaker acting, not eating, vomiting, and loose stools?

I would ask for a retest now.

Please be sure your cats are vaccinated. If they had the full kitten series and had one at a year old, then even without another since if they are indoor only, then they should be fine.

Also, the neck wound if it is a female may have been from mating, as the male will bite down too hard to hold the female in place and often cause the abcessed area you saw.

If a male then he is needing to be tnr'd before more fighting happens and more infections, as a cat bite always becomes abcessed/infected.

It does however usually heal on it's own with time, the lump bursts and drains the infection out. Looks pretty nasty when this happens though so this may be what you saw.