Advice please! Limping, lethargic, sick kitten...

Hello,

I am in need of advice, please! My kitten, Rocket, who last week went to the vet and was diagnosed with dust sensitivities (he was sneezing a lot) has taken very ill. All day yesterday he just lay on my bed, not playing and just sleeping. When he finally did get up I noticed him limping and favouring his right paw. I inspected it, and nothing seems wrong, and he doesn't flinch if I touch it or press on it. Then I moved him to our bed last night and he just slept all night and everytime he tried to move it seemed very difficult for him. This morning I brought him (in bed) a dish of his food and though he sniffed it, he pushed the bowl away. I am very concerned and I have placed a called to the doctor, but he hasn't called me back yet!! Does anyone know what can be wrong?

Thanks!!
Lisa and Rocket

Lisa, I wish I could give you an answer, but I don't know what's wrong with Rocket. You did the right thing by calling the vet. If he doesn't contact you soon, or if you think he doesn't know what's wrong either, go to a new vet for a second opinion. Don't wait too much longer to do this. If Rocket were my kitten, I'd want a competent vet to examine him immediately.

Please let us know how Rocket is doing. Best of luck to you and your little boy.

Hi Lisa,

I too would suggest that you get him in to see the vet. If the first one doesn't call back, then get in touch with another.

I would be suspicious of a 'dust allergies' diagnosis. He may have an infection or abcess somewhere that hasn't peaked yet - it could be anywhere on the leg or foot or even the shoulder or hip depending on which leg it is. If he is running a fever and not feeling well, he won't have an appetite and will be lethargic. It is important that he does eat and drink, however, so try him on some tuna and the juice from the can. That may whet his appetite enough.

If his nose is stuffed up and clogged, he may also have a respiratory infection. Cats who can't smell their food generally don't eat which can become a very serious problem, so you should check to see that his nostrils aren't pugged. Again, this is something that the vet should treat.

Good luck with the little guy. I hope Rocket is feeling better soon so that the both of you can feel happier.

Kathryn

I agree that he should be examined by a vet. The symptoms could be caused by a number of things. I never heard of dust allergies either-that is pretty vague.

Thanks for all your replys! Rocket is very sick, but I think he is starting to get better. It turns out he has a URI which is causing his limping and the abcess in his mouth, and a very high fever (105.6) that is causing his lethargy. The vet gave him a shot of antibiotics, IV fluids and some food and I was sent home with instructions on how to take care of him. This morning I had to force feed him only one syringe of food and then he ate the rest of it himself (yay!) Plus his temp was down to 104.4.

They did a complete lab workup so I get the results today. Cross your fingers for him, please!

I am not vet, but I have a 15 year old cat that did that. She wasn't limping, but she had gone into one of the cupboards and just laid in there. She wouldnt eat...but she kept drinking water, but wasn't using the litter box. I was getting ready to go on my honeymoon, and thought maybe my packing had been disruptive to her schedule, and then wedding guests being in and out. By the second day of not eating and just laying around I called the vet and took her in. She had a fever of 104! They gave me 2 antibiotics, one was a pink liquid and one was a yellow tablet. She took those twice a day and was fine by the second day. They did give her a shot to bring down the fever. I also took a rescue kitty to the vet with a lot of the symptoms you are describing, except her eyes were glued shut by infection. She had an upper respitory infection and it had gotten in her eyes. They gave her eye gel for her eyes, and 2 antibiotics, one a liquid and one a pill.
I advise that you take him to a vet that will look him over and take some blood for a blood test.
I hope hes okay...

Lisa, glad you got Rocket in to the vet and now have a diagnosis and a course of treatment. URI's can be nasty and make kittens feel miserable. It's great that his temp is slowly decreasing and he ate some food on his own -both good signs of improvement.

You're taking good care of Rocket and at this rate, with the meds and TLC he should be back to feeling well soon.

Keeping my fingers crossed for him - please keep us updated.

It sounds like your kitty has the calcivirus- and your kitty needs to eat, that is most important- Personally, I would find another vet!

Please read this article, and yes, I know it is long, but I do hope you heed the excellent advice within


http://www.thecatsite.com/content/view/179//

did the vet give him some sort of allergy shot??? that might be why he is soo sleepy. Limerick is still not up to speed from the anti inflamitory he got saturday. But they told me he'd be out of it for a while.
His paw might of fallen asleep.. can that happen with pets??? Can you see why I'm not a vet. I hope my balber helps you out or gives you a good laugh.

The vet called with his test results. He is negative for Luekemia and FIV which is good, but he tested positive to corona virus. She said that it was low titre count (1-400) so I should not worry about FIP, but how can I not?? How many cats develop FIP? Am I feaking out over nothing, or should I be worried. And since he has had exposure to corona virus, does that mean he can infect my other cat????

Originally Posted by sparkleghost

The vet called with his test results. He is negative for Luekemia and FIV which is good, but he tested positive to corona virus. She said that it was low titre count (1-400) so I should not worry about FIP, but how can I not?? How many cats develop FIP? Am I feaking out over nothing, or should I be worried. And since he has had exposure to corona virus, does that mean he can infect my other cat????

Click to expand...

MANY cats have a positive reaction to this test, it only means your fellow has been exposed to one of the corona viruses - of which only one is FIP. More than likely it is feline enteric corona virus(fecv), which is seen more often in multi-cat households and in catteries, and which may or may not develop into fip. Here is a decent article - you'll notice some of the key points are - vaccination with fip vaccine will cause positive antibody response, that this simply means a cat has had exposure to one of the corona viruses and more.
article on fip

I would of course watch your guy, but yes, that is a low response, and I would hold to the belief that is is more likely nothing.