Rectal Prolapsus In A 9 Weeks Old Kitten

Dear all, I am new here. Found this site, while browsing the internet for real life experiences.
I would like to hear, if anyone has had here and experience with a kitten with rectal prolapsus, the operation, the recovery time, reoccurrence...
Long story short - I have two rescue cats, both about 1 year old and I would like to add to the family the third one. I have found a kitten in a local shelter, she was found on a street 2 weeks ago, underweight, starving. A week later she had prolapsed rectum. The shelter is taking care of her, the operation where sutures will be placed will happen this week. For the past week she has not gained weight, but eats well and is more or less active. Any of you have an experience with this kind of condition?

I personally haven't, but other members have.. this thread is older, but the best discussion on the forums I can find:
Approx 9 week old kitten with rectal prolapse, saw the vet today.

And welcome to TCS!

hey. omg she’s adorable i have experience but in an older cat because we adopted our Chloe when she was 9 months old and had an anal prolapse. i know before we adopted her she had a purse string procedure done but that didn’t work. so we had her for over a year with the prolapse before we did the surgery last wednesday she had a colopexy done and as for the recovery i honestly don’t know what i am feeling. it’s breaking my heart because now we have to leave her in the bathroom locked up for the night because she has diarrhea because the vet gave her edema because she hasn’t pooped since her surgery. since wedensday she’s been locked in the bedroom because she’s not supposed to be running, jumping etc not to mess up her stiches and now she’s locked up again ( not sure about it reoccurring, hopefully not. i read online that the colopexy is most of the time successful. i don’t know if i helped in anyway but that’s what i know about it from my experience.

[QUOTE="motylek
thanks for your reply and I am so sorry to hear that. A whole year with the prolapses? You are very brave to adopt a kitten with this problem.. my vet is quite discouraging, he suggests to wait for 3 more weeks and leave her in the shelter and let them take care of her. I mean, they doing what they can, but that's not the best care she would receive... because they have many more animals. But I am worried, that I might not handle it. I worry a lot, I struggle with anxiety as it is, and now I am struggling with a decision to take a kitten with this problem (even if it is fixed, BUT! it might have consequences and am I able to deal with it?), I will worry... she will not be left out on a street and here, in Belgium (Europe), they do not euthanase animals unless it's absolutely necessary. But still.
Did your vet found out, what is causing the prolapses? I read that it is very important to treat the cause, otherwise, it will come back.
Is Chloe active, at least, trying to be, although she is not allowed to jump and run?

In people this happens more often then you think. Surgery is usually indicated and keeping the stool soft. In someone young it is usually congenital. And the surgery will cure it. I think seh would have much better care being with you. Maybe you can convince them with the understanding that you could contact them/vet with any problems.....

di and bob said:

In people this happens more often then you think. Surgery is usually indicated and keeping the stool soft. In someone young it is usually congenital. And the surgery will cure it. I think seh would have much better care being with you. Maybe you can convince them with the understanding that you could contact them/vet with any problems.....

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True, but my vet insists, that she is tested at least for FeLV (because I have two other cats) and the shelter is refusing to do it for some reason. I actually spoke to 2 of my vets, the first was was even more dismissive. But I get it, I think, they are mostly pragmatic... Also, I do work full time, my husband too, so the kitten would be home alone at least 8 hours a day... but on the other hand, the space and the finances are not the issue... I don't know what to do.

SmillaBille said:

[QUOTE="motylek
thanks for your reply and I am so sorry to hear that. A whole year with the prolapses? You are very brave to adopt a kitten with this problem.. my vet is quite discouraging, he suggests to wait for 3 more weeks and leave her in the shelter and let them take care of her. I mean, they doing what they can, but that's not the best care she would receive... because they have many more animals. But I am worried, that I might not handle it. I worry a lot, I struggle with anxiety as it is, and now I am struggling with a decision to take a kitten with this problem (even if it is fixed, BUT! it might have consequences and am I able to deal with it?), I will worry... she will not be left out on a street and here, in Belgium (Europe), they do not euthanase animals unless it's absolutely necessary. But still.
Did your vet found out, what is causing the prolapses? I read that it is very important to treat the cause, otherwise, it will come back.
Is Chloe active, at least, trying to be, although she is not allowed to jump and run?

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when we adopted her they told us she’s okay to live with it because she didn’t have a lot sticking out, and when we took her to our first vet she said the same thing. and told us we can try to put the ointment they prescribed us and try to push it back it but then she pooped and back out. No vet told us why it’s happening, it’s from pushing or giving birth but our cat never had babies so when she was little she must have pushed to hard and bam it prolapsed.

how bad is the kitty’s prolapse ?
chloe was less then half an inch.

and as for now the first days she was out of it she was on morphine the first day and on pain killers for the next three. so we had her locked in the bedroom, so on day two after the surgery she was actually ready to play a little bit, just walking and following a string and she did end up jumping on the bed to sleep with us, as longest it’s nothing to crazy to mess up her stitches.

Just read your reply to me on your thread. After all I have read, it’s mostly the same thing - it HAS to be put back in asap and if the cause (worms, genetic defect of the bowls etc) is not treated, it will come back. It is very strange that your vet said you don’t have to do anything... Have you checked her for FeLV? Do you have any other animals? As for the kitten that I am worried about, the bum is sticking out only about a week, she is underweight and only 9 weeks old. The vet in a shelter will put sutures on with a gas anesthesia, they say it’s safer for such a kitten.
sorry for the picture....

She is so super sweet, such a tiny kitten, such hard beginning of the life...

SmillaBille said:

Just read your reply to me on your thread. After all I have read, it’s mostly the same thing - it HAS to be put back in asap and if the cause (worms, genetic defect of the bowls etc) is not treated, it will come back. It is very strange that your vet said you don’t have to do anything... Have you checked her for FeLV? Do you have any other animals? As for the kitten that I am worried about, the bum is sticking out only about a week, she is underweight and only 9 weeks old. The vet in a shelter will put sutures on with a gas anesthesia, they say it’s safer for such a kitten.
sorry for the picture....

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omg yes she's adorable, I know poor baby
Chloe prolapse was a tiny bit smaller but it was always moist. from the picture it looks dry. i really hope the sutures will work for her.

I know I also found it weird for the vets to tell us she's okay with it, but then we were like their know best, especially since it was more then one vet. Honestly, we waited this long to do the surgery because its not the cheapest and of course every time we wanted to do it something had to happen that we didn't until we finally said enough, we are doing this.
And Chloe is negative for FeLV, she's overall a healthy cat but a little overweight as the vet informed us yesterday. and we have another cat thats 8 months old but she's healthy.

FeLV is the other thing I am worried about. The shelter refuses to test her, if I take her and do it myself and she is positive, it could be false positive at this age. Or, it could be positive, but she could fight it off, which I read happens. Then I'd have to keep her isolated from my other 2 cats for at least 2 month to test her again... and then if she is positive, what am I going to do... sure, I could try to find a shelter to give her back, because she could live a relatively normal life but as a sole animal and indoors.
Oh, I don't know what to do. She is clearly not receiving all the best help she would receive if she'd be with me. Shelters are full of other animals.. And here in Europe, the vet is expensive but not extensively, and my mom has already attached to this kitten too and offered to cover all possible vet costs.

I am going in circles here.

SmillaBille said:

FeLV is the other thing I am worried about. The shelter refuses to test her, if I take her and do it myself and she is positive, it could be false positive at this age. Or, it could be positive, but she could fight it off, which I read happens. Then I'd have to keep her isolated from my other 2 cats for at least 2 month to test her again... and then if she is positive, what am I going to do... sure, I could try to find a shelter to give her back, because she could live a relatively normal life but as a sole animal and indoors.
Oh, I don't know what to do. She is clearly not receiving all the best help she would receive if she'd be with me. Shelters are full of other animals.. And here in Europe, the vet is expensive but not extensively, and my mom has already attached to this kitten too and offered to cover all possible vet costs.

I am going in circles here.

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omg thats a very tough decision I wish I could tell you what to do but I cannot. I don't know lots about FeLV but I do believe she should be tested just to see the results, and then it would be easier for you to make that decision. do you know why the shelter is refusing to test her ?

they are just like that, they say, that it costs too much (I offered to cover the expense), then they say that she is too fragile for the blood test... my guess is that they don't want to do it, because if she turns out positive and I won't take her, they will have trouble to put her for adoption. So they choose not to know, which is not very responsible. But I have 2 adopted kittens and shelters here do not test them for anything. It didn't even cross my mind, until my vet mentioned it to me when we spoke.

SmillaBille said:

they are just like that, they say, that it costs too much (I offered to cover the expense), then they say that she is too fragile for the blood test... my guess is that they don't want to do it, because if she turns out positive and I won't take her, they will have trouble to put her for adoption. So they choose not to know, which is not very responsible. But I have 2 adopted kittens and shelters here do not test them for anything. It didn't even cross my mind, until my vet mentioned it to me when we spoke.

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oh I'm from New York and they test the cats and spayed them, otherwise you can't adopt a cat that has not been spayed.

yeah but you should know what you're adopting, this is crazy especially because you already have 2 other cats.