Sick kitten from shelter

Tagged: Holly, not eating, not using little box, sick kitten, tent test

This topic has 20 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 6 months ago by Kyla.

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22 October, 2010 at 1:54 am #41208

Kyla
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Hi everyone. We just adopted a 3 month old kitten from the shelter, and right away we noticed she was sick. We took her to the vet because she wasn’t eating or drinking, and was very lethargic. We got some amoxicillin from the vet and dewormer for her, and now she’s even worse it seems. She hasn’t gone since yesterday, even though so goes to her box and digs like she’s going to and positions herself, but then ends up just laying down and falling asleep she’s so lethargic. I’ve been trying to make her drink water with a dropper and try to put a little food in her mouth to get her to eat, but I can’t tell if it’s helping. We just got her on monday, and she seems almost too far gone already. What does she have? And what else can we do without taking her to the vet? We don’t have enough money for an expensive bill. =[

22 October, 2010 at 2:14 am #607472

jcat
Participant

Kyla, it’s impossible to say what she has, it could be that the amoxicillin hasn’t kicked in yet and that she’s also fighting off lethargy from the dewormer but it could be something else. Did the vet take bloods and test for FeLv, FIV, toxoplasmosis, calicivirus etc? As always, the best and safest option is to take her to the vet. I’m sorry, I know it’s expensive. Have you contacted the shelter? Will they help with medical attention or do they have something going through the shelter right now? It seems pretty clear that she was sick when you got her from the shelter.

First, is she warm enough (but not too warm)? Does she have a heating pad or a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel (with room to crawl off if she gets too hot)?

Second, is she dehydrated? I’ll post the tent test for you to check and also give you the recipe for home-made pedialyte (you can get premade pedialyte in the children’s aisle at supermarkets). Pedialyte is better than water, as it replaces the vital salts etc that she needs. So give her the pedialyte by dropper rather than water. Nutrical is a high-calorie paste that can help — it’s mostly sugar, I believe, so if you don’t have or can’t get Nutrical, try light-coloured Karo syrup — smear it on her mouth to give her a bit of energy. (No big lumps, nothing she could choke on.) If she won’t lick her lips, stroke a tiny bit directly on her tongue or the roof of her mouth.

Try to get her eating again. Warm her food gently to make it more appetising. Try tuna, tuna water, pure chicken baby food (Gerbers is a good brand) — no garlic or onion or additives as they’re bad for her.

Does she have fleas? They can cause anaemia and death.

But I would start with the pedialyte and just try to rehydrate her gently.

22 October, 2010 at 2:14 am #607473

Buttercup
Participant

Hi Kyla,it sounds unfortunately that your kitty has to go back to the vet asap. Lethargy is never a good sign and laying down in the litter box after being unable to pee sounds bad. She needs veterinary care asap or she will be gone soon. Please take her to the emergency vet.

22 October, 2010 at 2:15 am #607474

jcat
Participant

Tent test: pick up a good pinch of kitten’s skin at the neck and let go.If it snaps back immediately, she’s hydrated okay. If it takes a little time to go back down, or, worse, it stays up in a ‘tent’ shape, she needs fluids, such as pedialyte (from the supermarket, children’s aisle) or home-made pedialyte below.

Home-made pedialyte:

Pedialyte:

* Pedialyte formula (from World Health Organization)…no preservatives so short life-span

* 1 cup water (boiled then cooled)

* 2 tsp sugar

* 1/8 tsp salt

* 1/8 tsp baking soda

* (this Pedialyte formula gives needed electrolytes & some sugar for energy)

Combine all ingredients and warm slightly.

Make new after 24 hours.

22 October, 2010 at 2:15 am #607475

jcat
Participant

Buttercup is right, the vet is always best. She does sound very sick.

22 October, 2010 at 2:31 am #607476

Kyla
Participant

Yes, she is dehydrated and the vet gave her an IV while we were there. The shelter in our town doesn’t have much money, and when I called and told them that the kitten was sick, they told us they won’t take her back because of that. I’ll try to take her in in the morning then, the vet wanted to wait to see if she got better before she drew any blood to test for leukimia, etc. But we took her in Wednesday morning and hasn’t improved yet. She hasn’t had a fever, but she hasn’t felt very warm either, so we’ve been wrapping her up and trying to keep her warm. She does get up to leave if she gets overheated, or goes to the waterdish, but she ends up falling asleep by the waterdish after drinking because she doesn’t seem to want to walk all of the way back. No fleas, and we’ve been trying warmed up cat food, and she hasn’t seem interested, so we’ve been trying to put some on her tongue every few hours for her to get something in her stomach.

22 October, 2010 at 2:42 am #607477

Buttercup
Participant

OK Kyla,until tomorrow when you take her back to the vet can you try to do the things like making the pedialte to try to help hydrate her like Jcat suggested and give her some Karo to try to energize her a little? Can you look at her gums? Are they pink or white? They should be pink.

Like Jcat says it sounds like your kitty was sick from the shelter. Just do your best.

22 October, 2010 at 2:45 am #607478

Kyla
Participant

Yes actually my husband gets off work soon and hes going to stop and pick up the formula. They are white still, and have been since we got her, there aren’t any fleas or anything like that that we can see. She hasn’t been mean to us either because of her being sick, though when we try to get her to drink or eat, she shows some life and freaks and runs away a bit, but then lays down and acts the same.

22 October, 2010 at 3:32 am #607479

Furbabes
Participant

Maybe just some quiet gentle stroking along with some quiet gentle words. She sounds a bit scared from all the changes in her life and may need some reassurance along with the formula you’re helping her with. Anything you can do to help her accept getting fluids into her system and formula should benefit her

22 October, 2010 at 4:00 am #607480

Kyla
Participant

Thank you furbabies, we’ve been trying that also, because we can tell she’s been a little nervous since she got home, and her being sick probably doesnt help. She’s my husbands baby already. She refuses to move all day and almost seems lifeless, but when he gets home she gets the energy to get up and walk over to him and climb up the couch to get into his lap, and then shell sit there for hours. She is a sweetheart, and I’m sure she’d be more accepting of the medicine once she accepts us

22 October, 2010 at 4:03 am #607481

jcat
Participant

She sounds like she knows you are trying to help her and, as you say, it sounds like she already knows your husband is ‘daddy’ and loves him to bits.

22 October, 2010 at 4:19 am #607482

Kyla
Participant

Haha, yes, i know, I’m not her favorite since I’ve been giving her medicine and making her eat since he works most of the time, but she loves our son as well, hes only a year and a half, and even though shes sick and if shes on the floor shell still purr and rub against him a bit before going to sleep

22 October, 2010 at 9:27 am #607483

Skyron
Participant

Have the vet do an FIV and FeLV test. The shelter should be able to tell you if they tested her or not, but that would be my first avenue to explore.

22 October, 2010 at 9:36 am #607484

Kyla
Participant

I’m sorry to say but thank you for all of your help. She passed away tonight at 2 am after her daddy got home. There’s no emergency vet in town so we did all we could for her. We tried the pedialyte, and it did help for a little bit, so thank you all for your advice. We’ll miss her dearly and it was great having her while we did. Thank you all though <3 RIP Holly <3

22 October, 2010 at 10:09 am #607485

jcat
Participant

Oh, no, Kyla, oh, I’m so sorry. Poor wee Holly. She was evidently very sick from way before you got her, poor little thing. If it was a virus, and it sounds like it could have been, there wouldn’t have been any more that the vet could do for her either. But it’s plain to see she already loved you all very much and she knew what it was to be loved and cherished before she died. Bless you for that. She wouldn’t have made those efforts to be close to your boys if she didn’t love them.

22 October, 2010 at 1:41 pm #607486

Buttercup
Participant

I’m so sorry Kayla,she was too sick. At least she was with a family who loved her and not alone in the shelter.RIP Holly. [[Hugs]

22 October, 2010 at 4:17 pm #607487

CheetahBoysmommy
Participant

I’m so sorry you lost Holly. She was probably sick well before you adopted her. Take comfort in knowing you did your best for her and she knew love, comfort and warmth to the very end of her life on earth.

22 October, 2010 at 5:32 pm #607488

Jeankit
Participant

Aw RIP little Holly…now under the luving watchful gaze of the Wolf at the blissful Bridge.

22 October, 2010 at 6:00 pm #607489

2 Popoki
Participant

So so sorry Kyla… sweet baby knew love in her short life thanks to you.

22 October, 2010 at 6:15 pm #607490

Lynn from PA 6/8
Participant

I’m sorry Kyla for your loss. (Hugs)
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