2 day old kitten problem..

[shanstar]

Hopefully, you read my other post and are a bit familiar with the situation.. but I need a little advice.

When Title had her kittens on Sunday, she never bit off the cords and the kittens were still attached to the red thing (placenta?), and then later that night I noticed they had all tangled around one another and were unable to feed properly. My mother and I carefully separated them, but noticed a problem with one of the kittens. The cord had wrapped around her leg and cut off circulation, and now the foot is swollen and purple. It is much bigger than her other 3, but she is still able to use it to crawl around a bit. Considering she's only 2 days old, it's pretty hard to tell if this will have a real impact on her mobility. I was just wondering if I should take her to a vet. Since she is totally white (although the dad is black and mom all different colors), the dark foot might just look worse than it really is.

Oh, and another thing. This same kitten has one eye open a little. I know they typically don't open them for a few more days, and I'm not sure if this is something to be concerned about. The eye doesn't open fully, and the other one not at all, but from what I can see of the open one, it looks gray. I hope everything is okay with my little dear

Please help if you can.

P.S. the white one is my mom's favorite

 

[tnr1]

Shan...if it were me, I'd take the little one to the vet.

Katie

 

[beckiboo]

The eye thing is no big deal, kitties open their eyes at different ages. But the foot injury is quite serious. If it is swollen and red, that means there is not good circulation to the area. While often a kitten will survive an injury, it may require medical intervention. Often things can be corrected by a vet, but if any infection sets in due to poor circulation, the baby will have difficulty recovering.

Best of luck with this baby! Be sure to keep it warm on the trip to the vets office.

 

[gayef]

While I am normally very hesitant to take a neonate into any vet's office (not just because of what they can pick up there illness-wise but also because most vets do not know what to do with a neonate), I would say this circumstance definately calls for at least a call to your vet to see what his opinion may be. I feel certain he is going to want to see the kitten.

Is this kitten nursing normally, moving around on his own, does the leg move normally?

 

[shanstar]

Yes, everything about the kitten seems normal, besides the color and swelling. I think you guys are right though, and I'm pretty sure we're going to call the vet.

It's just that money's a bit tight. Blech.

 

[gayef]

Isn't it always the way that when you need it the most, money seems to be the least accessible? How is the leg looking this afternoon? Do you see any signs of improved circulation at all? Does the leg feel cool or warm to the touch?

 

[shanstar]

There is no temperature difference between that foot and the rest of the cat, and after tonight's weighing, she is the second biggest, and is eating quite well. The swelling has also gone down dramatically, but it's still a dark color. Maybe her foot is just supossed to be dark? I talked to a friend who owns a few cats and she gave me the number of her vet, who we think will have a look at her for little/no cost, and be honest about what's going on.

I'll keep you guys updated, and thanks again for the help

 

[gayef]

Any updates?

 

[beckiboo]

Originally Posted by ShanStar

There is no temperature difference between that foot and the rest of the cat, and after tonight's weighing, she is the second biggest, and is eating quite well. The swelling has also gone down dramatically, but it's still a dark color. Maybe her foot is just supossed to be dark? I talked to a friend who owns a few cats and she gave me the number of her vet, who we think will have a look at her for little/no cost, and be honest about what's going on.

I'll keep you guys updated, and thanks again for the help

Those are both great signs! I hope the kitty continues to heal, and is able to use that foot.

 

[shanstar]

Bad news everyone

The kitty's foot is "dead". Later on today we realized it was hard and shriveled and black, so we called and the vet said there is generally nothing we can/could have done (well, besides noticed the cord earlier). So we're going to keep her to make sure she gets the home and care she needs. He said once she is a little bigger to bring her in to see if any amputation is needed, and to check the rest of the leg. Since the rest of it looks completely normal, he figured there were no further problems.

But she, and all the other kittens, are growing so quickly! It's almost amazing to wake up and see how much they've grown. Aside from her foot, she's happy and healthy

 

[beckiboo]

I have a friend with a 3 legged dog, due to a birth injury. I never even noticed until she told me. It is sad that this happened to your kitten, but she will adapt quickly to the loss. I'm surprised they don't need to surgically remove the foot!

I'm sorry the kitten's foot didn't heal!

 

[shanstar]

I think when I bring her in later on, he will want to amputate it. It looks like it would get in the way or something. Plus, it is a danger since she has no feeling in it.

 

[shanstar]

Help! The foot is now bleeding.. and the vet is closed.. what should we do?

EDIT:
We put neosporin on it.. is that bad? iwant to put gauze or a bandaid but my mother said no. i feel 12 again.

 

[beckiboo]

Poor baby. I think neosporin should be ok. It would be very hard to keep a bandage on the foot. If it keeps bleeding, definitely get baby to the vet when the office opens.

 

[shanstar]

Just wanted to give you all a little update.

The bleeding stopped shortly after that last post. Since then, the foot has fallen off (i know that sounds gross..) and the kitten has a bit of a stump. She's the second smallest, but each kitten is within .1 or .2 of each other. So she's keeping up

and she is moving around just as well as the others. She was the first to open her eyes, and she's just gorgeous. Here's a very bad quality pic of her. (I took it with my camera phone)



I noticed she's been getting a little extra love from her mum too.. it's pretty cute. It's almost as though the others know she is a little different, because there is always another kitten covering her up a little, to keep her warm. So the family is looking out for her

 

[beckiboo]

Originally Posted by ShanStar

I noticed she's been getting a little extra love from her mum too.. it's pretty cute. It's almost as though the others know she is a little different, because there is always another kitten covering her up a little, to keep her warm. So the family is looking out for her

Very cute! My kittens were always selfish beasties, each one trying to squeeze to the bottom of the pile, so they could stay warm. I'm glad she is doing well, and the foot falling off was just nature taking its course.