Kitten not eating and lethargic.

[azshua]

We recently adopted an abandoned kitten, around two months old, from my cousin (he and his wife found her in a box on the side of the road) and she has barely eaten anything today and is sleeping a lot. We're taking her to the vet in the morning but I wanted to come here for, I don't know, really. Comfort and ideas as to what is wrong, I guess. I'm so scared there's something bad wrong. She's also shivering and cries when handled. She is still peeing so far and I think she might have pooped earlier but am unsure. There was an issue a couple of days after we first got her with pooping. Also, she stumbles and limps (not severely) a bit like maybe one of her hind legs is injured. No vomiting this time. She vomited several times before when she wasn't pooping and stopped not long after she finally had a bowel movement. Would constipation cause such issues? An injured leg, foot, hip, etc.? I'm terrified for her.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Do you have a medicine dropper or a syringe? If so, be sure to give her water regularly until your appointment if she isn't drinking. If today is the first day she hasn't eaten, she will be ok until the appointment tomorrow. Severe constipation can cause vomiting, in some cases, and since it stopped after she pooped, that may well have been the cause. If you have a heating pad handy, or a hot water bottle, you can put one of those in her bed, well-wrapped in 2-3 layers of towels to keep her warm, but make sure she has room to crawl off of it if she gets over-heated. Pups and kittens have actually gotten burned from heating pads that they could not get off of.

I'm not going to attempt to diagnose this, as there are so many things that could be going on, from VERY simple to VERY complex. However, I will be lighting a candle for your baby as soon as I hit " Post Reply."

PLEASE come back and let us know what the vet says!

 

[Norachan]

If she was abandoned and found outside she could have been exposed to a lot of cat diseases. The shivering, lethargy and lack of appetite suggest she could have picked up something, but only a vet can tell you what is really wrong with her. Keep her warm. If you don't have a hot water bottle you can fill a sock (natural fibers, not nylon) with dry rice and heat it in the microwave and then wrap that in a blanket to put next to her.

Try to get a little liquid into her, as Mamanyt1953 suggested. The vet will probably give her warm fluids, which helps a lot, but if you can keep her hydrated now she'll feel more comfortable.

Hope she's going to be OK.

How long before the vet opens?

 

[Jcatbird]

For tonight just try to keep her warm and comfort her. A stuffed toy to snuggle with or if you have a clock that ticks it can be of comfort. The advice give by Mamanyt1953 and Norachan is very good. Just keep loving her for now. They do know that you are doing that. Sending

 

[azshua]

Thank you all so much for your comforting words. <3 The vet opens in a little over eleven hours from now. She did eat early this morning (sometime between midnight and four) and I did get her to eat just a little bit of wet food. I also just gave her some water with a dropper, half full, two times. How often and how much should I give her? Also, I should mention that this was sudden. She was playing hard core before four this morning, which is when I went to bed. If she continued after that, I'm not sure. She is still alert and reacts to hearing the bell on one of her toys. There also doesn't appear to be any sort of sinus issues going on, no nose or eye boogers. I did have something similar happen with a kitten several years ago and it turned out to be a bacterial infection that was easily treated. I freaked out then, too, thinking we would have to have her put down. Wish I could shake that immediate jumping to the worst when it comes to my kitties.

Oh, and I don't know if this means anything but we did change her dry food yesterday. I was foolish and didn't do it gradually. It's the same brand as what my cousin had her on but I think it's a different type? Still kitten food, just a different type of the same brand.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

A change in food could upset her tummy, but it is the lethargy that worries me. But, as you yourself said, you've seen this before, and it was a simple fix. And we ALL freak out when our fur babies are sick. Comes with the territory, I think. I get anxious when Hek ignores a treat!

Give her some more water, just before bed...That should hold her. Maybe twice, if you can. Half a dropper at a time is fine, especially for a kitten.

DON'T FORGET TO TELL US WHAT THE VET SAYS! We'll fret!

 

[azshua]

A change in food could upset her tummy, but it is the lethargy that worries me. But, as you yourself said, you've seen this before, and it was a simple fix. And we ALL freak out when our fur babies are sick. Comes with the territory, I think. I get anxious when Hek ignores a treat!

Give her some more water, just before bed...That should hold her. Maybe twice, if you can. Half a dropper at a time is fine, especially for a kitten.

DON'T FORGET TO TELL US WHAT THE VET SAYS! We'll fret!

I will do my best to remember to update as soon as we get back. <3 I might crash with exhaustion because I probably will sleep very little, if at all, tonight, so that might lead to me updating a bit later, lol. Now I'm thinking that she's hurt her leg, hip, or back, as she is noticeably limping and she lashes her tail and sometimes cries when I pet her all the way down her back or touch her back end (I'm not doing it anymore now). I took her to the litter box so she could use it (she did pee), as it has been a bit since she last used it. That's when I noticed her limping a bit more than she did earlier. I gave her a little more water mixed with a little juice from the tuna in her bowl (made for kitties, not the human version) and she willingly lapped it from the end of the dropper. She's now resting on the couch behind me (I sit on the floor at the coffee table on my laptop, haha) on a blanket and is covered. I sooo miss her climbing up my arm and attacking my feet every time I move them.

 

[azshua]

A small update. We took her to the vet but he's doing surgeries and can't see any patients until later today at 2:30 (it's almost ten now). She has eaten wet food twice since I last posted. A heaping tablespoon last night and a little bit more a little while ago. Also, she isn't limping as badly now and is getting around better than she was, and she did pee again. She became very animated on the way to the vet. Currently she is resting behind me on the couch. So now I'm thinking she sprained her back leg, which wouldn't surprise me seeing as she's very acrobatic. Have a cat who sprained his front leg when he was a kitten and he acted the same way she is now. Hoping that's all it is and that she continues to improve. Maybe she'll make a fool out of me at the vet later.

 

[azshua]

We just got back from the vet. It looks to be a bacterial infection and she is now on antibiotics. She is doing better already compared to yesterday. Slight fever and still shivering, but is getting around better. If not for that and her slight limp, you wouldn't have thought there was anything wrong with her at the clinic, lol. I'll keep you posted. Again, thank you all for your posts. You really did help calm me down when I was freaking out yesterday.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

That's what we're here for! I've been "talked down from the ledge" more than once.