Will my kitten be ok?

Question

I got two new kittens a week ago today, they are 7 weeks old. The female kitten is doing very well, she is 1 3/4 pounds and a happy healthy kitten. But my male kitten is not doing so well. He started off being the more timid one and he was a little smaller than her, also he was not as playful as his sister is, but he would play around with her. Now, he has become lethargic, sleeps all the time, stopped playing, and he stopped eating. The pet shop owner gave them their first shots and deworming medication, but my male recently threw up and there was a worm in his vomit. I took him to the vet this morning and he received a subcutaneous injection to help perk him up, a/d cat food, more deworming medication and a honey-like syrup that should strengthen his appetite. He weighs only 1 pound, is dehydrated, and emaciated. So far in the last 24 hours all he would ingest is replacement milk, but I'm concerned he might not eat willfully. Should I worry or will things work out?

Answer 1

Don't stress but keep a very close eye on him. Sounds like your cat has roundworms. Just do exactly what your vet says but feel free to ask a second opinion. That's what helped our cat and he pulled through in 6 weeks.

We found that it helped to switch his catfood to something more organic to help with digestion. It took about 4 brands to find the right one for him that he would eat. We also broke up his feeding times into smaller increments and gave him plenty of water through a bottle. Check his stool for worms.

Make sure you keep him from the female until his worms are gone.

Answer 2

He's still not out of the woods yet. Everything your doing sounds great, I would just add some heat for the little guy, take a plastic soda bottle or 2 and fill it with warm water and snuggle them next to the kitten. You could also add some chicken baby food and that may peek his interest more than the a/d even. The main thing is get him eating first then you can change it to something really healthy, but they aren't necessarily very yummy smelling to a sick animal, and warmed up baby food is. Definitely use the syrup stuff, that is glucose and should be given to help boost it's energy level. Offer the baby food and if it is too weak to try it, put it on your finger and finger feed it a little, once it starts to eat it should perk up, you may need to hand feed until it builds some strength. Good luck.

Answer 3

Unfortunately, this kind of thing happens a lot with store bought pets. That's a whole other rant though. He shouldn't have left his Mom yet.

Try warming up the a/d before feeding him. Failing that, you can see if he will lap some raw egg YOLK (No white, it's bad for cats) or add it into his milk . If you can, get a syringe from your vet (no needle) and make a slurry with the a/d (you could try any kitten food but the a/d is nutrient dense) and try to syringe it in. If he's having milk replacer, that's not so bad, it's something. He might improve if you can get him eat, that's the battle though.

Answer 4

Sounds like you are doing your very best. Make sure the kitten has some clean water to drink at all times and that he is allowed to rest as much as possible, this is no time to handle him a lot.

If he doesnt eat you could try going to the pharmacy and getting a syringe ( no needle) and drawing the replacement milk into it and feeding him. If he won't take it you put the syringe at the side of his mouth and just apply the tiniest pressure to open his mouth a fraction and put some of the fluid in his mouth. It will get a little in there and it's better than nothing.

For future pets remember, adopting one from a shelter saves lives and your risk of a sick pet is no greater than from a pet store kitty mill as you can now see.

I wish you the very best luck.

Answer 5

The cleansing soap in all probability heavily isn't a concern, as long as you probably did no longer get it in her eyes, and wiped it away thoroughly. If the kitten is that youthful, that's a sturdy thought to feed her a minimum of partly KMR - a kitten milk replace. some supermarkets have it, or a minimum of a knock-off. the next day, you ought to purchase the genuine stuff - in all probability section 2, on condition that she's waiting for weaning. it's going to easily be a plenty much less complicated thank you to verify she gets sufficient energy. in case you have a scale, get a baseline weight, and weigh the kitten on a daily basis to verify she's gaining over the years. it ought to be slow in the previous each and every thing - you would be measuring in oz. shop her heat and dry, now that think ofyou've have been given her sparkling. Kittens this age are relatively resilient. examine with some rescue communities or your interior sight humane society for preparation on low-value photos, fixing, and de-worming treatment. Your kitten might choose all 3 at last. a lot of sites have extra super suggestion - google "elevating orphan kittens" for extra suggestion as mandatory.

Answer 6

did the vet give you a wide-tipped syringe with the a/d food? you can mix that up half-and-half with water and forcefeed the little guy while he gets his appetite back.

if he went a couple of days without eating, his liver might have slowed down, making him feel sick and less like eating; forcefeeding makes his liver start to pick up the pace even when he doesn't feel hungry, and then he'll eventually stop feeling sick (as long as that was the problem!) and get his appetite back, and eat on his own again.

I had a cat quit eating (she was 2), and we had to forcefeed her for about a month. (if you haven't been shown how to forcefeed him, make a quick stop back at your vets, an assistant there can explain it to you or show you with your kitten)

If he's eating or you're forcefeeding him, so that at least there's enough nutrition getting into him, I wouldn't worry unless he keeps losing weight - otherwise I'm sure he'll improve soon! on the other hand, if he keeps losing weight (or gets more lethargic again) you'll have to take him back to the vet.

good luck, and good for you for taking such an interest in this little cutie's well-being!

Answer 7

This is very serious - keep in daily contact with your Vet on your kittens condition. The a/d cat food is great - you can put it in the microwave for 5 seconds (make sure to test it first!) to warm it up and it gets really smelly - kittens really like it. I wouldn't worry too much about the worms - although they have zapped his nutrition, with the help of the dewormer he should bounce back pretty quick. make sure you are providing him with all the milk water and food he can have. I sometimes mix a little of the a/d with milk replacement - or dilute the a/d and place it in a bottle (make the nipple hole a little bigger) for him to "nurse" from.
Call your Vet every day with updates - and don't be afraid to be a pest - your kittens health is very important.

Answer 8

First mistake - you bought a kitten from a pet store! Never buy dogs or cats from a pet store. Only from a breeder or rescue group!

Too late now - just keep doing what the vet suggests, go back for check-ups and hope for the best. It is hard to say at this stage.

Answer 9

keep him on his medication and make sure to feed him replacement milk.....if he won't eat at least that will help him....it sounds as though he wasn't ready to leave his mom yet....i never gave kittens away until they were at LEAST 8 weeks old....keep in contact with your vet if anything changes and if he gets worse bring him right in to the vet.......you sound that your doing all that you can to take care of your kittens and i think that your doing a good job and have done everything right.......i hope your little boy gets better.....

Answer 10

Was he checked for feline leukemia? And yes, worms would make a young kitten that way. Never buy from a pet store again though, always a heartache!