One of my kittens has limping kitten syndrme?? Anyone familiar with this strain of Calici?

[lisarenee43]

My cat developed this after receiving his second set of vaccinations about 1 year ago.  He stopped eating and developed a high fever.  We were very worried but he recovered fully within about 5 days.  Our wonderful vet gave him antibiotic shot and we made sure to give him fluids frequently with a syringe.  Our vet also gave us some kind of electrolyte to mix in with water and feed to him as well.

Since this incident we have noticed that he's very sensitive to any synthetic medication.  His little body just can't deal with it somehow.  So we treat him holistically (which is what I believe in more anyways) and he's doing great.

These little kitties just creep into our hearts so quickly don't they?  I was a total wreck when our Simba was sick with calci but keep him hydrated and if his fever gets too high def have the vet give him something for it.  Ours started shaking he was so cold and that's when I said enough!

Please keep us updated and let us know how they progress.

 

[red top rescue]

The first time I ran into this virus was maybe 15 years ago (this is NOT the new fatal variation of calici, fortunately!!!!) when I was working with another rescue group and had adopted out a kitten several days before.  The kitten was maybe 3 months old and was already spayed, and she had had two sets of vaccinations already and was healthy when she left.  The adopter called me about three days later and said the kitten was limping and then just lying around and she said she was afraid her daughter (age 5) might have sat on her.  Of course I sent her straight to the vet and they did x-rays and found nothing wrong.  The next day, another kitten in the Petsmart cage was limping and people thought maybe she had jumped from the shelf and hurt her paw.  None of us put the two together at that time.  However, the following day, the kitten was limping on the opposite paw and two others were limping also.  We were all baffled, and somebody said "Call Gwen, if anyone knows what this is, SHE will.  (Gwen was the oldest and most experienced rescuer we knew, and we were all subsidiary groups of the same national rescue group).  So I called Gwen.  "Oh yeah," she said with no great concern, "They have the limping calici.  Just give them an antibiotic, Clavamox is good but any one will do to prevent infection.  It's a virus, get in their joints, moves around, sometimes front legs, sometimes back, sometimes even all over and they can't walk.  If they get it bad and run a high fever, like 105-106, be sure to keep them hydrated, and steroids can help bring it down.  It lasts three to five days and then they'll get over it.  It isn't fatal."   

That's the good news.  The BAD news I've learned over the years is that once they have had it, they can become carriers and pass it in their saliva.  To this day, I know at least one of my old cats is still a carrier because if any kittens merge with my cats, even if they are completely vaccinated for calici (the vaccine doesn't get this strain obviously!), they will eventually get limping calici.  I don't ever keep kittens any more, I'm too old in my opinion, because cats' life expectancy these days exceeds my life expectancy and I don't want to leave any personal cats orphaned when I go.  Therefore, when I end up with foster kittens, I keep them away from my old cats, who appear perfectly healthy and I don't even have any memories of an of them having had it, but someone or more than one carry it.  I have a totally separate area for fostering.  However, accidents happen from time to time.  The last time I discovered limping kittens in my rescue area, I was baffled.  There had been no invasions and no escapes, everyone was squeaky clean.  But then I saw it.  One of my cats had knocked a toy mouse through the space under the door and the kittens must have played with it.  One by one, they got the limping calici.  Most just favored one paw one day, and another the next, but a few got the high fever and totally unmoving form.  I gave them electrolytes (Bounce Back) and steroid pills (which I had on hand) and everyone went on Clavamox and those that couldn't move much were put on incontinence pads and we got through it.  Two sets were adopted in pairs and the other one went to someone with no other cats.  I told the adopters they probably carried this and might give it to kittens, and just to be aware.  This strain is not prevented by the calici vaccines.

I've never had one get it a second time.  Also, last year's batch of kittens never got it, and there were 15 of them to start.  I still have four of them here, and they are now a year old, and I merged them with my cats a couple of months ago and none of them got it, nor did their two remaining moms.  I have only once seen it in a cat over a year old, so perhaps it's something their immune system eventually gets strong enough to fight.  BTW I've mentioned it to vets before, and the feline specialists all seem to know about it and the general practitioners don't unless they are older and have their own experience with it. The good ones are willing to learn and the others say it doesn't exist.  Perhaps it isn't taught in vet school.

 

[chelledorado]

I know this is an old thread but it was so helpful I joined this forum (which really, I should've done anyway) just to say thank you to everyone, the information provided is invaluable, especially right now as my 11 week old kitten has started limping, developed a fever and is very lethargic.

 

[catwoman707]

Welcome to the cat site!

Just be sure kitten is supported with syringing water or pediolyte unflavored and chicken or turkey baby food or kitten pate canned mix during this time.
It should take it's course in 3 days.
Good luck!

 

[red top rescue]

I'm so glad you joined and found that old thread! I know even more about it now. I have a room full of kittens with it and they got it directly from a modified live virus vaccine. Evidently it is often connected to those vaccines and sometimes may not show up for up to three weeks after, although this group fell prey to it within a day, so it was really obvious. If your kitten is 11 weeks, she's probably just two weeks from having received a vaccine. (Modified live virus vaccine for calici is recommended for NINE WEEKS or older, and my kittens here had turned 9 weeks just 4 days before they got the vaccine.) The vaccine we used was Nobivac 1-HCP, serial #02061286C, exp. 06 june 18 (Merck).

This calici was fast and really vicious, and I think we have just turned the corner. I added steroids (prednisolone) last night because they had it in all 4 legs and couldnt walk at all and were not eating or drinking and I was having to syringe feed them. They were already on pain meds (buprenorphine) and a broad spectrum antibiotic (amoxicillin) to prevent secondary bacterial infection. Once I got the prednisolone, it got rid of the fever overnight and they are now walking and eating -- not walking MUCH but at least they CAN walk, and eat and drink on their own. We vaccinated mama and 6 kittens on Friday. Four of these kittens are hers, two are not. Mama is fine, smallest kitten is fine, and everyone else is laid out with one of the worst cases I've seen. Now that we have internet, I did some research that I had never done back then, and now I see that the vaccine link is common and I'm sure that's where ours came from then. Here is a quote from one site: "Rarely, lameness can result from several different vaccinations. Kittens vaccinated with a modified live calicivirus vaccine may develop lameness within 3 weeks of the vaccination. Some kittens may also develop a fever and lose their appetite. These symptoms generally last 3-4 days, and depending on severity, may be treated with fluids, antibiotics, and pain medication."



Mama cat is in the front, and the little one that didn't get it is in the very back. This photo was two nights ago. The first one got sick Saturday night, and the rest got sick on Sunday. Tonight, Thursday, after the addition of steroids last night, they are still mostly in bed but they all actually got up to eat and drink!

 

[smugsy]

The stray who lives in the woods behind my house had her second litter (of this year) on August 1. Four weeks later, we were able to trap 4 of the 5 (all boys). They were doing fine until Wednesday when one just stopped playing and eating. He just slept for 3 days straight. I put him in his own room with various delectable food. Finally, he would eat a slurry of kitten food mixed with KMR yesterday. Today he started showing signs of being a kitten.....

.... and I turn around and see two others suddenly limping, and the same behavior. So, I'll join the bandwagon of thank you for this thread. It has made me feel so much better and given me great information.