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tortiesandtabbies

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Do you think he aspirated fluid into his lungs? If so, get him going on antibiotics as soon as possible to avoid pneumonia.

Be very careful syringing. They need small amounts, time to swallow and breathe, then go again.

I’m delighted to hear they are all hanging in there. Keep us posted.
I'm looking it up and I think he managed to sneeze it out (hence the nasal discharge). He also has an appetite today (after so long! Touch wood) and eating a little on his own.
Will keep up the sitting-up posture and be careful during any syringe-feeding.
 
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tortiesandtabbies

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Sarthur2 Sarthur2 My mind's very addled at the moment so could you tell me if the best position to syringe-feed be for them to be lying on their back, belly up (but not flat, cradled in my arm)?

Sorry, I'm just really out of my wits worrying about Panleukopenia, pneumonia and asphyxiated lungs.

All four are doing good, the most affected kitten is still all right (with constant monitoring and feeding kitten food, water with glucose and salt), he nibbles at the wet food but the kitten food seem easier for him to eat/lap up at the moment though not as much as I'd like him to.
 

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My mind's very addled at the moment so could you tell me if the best position to syringe-feed be for them to be lying on their back, belly up (but not flat, cradled in my arm)?
No, not like that. If the kittens lie belly up it's really easy for them to inhale some of the formula, which will lead to aspiration pneumonia.

You need them to be lying belly down, which is how they would nurse from their mother. Take a look at this video.


You might want to check out Kitten Lady's channel, she has lots of info on bottle babies and sick kittens.
 
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tortiesandtabbies

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No, not like that. If the kittens lie belly up it's really easy for them to inhale some of the formula, which will lead to aspiration pneumonia.

You need them to be lying belly down, which is how they would nurse from their mother. Take a look at this video.


You might want to check out Kitten Lady's channel, she has lots of info on bottle babies and sick kittens.
Thank you! I suppose this applies to kittens and cats of all ages? Mine turned 5 months today (🥳).
 

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If you are syringe feeding wet food make sure the cat or kitten is head up, belly down and put the syringe into the corner of their mouth. You want to squirt the food across the back of their tongue, rather than down their throat. Give them time to swallow each mouthful before you try and give them any more.

5 months! That's awesome. Happy Five Month Birthday.
:wavey:
 
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tortiesandtabbies

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If you are syringe feeding wet food make sure the cat or kitten is head up, belly down and put the syringe into the corner of their mouth. You want to squirt the food across the back of their tongue, rather than down their throat. Give them time to swallow each mouthful before you try and give them any more.

5 months! That's awesome. Happy Five Month Birthday.
:wavey:
Noted, thank you so much! And yes, saw Kitten Lady's video about panleukopenia. So glad to have found it.
And thank you for the wishes! I hope to be able to share some photos once they fully regained their health :redheartpump:
 
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tortiesandtabbies

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I am also giving the most affected kitten some nutritional paste + he ate almost 3 tbsp-equivalent of kitten food today!!
Am so proud of him. Also tried with the proper position to feed, it went well though was necessary to keep setting him back to position many times.

Had a temporary panic attack about higher vitamin D content in the paste but thankfully it wasn't referring to the one I got. (phew)
Mine is about 1600UI while the other variant is 16000UI.

Would the Bene-Bac Plus probiotic be suitable for them down the road (when they're better)? I read the label and contains two key strains that are good for digestion and stools (according to PetMD, at least). Other brands don't list the strains which I'm wary about.
 
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He has the occasional appetite (however, has not transitioned to fully eating + drinking on his own initiative) but

- he really dislikes any syringe-feeding at the moment (I suspect he doesn't really want to swallow what I feed him by syringe because I try syringing in even the tiniest amounts of water/food but he's not happy with it and I worry about causing asphyxiation/pneumonia)
- I had to feed the nutritional paste, bit by bit as well (he does not eat it on his own either)

I'm asking because he probably hates me for good :cringe:. If there's any advice for me when these things happen, that would be great.

Will continue to monitor his condition (I just worry about him getting hungry and dehydrated) though I might stop the feeding sessions for the time being.
 

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Hopefully, he will regain his appetite soon. Have you tried Gerber turkey baby food? It’s pure protein and easy to lap and digest.
 
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Hopefully, he will regain his appetite soon. Have you tried Gerber turkey baby food? It’s pure protein and easy to lap and digest.
Me too, thank you.
I'm giving him kitten wet food (almost liquid-like but not pate) and looks easily lapped up.
Also tried giving him Avoderm (pate) and regular wet food - he wasn't up for it.

Will look into Miracle Nipple as well.
 
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Hi, the kitten (Tabby 2, misnamed because I didn't know better until I was told he had a Marble coat) passed away. Had him rest in a spot close to where his mother gave birth to him and his siblings.
I think his siblings know, will keep a close eye on them.

Thank you for the encouragement and advice Norachan Norachan Sarthur2 Sarthur2 .
Hope the thread stays open for the other three kittens.
 

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I'm so sorry to hear this T tortiesandtabbies

It sounds like you did everything you could for him. Panleukopenia is a terrible disease, lots of kittens don't survive even with the very best care. I'm glad he had plenty of love and affection while he was here.

:hugs:

Please keep us updated on how the other kittens are doing. I really hope they all recover.
 
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I'm so sorry to hear this T tortiesandtabbies

It sounds like you did everything you could for him. Panleukopenia is a terrible disease, lots of kittens don't survive even with the very best care. I'm glad he had plenty of love and affection while he was here.

:hugs:

Please keep us updated on how the other kittens are doing. I really hope they all recover.
I gave the vet (went to a different place) my notes about his condition and they suggest that it's likely that there was an underlying condition/infection(?) that was without symptoms going on that might have clashed with the vaccine (hence the high fever, etc).

I'm not sure how appropriate it'll be to describe how it all went down but at least he is free from any more discomfort. I'm just terribly sorry that it happened, how it happened and any pain I caused him.

The other kittens look glum (later in the day) but will keep an eye on them.
 
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I was about to go to the vet to see if the kittens can get a clean bill of health and check for any other conditions only for them to close for a week (close contact, all tested negative), reopening the day they have to get vaccinated.
Maybe I'll get it all sorted out on that day.
 
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With what happened, I'm just on the edge about their condition(s) (they didn't want to use the litter box and eliminating in the garden instead, one of the girls doesn't have much of an appetite, fur might be coming off a little more than usual) so I'm looking at books to just get a better idea in general.
 

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It is a good idea to read up on cat health just so you know what to look out for, but I find too much studying makes me imagine all the worst kind of things. It's not worth worrying yourself until you get a proper diagnoses from your vet.

Have the kittens been blood tested yet? Ruling out FIV and FeLV would be the next step. Hopefully your vet will open again soon and you can get them all checked out.

Sending you speedy healing vibes.

:vibes: :vibes: :vibes:
 
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It is a good idea to read up on cat health just so you know what to look out for, but I find too much studying makes me imagine all the worst kind of things. It's not worth worrying yourself until you get a proper diagnoses from your vet.

Have the kittens been blood tested yet? Ruling out FIV and FeLV would be the next step. Hopefully your vet will open again soon and you can get them all checked out.

Sending you speedy healing vibes.

:vibes: :vibes: :vibes:
Thank you, I guess I felt the need to do something 😅
After another 2 vet trips, they finally got their 2nd round of vaccines + deworm, defleaing medications.

The male kitten started sniffing the behinds of the girls so we quickly reached out to the vet and they managed to squeeze him in for neutering next Friday. But not the two female kittens (soonest is January 2022) so am waiting to hear back from alternatives.

Fingers crossed. They're well, touch wood. I suppose following the vet's instructions about post-op care for neutering is all I can do instead of worrying about it in advance.

Also found this app called 11pets and looks pretty nifty to store info of pets.
 
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So the male kitten had some sneezing and some nasal discharge. His stool was a little out of the ordinary for about 1 1/2 days then returned to normal so I figured he could get checked when he's about to be neutered.

Turns out the sound of his breathing is unclear and the vet suggested a chest x-ray. They were okay if I wanted to proceed with the neutering but decided against it. The x-ray will only be in 10 days or so at a different clinic.

And the girls got a quick check and they're fine :)

Feels like another sword waiting to drop but will try to shake off that feeling.

Besides the random
  • sneezing (witnessed this twice in a day and none after that, but whether he sneezed when I'm not around, I'm not too sure)
  • clear nasal discharge (it was first noticeable but disappears after to only come back as damp but not dripping nose)
  • the weird stool (firm, normal colour in the first half, runny and mustard-like but has returned to normal)
  • the one time that he was breathing a little fast (heat or something else as well? a cool pack seemed to eased that)
All the above has settled and hadn't occurred again, there doesn't seem to be anything else besides the weather to bother him (it's currently hot, under the shade and has cooling packs, in a ventilated area).
 

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So a few weird symptoms that seemed to have cleared up for now? It could have been any number of things. A cold, allergy to something in his food, reaction to the vaccines etc, but if the vet thinks he's OK then try not to worry too much about it. It sounds like he's getting very good care.

And he's going to get a chest x-ray and be neutered soon? I'll keep my fingers crossed for an uneventful procedure.

:crossfingers:

Do the kittens all have names now? We'd love to see some pictures.
 
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So a few weird symptoms that seemed to have cleared up for now? It could have been any number of things. A cold, allergy to something in his food, reaction to the vaccines etc, but if the vet thinks he's OK then try not to worry too much about it. It sounds like he's getting very good care.

And he's going to get a chest x-ray and be neutered soon? I'll keep my fingers crossed for an uneventful procedure.

:crossfingers:

Do the kittens all have names now? We'd love to see some pictures.
Yes, the weird symptoms were just a one-time thing that cleared up until I realised I should have factored it in, to cover my bases.

The vet felt it's better to be sure of what's causing the unclear sound of his breathing (and be sure if it's just his something he has and it's his normal or otherwise) because of the male kitten that passed away. And yes, I am very fortunate that this vet is thorough and absolutely appreciate their good work.

10 days feel a bit far off but I hope that the chest x-ray will help shed some light. If we can figure out what's up with the breathing and be sure he has a clean bill of health, then we'll get him neutered (I truly can't wait for all of them to get to this step).

And thank you for the good thoughts, will need them :redheartpump:

The thing is that he had this unclear breathing when they're about to get their 2nd vaccination but the vet was cautious and gave some anti-inflammatory and immune-strengthening meds which cleared that up.

This leaves me wondering if their immune system has a lot of catch-up to do and if the antibiotics kinda nuked it (one course for each month between July-September; yes, they were unwell almost every month).

Finally, photos! And no, the placeholder names are still in use :lol:

(Tortie 1)
IMG_20211010_110935.jpg
(Tortie 2)
tortietwo.jpg
(Tabby 1)
IMG_20211010_110932.jpg
 
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