6 week old kitten not eating/URI

[sebseb]

hi everyone,
six days ago i was given two kittens Junior(F) and Hobbs(M) that were apart of a 14-cat colony that lived on a relatives property. the day i received them it was very cold, gusty, and wet. many of their cats were sneezing, one had very runny eyes. both of the kittens had pink eye and when i got home it was treated with Terramycin, and they both got a warm bath to kill fleas.
within three days, Junior's sneeze rapidly progressed to a stuffed nose and foggy eye discharge, and now she is lethargic, weak, and unable to eat or drink.
she cannot smell her food, i have attempted to feed her salmon, tuna, even mackerel and she refuses. i attempted to syringe feed her by holding her head and placing warm paté onto her tongue, but she threw it back up later that night.
i have sat with her in the restroom with a hot steaming shower running in attempt to loosen the mucus in her nose, but it has not worked at all. i have a Vicks Sinus Inhaler running at all times near her WITHOUT the pad as i know they are toxic to cats.
the past two days i have given her HomeoPet Nose Relief 3x daily, two drops per dose.
last night, as a last resort i gavw her a warm-hot bath in further attempt to help her breathe through her nose. she sneezed three times and it sounded like she was breathing through straws in her nose, but nevertheless improved and she slept soundly through the night, however her condition went back to how it was before.

its been two days since she last ate. she last used the litter box over 12 hours ago. she weighs 11.7 ounces while her brother weighs 1lb and 11 oz. and her temperature is 102.5 F.
i dont know what do do at this point, im very tired and it hurts my heart every time i hear her breathe. right now my parents do not have the money to take her to an emergency vet and they keep saying i am being overbearing. im doing everything i can to care for her but i do not know what else to do. her brother is beginning to sneeze and i dont want him to fall into the same path as her, ive already given him the nose relief too.

note: since the night she fell ill I've had her sleeping over a heating oad.

picture 1: Junior(white) and Hobbs(ginger) the day we got them. Hobbs' right eye was nearly closed but it cleared up the next morning with the terramycin.
picture 2: Hobbs and Junior the next night, very energetic and curious. a day before Junior began to fall ill.
picture 3: Junior two nights ago at what felt like the worst. constantly putting her head up to breathe and stirring throughout the night.

 

[fionasmom]

Kitten Lady
This is a very useful site for information about young kittens

URIs — Kitten Lady
Specific information about URIs

No Money For Vet Care? How To Find Help And Save Your Cat's Life - TheCatSite

It is very kind of you to have tried to help these kittens. Junior does not sound as if she is doing very well with the combination of weight, breathing, and loss of appetite and I don't believe that you are over reacting. Hobbs is probably already coming down with the same thing, or has it now, so I don't know that isolating him will do any good. Under normal circumstances, it would be the thing to do given that this is highly contagious.

If you go to a vet, you don't have to agree to every test or diagnostic that they want to run. If you could get an antibiotic for her and some support, it might help.

You are on the right track to have sat in the bathroom and to have tried to syringe feed her, but it sounds as if it is not working.

 

[StefanZ]

Giving pate doesnt work. Have you tried with kmr? Or even better, raw goats milk?

With very weak - dying - kittens, last line defence which works sometimes, is to just give pedialyte. Quite a much pedialyte. Glucose sugar in pedialyte keeps them alive some days. Of course, you can always smear a droplet of glucose sugar or white caro syrop on the gums inside of lips. Glucose sugar goes directly into blood from the mouth.

Keep her warm as you do. Massage with forefinger.

Pray!


S sebseb

 

[sebseb]

Giving pate doesnt work. Have you tried with kmr? Or even better, raw goats milk?
S sebseb

i havent tried kmr. is there a brand you can recommend, and i give it to her by syringe, yes?

 

[sebseb]

It is very kind of you to have tried to help these kittens. Junior does not sound as if she is doing very well with the combination of weight, breathing, and loss of appetite and I don't believe that you are over reacting. Hobbs is probably already coming down with the same thing, or has it now, so I don't know that isolating him will do any good. Under normal circumstances, it would be the thing to do given that this is highly contagious.

If you go to a vet, you don't have to agree to every test or diagnostic that they want to run. If you could get an antibiotic for her and some support, it might help.

You are on the right track to have sat in the bathroom and to have tried to syringe feed her, but it sounds as if it is not working.

thank you so much. i live in a multi cat household and my parents insist i start socializing them, but she came down with the sickness so quickly its terrifying.
I'll have a disscussion with them later about looking at low cost vets or calling, because i dont think there is much more i can do. my mom insists i give Junior amoxicillin, but i dont want to risk hurting her or making her immune to it later on.

 

[Sarthur2]

I agree with StefanZ that the kitten must have fluids. You can syringe honey water in small doses like 1-2mLs every 1-2 hours to keep her going.

However, I also agree with fionasmom that both kittens need antibiotics to clear their probable upper respiratory infections. If you have amoxicillin on hand, I would recommend that you give kitten-sized doses to both kittens twice a day.

Is the amoxicillin liquid or pill form? Let me know and based on weights I can tell you how much to give.

The kitten who is not eating is most at risk, so she absolutely must have fluids — honey water or Pedialyte — on a regular basis so that her internal organs do not shut down.

Thank you for taking in these kittens. Let me know about the amoxicillin as that will likely help to fight off the bacterial infection they are suffering from.

S sebseb

 

[sebseb]

However, I also agree with fionasmom that both kittens need antibiotics to clear their probable upper respiratory infections. If you have amoxicillin on hand, I would recommend that you give kitten-sized doses to both kittens twice a day.

Is the amoxicillin liquid or pill form? Let me know and based on weights I can tell you how much to give.

Thank you for taking in these kittens. Let me know about the amoxicillin as that will likely help to fight off the bacterial infection they are suffering from.

S sebseb

its in pill form, the smallest i have is 250mg.

 

[sebseb]

its in pill form, the smallest i have is 250mg.

its not a solid pill, its in a capsule so i have no way of measuring it aside from just eyeballing it.

 

[Sarthur2]

Okay, it will need to be crushed and diluted in water and given by syringe. I will give you the amounts momentarily.

 

[sebseb]

Let me know if this makes sense. Keep track of your amounts so that you can continue breaking down the contents from each capsule.

thank you so much, I'll start right now. its not the most complicated thing aha, my major is engineering.
I'll give jr her dosage of the amoxicillin and homeopet, and follow it with the honey water. dispite her lethargy she's very fidgety. hobbs will get his once im done with her.

 

[sebseb]

appetite boosters: can yall name any i can get otc? and is it too soon or should i observe and reevaluate within the next 24 hours?

 

[Sarthur2]

They are only 6 weeks old. Many kittens are not even weaned yet from mama at this early stage. They do not need appetite boosters other than honey water. Once the meds kick in (and this is usually on day 3), they should turn the corner and begin eating on their own. In the meantime, it is very important that you kerp them hydrated with the honey water. They need fluids to keep their internal organs going.

You must hydrate them around the clock, the meds will dry them out more.

I’m relieved that you understand the math!

 

[sebseb]

They are only 6 weeks old. Many kittens are not even weaned yet from mama at this early stage. They do not need appetite boosters other than honey water. Once the meds kick in (and this is usually on day 3), they should turn the corner and begin eating on their own. In the meantime, it is very important that you kerp them hydrated with the honey water. They need fluids to keep their internal organs going.

You must hydrate them around the clock, the meds will dry them out more.

I’m relieved that you understand the math!

i understand.
Hobbs got his meds and hes starting to get the boogers around his eyes. Junior spat out the diluted amoxicillin so i had to give it to her again, this time dry. i put a drop of honey on her lips and she licked some of it. im afraid to give her the fluids because shes very dependent on half-breathing through her mouth and i dont want her to choke on it. right now shes asleep, im gonna wait till she wakes up to give her the honey water.
my parents have already given up on her, and they're "thankful Hobbs isnt like her", and "she was already messed up from the beginning". i really think shes just a shy, timid, girl. i want to see her get through this. hobbs was already sick when we got him, both of them were.

 

[Sarthur2]

I'm so sorry that your parents are so set in their views. It does not make things any easier for you. But perhaps their reluctance contributes to your unwavering positivity — I hope so!

What do you mean by you gave her the meds dry?

I’m hoping all is well and both kittens will soon be thriving!

 

[sebseb]

i gave her the medication in powder form directly into her mouth.
junior is still just sleeping
if the situation worsens i fear i will have to surrender the kittens. atm I'm looking for rescues in my area, as all the shelters are over capacity and they'll most likely euthanize her. i hope she pulls through, just for tonight.

 

[Sarthur2]

I hope so too! Wake her to give her a tiny dose of honey water. It would be a shame if she gets euthanized because your family cannot afford a basic standard of care. The whole situation is very distressing to me. I shall pray that it all works out. Do keep us posted.

 

[sebseb]

i put about a teaspoon in an espresso cup(2-3 oz) with hot water to dissolve then let it cool, should i augment it or keep it the same?

she took 1 ml like a champ, I'll give her a few minutes to rest and then another ml. as im sure this is agonizing.

 

[Sarthur2]

Do you mean honey water? If so, and she took it well, then it sounds like she needs and wants it. Continue on. She needs the fluids to survive.

 

[sebseb]

gave her the next ml and she spit some of it out, swallowed the rest. she fell asleep and hasnt made a sound, probably breathing through her mouth. its so odd to me because the moment she wakes up it sounds like shes in distress trying to breathe through her nose but its all plugged up

 

[StefanZ]

i put about a teaspoon in an espresso cup(2-3 oz) with hot water to dissolve then let it cool, should i augment it or keep it the same?

she took 1 ml like a champ, I'll give her a few minutes to rest and then another ml. as im sure this is agonizing.

you talk about the honey water? Its rather strong - ie intensively sweet. Its not harmful, and gives lotsa of needed calories, but she may perhaps have the taste too strong and intensobr... So perhaps dilute more.
The usual is to give barely sweet. Although, if you happen to have real glucose sugar; glucose sugar is less sweet than honey, and thus, you can give more glucose sugar with the same taste... But if she takes so she takes, hurrah!

Comment re the diluting of the medicine. IF its difficult to take the pill into small parts of it; I presume you can try to solve the pill capsule contains in water, shake it thoroughly so its evenly distributed in the water, and take small parts of the water...

You ask about what kmr I recommend. Its in part depending what do you have... Do avoid Hartz products, otherwise most brands should be OK to use.

We typically recommend PetAgs KMR in powder. Observe, their brand of the ready diluted isnt as good.
Or some goats milk based kmr. I know GNC has such a one.

Almost all goats milk are OK to use in a pinch, but my recommedation, especielly for the pointed kitten is to use raw goats milk, as it has some potential health propertises. It does come from an lvining momma, no? Pricey, but may be worth it.

Yes, I presume you will handfeed this, at least to the point. Red tabby will pehaps manage to eat himself.


And re praying... If praying as such really works, may be discussed. But it helps to give YOU strengh, endurance, patience, and the ability to manage these streonous hours and days you are going through...

In a hospital they are changing out the personnel, so nobody gets totally exhausted. But you are alone, nobody gives you relief nor a few hours calm sleep....
You will need your prayers.

I hope your parents are at least helping you with the overall service; ie serving you food, washing your clothes, taking care of the other cats, etc...