Kitten at death's door from some infection/ ongoing issues and updates

Caspers Human

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Does anyone have any ideas or tricks to make a cat eat without force feeding them?
Try to find that "jackpot" food... Something that the cat loves to eat.

When our cat, Casper, was sick and wouldn't eat, I finally enticed him to eat about half a slice of liverwurst, briefly warmed in the microwave.
 

silent meowlook

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Hi. Careful with the iron. Anemia

Vit B12 would be good. Glad they gave steroids. Did this kitten have allot of fleas? If so microplasma is something, but you are treating right for it anyway.

Novel food. Different dish. Try to play a little first. Warm the food.

Have to get back to work will check in tonight.

The platelet count worries me.
 
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Nilo

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oh my gosh, this is incredible!

Other than smearing his lips, I'm not too sure...

... although this, while very messy, seems to be working for him?
Well, the vet was saying that he needs to start eating by today. He's already a bit behind.

It sometimes works. The rest of the time, he smears it on the bed, and nothing goes in. I don't really care about the mess at this point. He'd been pissing himself for close to a week, so I'm used to it. He also used the litter box twice today and didn't wet the bed. Hope it stays that way.

Try to find that "jackpot" food... Something that the cat loves to eat.
Got it. I'll keep trying with different food.

He used to eat only a single type of food for a couple of months. When he used to be on the street, he and his mom would drop by, outside my house, just to eat. And I used to refill with just dry food most of the time.

He got so used to it that he preferred that over other food. So I'm not sure if he likes different food. But it's definitely worth a try.

Hi. Careful with the iron. Anemia

Vit B12 would be good. Glad they gave steroids. Did this kitten have allot of fleas? If so microplasma is something, but you are treating right for it anyway.

Novel food. Different dish. Try to play a little first. Warm the food.

Have to get back to work will check in tonight.

The platelet count worries me.
Wdym careful with the iron? Is there any risk of iron toxicity?

I've never seen fleas on him. I'm not sure about his past though.

Yes, B12 is given via tonic.
Yeah, my vet also mentioned he was at risk for "microplasma infections". But I could not find anything related upon googling for microplasma, it returns engineering stuff or mycoplasma. Can you please guide me on what to search for?

I'll do that. I'll try different food.

Sure, thank you for the immense help.

Yeah, risk of blood clots, right? It's so scary, I can't even think about it.
 

Meowmee

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I'll do that. I'll try different food.

Sure, thank you for the immense help.

Yeah, risk of blood clots, right? It's so scary, I can't even think about it.
[/QUOTE]
I am glad he seems to have some improvement 🤗 Have you tried baby food? Most kittens and cats love it. You can rub a little on the top of his mouth to lick off, offer it on a spoon and or a dish. Meat flavors with meat only, chicken is the best probably.
 

Meowmee

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Bri5

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Yes, B12 is given via tonic.
Yeah, my vet also mentioned he was at risk for "microplasma infections". But I could not find anything related upon googling for microplasma, it returns engineering stuff or mycoplasma. Can you please guide me on what to search for?

I'll do that. I'll try different food.

Sure, thank you for the immense help.

Yeah, risk of blood clots, right? It's so scary, I can't even think about it.
Mycoplasma is likely what the vet means. Mycoplasmosis is common in immunosuppressed humans and animals and transmitted by biting and stinging insects.
 

Meowmee

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It seems like his platelet count is low? that could be caused by panleukopenia I think or by some thing else. Let us know what your DVM thinks.

❤❤❤ For you and Terry
 

Alldara

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Glad to hear about the box and the toothbrush!

As for food you can try putting different things through a blender with some water too. Kibbles may make him feel more full faster and his tummy will be super small right now. Wet food will be easier to digest.

You can also try some low or no salt tuna in water or other fish. It's not a long term solution, but when a cat hasn't eaten in awhile, anything works..

We have Churu here which is always a big hit, I'm not sure what other tube style treats might be available in India.

Try kitten or senior cat food as they will smell stronger.

There's some things on Amazon, though, I usually attempt to avoid them I'm not sure what other retainers are available to you, nor what prices are good. Amazon.in : wet cat food
 

silent meowlook

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Hi, I cannot find any literature to back up the caution I gave regarding iron. From memory I don't remember ever giving a cat iron supplementation. As far as I know iron deficiency in cats is extremely rare and they have trouble eliminating iron, so they run the risk of toxicity. But I cannot find anything in literature. The bottom line is that your vets have been seeing him and examining him and treating him. So, if they are recommending it obviously follow their orders.

Has anyone suggested doing a blood transfusion? At this point it might be a good idea, or it might only help temporarily.

Mycoplasma used to be called Hemobartinella. It is a bacteria that acts like a parasite on the red blood cells. It is usually seen in debilitated stressed cats and can be passed through fleas. They get very sick. with anemia and often require blood transfusions, steroids, and antibiotics. It takes a long time to treat.

The fluctuating temperature is caused by the kitten being to ill to regulate it. You have to be very careful to avoid accidently over heating or over cooling the little guy. It sounds like you have been doing well so far.

The jaundice, yellowing of the skin, serum, eyes, is usually caused by a buildup of of bile, often due to liver disease or damage. The yellowing can also be in part from damage to the red blood cells.

Have they said if the anemia is regenerative or non-regenerative?
Did they do radiographs?

This kitten really needs to eat. Has anyone talked to you about placing an esophagostomy feeding tube. He may not be strong enough to survive the surgery.

Have they tested for feline leukemia?

When they are giving the IV fluids, are they placing an IV catheter each time, or does he go home with a catheter?

I wish there was something I could do to help your kitten. Unfortunately, not knowing what is causing all this makes it hard to treat.

If the vets there have a canine parvo test the kitten can be tested for parvo with a small amount of feces and a positive test would lean strongly to it being feline panleukopenia. Although, there is not real treatment of that due to it being a virus. Just treated symptomatically
I am sorry about all this kitten has been going through. You as well.
 

Caspers Human

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He got so used to [one food] that he preferred that over other food. So I'm not sure if he likes different food. But it's definitely worth a try.
Casper is the same way. He is a rescue cat. He lived on his own for over a year before he was brought in.

We spoke to our vet about Casper and she said that, when a cat lives on its own and has to find its own food, it tends to stay with one food source. Once it finds one safe food, it won't trust any others.

Consequently, Casper ONLY eats "his" cat food and rarely eats any other. He eats almost NO human food. Occasionally, a bit of chicken or meat. Maybe a lick of butter or Vegemite or cooked egg yolks. The warmed up liverwurst was one of the few times when I got him to eat more than a taste of anything but cat food. The only exception he'll eat on a regular basis is tuna fish. When we make dinner with tuna, I'll leave a few scraps and a spoonful of juice in the can for him as a treat.

I don't know but if your guy is anything like Casper, maybe he'll eat a little bit of those things... chicken, meat, liver/sausage, tuna fish, cooked eggs.

Do you think he'll like Vegemite? ;) ;) ;)
Actually, they say that cats like the taste of Vegemite. I wouldn't give too much, though. The stuff is really salty!
 

catloverfromwayback

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Casper is the same way. He is a rescue cat. He lived on his own for over a year before he was brought in.

We spoke to our vet about Casper and she said that, when a cat lives on its own and has to find its own food, it tends to stay with one food source. Once it finds one safe food, it won't trust any others.

Consequently, Casper ONLY eats "his" cat food and rarely eats any other. He eats almost NO human food. Occasionally, a bit of chicken or meat. Maybe a lick of butter or Vegemite or cooked egg yolks. The warmed up liverwurst was one of the few times when I got him to eat more than a taste of anything but cat food. The only exception he'll eat on a regular basis is tuna fish. When we make dinner with tuna, I'll leave a few scraps and a spoonful of juice in the can for him as a treat.

I don't know but if your guy is anything like Casper, maybe he'll eat a little bit of those things... chicken, meat, liver/sausage, tuna fish, cooked eggs.

Do you think he'll like Vegemite? ;) ;) ;)
Actually, they say that cats like the taste of Vegemite. I wouldn't give too much, though. The stuff is really salty!
All my previous cats loved Vegemite, good little Aussies that they were! (Never tried it with Phoebe or Daisy.) But yeah, just the tiniest smear is enough. Which is true for humans, too - as a friend said, it’s a seasoning, not a spread.
 

Caspers Human

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Vegemite is the Australian National Joke on the rest of the world. ;)
Aussies pretend to like then then watch the faces of the gullible Americans when they try it. :oops:

Okay, I actually like Vegemite but it really is funny to watch when people eat it for the first time! ;) ;) ;)

I heard that cats were supposed to like Vegemite so I offered Casper a lick or two from the back of a spoon.

It's one of the few non-cat-food things that Casper will even give more than a sniff or two.
 

catloverfromwayback

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Vegemite is the Australian National Joke on the rest of the world. ;)
Aussies pretend to like then then watch the faces of the gullible Americans when they try it. :oops:

Okay, I actually like Vegemite but it really is funny to watch when people eat it for the first time! ;) ;) ;)

I heard that cats were supposed to like Vegemite so I offered Casper a lick or two from the back of a spoon.

It's one of the few non-cat-food things that Casper will even give more than a sniff or two.
The friend who made the point about it being a seasoning, not a spread, is American - and he’s right, it should be scattered over toast (better than on bread imo) with a lot of butter showing between little patches of Vegemite. I love it like that, always have. Slather it on like peanut butter or something and it’s basically inedible.

A tiny smear on the finger would even get my late Hadji keen, and he wouldn’t eat anything except steak and kidney. We had to get vitamins for him to sprinkle on his meat. They smelled a bit like Vegemite …
 

Caspers Human

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I like Vegemite. Why do toppings on toast always have to be sweet? Why not savory?
Sure, jam on toast is good, too but it's not the only thing to put on toast.

I think that many people look at Vegemite and think that it looks like chocolate. They are shocked when they taste it because it doesn't fit their preconceived notions. They probably wouldn't have the same reaction if you offered them buttered toast topped with Parmesan cheese.

I agree with you, totally! Lots of butter. Just a dab of Veg. Mix it with the butter so you can get a nice, even spread. ;)

I've even heard of people mixing a spoonful or two into a tub of whipped butter and keeping it in the fridge just for putting on the morning toast.
 
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Nilo

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Hey folks. I know it's been a while. Sorry about that. Things I'd been putting off taking care of Terry caught up.

Terry's doing a bit better :) His fever has been gone for over a day. Temperature is 102.3 to 102.5. He's responding better to assisted feeding. He used to be bed ridden but is now moving around a bit changing positions, using the litter box, scratching the sofa, coming to the food bowl (but not eating), fighting back at the vet. The yellowness has spread to his ears and a part of his face.

I'll reply back to everyone later today.
Nice to see you guys are keeping the conversation going while I've been gone. I wouldn't have known Vegemite was that interesting :p

S silent meowlook
Your post scared me. You've raised a lot of serious concerns that I would have totally missed. Thank you very much for covering many blind spots. I've talked to my vet vaguely about the topics you raised and I'll post his explanations and decisions later today. I'd love to hear what you think about them. Sorry for the delay. Thank you for being patient.
 

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I think we've pretty well exhausted the vegemite topic, but I would like to say that I would never give it to my cats due to the salt content. A tiny lick is probably OK but since that amount is not nutritionally helpful, I'd give it a miss.

Looking forward to hearing more about what the vet had to say N Nilo :vibes: :vibes: :vibes:
 
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