Salmonella Kitty

I know there are many articals on this, and im trying to find out as much as i can.... But i need some advice, my kitten, whose only 6 months old, may have salmonella, and i need someone to give me advice on how to keep her alive, it would have costed $200 to find out for sure if thats what she has, and their sending her home with medicine, but is there anything else i can do to speed up the process? And what exactly causes salmonella??? We dont feed her raw meat....If you could please answer me i could use all the help i can get, i dont think i could handle losing another cat.... anything would be appreciated, and if need be you can email me, just in case i cant find the forum again, i dont know how this thing works, its my first time..

Thanks,
Jess

Hi Jess, welcome to TCS.

Please read this article on Salmonella: http://www.thecatsite.com/content/view/36/27/

What symptoms is your kitten showing? There are many illnesses such as distemper, ecoli, coccidia, giardia and worms that mimic the symptoms of salmonella.

In my experience (I am the one who wrote the article) there isn't a cut and dried test for salmonella, because it does mimic some other bacterial infections. The distinction of it is that it will not respond to any antibiotic once the cat is sick with it, and the cats that do succumb to it are young kittens or older cats who are ill before the bacteria hits. The clear signs are the bubbles in the diarrhea and the growling the cat will do when her belly is touched.

Hi Jess,

Welcome to TCS. Sorry I can't help you, I hope your kitty doesn't have Salmonella.

Sam.

Originally Posted by Kumbulu

Hi Jess, welcome to TCS.

Please read this article on Salmonella: http://www.thecatsite.com/content/view/36/27/

What symptoms is your kitten showing? There are many illnesses such as distemper, ecoli, coccidia, giardia and worms that mimic the symptoms of salmonella.

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Well...my mom just came home with her from the vet...shes now showing bloody diareaha....i dont know what to do, we've isolated her from the other cats, im scared to death, i cant stop crying, i'm just...really worried...and its not worms we have had her feces tested or whatever, so we still dont know whats wrong, but have ruled worms out...

((edited))

Originally Posted by hissy

In my experience (I am the one who wrote the article) there isn't a cut and dried test for salmonella, because it does mimic some other bacterial infections. The distinction of it is that it will not respond to any antibiotic once the cat is sick with it, and the cats that do succumb to it are young kittens or older cats who are ill before the bacteria hits. The clear signs are the bubbles in the diarrhea and the growling the cat will do when her belly is touched.

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Well, she doesnt growl when i touch her, its complete opposite actually, shes very cuddly and she's purring like mad...but....well she just looks really sick and has bloody stool...she doesnt seem to be lethargic though

Different cats will respond differently to the same infection, so you can't really go by the exact same symptoms in every case. It usually affects the gut but it can be widespread thoughout the body or the cat may have no symptoms at all. Cats are exposed to it from ingesting contaminated feces, infected prey or contaminated food. The incubation period is usually 3-5 days and bacteria can be shed for 6 weeks, even in asymptomatic cats. It can exist in the environment, and is resistant to disinfectants. You should clean the kitten's environment with a 1:10 bleach solution. Signs are vomiting and diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain, hyperactive bowel sounds (growly tummy), weight loss and no appetite. The tests to diagnose it are cultures of the stool and or blood. The prognosis is actually pretty good, with recovery usually occurring in 1-4 weeks, unless the cat has the infection in their blood. The antibiotics usually used are Baytril, Zeniquin or Septra (Bactrim). He will need treatment for 7-10 days and needs to take all of his antibiotic. You need to be aware that if he has FELV or FIV, he will be much sicker and less likely to survive.
So, you need to give him his medicine as ordered, make sure he eats and drinks and keep him warm and calm. You need to isolate him from any other cats and clean everywhere he has been as well as you can with a 1:10 bleach solution. That isn't practical for carpets and couches, but vacuum them well and if possible put anything you can out in the sun for a day or so. Clean his litter box daily with a bleach solution and consider throwing it away when he has recovered.
I hope this information helps and feel free to ask more questions. Becky

Thank you so much for your help, that gives me a lot of information and its very useful ^^ i really appreciate it...i needed to know such things again, thank you so much!!

Kayasha, we are just reading your thread tonight and hope things turn for the better for your little one.
Prayers and strong, healing vibes being sent your way!!
Love,
Elizabeth

Originally Posted by sashacat421

Kayasha, we are just reading your thread tonight and hope things turn for the better for your little one.
Prayers and strong, healing vibes being sent your way!!
Love,

Elizabeth

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Thank you so much!!! That means a lot to me!! I really appreciate you guys praying for her ^^ Shes my baby and i dont know what i would do without her, shes being really cuddly and the thought of being without my kitty, tears me apart....but prayers will help ^^!! Thank you!! And God bless

Actually Becky, you are not entirely correct. When Kahuna died, I did a lot of research on this disease, contacting experts at leading vet colleges across the United States. Because the symptoms mimic other digestional tract illnesses, salmonella is often overlooked as a diagnosis. If the cat's immune system is not up to par, or if it is a young kitten, the bacteria will overload the gut and cause it to inflame. The prognosis for these animals is not very good, and even aggressive treatment does not always stop the bacteria from multiplying. I have about sixteen pages of research on this mailed to me from one of the leading experts in this disease in the country.

You are right, Hissy, but the point I was making was that not all cats will respond to infection the same way, and the healthy six month old kitten with no immune deficiencies is likely to respond well to treatment. I know that you did not have a good outcome and that certainly colors your opinion. Becky