Cat now suddenly feeling ill, could it be distemper? (might start a vlog)

moreknow

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So i had a thread last week detailing my struggles with a kitten suddenly falling ill and passing away due to distemper (or so as the vet said) and now i was worried this virus could pass on to my other feral/semiferals, and I believe it did.
Negro, a black shorthair who is turning 2 in August, was completely fine all yesterday afternoon, purring, rolling around in my carpet and eating when i let him into the house, until he disappeared after 2:30 pm. I didn't go outside till 8pm and that's whenever i call all my cats to show up. He didn't show up at all yesterday night and i was worried and the same feelings of grief and frustration and the thoughts "is this even worth it" and "i should really let go and not care anymore" come over me.

Note: every other cat right now is fine, even the other 2 cats that were literally next to the kitten carrying "distemper" are currently appearing healthy. Also every other cat right now is playing around normal, nobody is sick.

Negro appeared this morning briefly, his red collar was gone which is really really surprising.. he must've gotten stuck by the neck somewhere since it looked pretty tight and despite it being a breakaway collar, it wouldn't come off easily. i pet him and his tail rises when i scratched his back where his tails at (sorry if it's confusing) and he accepted my petting temporarily, then he disappeared. I was desperate to find him but i had to go to work.

After my class presentation i come back outside and he appears again, accepting my petting and was about to be on his hind legs when i was about to pet his head.. but he was still not looking well. He had some burs on his neck and other parts of his body and I believe he was sneezing a bit and was making "mouth sounds" (like you could hear saliva when he was briefly opening and closing his mouth). and as i go to pet him again he retreats to under my shack and is currently there hiding from me... he seems not interested in eating nor my attention. Since my kitten passed away Saturday supposedly from that panleukopenia virus, i worry that he could too, if that's what he's sick from. Here are my possibilities:
-sick from distemper or panleukopenia (HE HAS BEEN VACCINATED WITH FVRCP AND rabies and other vaccines, I will post what his records say on here)
-sick from something that happened in my neighbor's backyard - he's a frequent visitor even though i don't want them there anymore (they put a makeshift barrier in the fence). He might've been poisoned with something there since my 'redneck neighbor has a little garden there

I really really don't want him to be the 3rd cat i've lost this month. I want to take him to a 24/7 animal hospital but since he's not Nana (the friendly kitten), he's avoiding me right now.
What should I do?

also, i feel that typing these threads about my problems takes a lot of time.. i wash i can post videos detailing what's going on, that way i can express myself easier and introduce you to my ferals. If i started a vlog on Instagram, would y'all follow me? I would detail my progress with these cat struggles i have, ask for advice, and once i get everything together, i'll hope to rescue animals around my neighborhood
 

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jefferd18

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I have a question: Can some of these cats be adopted?
If he has distemper then he needs an antibiotic shot or a round of antibiotics- maybe both. I am worried that the whole colony will get infected. Distemper can be like a wildfire that gets out of control.
 
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moreknow

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Well i can pet around 12 cats and 3 of them live inside but are afraid of strangers. The rest are skittish to everyone except me, i dont know if they’re adoptable since they dont trust humans. The one kitten that passed away was adoptable i feel
 
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moreknow

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since my neighbor started a garden this spring, I randomly lost 2 cats this month, 1 to illness. He grows:
- sugarberry
- european plum
- carolina buckthorn
- common daisy
- hairy bittercress
- pumpkin
- seaside goldenrod
- tomato
- lemon
- spearmint
- common rue
- cucumber
- cilantro

He had poison ivy growing on the fence too.. do cats eat or nibble any of these plants,??^^ Negro might’ve ate some of these since he goes there daily :(
 

Jcatbird

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I know posting takes a lot of time but we have some great people here. I know that some do use Instagram but I only come online to TCS. Maybe you could do a bit of both? Most of the time you can just post the basics and people here will ask questions that may save you some time.
You said kitty had gotten out of a tight collar. I am wondering if he strained his neck getting loose. Maybe that will pass? Check his neck for any injuries. Also you mentioned burrs. If he pulled a burr from his fur he may have gotten some stuck in his mouth. He may need to be checked for his neck and mouth. If you can loom in his mouth, that might give you a clue. Can you grow some catnip in your yard? That would be something the cats would nibble and that would help to keep them on your side of the fence. Seeds are available here at Lowe’s. Maybe places like Walmart too. Cat grass seeds are there too.
Of you can touch any of the kitties, there is every good chance they will socialize well for adoption. It’s mostly giving them regular attention and letting them get used to a human environment. Things like the noises associated inside a house. TV, music, humans moving around during daily activities. If you have a friend that can come to be around a social cat as they make progress, that can help them learn to trust others. You might be surprised by many of these kitties. They love you and can learn to love others.
 
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moreknow

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Update after over a month:
Thank you all for the messages, it never fails to amaze me as to how many cat-loving humans are on here :)
Negro has recovered from whatever he had in over 2 days. He's healthy, cleaner coat than ever, but he's still without a collar. Im trying to recover academically, financially, and mentally so i apologize for the delay in this message. Im trapping some 3 kittens (hopefully) tonight, i am almost done with my whole colony. I will update the instagram soon. thank yall so much again 🧡
 
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