Pleaaaase let Aaru have her kittens safely and SOON...

I wish someone had told me not to vaccinate her.

I asked and they said it was fine because it was a killed virus. Ugh. I hope she feels better soon. She's acting pretty normal now. Just chillin' with the babies.

My concern with antibiotics is just their effect on overall health by way of killing off beneficial gut flora. Probiotics will reintroduce some strains, but not all, which weakens intestinal and overall immunity for quite some time. Oh well. It's important for her to get well, so I guess we just need to suck it up and do it.

Crikey!!! What an uproar for Ru & you!! I have given amoxicillin to mama kitties plenty of times (and like you, I try to avoid when possible because I, myself, am allergic and know first-hand how awful it can go).  And KMR, especially if not diluted beyond manufacturer's recommendations, can cause diarrhea, which is why I prefer goat's milk, fresh or canned, made into formula using the "kitten-glop" recipe found at www.kitten-rescue.com. 

I am so happy that you found that skilled vet to help you out - I cannot say too many times how wonderful you are for caring for that little kitty family. All your challenges & you still muster on, with grace & good attitude    And it really helps out when you post these updates because many people visit these pages when having the same challenges/questions so many more kitties are being helped out!

@catsknowme, you are so kind!

You're so right about posts being a resource for others in similar situations. I don't know how many times I've googled cat-related questions and the only helpful information I could find linked to a thread on TCS. That's how I first found the site!

Ru has no appetite. She's not herself. She spends most of her time with the litter, which is great. But when she comes out, I have to give her the Amoxi drops the vet prescribed for her gut bacteria. Then she hates me. She is preoccupied with going outside, and isn't eating much at all. I'm worried about her, but her 2 trips to the vet on Wednesday have left me in a tight financial situation. If she needs to go again, I'll take her and pay for it somehow... but she was doing fine before I took her to the vet for her postpartum checkup. That's when all the diarrhea, vomiting saliva, and moodiness set in. I'm so worried about her but I'm worried that it's stress that's making her feel unwell, and that if I take her back to the vet it will only get worse. What do I do???? I'm worried sick about her. I hate that she's not enjoying herself as much as she normally does. I wouldn't think that a vaccine reaction would affect her 4 days later. What is going on?!

Unfortuately, the ill effects from a vaccine can last awhile, although it should wear off eventually.

Is she still having diarrhea and vomiting? The best thing you can do is keep her hydrated.

How much is she eating? Is she drinking water? I'm wondering if she needs sub-q fluids since she's nursing.

Is your vet aware that she's been having a reaction to the vaccine?

The vet was aware of the reaction and I asked her to note it in Ru's records. When I went back that day after seeing the first vet who wasn't that great, I saw another vet who was great. We had gone back because of the possibility of a vaccine reaction, so that vet definitely knows. She's the one who gave her the antihistamine injection for the reaction and noted it in her records.

I know that she's drinking, but I don't know how much because I don't have eyes on her all the time. She usually wants to be left alone with the babes. I've definitely seen her drink, though. I have not seen her eat at all today except for a few bites of jerky treat around lunchtime. I set them in the nest with her and she ate them. In general though, she's not showing interest in her kitten chow, treats, or anything. The only way she'll eat her probiotic is if I mix it with canned food, and she usually scarfs it down. Not today. A friend is coming over for dinner and she's bringing some Fancy Feast to see if we can coax her to eat something.

Otherwise, she's bright eyed. She's just not quite her normal self in that her appetite is gone, and she still has the diarrhea and occasional vomitting. She's only using the litterbox once a day. When she goes, she urinates a good amount, and passes loose stool. I'm sure that a good bit of the water she takes in goes toward milk production, right? Kittens are all fine. Sleepy, quiet, and fat.

I hope she'll eat the Fancy Feast. The amoxicillin could also be upsetting her tummy and throwing her appetite off, and antibiotics can also cause diarrhea.

I think you should call the good vet tomorrow and ask her what you should do since she's barely eating. Perhaps the vet will want you to stop the amoxicillin for now, or try a special food.

Since she's nursing, she really needs to eat.

In the meantime, give her whatever she will eat. Have you tried yogurt? Cats usually love it and it can soothe her upset tummy.

It's funny you say yogurt... I had thought to try that also, but she didn't want it. My friend also offered her 2 different types of Fancy Feast, several types of treats, Purina dry food, Blue Buffalo dry food, and she didn't want any of it. Finally, we offered her a plain shrimp when we were cooking dinner, and she ate it! Thank goodness. I set aside a few more before I cooked the rest in garlic, so hopefully she'll eat it tomorrow too. I don't know what else to give her. She sniffs other foods, but doesn't bother to eat them.

Fancy feast makes a dark blue can that is fish and shrimp, basically irresistible to cats, I would try this, or tuna/water, or chicken baby food diluted.

This will take some time to get through but she will, meanwhile she needs to keep hydrated and some food in her tummy to prevent HL.

Thanks @catwoman707. You said she needs food to prevent HL... what is that? I'm not familiar with that abbreviation. I was worried about liver damage from too much fasting, but she has only been fasting for a couple days, so hopefully she'll be alright. She's actually done a little better today. She had her shrimp last night. Although she did not want shrimp this morning, we had an unpleasantly eventful day which must have worked up her appetite and led to her eating some canned food this afternoon.

So Ru was so unhappy and wanted out so badly, that I decided to try her in the harness today. It was her first time, so she did pretty well as far as walking around and so on (my little guy Arlo tried it once, and spent the whole time trying to sniper crawl out from under it as though it was perched on his back and could be escaped by doing the limbo). Anyway, I had to adjust it before we went out because she's very petite, but I got it to fit snugly. We walked around for awhile and she ate some grass and watched the bugs fly around. Then she tugged to go look in the brush at the edge of the yard, so we did. And no sooner had she gone into the brush and I tugged to call her back, when she somehow Houdini'd herself out of that thing. Just like that. It had been snug... I'm serious! She looked at me from a sea of poison ivy and fallen logs as if to say "What now, Mom? You coming after me in your flip flops?" And she disappeared into the bushes. I was worried sick about her for several hours, hoping she wasn't noticed by any Tom Cats (there aren't many around here, but apparently there's at least one). She finally came back a few hours later, nursed the babies, and had a saucerful of canned food. I was so glad to see her. I guess the harness is a no go.

Also talked to the vet on the phone this morning, and she denied that Amoxi can cause appetite loss, upset stomach, and diarrhea (although I have heard and read that it does from countless reputable sources). Still, she said that I can stop the amoxi since it's been 5 days and see if her appetite improves. She said that if she doesn't, the next step is hospitalization, with the litter, to administer IV drugs for several days. I can't handle that financially, and I don't think it would be healthy for Ru, stress-wise. That clinic sounds like a pound inside for all the dogs barking and craziness. She hates to set foot in there... let alone stay for 3 days. Her demeanor is annoyed, but alert and seemingly ok. It's just that she's got a low appetite. I'm hoping that it will pick up after today. I'm so freaked out. I've never had a kitty be so troubled at such an early age. I feel like I made her life worse by adopting her, and that I've done everything wrong. I wish I'd never taken her to the vet last week. I feel horrible for bringing all this on her. I thought this would be a happy, exciting time for us, watching the kittens grow and Ru being happy and healthy. What a mess. Poor Ru.

PS... she must be drinking when I'm not watching. Although she only goes to the litterbox once a day, there's a good bit of urine because she leaves a clump of litter the size of a tennis ball.

How long can the effects of a mild vaccine reaction last?

Yikes, scary her getting out of the harness like that! Cat's are amazing, it's that slinky body that allows them to pull off some of the things they manage to.

HL is hepatic lipidosis/fatty liver disease.

A cat's liver is not a high functioning organ, but it does just fine for normal cat life, but when a cat goes more than a day without at least 1/2 of their normal calorie intake, the body will naturally turn to stored fat for fuel and normal functions, so when it attacks the fat, the liver gets bombarded with it, causing an overload and unable to process it all so it simply shuts down. That is HL.

So it's always concerning when a cat stops eating or has very little interest in food.

Anything that will give calories to her works, whether a dish of overdiluted KMR, chicken baby food diluted with water, tuna juice/tuna, whatever, literally. Just to make sure the cals are enough so that she can sustain herself.

HL is a big deal, you don't even want to go there.

I disagree with the vet on amox causing loss of appetite, I had to stop giving it to my Krissy since it was causing her vomiting and nausea, and couldn't hold any food down.

As soon as I stopped, she was fine.

I think your girl will be fine, just make sure she eats enough, even if it comes down to it to syringe feed her, which they don't usually like, at all really! But if it saves them then it is what it is.

Your description of your other cat doing the limbo made me laugh! I've seen that one    

EDIT-Forgot to answer the question about how long a vaccine reaction can go on for.

Actually it's an individual thing, but can take as much as a month.........

@catwoman707 that's exactly what I was worried about. Hepatic Lipidosis (I had forgotten the term, but I remembered the condition). When I mentioned my concern to the vet on the phone today, she said Ru would have to fast for weeks before that was an issue. That didn't sound right to me .

I guess it may come to the syringe. The only times she's eaten have been after I let her out for a supervised stroll. I know this sounds crazy, but could she be on hunger strike because she's mad at me for curtailing her freedom?

Forest Phoenix said:

 
@catwoman707 that's exactly what I was worried about. Hepatic Lipidosis (I had forgotten the term, but I remembered the condition). When I mentioned my concern to the vet on the phone today, she said Ru would have to fast for weeks before that was an issue. That didn't sound right to me .

I guess it may come to the syringe. The only times she's eaten have been after I let her out for a supervised stroll. I know this sounds crazy, but could she be on hunger strike because she's mad at me for curtailing her freedom?

Click to expand...

No, cats are not capable of that type of emotion or reasoning.

She's got an upset tummy causing this.

Have you tried all of the things I mentioned? They are the ones that work the best.

The KMR and the baby food warmed up a bit helps.

Weeks, that's if a healthy cat continues to eat but not near the amt he normally would.

3-7 days is average amt of time it takes.

Your cat is young, which reduces the chance but doesn't mean it won't happen, it is such a serious, life threatening problem that I always mention it when a cat is not eating, at any age.

I tried watered down wet cat food rather than baby food, but yeah I tried it. I also just gave her a little bit with a syringe, which went terribly. She's awful to medicate. I'm usually great at medicating cats, but she's awful. It's because of the panacur dewormer she had to take. It must have been horrible because she could hardly swallow it. Now she can't sit still when I approach her with a syringe, even if I hold her body between my legs on the floor and scruff her. She's unbelievable. I'm honestly worried she'll choke or something, because I have to be really quick with squirting the syringe while I've got her restrained for a half second. It makes me very uneasy. A bunch shot in her mouth at one time and I had to watch her closely to make sure she was alright. She was alright, but very annoyed. I don't want her to inhale any of it while freaking  out.

I honestly feel like I've made her life awful. She was a happy little stray. Now she's completely miserable and refusing to eat. And I'm sobbing because I'm so worried about her and I'm frickin' poor. I wish I knew what to do. I'll try some watered down KMR now. She's shut in the bathroom at the moment with some wet food and chicken broth. No interest in either, but I'm hoping she'll get bored and try them.

With all the concern over Ru herself, I have neglected to share all the kitten goodness that's been going on. The babies are a week old now. As of today, their eyes are opening! They still have a while yet before they can hear, which is handy... it means I can be loud without waking them. I vacuumed right next to them today and they didn't even move. They're getting so big so fast, and Ru is such a good mommy.

In the last photo, you can see their unusual coloring. They're black, obviously, but they have their mom's "secret stripes" as I call them. They didn't inherit their mom's full on tux pattern, but their feet and bellies have white hairs mixed in with the black ones, like a roan horse has red and white hairs mixed. It's crazy funny looking. So they're black, with tabby stripes, and silver arms and bellies. Haha. Goofy little jelly beans.

   Real cuties!!! I love your term "secret stripes"!  NO matter how lousy Ru feels, she is much happier inside your loving, safe home.... last year, I had a very, very deathly ill "ghost kitty" (the kind of ferals that live out in the fields about a quarter mile away, so feral that you are made aware of their existence only by shining a flashlight in the wee hours of the morning, and then only if you are very, very lucky) bring her babies into the yard to me. First there were 2 and I brought them in and bottlefed them (she growled & lashed her tail at me when I picked them up, gunked up noses and eyes and wheezing, poor things). then the next morning, she brought a deceased baby to the same place, in the open, behind the house and finally, a fourth kitten who also passed in a couple of hours. By then, the poor little mama (she was so young, so horribly skinny) was having breathing difficulties but refused to go near the trap and she lasted maybe a couple more days - she would stay nearby & when the afternoon warmed up, I would bring out her 2 surviving babies & show her that they were doing well and I would beg her to let me trap & help her, but, alas, she never cooperated - so I just tried to comfort myself with the thought that she was over RB with her other 2 kittens. Her 2 remaining babies made it to adulthood but sadly, Max, the boy, finally couldn't fight off the illness, despite all the antibiotics, the L-lysine, the herbs. The remaining kitty, Janie, is holding strong and is such a happy, affectionate, friendly girl, one would never believe she is from ferals.

Sorry for the ramble, but my point is, is that no matter how lousy Ru feels, whether from the vaccines or something else that has wracked her little body after the stress of pregnancy  and birth, she is very grateful to be in your care, knowing that her babies are also under your protection. Her dilated eyes do look like she doesn't feel well physically, but that body language shows that she is loving motherhood to the nth degree! There is a good chance that whatever her troubles are, existed from a long time ago. 

You could ask your vet if they accept donations earmarked for RU and maybe some of the other TCS members could help out. Ru is a community cat and you deserve the extra help, especially since you are already donating your own time and resources for her. Just my opinion.....Prayers & vibes continuing to come your way 

I think your cat will be fine when either the amoxicillin and/or the rabies vaccine effects wear off.

I would not take her outside again anytime soon!

She is also much better off with you, and so are her kittens. She just should not have been vaccinated. Continue to offer various food choices. She'll begin eating well again soon.

Thanks guys.

@sarthur2 I hope you're right and that she's back to normal soon. I wish I had known not to vaccinate her. I specifically called the clinic several times to make sure it was safe to give her the Rabies vax while nursing before I took her in. I hate that she has to have that vaccine periodically, and I hope this reaction was due only to her already being in a stressed out state. Maybe she won't have problems in the future. It would be awful for her to have to go through this again next year and every 3 years (that's the law in my state).

@catsknowme thanks again for your kind words. I'm sorry about what happened to your ghost kitty and most of her litter. Thank goodness you were there to help out. It's a nice idea asking for financial help, but I don't feel right to do so. The fact is that although I am broke, it's mostly because of my own medical bills, car troubles, and being single. In terms of income, I make a lot more than most people in my area, and I wouldn't feel right asking for a hand-out when so many of my neighbors are worse off than I am.

SO.... are you ready for good news??!!!?!?! Last night, after refusing all foods and having a terrible experience trying to syringe feed, Ru ate a shrimp and a half! This morning, I woke to find that she had made a dent in her dry food bowl. When I went to the kitchen to make coffee, she followed me (which she used to always do in hopes of getting a snack, but she hasn't done lately). So I gave her some fancy feast on a dish, and she gobbled down a half can of wet food with probiotics mixed in!!! I am over the moon! I hope she is on the mend.

Excellent!!

Offer her as much as she will eat, fancy feast or anything else, just so she eats.