Hi everyone. I'm hoping someone can help me with this problem. I adopted a sphynx kitten, she was flown in on April 1st. When she arrived her eyes had dried brown discharge all over, she was sneezing, had terrible gas, and was wheezing. Breeder told me could be stress from the flight. She ended up with diarrhea, wheezing stopped, but still sneezing, and very lazy, not kittenish at all. Vet said her intestines were inflamed and stool sample showed her bacteria is unbalanced, gave me probiocin paste for that, and antibiotics for a virus. She's been on this for 8 days. She seemed to get better, still have to clean eyes out everyday, and still sneezing but less, soft stools turned into diarrhea again today, and this time when I cleaned it off her(yes, she steps in it and tracks it all over my house even when it's soft stools, catbox had just been cleaned!)feet, tail, inside of her legs, I noticed some bright red blood on the poo. Called vet over 2 hrs ago, still waiting to hear back. Anyone have this happen before, and if so, what happened? Obviously the probiocin is not working. She also poo's 6 or more times a day. Is this normal? Could it be her food that is causing an upset? Breeder fed Iams multi-cat, so I kept her on it. I have no vet records for her, as breeder did not send them with the kitten. Health cert only says that the kitten can handle temps of 20-85. NO other vaccination history, or health info is given on the health cert. How can this be? Aren't vet vaccine records mandatory to get an animal on the plane? I'm still waiting for the breeder to send the vet records, reg papers, and copy of contract. Another question, can a virus lay dormant for 11 days, then appear because of the stress of the flight? All these symptoms were apparant when we picked her up, gas, eye discharge, soft stools, only eating, pooing, sleeping etc...Breeder says kitten must have picked something up during her spay, 11 days before the flight. I appreciate all feedback.
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Sick Kitten Please Help
- Thread starter sphynxkitten
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I would ask( with gentle forse) the breeder to send you all vet and shot records normally they come with kitty.. I hope your baby gets well but this has something fishy in it
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- #3
Believe me I have, and the last e-mail I got from the breeder was last Friday. Said how busy things are, and she'll get them mailed as soon as she has some time! It's been almost a month I've been asking for them. I've e-mailed her twice since, no response back as of yet.
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Do you have a phone # for the breeder?? How old was the kitty when you got it??
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- #5
She was born x-mas day, and we got her April 1st, so she was just a day shy of 14 weeks. Course I have no proof of that either since I have no reg papers, or vet records.
I would send a registered letter.
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- #7
I may have to. Thanks.
True this way you have proof. Did you get a contract. Maybe she is waiting it out.
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- #9
Had a signed contract, but she told me to send it back, and she would send a copy of it, along with the reg papers, and vet records, when the kitten was flown to us. None of it arrived with the kitten! Stupid me should have made a copy myself, but trusting her at the time, did as she asked. I do have ALL the e-mails between the two of us, including the ones telling her the day we got the kitten that she was sick (she said it was most likely stress from the flight. Her replies also about knowing she hadn't sent the vet records, reg papers, and copy of the contract, as promised, with the kitten.
Does she know you did not make a copy if not try to fool her and say this is what the contract says I mad a copy before mailing it back.
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- #11
Unfortunately she knows I do not have a copy. When we first got her, we were too excited to look through the packet she sent with our little girl(YES, she sent a coupon packet for Eukanuba, and sample food,a brand she doesn't even use, in a nice folder, but no vet records, reg papers, or contract!)so two days later, when I did look through it, I e-mailed her asking for, mainly the vet records, because I didn't think her illness was just stress, but also the copy of the contract, and her reg papers.
I would have the kitten checked for worms.
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- #13
They tested 2 stool samples, and found her bacteria levels are unbalanced, but no worms. Thanks for your reply.
That is not good
I doubt she will respond to you.
The antibiotics may also be causing the diarrhea and stomach upset. I would continue to wait for your vet's return call, ask him if you can safely discontinue the antibiotics now and I might also try to give baby a little plain yogurt with active cultures to soothe her gut. Ask him also about the blood and whether or not he thinks treatment of the bacteria imbalance isn't indicated here.
As for the breeder, I must agree that waiting this long to send you the documentation is a bit excessive. But, things do happen, life does get in the way of all of our best intentions and delays can result. I would think that a courteous but firm letter, sent return receipt requested, asking her to send all promised documents, including signed sales agreement and vet records, postmarked no later than May 1 is appropriate. The registration papers should only be sent once you have complied with your breeder's spay/neuter requirements, if any. If this kitten was sold with breeding rights, then the "blue slip" should accompany the other documents.
The "health certificate" which is required by most airlines before accepting a live animal shipment only requires that the animal be examined by a certified vet and that the animal is able to safely withstand a certain temperature range. The normally prescribed vaccines for cats are not mandatory in most states, with the possible exception of rabies. It depends upon whether or not your state has a law to include cats for required vaccination against rabies as to whether or not the airline will require them to be vaccinated before shipping to that state. Many states do not have such a law - while most states do require dogs to be vaccinated, but not all states require it with cats. It can also depend on which airline is doing the shipping as to whether or not they require a vaccine certificate.
For now, just make sure Baby is well hydrated and warm.
As for the breeder, I must agree that waiting this long to send you the documentation is a bit excessive. But, things do happen, life does get in the way of all of our best intentions and delays can result. I would think that a courteous but firm letter, sent return receipt requested, asking her to send all promised documents, including signed sales agreement and vet records, postmarked no later than May 1 is appropriate. The registration papers should only be sent once you have complied with your breeder's spay/neuter requirements, if any. If this kitten was sold with breeding rights, then the "blue slip" should accompany the other documents.
The "health certificate" which is required by most airlines before accepting a live animal shipment only requires that the animal be examined by a certified vet and that the animal is able to safely withstand a certain temperature range. The normally prescribed vaccines for cats are not mandatory in most states, with the possible exception of rabies. It depends upon whether or not your state has a law to include cats for required vaccination against rabies as to whether or not the airline will require them to be vaccinated before shipping to that state. Many states do not have such a law - while most states do require dogs to be vaccinated, but not all states require it with cats. It can also depend on which airline is doing the shipping as to whether or not they require a vaccine certificate.
For now, just make sure Baby is well hydrated and warm.
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- #16
I completely understand things can happen. I e-mailed her 2 days after(April 3rd)getting my little girl, about sending me her health records because she is sick, and my vet wanted to know her vaccination history. I also told her that was my main priority was getting the records, and the reg papers(she was spayed before coming home)and contract could wait. She responded several days later, but said nothing about sending the records. I called, no answer. I e-mailed her 2 more times, and finally last Friday she said she would get them to me when she "has some time." I would hope, that as a breeder, she would put the health of the kitten she bred, before being to busy to put a name, address, and stamp on an envelope, and slipping it in the mailbox. She had no problems keeping in contact with me for the 6 weeks proir to the little girl coming home, when she sent the contract to be signed, and wanted the deposit, and final payment etc...Hope that doesn't come off as snotty. It's not meant to be. I just really want to find out what's happening to my little girl.
Rabies shot is required before shipping an animal to my state(vet commented on this when he saw no info on the vet cert.) The breeder did say she had a rabies shot the day of the vet cert, but no info was on the cert to confirm it was given?
A certified letter may be in order, but this isn't really about the breeder, as it is about my little girl. I just really want to know her health history, so maybe we can figure out what is going on with her.
I'll ask about the antibiotics, but she is still sneezing, so it may still be needed. She has been on antibiotics and the probiocin for 8 days, and this is the first time she has had diarrhea since being on them. First time I have seen the blood on her also, so I'm not sure what to think. I'm really hoping to find someone that has had a similiar experience so they can tell me what the treatment, and outcome was, so maybe I can give the info to the vet, and see if there is something he missed.
Thank you for your help. Again, I didn't mean to sound snotty. I'm Just worried about my little girl.
Rabies shot is required before shipping an animal to my state(vet commented on this when he saw no info on the vet cert.) The breeder did say she had a rabies shot the day of the vet cert, but no info was on the cert to confirm it was given?
A certified letter may be in order, but this isn't really about the breeder, as it is about my little girl. I just really want to know her health history, so maybe we can figure out what is going on with her.
I'll ask about the antibiotics, but she is still sneezing, so it may still be needed. She has been on antibiotics and the probiocin for 8 days, and this is the first time she has had diarrhea since being on them. First time I have seen the blood on her also, so I'm not sure what to think. I'm really hoping to find someone that has had a similiar experience so they can tell me what the treatment, and outcome was, so maybe I can give the info to the vet, and see if there is something he missed.
Thank you for your help. Again, I didn't mean to sound snotty. I'm Just worried about my little girl.
Of course it doesn't sound at all snotty! I completely understand that the priority here is, first and foremost, your sweet little girlie girl! I agree with you that the vet records should have been immediately forthcoming as soon as you informed the breeder this baby was poorly. I can only imagine how frustrating this has been for you.
There is one thing that has been a constant during the course of my life though ... I have learned that there are ~always~ two sides to every story and this lady is not here to defend herself. There must be a reason why she hasn't done as she promised to do. And as a breeder, I have comment that it is when things like this happen and people dicuss them on public message boards such as this one that ALL breeders get a bad name. And it isn't fair to those of us who are working our hineys off to ensure a positive experience for our people, our programs, and most importantly, for our cats.
Is there a vet's name and contact information on the health certificate? If so, why not give him a call and ask about your kitten's history. He may not tell you anything on your first call, but you can certainly suggest that he contact the breeder to get a release so he can disclose to you.
Of course you want to know what's wrong so you can help your baby! Trust your instincts and your vet - even with sketchy information on the health history, he is still your best source.
When she sneezes, what color is the mucous? Sorry to be so graphic, but it may mean something ... blood in the stool can be indicative of many things, but knowing she has been on antibiotics for eight days pretty much sums it up. They upset the natural balance of the digestive flora and it causes poopy butt in many cats. The poopy butt can and often does lead to irritations in the bowel, causing the little bit of blood. Since you mentioned that fecal exams were negative for worms, let me ask you ... did he also run a check for giardia and/or coccidia?
I sincerely hope you are able to get to the bottom of the problems and that your breeder comes through for you soon. Please let me know how things go?
Yours from the heart,
~gf~
