Winnie's Littermate possible URI

Hello all,
I am a new kitten mama. My parents live in a rural area and have been feeding the ferals for years and years. It's gotten to the point where they stay in our garage (in WI it gets very cold in the winter) and they let my parents handle and pet them. Unfortunately this means they can't get help with TNR and they don't have the funds to take care of it themselves. Anyway, on July 21st I went home to visit and fell in love with one of the kittens. I estimated her at around 4 weeks old at the time (I was completely new to this so I used a lot of research and articles to figure out if I could take this kitty home responsibly). Here is a pic from the day I met Winnie:
I decided to come back and get her when she was a few weeks older. My roommate fell in love with my kitty because she looked just like one of her past cats and asked if there were any more. So in short we took home the two females of the litter. Winnie's litter mate is named Ophelia:
Sorry for so much backstory but I figure the more info the merrier!
Ophelia is much smaller than Winnie, though they both have round, firm bellies. She also sounds a little congested, has slight goopy eyes, and sneezes occasionally. They will both be seeing the vet on Wednesday. I emailed the vet about Ophelia and the response was that it was probably respiratory and would have to pass on its own, but I'd like to hear what some experienced cat owners have to say. Is it all right that we allow them to stay together? Is there anything more serious I need to be concerned about? Winnie is not showing symptoms but of course they were outside kitties and have not been wormed or had any vaccines yet.

Here is a picture of Winnie from today:

And Ophelia today:

Thank you in advance!

They are both precious!

It sounds like an upper respiratory infection which could be contagious. A goopy eye may indicate an eye infection. Both are common ailments in kittens, especially ones from strays or ferals.

So, on Wednesday you need to ask that the vet treat for a URI and an eye infection. That would most likely involve clavamox drops (an antibiotic) and terramycin (an antibiotic ointment) for the eyes.

If the other kitten is showing symptoms, she will need the same treatment. No need to separate them as they have already been together.

This is in addition to worming, flea treatment, and shots. They should not get any vaccines until they are at least 8 weeks old.

Also, they need kitten chow and plenty of wet food pretty much around the clock at this age and for the coming months.

Thank you for the info! I'm kind of stumped because Winnie is so obviously healthy (aside from probably having worms) and Ophelia is so obviously not. I told my roommate your advice and we will be sure to insist on the treatment!

We brought them home at around 6-7 weeks because they were starting to explore and we didn't want to lose them entirely. Just to be safe we did purchase KMR and mixed it with wet food and natural pumpkin (Ophelia had loose stools-probably the stress of moving). We've just finished up the KMR, so we feed wet food three times a day and leave dry food out all day.

Ophelia can build a healthier immune system through her diet and with proper medical care. Let us know how it goes at the vet.

Thank you, will do!

I would suggest getting another can of the powdered KMR. They need it for a few more weeks. It can be poured over kitten chow, mixed with wet food, or prepared for drinking in a dish. You might want to up their wet food to 4 times a day as well. All of this should help to build Ophelia's immune system.

She probably misses her mommy. A nice nest with a heating pad at night or hot water bottle and soft blankets helps too. A stuffed animal is nice to cuddle. Do the kittens sleep together at night?

ellieandwinnie

Winnie primarily sleeps with me and Ophelia with my roommate. If one of us is gone we take both kittens. We have provided a little pet bed in the living room and a stuffed kitty and throughout the day when they tire they'll cuddle together (or fall asleep on me!) They are pretty active little things too! They chase each other around and bat at each other and hop on and off furniture, so I'm not sure a heating pad would get enough time with the kittens. I'll try upping the wet food and I'll pick up some more KMR.

Sounds good!

Sarthur2

You asked for an update after the vet so here we are! Both kitties were seen today and each weighed 1.5lbs. I was so surprised because of how small Ophelia looks in comparison, but in the last 2 days she does seem to have put on a good amount of weight. I'm wondering if ferals tend to develop smaller in size, because the vet seems to think they are no more than 6 weeks old which came as a real shock to me. My dad disagrees because he's been with them from the start and says they are older, but I can't help feeling irresponsible for separating them younger than I intended.
We did a household stool sample and both kitties got their first round of treatment for roundworms. I let my dad know so he can try to track down the kitties back home and treat them as well. Everything else was negative-yay! They will go back in 2 weeks for another worming, and most likely a third after that.
The vet did determine Ophelia has a URI and an eye infection. She gave us Clavamox and erythromycin opthalmological (sp?) ointment. She held off on the six week distemper vaccination because of Ophelia's infection, and we decided to wait with Winnie until 8 weeks as well. I can already tell Ophelia's eyes are much happier after the first application!
Overall the vet says the kitties are very healthy, their hearts sound great! Yay!
She did not think that preventive flea treatment was necessary. She said it's highly unlikely that we would track any into the house and onto the kitties unless we had visited an infested place or animal.
She also said the KMR is no longer necessary.
I know this site is pro early spay and neuter, but this vet waits until 5-6 months. Are there any cons I should know about with this approach?
Thanks for everything!

That was a great vet check and update! Thank you!

Glad the eye infection and URI are getting treated. Also good on the worming.

A pound and a half is average weight for a six-week-old kitten. I think it's good to wait until they are well and eight weeks old for shots.

Most vets like to spay around 5-6 months. I prefer earlier, personally, because they heal faster and it's just easier on them. I have mine done at our local low-cost Humane Society at around 12 weeks. It's cheaper there too, but it's up to you.

KMR is not necessary, but it's a helpful supplement when they are young. I know you posted on another thread where KMR was being discussed as unsafe, but that was a while ago with the bad batches and I've not heard of any problems. The decision to use it is up to you.

It sounds like your feral-born kittens are off to a great start and have a wonderful loving home!

Post questions anytime and enjoy your fur babies!

Again, thank you for updating. It is always nice to know how those we advise are doing!

Our local human society does not have the capability to spay or neuter. They told me about a Spay Me clinic, but it sounded an awful lot like an assembly line of removing boy and girl parts without much individual care. Since Winnie can get microchipped at the same time as the spay with the vet, I think I'll be patient for that I suppose it can't hurt to give some powdered KMR with food so if you think it's best I'll get another can. Thanks for all your help! Even though this wasn't a whirlwind kitten emergency it's still so nice to have wisdom and experience to talk to!

It sounds like the private vet is the way to go then. You don't need an emergency to come on this site!

I thought of another question: is it recommended that kittens as young as mine be wormed by the vet only?

Do you mean as opposed to doing it yourself?

sarthur2 said:

Do you mean as opposed to doing it yourself?

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Only if it were a responsible option. I'm just worried because they are still babies

They are old enough to be wormed, but the vet can determine if they have worms, and which ones, and treat the kittens accordingly. I would suggest letting the vet do it. But it's up to you. Some worm medicines are sold over the counter.

The vet did their initial treatment. The stool sample showed only roundworms, but I understand it takes multiple treatments to be rid of these. So I guess I'm asking if it's safe to do the next two treatments at home instead of at the vet?

If you follow proper dosing instructions for kittens and are comfortable using the product, I don't see why not. I worm my cats myself, but not everyone is comfortable doing so.

Which product do you plan to use?