Kitten Won't Eat

rex

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Hello, im a new user, as well as a new owner of a 9 week-old kitten, Shirou.

He was doing quite well the first couple of days i brought him back. he had a case of diarrhea, which didn't clear up. what's more is he started eating less and less. so i took him to the vet. vet gave me some meds for worms/parasite/sneezing; however, that did not get his appetite back up, and in the end i had to syringe feed him. the syringe feeding also broght on another problem, vomiting. he seems really nauseous after i syringe feed him. i took him back to the vet again, and the vet gave him some shots that'll hopefully calm his stomach. they also took xrays, which indicated there was nothing in his stomach at all.

i've tried all sorts of cat treats and food and he just kind of sniff at it...and backs away like he's afraid or something. he is quickly loosing weight, and i know that if he looses anymore, he could be in danger. so i am at a total loss at what to do, and in a state of total worry. i know i need to get him to eat, but he just vomits whatever goes in his stomach, is there any way to keep it down? or is there any other way of feeding him without having him feel nauseous?
 

kumbulu

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Hi Rex and welcome to TCS.


A kitten who is nauseous, vomiting and has diarrhea is not normal. If he were my kitten, I would be seeking an opinion from a second vet and getting them to find out why Shirou is so unwell. He needs a vet and quickly.

Something you can try feeding him is kitten glop. It is easy on the tummy and very nutritious. If you have to, you can gently syringe-feed him this (small amounts often). The recipe for kitten glop is here: http://www.kitten-rescue.com/what_to_feed.html

Sick kittens can very quickly become dehydrated. On that same page is a recipe for home-made pedialyte. If Shirou cannot hold down the kitten glop or any food, you will need to give him pedialyte so that he doesn't become dehydrated. Again, small amounts often. If he is very dehydrated, he may need to go on a drip at the vet.
 

semiferal

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The absolute best thing to do is take him to the nearest 24-hour full service emergency hospital right away. He needs around the clock nursing care at this point. If he is not keeping anything down then home care will not be enough and he will need IV fluids and other treatments. Depending on what is causing the problem, he may have a very good chance of recovery but it is very important that he get the needed care immediately.
 

kathylou

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That sounds like a real sick kitten. Where did you get him from? Could he have been exposed to something?

If your regular vet can't come up with any clear ideas of why this kitten is so seriously sick, you need a different vet.

He needs fluids ASAP. Either he drinks on his own, keeps it down when you give him water (or Pedialyte), or else he'll have to be put on an IV drip.

Check with the vet on techniques for syringe feeding. Check hydration. Ask about Nutrical, the kitten glop, anything else the vet knows of.
 
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rex

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Just when I thought he was able to keep his food and water down (after around 3-4 hours), he started to vomit, then proceeded to the litter, and released a loose stool.

I took him to the nearest hospital asap.

Although I heard some bad things about the hospital, it was the only 24/7 clinic around. I explained everything to the vet there and he said he's going to put him on IV for tonight and tommorow plus run some more tests to see what the problem is. I did not feel the same enthusiasm and warmness as my local vet, but they are my best options right now. The price was also quite shocking when I recived the bill. Fortunately, I still have the financial power to afford it. But some of us may not be that lucky, so remember to buy pet insurance, pay a little extra now and you'll get back a lot in return.

I hope Shirou makes a speedy recovery. Even though I only had him for a week, I miss him a lot already, and some things just don't feel right around the house.
 

lizch6699

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Sounds very very similar to what was happening with my kitty when he was sick. I'm glad you got him to a vet, which is what I was going to suggest. My kitty became very lethargic and refused to eat. I began force feeding and 'drinking' him and he would throw it up. I know throwing up takes a lot of energy out of me when I'm sick so I can just imagine what a tiny kitty would feel like. He would occasionally drink but only when he was strong enough to get to the water dish. When I finally took him to the vet his temperature had dropped to 95 when it should be somewhere around 101. He was in very critical condition and they gave him about 50% 50% chance of surviving. The vet gave me a few private minutes with my boyfriend to decide what we wanted to do. Then to make matter worse, she came back and said he had deterioated even more since I had brought him in minutes before. They let us see him before we left and he was basically in a coma-like state. The next day he was finally able to maintain his body temp on his own without the heating pad. Everything looked really hopeful and he even regained 'consciousness'. Then over that next night he had multiple seizures and went back into a coma-like state. We decided to continue fluids for one more day and see if he came back around, which he did. After that he didn't have anymore seizures. We kept him in one more night to be safe and when he went home the vet sent us back with fluids we had to give him once a day. Has your kitty been tested for FIV and FIP? I never did find out what was wrong with my kitty but he responded really well to fluids and being that yours is still a kitten I would think there's a good chance for him, usually kittens bounce back pretty quickly. In the end we walked out with a vet bill of over 1,000 on top of the 400 we had paid when he broke his leg (we think that breaking his leg really drained him because he had to drag around a heavy cast/bandage). So I do agree pet insurance is the way to go. Keep us updated and if you'd like to chat more about this feel free to send me a private message. Hope things look up, and keep us updated!
 

lizch6699

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Oh yeah, I would have the vet do a serium test, it tests kidney and liver functioning and could give some insite to how he's doing internally at a relativly cheap cost. Mine ran about $30 per day
 

kumbulu

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Rex, good luck with little Shirou. Sometimes even great vets have very little human to human socialisation skills but are brilliant with animals. It really does sound like he is in the best hands.

Pleaswe keep us updated on his progress.
 
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rex

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I got a call that I did not want to hear.

The vet said they got back a sample of the blood test and said he had panleukopenia. They say even with intensive care, some kittens still may experiance a sudden death. The rough estimate of continuing treatment for a 5 days can cost upwards of $3500.

Shirou did get an vaccination when he was 7 weeks old against this type of virus, the vet said he could of gotten it before the vaccination. I'm wondering does it really take that long for them to show signs of the virus? and I'm also asking if anyone had gone through a similar case with their kittens? I'm most likely going to have him continue his treatment at the clinic, even though his chances of surving is only 50%.
 

lizch6699

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I don't know much about the disease but I have heard that kittens typically don't do well. Even if he does do well in the critical care he may just deteriorate as soon as you bring him home again. I in no way want to pressure you, but if it were my kitty I would probably just let her go the easy way. Good luck with whatever descision you make and I hope someone on here has some more information for you. Maybe try doing a search on google to find more information.
 

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Not to make the situation any harder but at my school we had 4 orange tabby kittens who all got panleukopenia virus. Only 2 of them were showing symptoms but they all had to be put down. The chances of a 9 week-old kitten surviving this are less than 50%. I don't know if your vet is being overly optimistic or just hoping to get some money out of a first time owner.
If your kitty doesn't make it, make sure you wait at least 2 weeks before getting another and either bleach or get rid of any food dishes, carriers etc. Panleukopenia is highly contagious and airborne as well so don't touch any other cats after touching yours unless you've thoroughly washed your hands with a cleaner like hibitane and change your clothes too.
 
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rex

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Thanks to all those who have given their input into this situation.

And I talked to the vet today again.

And it seems his conditions are getting worst. His white blood cell count went from 1.0 to 0.6, and it seems one of his eyes was getting hazy as well. The vet told me straight-forward that his chances aren't great for recovering from the virus seeing these results. Either way, I still want to take the chance.

I was allowed to visit Shirou. I thought I was prepared, but tears just started flowing as I pet him. It was quite painful just seeing him in this state. I just cry whenever I remember him.

What still baffles me is how he came about with the virus. The person I adopted from said that Shirou was isolated from other cats, and I don't have any other cats, nor have I come into contact with other cats since I've gotten Shirou. And all the people that saw/played with him before his symptoms came up never came into contact with other cats as well. He was a really healthy and active kitten from what I've heard from the person I adopted from. This is sort of the big question for me right now, as I do not want to repeat the same mistake again.
 

tnr1

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Originally Posted by Rex

Thanks to all those who have given their input into this situation.

And I talked to the vet today again.

And it seems his conditions are getting worst. His white blood cell count went from 1.0 to 0.6, and it seems one of his eyes was getting hazy as well. The vet told me straight-forward that his chances aren't great for recovering from the virus seeing these results. Either way, I still want to take the chance.

I was allowed to visit Shirou. I thought I was prepared, but tears just started flowing as I pet him. It was quite painful just seeing him in this state. I just cry whenever I remember him.

What still baffles me is how he came about with the virus. The person I adopted from said that Shirou was isolated from other cats, and I don't have any other cats, nor have I come into contact with other cats since I've gotten Shirou. And all the people that saw/played with him before his symptoms came up never came into contact with other cats as well. He was a really healthy and active kitten from what I've heard from the person I adopted from. This is sort of the big question for me right now, as I do not want to repeat the same mistake again.
Unfortunately...health is not something that can be guarenteed and sometimes illnesses do not show up until the kitten/cat is in it's new home. I am really sorry your little one isn't doing well.

Katie
 

lizch6699

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Thanks for keeping us updated, I've taken a personal attachment to your story because the more I hear about it the more I think this is exactly what happened with my kitty and I remeber how hard it was for me. With mine he was sick for some time and literatly went to the last possible moment of survival without receiving treatment. He did end up surviving so I'm crossing my fingers that Shirou makes it too. I read that cats who survive over 48 hours have an greatly increased chance of survival. And like you said in your PM to me, he'll most likely be immune to it after if he makes it. By his eyes being hazy are you saying his third eye is coming up? Try to visit whenever you get a chance, although it's hard to see him like that it's the best way to give your little guy a drive to survive. No matter what happens at least you'll be at peace knowing you did everything you could have done. If you haven't already, try to bring him something that smells like you, maybe a tshirt or a blanket. Please continue to keep posting and I hope things get better...
 

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He has a very slim chance of beating this disease. If he does survive, he will be in a compromised state of health his entire life. Sometimes, no matter how much we want them to survive, there are factors against them that even we can't beat. I wish you the strength and knowledge to do what is right for him. He has no one to depend on but you. Whatever you decide, I hope this kitten does not suffer for it.
 

semiferal

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Distemper is an awful disease because the virus is so hardy. It can be transmitted if you touch a contaminated object and touch your cat or an object your cat touches a few hours later. Washing with soap and water is not even necessarily enough.

If it is any encouragement, though, kittens can survive distemper. The odds are against it but when I had an outbreak, I had 2 survive out of 6 (all were about 10 weeks old at the time). One had persistent diarrhea from the flora in his intestines being all out of whack, but that was resolved with a few months of trial and error on various medications. The other has mild to moderate cerebellar hypoplasia (a condition comparable to cerebral palsy), but he has no health problems whatsoever. He'll have the disability the rest of his life but he is robust and healthy and ridiculously happy and doesn't seem to really care that he walks like a drunken sailor.

Distemper is really a battle between the kitten and the illness. The illness only lasts 10-14 days, so it's a matter of whether the kitten or the illness is the one left standing in the end. In Shirou's case, he has survived the first 48 hours so his chances are MUCH better now than they were a few days ago. He's far from out of the woods but I think his chances are at least 50-50, quite possibly even better than that. (This is saying a lot since all things being equal, distemper has up to a 90% mortality rate in kittens this young.)

The thing he needs right now is supportive medical care from the vet. He needs IV fluids, possibly heat support (though hopefully he is running a fever - this is a key sign that the immune system is fighting), and probably IV dextrose to keep his blood sugar up. The blood sugar level is a big key because distemper completely messes up the small intestine where a lot of nutrients are absorbed, so even if the kitten has a good appetite he can quite literally starve to death. Their blood sugar drops and they quickly go into a coma and die. But the intestines do heal eventually, again as long as the kitten lives long enough for that to happen. So make sure they are keeping a very close eye on his blood sugar.

At this point, it's just one day at a time. Every day, even every hour that he survives, his chances improve. Visit him as often as you can, and make sure he is in a hospital with 24 hour nursing care (have him transferred to another hospital if necessary). As long as he hasn't given up, he has a chance.

As for how he got the illness, that question baffled me too when I was in your situation. I did a lot of research and found out that the killed virus vaccines that are most commonly used are completely ineffective until the second dose is given. A lot of vets aren't even really aware of this because it's not really relevant for most of their practice. Killed virus vaccines are totally fine for the average pet (and have a lower risk of side effects) but based on my research, they are not appropriate for kittens in a shelter or rescue setting because they leave the kitten completely unprotected for an extra two weeks until the second vaccine is given. I was working with a vet whom I consider to be superb with kittens and she was not even aware of this, so it is not the rescue's fault. But a modified live vaccine protocol is, from my research, the more appropriate protocol for kittens in rescue and shelter situations.

For the future, you should not bring any cats into your home for a full year unless they have been fully vaccinated. The virus lives on surfaces for that long and only bleach can kill it. You can bring a vaccinated adult in after probably 6 weeks with minimal risk, but no kittens for a year.
 
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