Just brought home my kittens and I am already worried.

[zorana_dragonky]

He is a little pig, always eating! He has been here since Friday evening and I am sure that he is bigger. His belly certainly is! She seems to be eating fine, but not nearly as much as he is. We see him eat all the time, but while we are in the room, she will nibble a bit and then go play. She eats more when we are not watching, and never uses the litter box when you watch either!

His nose is still stuffy, and he has just a bit of eye crust. The mucous is still clear, but I am watching him closely. He is eating great, and playing well. He still sneezes a bit, and I have noticed him making a "hurking" noise like he might be about to cough, or cough up a hairball, and his shoulders make a little motion. But he only does it once, just "Hurk!" and he is fine. It is almost like a hiccup?

One of the kittens has softer stools, but we aren't sure which one it is because they tend not to poo while we are in the room. Bamf will pee, but they poo when we leave the room. It is not liquid or completely runny, but it is soft. The other kitten has normal poops. I know that it may just be from diet change, as they both seem active and healthy, but I am not sure.

I am going to call the vet again tomorrow and ask if I should bring them in. I just want them to be okay. They have an official appointment shortly, but I am worried about them (like a good mommy I suppose).

Any suggestions? I will let everyone know what the vet says when I call/take them in, etc.

Here is Bamf just a little big ago. You can see the clear mucous on his little nose. His ears are clear and his eyes are not watery anymore, and not red anymore either.

There are some more photos of both of them in the Fur Pics & Videos section.

 

[zorana_dragonky]

Well, I am positive now that it is Bamf with the soft stools. I cleaned his litter box before I went to sleep last night and he had to go in the middle of the cleaning. There was a bit of liquid and then a very large, very soft pile of poo. I scooped it out and put it in a baggie in case the doctor needed a stool sample. Pixel went shortly after, too. Hers was just a little soft, but mostly fine.

He definitely has more mucous now, and it is a very light yellow-green color (bad right?). He is still eating fine, still attentive, still playing, but when he sneezes he slings little droplets of snot and you can hear the snot when he breathes. I wanted to stay with him and get him into the bathroom with the hot steam, but I had to be here at work at 8:00. I called the Vet's office that I had picked and they basically told me that it was a judgement call to bring him in, but it doesn't feel like a judgement call to me. I think he needs to see the doctor, and she should too, just for safety's sake.

So I tried to arrange something, and even though they are open from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm (one of the reasons I picked them), the doctor doesn't do regular appointments on Tuesdays, just surgeries. And he does them during the afternoon. And this afternoon is all booked of course. They said I could drop off the kittens and the doctor would look at them earlier in the afternoon and probably give at least Bamf an antibiotic shot and check their temps, etc, probably send them home with some antibiotic. I could pick them up after work... Well that sounds really convenient, but "convenient" is not what I am looking for. I want to speak to a doctor and ask questions, get the right advice on what to do and watch them examine my kittens. I want to be there to reassure the babies that they are going to be okay, etc. I tried to see if I could bring them in tomorrow morning, and I guess on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, he only does appointments between 11:00 and 1:00. :censor::censor::censor:? Does helping the animals interrupt his golf schedule or something?

I am going to call my second choice - now my first - as soon as they open at 9:30. They are open until 6:00 pm also, and I get off of work at 4:00. I am hoping that I can take sick Bamfy and his sister in to see a vet today. I am very worried about them and I do not want to be blown off. I want to speak to the vet if I am paying for it.

Advice/encouragement heartily accepted, please.

 

[wendyr]

Ah, I totally understand how you are feeling. It can be so frustrating when you are worried and you can't seem to get a doctor/vet/whatever to see you. Feel free to vent away here - that is what we are all here for!

Have you looked into vet practices with more than one vet on staff? That is what we did. I wanted to make sure that there was always a vet available for us if we needed it. We have our 'regular' vet, but if he has the day off/busy with surgeries or whatever, and there is a situation that I believe requires immediate attention, there is always someone I can talk to.

I hope the kittens are all healthy! Lots of vibes!

 

[zorana_dragonky]

Originally Posted by wendyr

Ah, I totally understand how you are feeling. It can be so frustrating when you are worried and you can't seem to get a doctor/vet/whatever to see you. Feel free to vent away here - that is what we are all here for!

Have you looked into vet practices with more than one vet on staff? That is what we did. I wanted to make sure that there was always a vet available for us if we needed it. We have our 'regular' vet, but if he has the day off/busy with surgeries or whatever, and there is a situation that I believe requires immediate attention, there is always someone I can talk to.

I hope the kittens are all healthy! Lots of vibes!

Thank you wendyr. I was a little frustrated this morning. It is very nice to have a forum full of understanding people who care about cats as much as I do.

There is one clinic in town that has 3 vets on staff, and almost always has one in the office. It is the clinic that we took our other kitten to when she was ill. They are not bad people, but I have since then heard a lot of mediocre reviews of them, and I felt like they could have communicated with me much better. Most of what I learned about Panleukopenia I learned through research during her illness and after we lost her. The vet told us almost nothing about what it really was and what we could and could not do for her, and I felt like they did not spend a lot of time on me. They are nice people, but I felt like maybe I could do better.

Which is why I did so much research about the different vets in the area, as far as prices, hours, policies, and reviews from friends and family. The second vet I called also does surgeries (spay/neuters) on Tuesdays, but was more than happy to squeeze in an appointment so that I could bring in my kittens. The babies have an appointment at 5:15 at this clinic, and it was recommended by three friends. Two of the friends rescue injured animals and strays and ferals, and this has been their vet for many years. They have tried every vet in town and this vet is their favorite.

I am hoping that I like her and her office and that my babies will be okay.

Thank you for the vibes. Will let everyone know how the appointment goes.

 

[tab]

the day after i brought shinobi home he came out with severe conjuctivitus. poor little mite, his eyelids would stick together while he slept and i would have to gently soak them apart. he constantly had gunge around his eyes. the vet gave him eye drops which cleared it up after a few weeks.

the vet said it was probably a strain of cat flu bought on by the stress of moving. he also had a raised temperature which meant i had to hold off on his jabs until it went down which took a good four months.

funny thing was that he seemed fine in himself when he was poorly, playing with milo and eating quite well, but it was only when his temp dropped that i realised that he must have been feeling quite ill as he transformed into this forever hungry lunatic!

he has been absolutely fine ever since, and is now bigger than his older brother milo!

sending lots of for your babies. i'm sure that they will be fine but i know how worrying it is for you.