New to kittens/having trouble

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  • 25 May, 2008 at 5:27 am #17376
    Austin kittens
    Participant

    My husband and I are new to kittens. 4 days ago we got 9-week old sisters (2, KD & Shelly ) and they’ve been great. But today the poo factor began to get out of control. I took the obviously sick one (KD) to the vet, and they found it was coccidiosis–and I got meds to take home. The girls have been sleeping in their kennel–but every time they wake up the poo factor is out of this world.

    A friend told us this is the medicine working. Really? And, how long until I see results? They are so cute when they get to play with all toys–how long until the meds take effect?

    25 May, 2008 at 5:31 am #224647
    AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew
    Participant

    Hello and welcome to TDK Austin,and your two furbabies. Can’t remember on coccidiosis on how long the meds take, someone and the name slips my mind right now just recently had a kitten with the same. They are like any other babies, it takes a bit for the meds to work, just keep KD hydrated while she isn’t feeling up-to-par, kittens can get dehyrated very quickly.

    We have some really knowledgeable people on here, but its late at night so they may not come on until the a.m. and also because its a weekend some don’t come on until during the week.

    25 May, 2008 at 5:36 am #224648
    miu
    Participant

    Drug treatments of one to three weeks are usually required:

    http://peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=1&cat=1359&articleid=726

    Welcome to TDK!

    25 May, 2008 at 5:44 am #224649
    Kitten Whisperer in Oregon (8/27)
    Participant

    Congratulations on your new kitty sisters, Austin! Welcome to TDK. I have two sister kits as well and they were my first ever cats. Furl had runny stools for several months and didn’t always use the litter box. She looked much smaller than her sister. Two years later she is by far the larger cat and doing just fine.

    Do you have the same type of litter box that was in use from the place you got your kits? Some cats prefer litter boxes that have a top and others prefer litter boxes that aren’t enclosed. It is also a good idea to use the same kitty litter that they are used to as well as the same food.

    I hope you enjoy your two girls as much as I have enjoyed mine. Please click on my screen name to see pictures of mine. Keep posting to let us know how they are doing!

    25 May, 2008 at 5:46 am #224650
    CheetahBoysmommy
    Participant

    Poor little babies and poor new parents. I don’t remember who was posting about coccidiosis recently, but I do know that when I had a kitten who needed meds, the vet told me I probably wouldn’t see any changes for a few days. I guess it probably depends on the disease and the drug.

    Unscented baby wipes work pretty good for cleaning up a kitten who is a little messy. Just don’t use the kid with lots of perfume.

    You might ask your vet if a diluted serving of KRM (kitten replacement milk – available at most pet stores) would help KD keep from getting dehydrated. They get dehydrated so quickly when they are little.

    25 May, 2008 at 6:18 am #224651
    Austin kittens
    Participant

    Thanks, it sounds like we’ll be able to get through this. We have them in a giant kennel–a sort of efficiency. We’ve been changing their towels and water and everything every few hours. They came from a big cat home, and and we may be their first real experience with people. Hopefully we can see some improvement before we have to go back to work on Tuesday. We have some kitten replacement milk–they didn’t seem interested earlier, but we put a small amount out for tonight.

    25 May, 2008 at 3:50 pm #224652
    Buttercup
    Participant

    I don’t know for sure but it seems like if one is sick with it the other one probably has it. Can you ask your vet this? Not all kittens with it have diarrhea right away but if the area is not cleaned very well(they say with bleach) they can reinfect themselves. Also be careful that the kitten does not get too dehydrated,if he isn’t drinking and becomes listless he might need to go to the vet for subcutaneous fluid.Kittens can go downhill fast from dehydration.

    Here is an article on it;

    http://www.allergicpet.com/articles/feline_coccidiosis.html

    Didn’t mean to scare you,it sounds like you’re doing a great job with them but diarrhea can be very bad with little kittens.

    25 May, 2008 at 4:11 pm #224653
    Austin kittens
    Participant

    They eat a ton, and we’re adding water to the food so hopefully they get enough water. The diarrhea has slowed down considerably since last night. I’m sure both have it–we’re treating both. They did both drink water last night. We have a call in to the vet. It is scary, but that’s okay; we’ll deal, I’m sure.

    25 May, 2008 at 4:14 pm #224654
    Buttercup
    Participant

    That sounds good Austin Kittens. 🙂

    And welcome to TDK!

    25 May, 2008 at 5:16 pm #224655
    MadcatwomanintheUK
    Participant

    Hi austin kittens, welcome to TDK – many people start posting for advice, then stay to join in the other fun, so hope to see more of you once your newbies are better!

    25 May, 2008 at 5:32 pm #224656
    CheetahBoysmommy
    Participant

    Keep us posted. We tend to get very attached to all the furbabies who are introduced on this site.

    25 May, 2008 at 11:35 pm #224657
    Sheba's Mom in Phoenix, AZ 10/8
    Participant

    Welcome Austin kittens, you have come to the right place! I applaude you for getting them to the vet right away before they got too bad. You and they will be fine as you have good common sense for them. Please keep us posted–we all care! And when they feel better take pictures and post them on Catster so we may see them.

    26 May, 2008 at 12:45 am #224658
    kittymom
    Participant

    Welcome to TDK, Austin kittens! Hope the babies continue to improve. Please keep us updated.

    26 May, 2008 at 3:57 am #224659
    feral
    Participant

    Welcome Austin kittens (AK-if you don’t mind me shortening your name). All the advice here has been wise & Yes, It is crucial that you finish any & all antibiotics even if they start to do well. It sounds like they have a good Mom looking after them. Best of luck to you.

    26 May, 2008 at 12:43 pm #224660
    GreatDane
    Participant

    Welcome, Austin kittens!

    When I got my little Milo, he had diarreah, too, and had to take meds. To keep him hydrated, I used plain pedialyte instead of water. Actually, in order to get him to drink enough, I mixed it with gravy from wet food and he just drank and drank. He got sub q fluids once and I didn’t want to have to repeat that.

    As I recall, it took a few days before the meds kicked in. Are your babies using their litterbox?

    26 May, 2008 at 11:59 pm #224661
    Austin kittens
    Participant

    Thanks everyone for the support! Yes, GreatDane–they use the litter box. We have a small one in their kennel that we empty constantly. K.D. prefers the “big girl” box, and Shelly can only go in the small one. When we’re cleaning the kennel, Shelly gets upset when the small box is not in it’s spot.

    They are drinking water. We had a vet look at them and he thinks we’re going to see improvement in the next couple of days.

    I was finally able to wash a load of people laundry, so that’s a sign that we’re seeing improvement.

    27 May, 2008 at 12:03 am #224662
    Kitten Whisperer in Oregon (8/27)
    Participant

    This is wonderful news, AK! I love the reference to the “big girl” box. LOL

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