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BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: SharonA Date: 18 Aug 09 - 10:59 AM Sally: Thanks for your concern, and you're absolutely right. Please re-read my post of 23 Jul 09 - 03:00 PM where I say that neither one of my kitties is ever given milk. They get water, canned food, and dry food. Roo ate a sliver of shredded cheese that fell from a sandwich of mine once, and I've given him a bit of that cheese as a treat twice since then, but that's all. The other diet tips have been nixed by my vet for the time being. Joe: Thank you SOOOO much for posting those pictures! Yep, you got the right captions in the right places! I'd sent you several because I wasn't sure which ones could have gone onto that Mudcat photo page (I was particularly concerned about the smaller ones!), but you found a better solution IMO by putting them on your website. Looks like I need to quit procrastinating and set up my own site so you won't have to clutter up yours with my stuff for long. Liz, Becca, Sandra: Yeahhhh, he is a cutie. :-) That little pokey tail he had as a toddler has gotten v-e-r-y long! At times he seems unsure that it's really his. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: GUEST,Sally Date: 18 Aug 09 - 12:19 AM Poor little sod, no wonder he's been in such a state with all that crap being stuffed into him! He's only a baby with immature guts. Give him a break! Milk is the worst thing you can give him cos he can't digest it. He's a cat for christ's sake! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: Becca72 Date: 17 Aug 09 - 12:35 PM He is simply adorable! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 17 Aug 09 - 06:13 AM awwww, how cute, & how good to see him getting better! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: Liz the Squeak Date: 17 Aug 09 - 03:32 AM Well you're doing something right - he's turning into a fine specimen of feline regality... king of the Barkerlounger! Thanks for the pics and thanks Joe for letting us have access! LTS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: Joe Offer Date: 17 Aug 09 - 02:52 AM SharonA asked me to post these pictures. Right now, the most convenient home I have for them is my own Website, so there they are. I hope I get all the explanations straight: Here are three pictures of Rupert, taken 6/16/09 at the approximate age of 5-and-a-half weeks, and also one picture of Madison, age 6 years.
Shown is Rupert on 6/16/09 at the approximate age of 5-and-a-half weeks. Here you can clearly see the distended belly from his bout with intestinal parasites. The rest of his body, underneath the fuzz, was painfully thin, almost skeletal. Here's Rupert at about 11 weeks. Lastly, here are two pictures of Rupert, taken 7/30/09 at the approximate age of 12 weeks. Sorry about the different sizes of the pictures -- I'm still getting used to my camera phone! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: maire-aine Date: 16 Aug 09 - 07:42 PM Glad to hear the cautiously optimistic report. Sounds like you've got a good vet there. Good luck, Maryanne & Little One |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: SharonA Date: 16 Aug 09 - 01:34 PM I asked Joe and he says "Aw, sure" so I'll be sending him some kitty-pix later on today. Stay tuned! Here's the latest installment of the Litter-ary Digest: So I took Rupert Rex the Little Prince to the vet on Friday, and the vet tested him -- not his stool -- for Giardia (took a swab from inside Roo's rectum). Roo did NOT look at all happy about it. He was a bit bug-eyed, in fact. Anyway, the test was negative for the big G and for a couple of similar diseases, the names of which escape me at the moment. Yay!! When it came time to discuss some of the dietary suggestions made here, my vet vetoed them all. Based on the symptoms (color of stool, mucus in stool, lack of internal gurgling), he concludes that the problem is occurring in the large intestine. The chicken-and-rice and egg ideas work for small-intestine problems, he says, but for large-intestine issues one needs to increase the fiber content of the cat's food. So it's all dry food and Bene-fiber for Roo all weekend, and then a call to the vet on Monday to update him on any progress. And I did see the beginnings of progress this morning: slightly darker color, more tubular and less puddly. I'm hopeful that we're finally getting on the right track. The bad news is that Roo is too young to be given any prescription medications to slow down the large-intestine digestion process, such as Imodium. The vet says that dosages of such meds are not available for cats smaller than 5 pounds, and Roo weighs in at 3.1 pounds. So we have a Catch-22 situation where we have to regulate his digestion so that he can grow so that we can give him meds to regulate his digestion... so that he can grow! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 14 Aug 09 - 01:28 AM send to joe@mudcat.org to ask him if he could add the pic to the Mudcat photowebsite sandra |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: SharonA Date: 14 Aug 09 - 12:29 AM Wow, I logged in thinking I'd refresh this thread, only to find that some kind souls have done it for me already! :-) Little Roo has an appointment with the vet at 2:00 pm today (Friday) to be tested for giardia. I've given the Benefiber idea more than enough of a chance (2 weeks!), but even at twice the recommended amount, it is doing very little to form the stools. However, the vet didn't want me to change Roo's diet until this test. Bearing in mind what Becky has said, one test may not be enough to find the little buggers if they're in there. :-( I'll be printing out the diet tips from this thread and taking them with me to the doc's to discuss. I'm all for trying the pro-biotic route if he doesn't have any objections. As for digital pix of the puddy, I do have some camera-phone images and I'd love to share them, but I don't have a website to upload them to so that I could make a link to such a site. How else can I post them on Mudcat? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: Becca72 Date: 13 Aug 09 - 02:11 PM Yes, how is the wee one? And do you have pictures to post? :-) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: SINSULL Date: 13 Aug 09 - 08:34 AM Honest Gerber 1 Baby Food and maybe a llittle rice. How is the wee one doing? M |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: Liz the Squeak Date: 12 Aug 09 - 09:49 PM So how is the little darling getting along? Enquiring minds need to know! LTS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: GUEST,Laurie Date: 12 Aug 09 - 09:21 PM I had a cat who had a "sensitive stomach" beginning as a kitten. My vet told me that the dry kitten chow I was feeding him had a high corn content and could irritate his stomach. He suggested switching to chicken baby food mixed with rice cereal for babies briefly until the diarrhea ended, then changing the kitten food to another brand. This worked and for the rest of his life, he had to eat dry food for cats with sensitive stomachs. I don't know if this is the problem with your little tyke, but that was the problem with mine. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: SharonA Date: 31 Jul 09 - 10:17 PM Took a bit of effort for me to find a site that had a pronunciation guide as well as a definition for Giardia. Here 'tis: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/giardia (jee-AR-dee-ah) The powdered fiber in the food isn't doing squat (if you'll pardon the expression) for The Little Prince so far. I'll give it a chance till Monday, mainly because I have a daytime gig tomorrow and the vet clinic is closed Sundays, and then if there's still no change I'll call the vet again and suggest the possibility of Giardia. If that's what the problem is, I'll have to treat both cats because they have been sharing space (and litter boxes) for a couple of weeks now. The Drama Queen (6-year-old Madison) shows no signs of loosening stools, fortunately, but that doesn't mean she couldn't have picked up the disease or pick it up in future before it's diagnosed. Oy! Thanks again for the info, Becky. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: Desert Dancer Date: 30 Jul 09 - 10:01 PM Over a number of days or a few weeks -- seemed like months, with the little guys oozing all over... there were lots of false negatives, because the cysts are only shed sporadically. The first site I linked (which seems oriented toward vets) suggests daily samples for a few days, also the possibility of treatment without a clear positive test given the diarrhea symptoms in an animal that otherwise doesn't show any infection. It's certainly something to suggest to the vet. Apparently they now have an antibody test that's more reliable than looking under the scope. ~ Becky in Tucson |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: SharonA Date: 30 Jul 09 - 08:48 PM Becky: You mean several samples at one visit, or one each time over the course of weeks or months? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: Desert Dancer Date: 29 Jul 09 - 09:11 PM For the Giardia, we had to take multiple stool samples in for it to be found... ~ Becky in Tucson |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: SharonA Date: 29 Jul 09 - 08:53 PM Took a stool sample to the vet today for testing, just to make sure he really is parasite-free, and the vet could not find any nasties. He (my guy's partner) recommends Bene-Fiber in the canned food, and to try it for 3 to 5 days before trying something else if that doesn't work so that I'll know what DOES work. In the meantime, Roo's stools are still loose but he is still active and seemingly happy. Thanks, everyone, for your concern and advice! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: Liz the Squeak Date: 27 Jul 09 - 02:48 AM It's raining here today, and my cat is sulking in his radiator sling... his little friend is hiding in the dining room... which is just as well because they're like trapped toddlers usually when it's wet out. Glad to hear the little chap is still lively, it means he's getting enough nourishment from what he is eating... an undernourished cat will sit around and conserve energy for hunting and even then, only hunt where it knows it will get a result. LTS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: greensue Date: 26 Jul 09 - 05:17 PM She's just come in and is chasing her tail again, it's so cute. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: greensue Date: 26 Jul 09 - 05:15 PM My teasly weasly was very ill when tiny,she will never grow to full size. She had a bad gut infection that just wouldn't clear up, in the end she was put on a drip and anti biotics for a week and came home with another 3 weeks supply of them. The vet thought that the virus wasn't quite being killed by the anti biotics she had been given for a week before (twice) and needed the huge dose to see it off. She is now 3 and an adorable bundle of fun. In fact she eats more than my bigger cat and is like a little rhino. The discharge round the nose is minor nosebleeds they don't harm her and still happen. Red discharge from the eyes is a siamese thing and the nose bleeds, my cat is a quarter mese. I just clean her eyes daily with a little warm water on a bit of cotton wool or if it has dried just flick it away with my nail. I can't help with the ears tho, but I would say daily cleaning if she will let you. Good luck |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: GUEST,SharonA again -- pardon the hiccup Date: 26 Jul 09 - 04:51 PM Hi folks: I'm at the library and it's about to close, so no time to log in. Thanks again for the suggestions -- please keep 'em coming! Little Beastie is the same. Still squirting but still very energetic otherwise. Perhaps a bit less skinny -- it's hard to tell. The canned kitten food is from China -- it's all I could find at the store I visited Thursday -- I will try some other supermarkets. No telling whether that is an issue these days. You'd think that China would be very careful not to repeat that horrible melamine incident... but then, CHina isn't very careful, is it? Desert Dancer: I'm in the US, not UK. I'm in Pennsylvania, about an hour away from the original Mudcat Central which was in West Chester, PA. Never heard of Giardia but I will follow your links. Thanks. Liz: Keeping a log is an excellent idea! Will do. Librarians are giving me the evil eye -- gotta log off! Thank you again and I'll see ya tomorrow. Sharon |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: GUEST,SharonA, Date: 26 Jul 09 - 04:44 PM |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: SINSULL Date: 25 Jul 09 - 05:04 PM So how is the little beastie doing?????? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: Peace Date: 25 Jul 09 - 04:55 PM One thing: is your cat food from China? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: Desert Dancer Date: 25 Jul 09 - 04:54 PM When my guys (now gone) were little, they had a round of Giardia, which was hard to diagnose and treat (and they happily went on with the annoying diarrhea for quite a while). We finally got it, with some medication though. I'm afraid this was more than 20 years ago, so I can't remember what was used. I assume you've got the possibility of that bug in the U.K., as well. You might ask your vet about it. Here is some info online: Giardia cati in Cats Giardia in Cats ~ Becky in Tucson |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: GUEST,mg Date: 23 Jul 09 - 11:56 PM Read up on coconut oil and see if that works for cats. Does a lot for people (or coconut) for people with various illnesses and especially GI problems. mg |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: Liz the Squeak Date: 23 Jul 09 - 07:50 PM The black ear wax is residual mites - just keep cleaning them out with damp tissues or proprietary ear cleaning pads. I had this problem with one of my kitties on first acquisition and was told to clean them regularly. It's amazing how far down a kitty ear'ole you can get a tissue-wrapped pinky finger! Good luck with him... once you've sorted out his diet, I'm sure he'll be a credit. Remember, kitties have food allergies just like people so if he does well on plain rice and chicken, introduce new foods gradually and keep a diary of what you put into him and what came out... you'll be able to work out what it is disagrees with him. LTS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: Sorcha Date: 23 Jul 09 - 04:30 PM And a little bit of tuna is OK, but...it has a HIGH ash content which can cause urinary tract infections. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: SINSULL Date: 23 Jul 09 - 04:26 PM Yup - the change in canned food could be the problem. I use two brands of cat food. If I run out the cats gets tuna. Any change in diet and they all get the runs. Yuch. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: Sorcha Date: 23 Jul 09 - 04:15 PM Try cheese for the squirts. Mine love it. Sounds a LOT like feline rhinitis...which is basically a cold. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: Melissa Date: 23 Jul 09 - 03:14 PM Our vet told me that the best thing to feed the beasties was chicken/rice. No seasoning or anything to make it a tasty meal to share..it smells much better than it tastes. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: SharonA Date: 23 Jul 09 - 03:00 PM Wow, that was fast. Thanks, folks. I knew I'd come to the right place for advice. Good ol' Mudcat!!! Neither kitty gets milk. Water, dry food and canned food only. The adult cat gets dry food for adults, the kitten gets dry food for kittens. I was giving the kitten canned food for kittens, but I ran out and have been giving him canned food for adults lately... could the problem be that simple??? (Switching back to kitten food TODAY!) Hmmm, probiotics, you say? Cooked rice? Scrambled egg? (Funny, egg has quite the opposite effect on me... *grin*) As for worms, the vet had tested a stool sample at 5 weeks and had found nothing to indicate roundworm. Roo had been wormed before I got him, but my vet gave him 2 oral liquid treatments anyway to be sure. The tapeworm could not be diagnosed on the test, but they sure showed up on Roo's butt; vet gave him a pill for tapeworm and I have seen none since. Ear mites were pronounced "gone" upon examination last Friday; 5 weeks of treatment with drops (in both cats!) did the trick. I'd kept the cats isolated from one another until last Friday when Roo was inoculated, tested negative for FeLV and the other standard nasties, and pronounced healthy. When I was told by the pro that the cats could mix, I opened the door. So they've only been having limited contact (not 24 hours a day), mostly visual-contact-only, since Friday. The diarrhea started before that, and Roo has been bony all along. Roo gets cuddled and fussed over as often as he'll let me hold him still that long! He does take catnaps on me quite often. Another vet, eh? That would be the third one, then, since the first vet Rupert saw was the one who had treated him at the shelter. The shelter vet was the one who pronounced Roo parasite-free when he most definitely was NOT. My vet was visibly pissed, and said it was "inexcusable" of the shelter to give me a cat with ear mites. He's been my vet since 1987, and my kitties have lived long lives under his care, and he doesn't seem concerned about this kitty's current appearance, so I'm willing to hang in with him for the time being... ...but perhaps it's time to bug him again and see if he has further advice for me.... I'll mention the ideas listed here. Please keep 'em coming! Thanks again! Sharon |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: Becca72 Date: 23 Jul 09 - 02:50 PM Same as suggested above. Consult another vet, watch what you're feeding him that could be causing the lower GI distress (mine get it from milk and some canned food). The earwax problem is most likely residual of the mites..keep your eye on things to make sure he is not digging his ears or he may need to be re-treated. Keep him away from the other cat and don't worry about the broken meower. My 12 year old only makes noise when he is hungry. Every other time his mouth moves but no noise comes out. I wish he'd teach that trick to the two 3-year-old part siamese that share our residence. :-) Most of all, enjoy the new addition! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: Rumncoke Date: 23 Jul 09 - 02:48 PM The earwax could simply be that the ears are having to deal with dead mites and the muck they made during their stay - but if it goes on for a long time then suspect a fungal infection. You could try giving a probiotic - as that will help to sort out an out of balance gut even in a carnivore. At 5 weeks of age the kitten should have still be suckling and getting all sorts of beneficial stuff from the mother, so it could well be that his gut lacks the right sort of bacteria. Now he is older he should be eating mostly protein from meat or fish, though you could try scrambled egg to see if that helps with the runs. Anne Croucher |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: SINSULL Date: 23 Jul 09 - 02:46 PM Melissa is right. Never thought to ask what are you feeding the little tyke? That could be the problem right there. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: Melissa Date: 23 Jul 09 - 02:12 PM Sometimes milk gives babykitties litterbox woes..if you're giving him milk, I'd suggest giving him a break for a little while. ..checking in with another vet seems like a very good idea. Even if the first vet was accurate, it'll do you good to have some reassurance. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: SINSULL Date: 23 Jul 09 - 02:07 PM I would see another vet for peace of mind. Try Gerber's Baby Food #1 Veal. It has always worked in my sick kitties. Very easy to digest and they love the taste. I would add a little bit of cooked rice to see if it might help bind him a bit. Until you know what is wrong I would not let him near the other cat. Can't believe your vet didn't warn you to keep him isolated. Don't worry about the meow. Kittens in the wild are taught not to make noise - safety. My Alice still croaks and she is 12 years old. I would suggest a lot of physical contact. Kitties who are cuddled and fussed over relax. If he is playing, I would say he is not seriously ill. Sounds like a head cold and ear mites. If you don't see worms he probably doesn't have them but again - don't let your older cat use his litter or they will be passing worms back and forth forever. Same with the ear mites. Lucky little guy to have a concerned Mommy - my vet used to sigh when I called several times a day after Alice had her kittens. LOL |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: My guru always said Date: 23 Jul 09 - 01:59 PM Yes, another vet asap (or chat to your rescue centre), the squits must be stopped. I'm sympathising with you & sending positive thoughts! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: Peace Date: 23 Jul 09 - 01:56 PM Sharon, I echo the concern of others but must tell you my experience has been with sick dogs. I do know it's necessary to stop the diarrhea. You will need something that binds the little guy. Losing that much liquid is hard on animals/people. I think you need to see another vet fairly quickly. I wish you well with this. Sick children or sick animals break my heart. BM |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: Crow Sister (off with the fairies) Date: 23 Jul 09 - 01:50 PM I can't help, but I do sympathise. So horrid to have a suffering little chap gaze up at you all confused, shakey and distressed.. Nearly lost my little lad last year. I do hope you find your answers! Prayers to Bast.. Leave no option unturned :-) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: Alice Date: 23 Jul 09 - 01:35 PM Is there another vet in town so you can get a second opinion? |
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Subject: BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please From: SharonA Date: 23 Jul 09 - 01:21 PM The vet says my 13-week-old kitten Rupert is healthy, aside from having a "virus" he says he can't treat, as of last Friday's examinaton/inoculation appointment. But I worry anyway. I feel embarrassed to admit that I'm being a blubbering kitty-mommy here. Sheesh. Anyway, here's the scoop: Fact is, I can't scoop (my kitten's poop) very well because it's all diarrhea all the time, for at least 2-3 weeks now. He's skinny as a rail, and has been since I adopted him at 5 weeks of age from a local shelter. That shelter had treated him ineffectively for worms and ear mites, and at the time my vet likened him to a starving African child (skeletal but for a distended belly). Since then, he's gotten oral medicines for roundworm and tapeworm plus a regimen of ear-mite drops. All the parasites supposedly are gone, and his belly isn't distended anymore, but he's still not filling out and beefing up. The vet says he looks bowlegged since his chest is so narrow. Also, he has some minor but constant discharge from his eyes (dark brown in color), and apparently black-brown discharge from his nose (unless he's burying his nose in windowsill silt -- I can't tell). His dark-brown ear wax is beyond prolific. None of his symptoms stop him from being alert, active, playful, and a constant annoyance to my 6-year-old female cat who tires of being followed around and watched and batted at. (I put them in separate rooms half the time, just to give her a break!) Maybe little Roo is just burning off energy faster than he can put fat around his ribs... but the loose stools may be indicative of something more insidious. So, what say you, cat caregivers? Does it sound like the worms are not quite dead yet? Is it time to call the vet for the umpty-bazillionth time? Or just add some fiber to The Little Prince's diet? ...and what the heck do I do about all that ear wax?? Advice, please!!! One other odd thing: Roopie can't mew. He's got a big larynx that I can feel when I stroke his chin, but when he tries to vocalize, nothing comes out unless he's trying to yell to be let out of his room, and then his "yell" is a croak, not a yowl. The only times I've heard him give a clear vocalization are when I've stepped on his foot while he's under mine. Any significance to this lack of a normal voice? Thanks in advance, Sharon, a.k.a. Blubbering Kitty-Mommy |
