5 month old kitten barely eating sleeping all day-outdoor

For the past two year I've been taking care of a tomcat named Smoky who this year brought us a female and they had one kitten. The kitten is usually energetic and doesn't stay at our house all day. But yesterday he stayed all day sleeping and barely got up to eat and say hi to his parents. When I woke up this morning he was still sleeping. I've heard of cat anemia but I think that can get expensive and since we aren't completely sure what's wrong I don't want to jump to conclusions. So does anyone know what might be wrong with this kitten?

Thank you for being concerned, you will be blessed for your kindness. It is not normal for a kitten to be so sleepy, unless he is sick or hurt. Is he eating/drinking at all? That is the main thing, to get him to eat to build up his strength. Does he appear to be moving normally? Are his eyes clear or are they runny and dull? Does he hang his head or seem to be able to act alert when you come?    

You might want to get some kitten replacement milk to keep around, it is high in nutrients and calories and is good for sick adults too. It may be expensive, but it is cheaper then a vet visit. Of course the best thing to do is bring him to the vet, but you might want to observe him for a day or two and see if he gets better. You might want to save and get that female spayed or you will have MANY kittens to worry about, I had one female that had 17 kittens in one year. One kitten is very unusual too, there may have been a genetic defect or a disease that is happening, i pray not. It is good that he is close by so you can watch over and protect him, kittens are very vulnerable to predators when they are so young and sick. As long as he eats and drinks he should get better. I wish you all the luck!   

coco7036 said:

For the past two year I've been taking care of a tomcat named Smoky who this year brought us a female and they had one kitten. The kitten is usually energetic and doesn't stay at our house all day. But yesterday he stayed all day sleeping and barely got up to eat and say hi to his parents. When I woke up this morning he was still sleeping. I've heard of cat anemia but I think that can get expensive and since we aren't completely sure what's wrong I don't want to jump to conclusions. So does anyone know what might be wrong with this kitten?

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Best is if you take it in and do home care.  Warm and comfortable (active heat source).  Easy to digest food - kmr or goats milk or chicken broth...  I would suggest goats milk. Probably cheaper than kmr.   A big plus with this is, the kittens is now too big for easy fostering and socialization.  BUT you giving help when he is sick, opens the Window of easy socialization anew.

If he makes it and survives, he will be almost automatically socialized.

The kitten is sick, and needs help and extra care.

IF you have own residents, whom are not ex homeless, do keep good quarantine, wash hands inbetween, perhaps even change clothes...

Thank you both for your answers. I will purchase some goats milk today and observe him for he next couple of days. I can't bring him inside because we have two cats already and some family members that live with me are allergic to cats. I'm also buying some wet cat food to try to encourage him to eat some more. He ate a little food yesterday and drank a few sips of water but that was all. His eyes look fine but he seems a little dazed and extremely sleepy. I left home for a few hours and now he's gone so I don't know where he went but when he gets back I'll check again for more symptoms.

It's so dangerous for a kitten to be outside by himself.

UPDATE:
After the kitten left this morning he hasn't returned. His dad has been here and eaten and usually the kitten will be with him. I was out of the house when he left so I have no idea where he went but I know I can't go look for him because behind our house is a swamp and I can't start searching in other backyards. If he fell asleep somewhere does anyone know when he might wake up again? Also, does anyone know what exactly this might be? Parasite, anemia, etc.

When he returns, confine him and get him to the vet to be checked out.

A few minutes ago my parents found the kitten laying on the sidewalk outside of our house barely conscious and laying down. We put him in a carrier to take him to an emergency vet. Unfortunately I am allergic to cats (its improving though) and deathly allergic to dogs so I couldn't go. Please wish us the best of luck and pray for our little guy.

Is it just me or is anyone else at a loss to know why this kitten is outside?

He is outside because 1 I recently became allergic to cats even though I already have two and adding another cat inside could make my allergies get worse. 2 I am only in high school and my parents won't let another cat in the house especially since our two cats would probably hurt him and 3 he has his parents out there with him and when his mom finally brought him to our house to get fed she wouldn't let us anywhere near him for us to even attempt to trap him. We were planning on trapping him and his parents in the spring for tnr and possibly adoption for the kitten because he is now more socialized than his parents.

It's wonderful that you're doing what you can to help this little kitten. It's an unfortunate reality that we can't all take in every needy animal we meet. At least you're trying to help, and hopefully if his health improves you'll be able to find him a good home. It's so sad that there so many feral and stray cats living such tough lives.

Thank you everyone for your helpful comments and support but we have had to put him down. The doctors think it's leukemia and blood work and an IV alone will cost $2000 and further treatment could cost over $10,000 and we just can't afford it. 

Sorry for your loss .

I was suspecting leukemia . That's about the age they usually succumb to it if born with it. This means his parents probably have it. . .adult cats can live longer with the disease but they will keep passing it on to their kittens. Is it possible to have them spayed/neutered? That will prevent the male from passing the disease on to other females, and will prevent the female from passing it to her kittens (who will all die at a young age). It will save you a lot of heartache and expense.

We can possibly get them fixed this spring as it isbecoming cold where we live. Is there any way to figure out if the mom and dad have leukemia by looking at them?

No they would need to be tested.

Females in temperate zones get pregnant between January and March for the spring litter. You'll need to have the female done before then to prevent another litter. The male could wait a little longer but the longer you wait, the more females he could infect :/.

Ok thank you!