feral kitten, sick

I have a liter of 5 feral kitties, 6-8 weeks old had them vetted on sat, shots wormed and frontlined, they had all been doing well, but today one of the little girls is "not herself" she had been the playful one, today seems lethargic and sleeps alot. I don't know if she is having a reaction to the medication or is truly sick, I don't have the money to take her to a vet, the CAHS helped us on Sat and only charged 35 dollars, I was just wondering if anyone had any suggestions/ideas?

It could be a number of things.  Is she eating enough?

@catwoman707

@Red Top Rescue

Vaccine reactions are not uncommon, especially if they were given the modified live vaccines rather than killed vaccine for part of the combo shot.  They can run a fever and be achy and lethargic for a few days.  Just make sure she keeps eating and has plenty to drink.  Goats milk is always good at a time like this, if she will drink it.  It helps keep her hydrated and has everything that agrees with a cat's system (unlike cow's milk).  You can usually find it in the dairy section of most big supermarket chains.  Better yet, find a goat farmer nearby and get it fresh.

If the kitten should get so sick she will not eat, do get her to a vet.  Otherwise, she should be recovering in a few days.  Sometimes they will sneeze after vaccinations but they dont get goopy eyes or noses, so if those signs show up, it's more than just a vaccine response and again should be seen by a vet or experienced rescuer.

I agree, the modified live virus vaccine can cause side effects in kittens, usually vets consider this due to the calici content.

The most important thing for you to do is keep a watchful eye on her and if she shows a high fever or trouble breathing she must get back to the vet right away.

Otherwise, over a few days period she will need your supportive care until she is back to fully eating and drinking on her own again.

If she must be supplemented, use a feeding syringe and give her kitten pate mixed with pediolyte or kmr several times per day.

Young kittens have very little resources and will get dehydrated extremely easy and fast, which will cause more issues and can even cause death, so keep her well hydrated.

She should do fine soon enough.

Thanks for all the advice, it's good to know I am not alone out here! She continues to eat and drink, I have been keeping a very close eye on her and have my husband watch here while I'm at work as he is retired.  Tonight I gave her some very finely chopped boiled chicken breast about 2 teaspoons and she ate all of it. Her stools are loose but still some what formed, not diarrhea. She sleeps alot but I hope this will get out of her system soon! Her breathing seems to be ok, not labored, her eyes are still clear, no discharge, no sneezing, I guess I just have to wait, love her keep her warm and pray!

You can also give her a little plain canned pumpkin with her food. It helps diarrhea.

I have been keeping a close eye on her intake, she eats and drinks well. it's just the drop in her playfulness, somewhat lethargic, she does get up and go  to her litter box, ate some boiled chicken tonight husband heading to store to find some goats milk! thanks for responding! I have 4 cats but they are all so healthy, this little one scared me, I have only had her/them, there are 5 of them, for about 10 days and already am attached! Makes me wonder if she will have this reaction when she goes back on the 19th for her 2nd set of shots, I will be sure to tell them about this!

good to know!

Well my little girl is up and about! Yesterday she decided that she was done not feeling well and the play has begun! She is back to her ornery self, thanks to all who responded and assured me that she would be ok!

So glad to hear this, and I know you must be relieved too. Do let your vet know.

In my experience they have less reaction to the second shot in the series, probably because they are already building immunity.  Your little one didnt have an allergic reaction, though, so probably she was just more sensitive than the others and got a much bigger vaccine reaction.  Hopefully it will be less with the second one.