Kitten throwing up white foam for four days and not eating

[nalie]

I am fostering a 4-month old kitten for a rescue. On Thursday morning she started throwing up white foam and continued for the next 12 hours, maybe throwing up once every hour or so. I took her to the vet on Friday and had x-rays and bloodwork done but the bloodwork returned normal and the x-ray didn’t show anything obvious obstructing her intestines or stomach although there was a cloudy spot in her stomach that the vet wasn’t sure about so he was going to send the x-ray to a tech to make sure. The vet gave her a painkiller shot and antibiotic shot and sent us home. Now Sunday, the kitten is still throwing up occasionally. She will drink but not eat. She is still lethargic although she is a bit more responsive and moving about.

I am sad and want to help her but if the vet couldn’t even diagnose her, how can I possibly do that? Anyone have a similar experience and can help shed some light on what her condition might be? I’m also fostering her 3 sisters, so 4 kittens in total, and the other 3 are fine.

 

[StanAndAlf]

Did they ever determine what the cloudy spot was? I wonder why they administered pain killers and antibiotics if she wasn't showing any signs of an infection... so definitely enquire about that.

That is definitely far too long without eating, and I think some IV or subcut fluids would really help her out right now. I would take her back to the vet (or maybe a different one as this one doesn't sound very reputable...), ask for more x-rays or maybe an ultrasound (if the x-ray wasn't clear) as well as some anti nausea medication and maybe an appetite stimulant.

What have you tried to get her to eat? Some Hills A/D or Nutripet gel would be good at this stage, and some low-sodium tuna juice has shown to be very enticing as well. She needs to eat ASAP.

 

[nalie]

Unfortunately, no. The cloudy mass in X-ray remains unclear. I think the painkiller and antibiotics were given to address any possible issues even though not explicitly diagnosed. I think it might have helped a little since she’s drinking more and coming out of hiding more often since her vet visit, but she still throws up at least once a day and she has not ate. I syringed fed her a tiny bit of food, but not nearly enough. I’m afraid she will just throw up again if I force feed her.

I can’t afford another vet visit—I am volunteering for a rescue and am paying out of pocket since they are unable to fund any vet care unless life threatening, unfortunately. The rescue also isn’t providing advice or support in terms of how I can help the kitten; they are very uninvolved, sadly. I am trying my best alone, but at this point another vet visit is out of the question, which is why I’m turning to this forum in hopes someone has had a similar experience and can maybe help provide suggestions for how I can help the kitten.

 

[__caitlin]

Were you ever able to get a fecal sample analyzed for her? It’s not uncommon for kitten rescues to test positive for intestinal parasites, and it wouldn’t always show up in bloodwork. At my vet, dropping off a fecal sample is about $40, a little more manageable than a whole vet visit. I’m not sure what antibiotics they gave her, but not all organisms respond to all antibiotics so it’s possible she could have one that’s mismatched to the antibiotics they gave her, or that she could need a longer course.

Also, was she cleared for all worms / etc before you got her?

I’m sorry. It seems like you’re in a difficult situation with not much help from all sides. Unfortunately she really does need to eat ASAP as StanAndAlf noted above — cats that don’t eat for more than 36 hours are at risk of developing fatty liver disease which can become quickly fatal if not treated immediately.

I would say take the chance at syringing small amounts of food - preferably something easy to digest - and see if she can keep it down.

For my cat with nausea, slippery elm bark powder syrup has also helped him. You can find instructions for making that here (or on google): Nausea & Inappetence in Cats

I would be a little more wary since you don’t know what’s wrong with her, but if she’s absolutely not eating and you can’t afford another vet visit, it may be worth a shot. While you’re waiting to buy the slippery elm, though, please do continue to try to get her to eat something.

 

[nalie]

I have had her for three months and treated her for worms and intestinal parasites so I don’t think that’s the cause. I also had her tested for fiv/felv but she is negative so I’m really not sure what it could be. If it were a virus I would assume the other three kittens would be sick as well but that’s not the case so I’m wondering if maybe she just ate that she wasn’t supposed to.

I will syringe feed her and hope for the best.

 

[StanAndAlf]

Be very very careful syringe feeding - it is all too easy for her to asphyxiate. I encourage you to try some of the food suggestions I gave above, especially the Nutrical. It is a gel-like substance you can rub on her gums and has a lot of essential nutrients to help get her back on her feet.

 

[Antonio65]

Is the kitten up to date with the vaccines?
Could it be a viral thing?
A cat vomiting and not eating sounds like panleukopenia to me.

 

[nalie]

She passed overnight.

I mistook her getting up and moving about as a sign of getting better but it appears it was more a cry for help or for fear. She followed me to bed so I thought it was a big improvement but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

I wish I could have done more to save her and I wish I could have at least known what was wrong with her so if it were to happen to another I may be better able to help. What could have caused a kitten to start vomiting incessantly for 12 hours then cause major lethargy and disinterest in food with continued vomiting when taking in water only to pass after 4 days…

 

[Antonio65]

She passed overnight.

I mistook her getting up and moving about as a sign of getting better but it appears it was more a cry for help or for fear. She followed me to bed so I thought it was a big improvement but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

I wish I could have done more to save her and I wish I could have at least known what was wrong with her so if it were to happen to another I may be better able to help. What could have caused a kitten to start vomiting incessantly for 12 hours then cause major lethargy and disinterest in food with continued vomiting when taking in water only to pass after 4 days…

I'm deeply sorry...
I'm still of the opinion she had panleukopenia, so you there was very little you could do.
RIP sweet angel.

 

[nalie]

Thanks, Antonio65 . Reading over the symptoms of panleukemia it does sound like it was possible but I wonder why the vet didn’t pick that up in blood test if it were the case…

 

[Antonio65]

Thanks, Antonio65 . Reading over the symptoms of panleukemia it does sound like it was possible but I wonder why the vet didn’t pick that up in blood test if it were the case…

A standard blood test might not be able to detect a low white cell count, depending on the staging of the disease.
A fecal test would have been much more useful, this is what the vet should have done if they had a suspect.
Panleukopenia is a terrible disease, I'm so sorry.

If you have other kittens/cat who aren't vaccinated against it, they might be at risk.
And if you had the kitten at home, the house can be contaminated and you shouldn't take more unvaccinated cats in for several weeks.

I don't want to scare you, it's a measure of protection and prevention for other kitties.

 

[nalie]

All very helpful info! Thank you!!

 

[reba]

Another possibility (?) My understanding is that they can’t see all obstructions on an xray. My one kitten ate dental floss out of the trash and I thought she was a goner. Luckily she passed it all. Frankly, I’d revisit using that vet again.

 

[reba]

I’m so very sorry for your loss.

 

[nalie]

Thank you, reba . I agree with reconsidering a new vet. He did take 3 different x-rays so I think that may have been the one thing he was right about, but he really failed to explore other possibilities beyond ingestion, which is really the upsetting part because then I might have not been so positive about my foster's "improvement". I would have stayed up with her through the night to make sure she was okay. I would have asked about at-home post visit care.

I found her halfway out of her hiding hole--so I can only assume she lost consciousness while trying to exit then passed away, and it breaks my heart that she went alone in that way. I hate myself for it. But even scarier is that she has 3 sisters who I'm still caring for and chances are they have the virus, too, so I must monitor them closely and take as many preventative measures as possible.