Extremely Lethargic New Kitten; Help!

[pevsfreedom]

I found a grey kitten in a parking lot yesterday. Beautiful. Everything is good, uses litter box, purrs, meows (loudly), eats and drinks fine. He had one accident in the bed.

The thing is, he's nearly lethargic. Lifeless. Doesn't move, at all. He can move, to get food, and he walks just fine. No fleas/mites/worms that I cold feel, everything seems 100%. But again, you can hold him on his back, his head just kind of slowly moves around and he moves his eyes around. I would use the word lifeless. You put him in a spot he'll sit there for 24 hours. He sometimes moves if I put him on my lap if he doesn't like it.

Should I be as concerned as I am? Is he just going through shock from being taken from momma (she's at safe shelter now). Is he just a chill ass dude? As of now I'm considering taking him to ER tomorrow (I need to talk to my wife about it first but she's at work). Money IS an issue right now.

 

[pevsfreedom]

It should say VERY lethargic.

 

[Notacrazycatlady]

Is there a vet practice you could get a relatively quick appointment with? My vet here sometimes has hours on Saturday mornings. The little guy might have parasites--tapeworm, ringworm, etc and simply need a good deworming and a vet visit would definitely be cheaper than an ER visit. It might be something more serious (hopefully not), but that's the first thing that came to my mind.

 

[m3rma1d]

Can you try and get him into a regular vet's office to make it cost less than the ER? If nothing else he should have a checkup since he was found in a parking lot.
You only found him yesterday so he might just be wary of his new surroundings. Or something might be wrong. Definitely get him to the vet to figure it out..
Hes definitely not lacking in the cuteness factor!

 

[pevsfreedom]

I can get him to vet today or tomorrow for $85 office visit. I want my wife to come so I will probably wait til tomorrow. Just wondering if this is at all normal, I've never had such a young kitten.

 

[pevsfreedom]

That's the ER fee. No appointments until next Wednesday.

 

[pevsfreedom]

I have a Wed appt but IDK if I should wait that long. It's $35 more to bring him in today/tomorrow.

 

[Notacrazycatlady]

I don't think it's normal for a young kitten to be that lethargic (I have no medical expertise, mind you). Can you check his gums and see what color they are? If they're white or nearly white then he's extremely anemic and it would be critical for him to see a vet. If he's dehydrated, same thing.

There are some websites online where you can ask questions of actual vets--they might be able to give you a better idea of how critical it is as to whether you can wait until next Wednesday or not.

I'd hate to tell you it was okay to wait and then have the little guy crash--kittens can go downhill pretty quickly. I'm not a vet or anyone with medical expertise at all, so take my input for what little it's worth.

 

[pevsfreedom]

They are pretty damn white. I looked at all my cats teeth and they're pretty white too. I really can't tell.

 

[pevsfreedom]

I will take him in tomorrow for at least blood tests, fluids, and vitamins. I want my wife there to help decide if any financial concerns show up.

 

[Elphaba09]

Could it be fading kitten syndrome? How much is he eating and drinking? What is he eating and drinking? Is he feverish? Have you noticed any parasites in his poop?

Our Silas slept most of the first day after we found him, but that is because he had anemia and was severely malnourished.

 

[Notacrazycatlady]

They are pretty damn white. I looked at all my cats teeth and they're pretty white too. I really can't tell.

You mean the gums or are you talking about the teeth? The fleshy part of the mouth that the teeth are sitting on should be pinkish--pale pink or darker. If the kitten's gums are the same color as the other cats, then it's not anemia.

 

[pevsfreedom]

Back from vet. Severely dehydrated and malnourished. Fluids + high calorie/nutrition food. Cost $100 total. Thank goodness and thank you all. Was about to have a heart attack.

 

[m3rma1d]

Oh YAY!!! So glad the little fella is basically ok.

And in the grand scheme of things, $100 ain't so bad either!

Luckily it's soup & stew season--Get to making a big ole' pot of something and eat cheap for the week to offset the vet cost.

 

[pevsfreedom]

I was expecting to spend at least 500. Thank goodness he's gonna be OK and it's nothing serious. I've never had a kitten this small and never had any cat with so low energy so of course I think it's something super serious.

I am on painkillers for my foot that I broke and benzos for panic disorder so between the two of those I'm never hungry either way, lol.

 

[Kflowers]

It was serious. Dehydration can kill a kitten or a cat or a person for that matter. You saved little bit from the parking lot and you saved him again by taking him to the vet. And you didn't let your broken foot stop you. You are a good person, and so is your wife.

 

[pevsfreedom]

Thank you. If only you knew how much I did for my little angel Luna who recently passed. She was diabetic when I found her at the shelter. It was a ride with her for years that I'm ever so grateful for.

Hypothermia =

I do what I can to help out animals. They are love.