VERY sick kitten! Please help!!

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indie-n-button

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Okay so I recently found a stray kitten outside in the street and I realised that he's like... riddled with fleas? I gave him a bath with washing up liquid and I haven't seen any adults since (I washed him last night). I also dabbed a little bit of vinegar onto his fur to kill any of the others that I couldn't see. He has a lot of flea dirt on his legs and paws and is there anyway I could get this off without hurting him or would I have to scrub at him? His hair is also very thin and he's completely bald in his tummy :-(

I'm p sure he's also anemic and he's p lethargic and doesn't move around much,, all he does is sleep. But he DOES mewl very loudly when he's eating or when I gave him a bath, so I'm taking that as a good sign :-)

His stomach seems a little round too, and somewhat squishy, though he did the tiniest poop and there didn't seem to be any worms in it so! I'm just going to monitor him. He's also severly underweight, much more underweight than Sparrow was when I got her, he's also SUPER tiny! I'm not sure how old he is but I'm guessing around about 8-9 weeks??

How often would I have to bath him to make sure all the fleas are gone? Will they all be dead or will there still be eggs on him even after the bath? And do I have to take a shower every time I handle him to stop the fleas from spreading to the other cats I have? They're all sepearted at the moment (the little one's locked in the spare bathroom so they can't get to him!)

Again, a vet is out of the question because of the expense, hassle and also the lack of facilities over here that I'm happy with :-(

Would I be able to treat his anemia the same way as I treated Sparrows? He's keeping his food down very well so I'm going to try him with some mushed up liver soon. He isn't very interested in solid food, though.

I'll attach a picture of him below!



 

dawn r

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I may be able to help! I've rescued 2 kittens this summer so far, One I found at a campsite dumped in the middle of a forest (know he was dumped cause he was friendly to humans), he was 4 weeks old, severely anemic, malnourished, covered in fleas. The second one, I found in a parking lot at a gas station, age 1 week. I've spent tons on vet bills for both of them, and honestly the DR orders, were things you can do over the counter. Keep in mind all of the advice I'm giving came from straight from the vet.

In a malnourished case, if the stomach is enlarged, that's typically Giardia. Needs a prescription med. With malnourished kittens age 4 weeks and up, my vet recommended Goats milk. I had to force feed it to the kitten with a syringe, until he felt better and could drink on his own. They prefer it warmed a bit in the microwave. It's hard to find, so I'd call around to pet supply stores. It is packed with natural sugars. The 4 week old went into hypoglycemic convulsions from not having enough sugar, being malnourished. The vet recommended that I go straight home and make warm sugar water, and give it in a syringe, you can buy them at pet supply stores, or a local vet may give you one for free if you ask.

Next, kittens can have pepto bismol for diarrhea and also pedialyte (sold in baby section). Its an elctrolyte drink for kids, and they do sell it non flavored. The pepto (maybe 0.5 mL for his size) will ease his stomach and stop diarrhea, if he has it. You can only use it for 3 days on kittens, spaced hours apart, until the diarrhea stops, or the kitten starts eating normally again. He definitely needs the pedialyte for sure. The 1 week old kitten I found is inching up on 3 weeks and started having diarrhea and refused to eat. Rushed him to vet, he has me using "Kitten Milk replacement" formula (at pet stores) and mixing it with pedialyte. So mix it normally, 1 part powder to 2 parts water, then add maybe 25% more volume in pedialyte. But it needs to be warmed, they dont like the formula cold. Unfortunately wet cat food doesnt have enough in it for his severe emaciation. So you need either the goats milk or the kitten milk replacement formula AND the pedialyte. Vet said dehydration is what really kills these guys when they are in bad shape. 

He needs to be kept warm, especially since we run AC in the summer, and especially after bathing him, so store him somewhere you can close the AC vent like a bathroom, for the next few days. Also, you can completely replace the water bowl with pedialyte diluted 1/2 and 1/2, if he's drinking on his own. Some vets will help you with stray kittens, the first rescue, I called around, he had rectal prolapse and needed surgery, and I found a vet to do it for free, so dont be scared to ask for help from local vets. 
 

dawn r

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Looking at the pic, doesn't look like Giardia, One of my rescue's had it, and the stomach is super huge, but yea he probably has worms, most likely roundworms. But deworming dehydrates him, so id go a few days on the pedialyte. You can buy dewormer online and at pet stores, you dont have to pay a $100 vet bill. FYI
 
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indie-n-button

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I'm giving him some homemade pedialyte atm, seeing as I can only really find flavoured stuff over here :-( It's just honey in some warm water, and that saved one of the other rescues I had. I would go to a vet if I could (it would've been the first thing I'd done in England!) but my parents are a bit iffy with money and the vets over here are VERY expensive!

How did you get rid of the fleas on your kitten? I think all of them have gone on mine, it's just the dirt that's really left now, but that's slowly going when I'm massaging him and it gets flaked off.

KMR isn't available over here, so I'm giving him buffallo's milk over here -- the supplies are very limited in Pakistan when it comes to pets, they mostly have things for agricultural animals like goats and sheep, seeing as it's an agricultural country! Most vets only know things about larger animals, and not many know what's safe and what isn't for a cat.

He seems a bit cold, yeah, but there's no AC and i sweat cobs whenever I go into the bathroom he's in! I've wrapped him up in blankets though and I hope that keeps him warm. I'm also giving him the honey water every hour or so. His skins getting a tiny bit more elastic, though it's still kinda firm.

He did a poop, and I read up that with giardia you normally see bright red stool? His looks healthy and solid, with just a teeeeeny amount of runniness. I couldn't see any worm fragments or anything, so maybe he just seems to be fat because he's so terribly skinny? I'm going to try him on some soup again later, and see how he does with that.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of commercial cat food as I don't think it contains as much nutrients as it ought to.. I'm going to make him a raw soup which I fed my last rescue, so I hope he works well on that. I'm just a little confused because I'm unsure what I should do about the fleas and when I can be sure that they've all permenantly gone?
 

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Yes, you can use the same knowledge you got when you had Sparrow, your earlier rescue.  If possible, begin with small portions but often.  Too much too soon is even more dangerously than another day of starvation...

As he is flea infested, count on he may have tapeworms too, aside the more common round worms.  I dont remeber which dewormers you do have acess too.

And yes, have all the precautions you can take, to be double guarded.  You dont need to want risk spread any infection.  Even if your residents have probably immunity above average.

Good luck!
 

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I'm giving him some homemade pedialyte atm, seeing as I can only really find flavoured stuff over here :-( It's just honey in some warm water, and that saved one of the other rescues I had. I would go to a vet if I could (it would've been the first thing I'd done in England!) but my parents are a bit iffy with money and the vets over here are VERY expensive!

How did you get rid of the fleas on your kitten? I think all of them have gone on mine, it's just the dirt that's really left now, but that's slowly going when I'm massaging him and it gets flaked off.

KMR isn't available over here, so I'm giving him buffallo's milk over here -- the supplies are very limited in Pakistan when it comes to pets, they mostly have things for agricultural animals like goats and sheep, seeing as it's an agricultural country! Most vets only know things about larger animals, and not many know what's safe and what isn't for a cat.

He seems a bit cold, yeah, but there's no AC and i sweat cobs whenever I go into the bathroom he's in! I've wrapped him up in blankets though and I hope that keeps him warm. I'm also giving him the honey water every hour or so. His skins getting a tiny bit more elastic, though it's still kinda firm.

He did a poop, and I read up that with giardia you normally see bright red stool? His looks healthy and solid, with just a teeeeeny amount of runniness. I couldn't see any worm fragments or anything, so maybe he just seems to be fat because he's so terribly skinny? I'm going to try him on some soup again later, and see how he does with that.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of commercial cat food as I don't think it contains as much nutrients as it ought to.. I'm going to make him a raw soup which I fed my last rescue, so I hope he works well on that. I'm just a little confused because I'm unsure what I should do about the fleas and when I can be sure that they've all permenantly gone?
have also some salt in that honey water, and it will become an OK pedialyte.
 
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indie-n-button

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Yes, you can use the same knowledge you got when you had Sparrow, your earlier rescue.  If possible, begin with small portions but often.  Too much too soon is even more dangerously than another day of starvation...

As he is flea infested, count on he may have tapeworms too, aside the more common round worms.  I dont remeber which dewormers you do have acess too.

And yes, have all the precautions you can take, to be double guarded.  You dont need to want risk spread any infection.  Even if your residents have probably immunity above average.

Good luck!
Okay! Fingers crossed this little guy works out too! I'm just feeding him milk at the moment, mixed with a little honey, because he didn't seem to like the soup when I fed it to him yesterday (he puked it back up..)

Hm, I was dreading someone would say that tbh. I will have to look into what we have over here, and look into the pet shops too to see if they have anything just in case. Would there be any signs of tapeworm/roundworm, or anything that I have to look out for? His poop, to me, looks healthy, but his round tummy is a little concerning... or maybe I'm just worrying a lot??

Hmm oki, I'll keep having a shower just in case. I did read someone that raw fed cats are less likely to get fleas? But I'm not sure how honest that source was..
 

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yea, you need Pedialyte. Thats the brand name, I found a cheaper one called "pediatric oral electrolyte solution". Definitely try to get some goats milk. It can be frozen for 10 days. Yea, as long as hes warm, thats good! And for the fleas, if its warm inside or outside, I'll wash them, then come with a flea comb while they are wet, and hes got a lot of white. You can use just a basic comb, but the teeth need to be very very close together, helps if they are lathered, and I just combed them out, kept a warm bowl of water next to me, and when i get fleas on the comb, I dip the comb in the water and get rid of them. 
 

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He's probably not eating because he feels so bad. Definitely try to get goats milk and a syringe. I had a kitten near death, and I force fed with the syringe, and after the goats milk for a day, he started feeling better and eating on his own.  You hold them upright, on all 4's, and place the syringe on the side of their mouths, they will open, dont drown him, but they will take the milk unwillingly. 
 

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FYI, most kittens are lactose intolerant, so cows milk is a bad choice. Pepto-bismol isnt a bad choice, especially if hes throwing up, to at least calm his upset tummy, so he can eat. 
 

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FYI, most kittens are lactose intolerant, so cows milk is a bad choice. Pepto-bismol isnt a bad choice, especially if hes throwing up, to at least calm his upset tummy, so he can eat. 
We had some discussions on such in TS earlier rescue.

So while goats milk is always an good choice, we found buffalo milk seems to work. Possibly even sheeps milk.

Of cows milk, the baddest is processed pasteurized milk from modern cows.  - So if in dire need, unpasteurized full fat is less bad.

And it seems, cows of old types are safer than the modern cows - modern cows tend to have a protein, which isnt that good - its adds to why some people dont manage cows milk.  Its a compliceated name, I always forget it.   Cows of old types dont have it.

So the lactose part isnt all of it, its the protein combo too...

Much of this we cant go out as scientific truth in the name of TCS, for example not in our official articles, but may be used as private lore shared forumites between...

And that is in part why raw buffalo milk seems to be OK, although technically they count as cows.
 

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That poor sweet baby, my heart goes out to him! Has he been 'stimulated' with a warm, wet washcloth on his behind to try to help him to go? That might help his tummy, although the bloat could be caused by starvation.  I'll pray for him, he looks so weak, I just want to love him, please keep us posted!
 

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Okay! Fingers crossed this little guy works out too! I'm just feeding him milk at the moment, mixed with a little honey, because he didn't seem to like the soup when I fed it to him yesterday (he puked it back up..)

Hm, I was dreading someone would say that tbh. I will have to look into what we have over here, and look into the pet shops too to see if they have anything just in case. Would there be any signs of tapeworm/roundworm, or anything that I have to look out for? His poop, to me, looks healthy, but his round tummy is a little concerning... or maybe I'm just worrying a lot??

Hmm oki, I'll keep having a shower just in case. I did read someone that raw fed cats are less likely to get fleas? But I'm not sure how honest that source was..
A flea will go onto any cat. They are not picky!
 

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Yes, keep him isolated from your other cats. If he has fleas, or worms, they could easily get it.. including Sparrow who was so sick..

Indie, you know how to treat the starvation, dehydration. You did it with Sparrow. 

Now it is the fleas and worms. This kitty does need to be de-wormed and de-flead. poor thing...

You are very resourceful! I know you will be doing the best you can. 

Do you still have syringes for syringe feedings? The goat/buffalo milk and homemade pedialyte can be given with a syringe if she is too weak to feed for herself. Also a slurry of very thin kitten food, thinned with the above can be used... 

As far as the de-worming, and de-fleaing I am at a loss. You know Stefan is a great resource...and the many people here who helped you with Sparrow. 

review your notes, try what worked for Sparrow. 

BTW, how is she? I have been thinking about her.

Do not, under any circumstances, even think about giving any Pepto-Bismal to cats.  if you do not know what that is, then good. It is for humans and not cats. 

Yes, stimulate this baby to pee and poop...A swollen belly can be from starvation and/or worms....
 
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Sarthur2

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The bloated tummy is probably from starvation, and perhaps worms. Pyrantel pamoate is used to treat round and hook worms. Don't know if you can find it in Pakistan.

The kitten looks emaciated, and needs feeding a few mLs of your milk, honey, pedialyte solution every hour. This could be a long recovery.

Thank you for rescuing him from the street.
 
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indie-n-button

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I'm not sure if he's doing so good, he has a lot of ups and downs so I can't really say anything :-(

Yesterday, I was sure he was about to pass away right in my hands, he kept jumping and throwing his head back and letting out HORRIBLE noises.

But! Before that, I talked to my dad and he agreed to let me take him to the University!! It took us a whole hour to get there, but the little tyke pulled through the journey and got to see a doctor that I was SO pleased with. They gave him some fluids (50ml of saline through an IV), Encure (an antibiotic, because they are sure he has some sort of intestinal infection), Maxalon (for sickness? Though he only vomited up this clear saliva-looking stuff once), and something for energy, I think it was called Decaderm?

The doctors were SO cooperative and understanding and I really felt like they knew what they were doing! :-) I'll hopefully take Indie and Butty there once this little guys better and get them neutered too! Also, the fee was dirty cheap, at like 150 Rs for the medication, and there was NO Doctors fee?! I was honestly so shocked.. At least I know that there's someone who I can trust if anything serious happens again...

Anyway! That was what happened yesterday, I'm not sure if his 'jumps' are fits or if he's just adjusting himself? He can't move much either, just kinda wiggles and then always flops onto his left side. His stomach is getting smaller, but it's still pretty large. The vet said that it's filled up with stool, which was why he had 2 enema's today. He only passed a little bit of stool (which was a bit green) and now he keeps throwing his head back and yelling at me again :-( He's got much more energy than yesterday though. When we took him in yesterday he was completely flopped and kinda unconcious, today he kept trying to kick and claw at the vet!!

The vet said to give him some warm milk and some soup, I think I'll stick to what he says seeing as he seems REALLY educated in what he's doing (he's also a lecturer at the University!!) He said I need to 'make his tummy bad' so that his system gets flushed because I can still feel some poop in his intestines (I can also SEE his intestines under his skin too.. it's so cringy)

The fleas are dead though, and there's no more that are coming so I've decided to keep him with me, wrapped up in a blanket because he has to be kept warm until he poops. I'm feeding him the milk and stuff but he seems to be using so much energy to swallow? It's like he's p much gulping? Could there be a reason for this? And every so often he'll open his mouth and stick his tongue out a lot which is concerning.. I think the little guy needs a lot of positive vibes!!
 
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indie-n-button

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Yes, keep him isolated from your other cats. If he has fleas, or worms, they could easily get it.. including Sparrow who was so sick..

Indie, you know how to treat the starvation, dehydration. You did it with Sparrow. 

Now it is the fleas and worms. This kitty does need to be de-wormed and de-flead. poor thing...

You are very resourceful! I know you will be doing the best you can. 

Do you still have syringes for syringe feedings? The goat/buffalo milk and homemade pedialyte can be given with a syringe if she is too weak to feed for herself. Also a slurry of very thin kitten food, thinned with the above can be used... 

As far as the de-worming, and de-fleaing I am at a loss. You know Stefan is a great resource...and the many people here who helped you with Sparrow. 

review your notes, try what worked for Sparrow. 

BTW, how is she? I have been thinking about her.

Do not, under any circumstances, even think about giving any Pepto-Bismal to cats.  if you do not know what that is, then good. It is for humans and not cats. 

Yes, stimulate this baby to pee and poop...A swollen belly can be from starvation and/or worms....
I don't think I have any anyway, but what is it? Is it safe for dogs? The name seems vaguely familiar to me..

And sparrow's fine! She's grown up to become such a beautiful cat, I've put some pictures of her (recent ones!!) in the old thread :-) He ears are 100% okay now and she's turned into a monster that likes to eat people's toes..

I haven't tried stimulating him, I'll do that right now!

Also another thing, when he throws his head back and opens his mouth could that be him trying to strain?
 
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indie-n-button

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And yes I have syringes! That's how I've been feeding him, he only takes little bits at a time though before he starts crying
 

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I don't think I have any anyway, but what is it? Is it safe for dogs? The name seems vaguely familiar to me..

And sparrow's fine! She's grown up to become such a beautiful cat, I've put some pictures of her (recent ones!!) in the old thread :-) He ears are 100% okay now and she's turned into a monster that likes to eat people's toes..

I haven't tried stimulating him, I'll do that right now!

Also another thing, when he throws his head back and opens his mouth could that be him trying to strain?
If he has constipation, he certainly tries  and strains...

Be sure he has enough with fluids, and add some food oil to his food, 3-4 drops at a time.  Use a coldpressed oil if you can choose.
 
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