- Joined
- Jun 8, 2014
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Hi all,
We've been caring for a 3 to 4-week old kitten from an abandoned feral litter since this past Tuesday. Went to vet on Wednesday for first appointment and our kitten, Claude, got a clean bill of health and was dewormed. On Friday, he didn't have much of an appetite and was very lethargic and a little wobbly on his feet, so we went back to the vet. He wasn't running any kind of fever, but the vet suspected he was in the very early stages of an upper respiratory infection, and put him on an antibiotic to ward off anything secondary and instructed me to keep him warm, comfortable, and hydrated.
Since yesterday, his appetite has come back and he's going to the bathroom well after every feeding (with stimulation), but it seems that he has completely lost the ability to use his front legs. He can't stand up or take any steps. His back legs seem a little stiff but otherwise completely fine. He really almost doesn't seem sick except for his immobile front legs.
I called the emergency vet (since ours is closed on weekends), and they seemed to think it sounds like distemper and recommended we put him down. I am not willing to throw in the towel just yet - he has no other symptoms at this point that would suggest distemper (no vomiting, diarrhea, or fever), and he seems comfortable and not in pain. He's eating well (about 9 mL of formula every couple of hours), gaining weight, purring when we pet him, going to the bathroom well, no fever, no vomiting, no diarrhea, etc.
We are planning on going back to our own vet tomorrow for another opinion, but in the meantime, does anyone have any idea what could be going on? I am hoping this is just a more severe manifestation of "limping syndrome" that sometimes accompanies URIs. Any insight would be much, much appreciated. We love this little guy and want to give him the best shot at a decent life that we can. Thank you in advance!
And here he is:
We've been caring for a 3 to 4-week old kitten from an abandoned feral litter since this past Tuesday. Went to vet on Wednesday for first appointment and our kitten, Claude, got a clean bill of health and was dewormed. On Friday, he didn't have much of an appetite and was very lethargic and a little wobbly on his feet, so we went back to the vet. He wasn't running any kind of fever, but the vet suspected he was in the very early stages of an upper respiratory infection, and put him on an antibiotic to ward off anything secondary and instructed me to keep him warm, comfortable, and hydrated.
Since yesterday, his appetite has come back and he's going to the bathroom well after every feeding (with stimulation), but it seems that he has completely lost the ability to use his front legs. He can't stand up or take any steps. His back legs seem a little stiff but otherwise completely fine. He really almost doesn't seem sick except for his immobile front legs.
I called the emergency vet (since ours is closed on weekends), and they seemed to think it sounds like distemper and recommended we put him down. I am not willing to throw in the towel just yet - he has no other symptoms at this point that would suggest distemper (no vomiting, diarrhea, or fever), and he seems comfortable and not in pain. He's eating well (about 9 mL of formula every couple of hours), gaining weight, purring when we pet him, going to the bathroom well, no fever, no vomiting, no diarrhea, etc.
We are planning on going back to our own vet tomorrow for another opinion, but in the meantime, does anyone have any idea what could be going on? I am hoping this is just a more severe manifestation of "limping syndrome" that sometimes accompanies URIs. Any insight would be much, much appreciated. We love this little guy and want to give him the best shot at a decent life that we can. Thank you in advance!
And here he is: