In serious need of reassurances

arlyn

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I've never cared for kittens with illness/injury/disabilities before, only healthy kittens.
I know in my logical mind that Ivory, my blind baby will not be out of the woods until her infections are clearded up, either through meds alone, or surgery and meds.

It just breaks my heart though, to see such a tiny baby, with so many issues, yet so much will.

Get gets 4 different meds.
She's on Clavamox liquid, which I give three times a day.
Neomycin (sp?) drops 3x a day.
Optimmune ointment 2x a day.
And a probiotic gel once a day.

The orbital swelling behind the worse of her eyes has visibly gone down, as well as the general eye weepiness with the exception of the moderate weeping caused by the eye meds.
She still has some sniffles, to be expected with an infection so close to the sinuses, but no rattle in her lungs, which is good.

Aside from a tendancy to circle and occasionally bump into things, she plays like any normal kitten.
She's 2 months old, but the size of a 4 week old that just started walking, she was the runt, and still very skinny.

Since she and her mom are still settling in, I leave them pretty much alone in their room, with 30 to 45 minutes of playtime at each med round.

I have yet to observe this little one eat, I worry that she's not getting enough nourishment since mom is now dry and spayed.
I know she's weaned, but I see her suckling out of comfort.

She pees...not always in the litterbox, but hey, she's blind and just a baby.
Can't really tell if she's pooped, since she shares a box with mom.

How can I tell that she's ok?
She appears in no way dehydrated.

Should I try to get a dropper or two of pedialyte (or Ringers if I can get it) into her?
 

eatrawfish

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When I had a kitten fade on me the big clue was that he got really, really lethargic. He had been really active and then one day he had no interest in anythingand just slept. Thats never a good sign.

The only trick I know for dehydration is pulling the skin on the back of their neck up a bit, and seeing if it returns to normal quickly (if it stays tented = dehydration). It's really hard to tell under the fur though.

I also knoy you should watch out for diarrhea, they dehydrate fast.

Sorry, I don't know any other answers.
 
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arlyn

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Her skin doesn't tent and her gums are a good color, not sticky.
She's never really been 'active' due to being blind, but she's easily coaxed into playing, or chasing noisey things.

The probiotic she's on is to try to prevent diarreah that anitbiotics usually cause.

The vet that delivered and knows her the best is out of town until Monday...gah
 

eatrawfish

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That's tough.
I don't know, I'm no expert, but I figure playing is a good thing. When I say lethargic I mean SERIOUSLY lethargic, could not be coaxed into doing anything.

Good luck! She sounds like a bit of a fighter.
 
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arlyn

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Thanks.
I suppose I'm probably just worrying over nothing really, hopefully I am.
The vet was confidant enough in her health and stability to spay her last week, which does speak volumes.
Hopefully, I can get in touch with one of the techs that worked with her in the morning.
 

nano

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We are not gods and we simply can't coax a cat to recover through sheer will alone -- all we can do is put cats in a situation that gives them the best chance for survival. And in my estimation, you have taken every reasonable step and now whatever will happen is beyond your control.

Thanks for taking care of this girl!
 

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I wouldn't think a dropper-full of pedialyte could hurt: there's also a recipe on the site somewhere for "kitten glop" that most people swear by for perking up a kitten who's feeling kinda puny...maybe even a little catnip sprinkled on her food could get her eating a bit more heartily. Since she's blind, she may never be as playful as a "normal" kitten...but it can't hurt to try. How's mom doing? Treating her normally? If mom started to "reject" her I'd be worried--that can be a sign that the kitten is ill.

Maybe, just as an extra precaution you could have your vet clinic fax over her med records to an emergency clinic--just in case you need to use them this weekend or while your vet is away? I had my clinic do this for me once and it really came in handy.

I'm sending you and kitty and momma lots of good, perky vibes!
 
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arlyn

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Thanks

It's just hard and I'm such a worrywart.
I worry whether or not I've covered my bases, even though all physical signs are pointing to a cat that feels just fine.
And of course I wonder if her runny nose is keeping her from properly smelling her food.

Twice tonight she's called me upstairs, pretty loud voice for such a tiny one.
And both times she simply wanted a quick cuddle (she a very independant kitten), a few swats at her ferret ball, and a pee on the carpet.
 
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arlyn

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I have her vet/med and vacc records all here

Cassi is doing great, she had her spay surgery today, which I think is what has the kitten so upset.
As soon as they got home and I pulled them from the carrier and put them in their crate, Cassi scarfed down a half can of catfood while Ivory curled up under her belly.
After Cassi was fully alert I opened the crate door so they could have run of the room.
Cassi still won't come out on her own, but she did allow me to do a full body rub as I stealthily checked to verify that she is, in fact dry.

Cassi is so great with her, it's hard to believe this isn't her own kitten, Cassi doesn't seem to know that, or care.
 

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You aren't moving her litter pan are you? Does she have more than one? She needs two. Blind kitties are ultra scent sensitive and she will not pee and poop in the same box. It is against her instincts. I know with Tag and Marbles, they were born with no orbital globes, and they still had such secretions coming from their sockets. We had to put ointment in their eyes until they were old enough to have them sewn closed.

I would be feeding this little one kitten glop full-strength you will find the recipe on www.kitten-rescue.com
 
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arlyn

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Their crate isn't large enough for two boxes unforntunately, and at night I keep it closed since Ivory explores and Cassi is too shy and will not leave the crate to 'rescue' her when she gets lost in the room.
Cassi is coming out of her shell a bit, so I will try and get her to come out of her crate for feedings tomorrow, if that works well, I'll put the crate away, leaving their bedding in the exact same spot minus the crate and add another litter box.

I know that it's a very real possibility that the eyes will have to be removed if the infection persists and needs invasive treatment. Wouldn't they sew them shut then?

It's warm in that room, but very dry here, so I set up my cool air humidifier to try and help with the sniffles, at least keep the membranes from drying out.
I will try the glop, I will try anything, since I know how stressful tube feedings are, I want to avoid that if possible.
I would feel better if I knew, one way or another if she was actually eating, but if I'm in the room, all she wants is for me to talk to her and push her ball at her.

Am I possibly missing anything else?
 

hissy

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I didn't know you were crating them. That alone would cause stress. Is it possible to just baby gate them into a small room, allow them the luxury or exploring and smelling and moving about? We put Tag and Marbles into our living room and just put one baby gate across the entrance. They never had litter pan accidents once they knew where the litter pans were, and they were really wonderful kitties-
 
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arlyn

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If I didn't have a nosey dog or 4 other cats, I'd use the baby gate, they are already secluded in our office, which they do have run of.
Mom though, prefers the privacy of the crate, and since she won't come out when Ivory gets lost and crys for her, they get shut in it at night, when there is no one around to help Ivory find her way back to mom.
I can't let the other cats near though until those two are done with their vaccs.
Mom was a stray living in a feral colony.

Good news is that Ivory pooped this morning, a pretty decent amount, I guess I can take this as a sign that she's eating.

I just wanted to add here the Ivory was born at a clinic, she's never known anything but a hospital cage. The crate I have set up for them isn't small.
It's my 90 pound dog's travel cage, it has the same floorspace as those Midwest cat condo cages, just not as tall.
 
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arlyn

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For the great advice on my baby.

An update:

Ivory is still not eating on her own and I had exhausted everything I knew, and a few other tricks.
After having tried commercial formula, with some small success, last night in exasperation I put canned kitten food in small portations on her tongue.
I kept at it until she started biting and struggling.

It helped!
This morning she was perkier than she's been in days, so I had my fiance' go to the store and get the stuff for me to make the kitten 'glop'.

No fighting with her, she was greedily taking it from a dropper.
Still can't get her to take it on her own, or in a bottle though.
She only took about a tablespoon, so I'll be feeding her frequently this way until she eats it on her own, then I'll wean her back to the kitten food.

The humidifier has help as well, I didn't have to wash her face to clean crusties from her nostrils this morning.

Her mom, Cassi, finally moved out of the crate on her own, so it was folded up and put back in storage.
She's even been doing some limited exploring and playing of her own.
 
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