new kitten and TONS of questions ><

Well, he threw up the medicine last night. I called the vet to ask what to do and they said their main concern if we was still vomiting is dehydration. There are two ways to try to hydrate him the vet suggests. One is some fluid I can take home to give him. But if he can’t hold down food or medicine, that probably won’t do us any good. The other is an injection that the vet would give him. So we have an appointment for tomorrow morning. I’m going to try to give him his medicine tonight anyways. If he holds it down, I’m probably going to cancel the appointment until there is another problem. This is getting EXPENSIVE! I’ve fallen completely in love with Salem, so there is NO way I could ever return him. But Ive had him less than a week and this will be our third vet visit. The store only covers medicine if the animal needs it (and it’s determined to be a pre-existing problem), but the exams yesterday cost me $60, and tomorrow’s fee starts out at $38, before the liquids and everything. i expected to have to start putting away money in case of an emergency with my kitten, but didn’t think he would need it within the first week! I;m a college student who started my own business (fire dancing instruction/performance). When I work a lot the money is good, but its slow right now because I have finals this week so I put everything down. I really hope he feels better by tonight and is able to keep his medicine down, I’ll always take him to the vet if he needs it, but i really would rather not pay that again.

On the brighter side, he is at least still trying to eat, and he’s kept a little bit of food down. And although he slept in again until 11 with me, when I decided to get up he perked right up and is acting as though he feels great today. Much improvement from yesterday 🙂

Does anyone know if it makes a difference if I give him his medication in the morning or at night? I figured a consistent time would be best, but didn’t know if it made any difference when that time is.

OK, so 3 vet visits, 2 medications, and 1 week later, Salem is doing MUCH better. He isn’t throwing up anymore, is back to a normal energy level (and back to waking me up bright and early to play every morning), is eating and drinking enough again… He seems to be all better. And I’ve gotten much better at giving him that liquid medicine hehe. Our only issue now is his constant need for my presence (if your biggest problem is that your kitten wants to be with you too much, your doing pretty alright lol). It really wouldn’t be a problem at all, except that I have to go visit my mom next week for several days. I can take him with me, but he’s going to have to stay locked in a room because my mom has a dog and a cat that do not accept other animals. I’m going to have to leave the house sometimes, and am worried about him. He’ll be safe and all, I’m not worried about his health, but he still screams and cries every time I leave the room just long enough to use the bathroom or take a shower. Even with my roommates here, and 3 other cats (2 of which have finally accepted him, and now they play a lot), he still gets very whiny if I’m not there. If I’m at my computer, he’s sitting on my desk. If I’m making food, he’s on the kitchen counter. If I lay down in bed, he jumps right in next to me. It’s great that he wants my attention so much, and I love giving it to him. But I have to be able to leave him at home and know he’s OK when I’m doing other things. He has other people, other cats, TONS of toys… What else can I do to help him stay calm when I’m not around? And any tips on what to do with him at my mom’s house?

Thanks guys <3