My kitten seems to have lost all will to survive

My kitten is 6 1/2 months old. We adopted him at about 4 months. He's a very friendly, loving little guy who loves to snuggle and be with his people. In the last few weeks his appetite decreased and this past Saturday night he started dragging his hind end as though paralyzed. I took him to a 24 hour vet and they did x-rays on him and gave him a Meloxicam injection. The x-rays revealed no breaks, however they did discover an extra half-vertebrae. The emergency vet was also very concerned about his weight, as he is very small for his age.

Throughout this week I've been following the vet's instructions, keeping him confined with his food, water and litter close and trying to not let him move about too much. His appetite has continued to decrease and his water intake is minimal at best. Fast forward to Thursday (yesterday) I had a follow up appointment with our regular vet. They were also concerned about his weight and lack of food intake, and prescribed special food (Hills AD Urgent Care for Cats and Dogs). I've been syringe feeding and watering him since yesterday. But in the last 18-24 hours my little love seems to have lost all will to survive. He's completely stopped walking, has not used the litter box, just pees/poos where he lay, and has no interest in the food I put in front of him (however, he is getting nutrition in the syringe feedings). I force feed him every few hours and he spends most of his time either in front of a heater or being held.

Does anyone have any idea what might be wrong??? He hasn't had a fever at all throughout his ordeal and the vet did take blood to run some tests. The results are not back yet.

I'm so sad for my little love, I have no clue what to do for him and I don't know if he will hold on much longer :`(

I'm so very sorry to hear about your kitten.  I'm not sure what more you can do than you are already doing.  He is very, very sick.  When will you get the blood test results back?  You could take him back to the vet for some sub-q fluids but he still needs to eat and it sounds like he is too fragile for a feeding tube.  Do you think he is suffering at all?  If so, it might be time to take an objective look at the quality of his life and decide if it is worth keeping him going.  I so wish that I could say something more hopeful but it's been my experience that when a cat stops eating, drinking,walking and using the litter box, they rarely recover.  I am so, so sorry.  Please let us know what happens.  I pray I am wrong. 

I'm so sorry!  I know that sometimes paralysis in the back legs can be caused by saddle thrombus. 

I'm very sorry for what you are going through, and sad for your baby, and I hate to tell you what I think, but I have a good suspicion it is dry FIP.

It is not uncommon for it to attack the central nervous system, which will cause him to become lame.

If this is the case, he is suffering and the sooner to let him go the more you will spare him any further prolonged suffering

I'm so sorry.

I have nothing to add but that my heart is breaking for you.

Thank you, his condition is much the same today. I'm still waiting on the bloodwork to come back, the vet was supposed to call me yesterday, they didn't and now they are closed for the weekend. I'm continuing to force feed him and he seems to take the food eagerly. 



Its hard to say if he is suffering at all. He doesn't appear to be in pain and doesn't make any noises. But I am certain that he isn't feeling well. I am, unfortunately, prepared to make the hard decision regarding his life. 

catwoman707 said:

I'm very sorry for what you are going through, and sad for your baby, and I hate to tell you what I think, but I have a good suspicion it is dry FIP.
It is not uncommon for it to attack the central nervous system, which will cause him to become lame.
If this is the case, he is suffering and the sooner to let him go the more you will spare him any further prolonged suffering
I'm so sorry.

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Thank you, if it is dry FIP, I'm concerned for my other cat as well. I read online that there is a vaccine that might be administered, have you ever heard of this? My other guy is almost 3 years old.

I don't mean to scare you but my kitten went through the same thing. When kittens lose their ability to use their legs, it's usually neurological. Kittens that fail to thrive like this are usually victims of the dry form of FIP. I hope I am wrong for you and your kitty. How do her pupils look? Are they uneven? Is she lethargic? Hoping the best for you two.

JDarn said:

Thank you, if it is dry FIP, I'm concerned for my other cat as well. I read online that there is a vaccine that might be administered, have you ever heard of this? My other guy is almost 3 years old.

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Please don't worry for your other cat. FIP is an individual illness, and is not contagious.

It comes from a very common mild cold virus, which is contagious, but the huge majority just work it through their system in a few days and are done with it.

Occasionally one is unable to get rid of it, and it settles in their system, and changes somehow, still most is unknown, but the changing, it becomes FIP, which is not contagious.

Most FIP cases happen during their first year. 6 1/2 months old is a common age for this to show.

How is he doing?

It sounds like he may be feeling a bit better if he seems eager to eat.  I certainly hope so.

We're all keeping our fingers crossed for you and your little one.

Margret

jdarn

Has your vet ruled out poisoning yet? There are several plants that are very toxic to cats and some cause the symptoms you are describing:

Ingesting Azelas and/or Rhododendrons can cause neurological problems and leg paralysis as well as depression and loss of appetite.

More info about the toxicity of Azelas and Rhododendrons :

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/azalea

Of course there are several other plants and toxins that can cause these issues too.

Here is a link to a site that has a list of plants that are poisonous to cats :

http://m.petmd.com/cat/emergency/poisoning-toxicity/e_ct_poisonous_plants

Hi everyone, my little guy is still hanging in there. He is actually looking better as far as being alert, his eyes are bright and the 3rd eyelids that were half closed are now back to their normal position. He is still being force fed but is eager to take the food. However, he is still not walking. He does move his legs to stretch, switch position or scratch. But otherwise he just lays on his side limp.  I'm still so confused by his symptoms.

I've put a call in to my vet this morning to see about the test results. I'm hoping they get back to me very soon.

Raina21 said:

@JDarn

Has your vet ruled out poisoning yet? There are several plants that are very toxic to cats and some cause the symptoms you are describing:

Ingesting Azelas and/or Rhododendrons can cause neurological problems and leg paralysis as well as depression and loss of appetite.

More info about the toxicity of Azelas and Rhododendrons :

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/azalea

Of course there are several other plants and toxins that can cause these issues too.

Here is a link to a site that has a list of plants that are poisonous to cats :

http://m.petmd.com/cat/emergency/poisoning-toxicity/e_ct_poisonous_plants

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I'm not sure if the vet was testing for any type of poisoning, but I actually don't have any kind of flowers or plants in my house (no green thumb here, lol). And my kitty is indoor only.  

Just a thought though...my kitten, before getting sick, was notorious for jumping in the bathtub and licking the sides. Sometimes he would lick the water off after someone had been in the shower and sometimes there was no water and he would still lick the sides and bottom of the tub. So I do wonder if there was any cleaning residue or soap in the tub that he may have ingested. I always tried to rinse everything very well but the possibility still remains.  When I hear from my vet I will bring this up and ask about the possibility of poisoning. Thank you for mentioning this!