Vibes for fading kitten!!

There is a feral matriarch in a colony just north of me. They have tried to trap this girl for 3 years unsuccessfully. A few weeks ago, I built a drop trap to use an alternative to catch this girl. They had to catch her 3 kittens first before catching the mom, and after a lot of soul searching and a lot of reluctance, they caught the kittens at 3 weeks old and started bottle feeding them. The mom was known to take her kittens away from the colony about the time they were weaned and ready to be socialized, and they always returned as feral adults. They were bound and determined to break this cycle once and for all.

2 of the 3 were doing great but the tuxie boy just wasn't eating as well as he should. This morning, they woke up to find him terribly lethargic so rushed him to the emergency vet. Kittens fade so fast, so we're all terrible scared.

I saw the power of the board work this week - can it work again????

Oh god i hope so!

(((((((((((GET WELL QUICKLY VIBES FOR THE LITTLE BOY)))))))))))

I know he's at the vet at the moment and will be getting the best of care but for when/if the kitten comes home, please send this link to your friend: www.kitten-rescue.com

There are two main things that will cause a kitten to suddenly become lethargic. The first is cold. I know the weather in the USA is warm at the moment but, just like a human baby, kittens need to be kept toasty warm. That link will give your friend some great idea on how to keep the little ones warm. The other thing is hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar). This can happen if a kitten can't (or refuses to) eat as it seems the tuxedo boy was doing. There is a section under Feeding on that web site that give instructions on what to do if this occurs.

Sending lots of vibes and prayers for this little one.

The person that was caring for them is very experienced with orphans and has all the necessary supplies (kitten heating pads, snuggle kitties, KMR, bottles, syringes, etc). That is what concerns us the most. He was not eating as much as the others, and literally overnight (since the last feeding) went down hill. He had already been to the vet for blood sugar testing. Poor baby!

Oh no! Word just came back that Tuxie didn't make it. He had panleukopenia, which means that we will probably lose all 3 kittens! Their names are Dorothy, Toto and Scarecrow.

I thank heavens that he had a week of his life in loving caring hands.

OK, I'm going to have a good cry now

Hey little tux you're in safe hands now so you need to fight. We are sending good vibes.

I'm sooo sorry Amy..but you are right...these kittens knew human love for at least a week...plus now you can trap the mom and get her spayed so that she doesn't bring more kittens into the world.

Dorothy, Toto and Scarecrow...run free across the rainbow bridge and now that you were loved.

Katie

I'm so sorry

Oh nooo I am so sorry

Just came wandering by and saw this, so sorry to see the diagnosis and the fact that he didn't make it. RIP little one!

I edited my post...I replied before I read through it all...I am so very sorry to hear about the poor baby!

Amy, I'm sorry about the little one. I hope the other two make it.

I found this on www.maxshouse.com:

The use of Feline Panleukopenia Virus antiserum (clear blood liquid containing antibody) to immunize cats passively is indicated if an unvaccinated animal has been exposed to the virus or is likely to be exposed before vaccine induced immune responses can develop. Antiserum is also indicated for colostrum-deprived or orphaned kittens.

Perhaps it will help the two remaining kittens.

Oh no! That's too bad about the baby. I fostered a litter once that turned out to have that. Once they started to fail it went very quickly. It was really heartbreaking. It's always possible to pull them through with very careful nursing. It's not necessarily a death sentence but it hits kittens hard.

Has the antiserum actually helped in a case like this Tania? I don't see anything on the maxshouse website to indicate that this is used to treat distemper, the quote you included is from the prevention section on this page:

http://www.maxshouse.com:/feline_panleukopenia.htm

The treatment section reflects what I found in my distemper experience:

"TREATMENT. Panleukopenia. normally has a high mortality rate, but with diligent effort and good nursing care this can often be reduced. The main objective is to keep the affected animal alive and in reasonably good health until the natural defenses take over (i.e., the appearance of antibodies and an increase in number of circulating white blood cells). Antibodies usually appear about three to four days after the first signs of illness; two to three days later, the sharp "rebound" in white blood cell number can be expected to occur. Thus, if the patient can be supported for five to seven days after onset of the disease, the chances of recovery usually are good. Veterinary supportive care is aimed at the vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration, which may dangerously upset fluid and electrolyte balance, and at preventing secondary bacterial infections. Secondary viral respiratory infections are common complications of panleukopenia. The FPV infection may act to trigger a latent respiratory virus, such as feline viral rhinotracbeitis virus or feline calicivirus. Simultaneous FPV and respiratory virus infections usually produce a more severe illness than if either virus alone had infected the animal."

this is all attributed as "Excerpted from The Cornell Book of Cats"

It also cautions against bringing other rescues or unvaccinated into the room where these kittens were. After our distemper litter we closed off that room for a long time till we could get it really well cleaned and we heated it up really hot too (waited for a hot day and turned on the heat into that room only...I think we put a space heater in there too).

~Heather (keeping these kittens in my prayers!)

Thanks Tania and Heather - I've passed the info along but haven't heard back anything since this morning. My hard drive crashed at home just after I downloaded e-mail so I may have an update waiting for me but can't get to it.

These are not rookie people - the president of the Humane Society was personally caring for these kittens. Since I can't reach anyone, I have to assume they are up at the vets with the other kittens. I know their vet and they are very, very good.

The sad part is that there wasn't any warning. Since I donated their food and asked if I could be their Aunt Amy, they kept me up to date on these babies. I even offered to bottle feed them but couldn't do it due to my surgery last week. Toto (the boy who crossed) had slightly soft stools, but nothing more than what KMR gives to some kittens. No diarreha, no blood, no vomiting that you would normally get with distemper. No symptoms that would even suggest testing for distemper. Just low appetite and they have been monitored by the vet.

I'll pass along an update when I hear from them.

Oh god i was dreading reading this again, and to hear that the other 2 babies could be the same

RIP over the bridge little one

It`s hard, i know it happen to me , i feel for you

I have tears as I read this - RIP Toto - may you enjoy the rainbow bridge and run freely away from pain

sending major ((((((VIBES)))))) for dorothy & scarecrow - may they both be healthy and happy

The 2 remaining kittens were brought to the vet yesterday and vaccinations started. They are eating well, playing well, and no signs of illness. Folks are keeping an eye on them round the clock. We're still scared since poor Toto went from normal playing to death in less than 8 hours.

Let's hope that antiserum kicks in immediately!

Oh, no!!! Poor little one! I'm so sorry. Sending vibes that the other two will be OK. (((HUGS)))