Well let me start with saying I haven't been around TCS for at least a few weeks, not even sure how long now, maybe a month?
Kitten season hit like a hurricane, and I'm so happy to say that I have managed to save over 70 kittens/bottle babies from being euthanized.
So far that is....it is NOT over by a long shot.
I have had to recruit 7 new foster homes, especially from all the newborns, jeez what's up with that?! So many more this year than the norm...
Anyway, 4 days ago I rescued some from the shelter, shuttled them out to their foster homes, but kept 3 for my cat room, they def. need some extra TLC, etc. To anyone who does not know, my cat room is a separate room out back where I recover/evaluate/medicate/quarrantine, etc. for any newbies especially.
A black/chocolate female, and 2 black/white males. Same litter.
I knew from the start they were malnourished, very skinny, boney, very thin unhealthy fur, etc.
Found out real fast they have serious issues with food, omg I thought they were going to literally kill each other. I've seen tons of food aggressive kittens, but these kids take the cake.
So I feed separately. They ate and ate until their tummies were big and round, then vomit. So I was limiting what I fed, still, ate so fast and furiously they would vomit.
Then it went to vomiting AND now diarrhea, light colored both.
The first 2 days they were fed Babycat, which I love, it's the best for newly weaned/young kittens.
The vomit was digested food. So I cut out the dry and fed only canned kitten. Still vomit.
Yesterday morning I went out there to feed the canned and saw one of them looking lethargic, just not good. I was still thinking it was from their probably starving life, obvious malnutrition and inhaling food.
He ate a bit and stopped, went back to his bed.
Then the next one, same thing. He ate a bit more than the first one did.
The all black girl was fine. (well for her anyway)
Went back in the late afternoon, since I decided to stop feeding them to give their systems a break, diarrhea and both the boys looked crappy. Huddled together.
Then while I was looking at them through their cage, one of the boys got up to vomit. Yellowish vomit, watery though this time. My husband said probably from no food so they were over-drinking water. No.
The big "P" passed through my head, (Panleukopenia) Noooo waaayyy....I have 16 kittens in my cat room right now, between 5-7 weeks old. No way.
I took them to the emergency/after hours vet and was there until after midnight with them. (it was packed in there, more than I've ever seen) although they operate just like a hospital emergency room, go by urgency, so they swooped them to the back to get vitals, etc. and they weren't in immediate danger at least.
Diagnosis-unknown. Tested neg. for Panleuk, although I do NOT feel confident with this result since it was the snap parvo test used, I had false negs before since it must be caught at just the right time of shedding/symptoms.
Dehydrated, malnutritioned.
One of the males has pale gums.
Prognosis-guarded.
Brought them home, fed them a bowl of KMR with a jar of chicken baby food mixed in.
They ate like no tomorrow, but without the fighting.
I went to bed.
Today, so far no vomit (finally!!) but the clean litterbox had strange looking poop again, also some normal poop from the one female who still isn't acting sick. Yet..
I did take pics of the box/poop but I don't want to post it on here since it's not a pretty sight.
Anyone have a clue here?
Could it be Leukemia? (I ask because it's the one thing I have not dealt with or seen in kittens.)
I'm sad and very worried, these poor little kids have suffered so much already, just the fur and bones tell a story.
Ahh, I WILL post a pic of the one with the pale gums I took today right after he ate some of the KMR (that's the chin drip)
Kitten season hit like a hurricane, and I'm so happy to say that I have managed to save over 70 kittens/bottle babies from being euthanized.
So far that is....it is NOT over by a long shot.
I have had to recruit 7 new foster homes, especially from all the newborns, jeez what's up with that?! So many more this year than the norm...
Anyway, 4 days ago I rescued some from the shelter, shuttled them out to their foster homes, but kept 3 for my cat room, they def. need some extra TLC, etc. To anyone who does not know, my cat room is a separate room out back where I recover/evaluate/medicate/quarrantine, etc. for any newbies especially.
A black/chocolate female, and 2 black/white males. Same litter.
I knew from the start they were malnourished, very skinny, boney, very thin unhealthy fur, etc.
Found out real fast they have serious issues with food, omg I thought they were going to literally kill each other. I've seen tons of food aggressive kittens, but these kids take the cake.
So I feed separately. They ate and ate until their tummies were big and round, then vomit. So I was limiting what I fed, still, ate so fast and furiously they would vomit.
Then it went to vomiting AND now diarrhea, light colored both.
The first 2 days they were fed Babycat, which I love, it's the best for newly weaned/young kittens.
The vomit was digested food. So I cut out the dry and fed only canned kitten. Still vomit.
Yesterday morning I went out there to feed the canned and saw one of them looking lethargic, just not good. I was still thinking it was from their probably starving life, obvious malnutrition and inhaling food.
He ate a bit and stopped, went back to his bed.
Then the next one, same thing. He ate a bit more than the first one did.
The all black girl was fine. (well for her anyway)
Went back in the late afternoon, since I decided to stop feeding them to give their systems a break, diarrhea and both the boys looked crappy. Huddled together.
Then while I was looking at them through their cage, one of the boys got up to vomit. Yellowish vomit, watery though this time. My husband said probably from no food so they were over-drinking water. No.
The big "P" passed through my head, (Panleukopenia) Noooo waaayyy....I have 16 kittens in my cat room right now, between 5-7 weeks old. No way.
I took them to the emergency/after hours vet and was there until after midnight with them. (it was packed in there, more than I've ever seen) although they operate just like a hospital emergency room, go by urgency, so they swooped them to the back to get vitals, etc. and they weren't in immediate danger at least.
Diagnosis-unknown. Tested neg. for Panleuk, although I do NOT feel confident with this result since it was the snap parvo test used, I had false negs before since it must be caught at just the right time of shedding/symptoms.
Dehydrated, malnutritioned.
One of the males has pale gums.
Prognosis-guarded.
Brought them home, fed them a bowl of KMR with a jar of chicken baby food mixed in.
They ate like no tomorrow, but without the fighting.
I went to bed.
Today, so far no vomit (finally!!) but the clean litterbox had strange looking poop again, also some normal poop from the one female who still isn't acting sick. Yet..
I did take pics of the box/poop but I don't want to post it on here since it's not a pretty sight.
Anyone have a clue here?
Could it be Leukemia? (I ask because it's the one thing I have not dealt with or seen in kittens.)
I'm sad and very worried, these poor little kids have suffered so much already, just the fur and bones tell a story.
Ahh, I WILL post a pic of the one with the pale gums I took today right after he ate some of the KMR (that's the chin drip)