Kitten eats eagerly but small amounts and small poops.

[SheriB]

Hi y’all, it’s been a while! Been a busy year of fostering. My question is about Venus, a foster kitten who stopped gaining weight at about 8 weeks of age. Tried all of the shelter recommendations including high calorie gel and a full round of Biomox. 10 days ago I took her to a vet who diagnosed chest congestion and a known condition called “Unexplained Kitten Fever.” He prescribed Clavamox and L-lysine. The Clavamox took care of the chest congestion but she is still very uncomfortable.

She doesn’t play but spends all of her time crouched on a heating pad. She eats eagerly but very small amounts and her poops are well formed but tiny compared to her sibling. Tomorrow I am going to call the vet for a re-check. Here are my questions for the wonderful Catsite community:

Does anyone recognize this condition and have advice for my conversation with the vet?

Could it be an obstruction, should I ask for an xray?

What’s the best way for me to take a kitten’s temperature at home?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. How old is she now, and how long has this been going on? Was she tested for FIV/FeLV? Has she had any vaccinations? The big thing to worry about, in addition to making sure she is eating enough, is making sure she is well-hydrated - always a concern when there is a fever involved. I am guessing you know how to check for dehydration?

Here are two articles on ways to take a kitten's temp at home. If you choose to do it rectally, make sure you have a child's digital rectal thermometer.

Cat Fever Testing at Home
How to Check Your Cat's Body Temperature at Home

I am sure more experienced members will come along shortly and offer their input!

 

[SheriB]

Thank you FeebysOwner ! She is 17 weeks now and still under 3 pounds. Yes, we monitor her and give fluids as needed.
Thank you for the advice and articles about taking temp, I will read them now.
We postponed FeLV/FIV test because the shelter does it at spay/neuter surgery, which she has not been healthy enough for. Her mother and siblings all tested negative. It’s a good thought, I will request testing tomorrow.
she has had first and second vaccines.

 

[stephanietx]

I use an ear thermometer to take my kitty's temp. They do this at the cat only vet and it's super easy. As for her condition, I agree that she's somewhat still uncomfortable since she's crouching. An x-ray wouldn't be a bad thing, but it could just be that she still has some lingering respiratory infection. If she's not eating a lot, she's not going to poop a lot. She could just end up being a petite kitty.

 

[FeebysOwner]

We postponed FeLV/FIV test because the shelter does it at spay/neuter surgery, which she has not been healthy enough for. Her mother and siblings all tested negative. It’s a good thought, I will request testing tomorrow.
she has had first and second vaccines.

You can check with the vet, but if she has already started her vaccinations, I believe testing - particularly for FIV - is pretty much useless as the vaccinations have produced antibodies in her system, which means she would show up as positive because of that. FeLV testing is a bit more complicated, and would require a follow-up test if the initial test would come up positive. Odds are if her mom and siblings tested negative for both, she would have too unless she was exposed to other cats at some point.

 

[SheriB]

We got the test done today at the shelter. She is negative on both. While doing the test the tech commented that her blood was very dark, a sign that she’s not oxygenating properly. Vet appointment tomorrow, we’ll see how it goes.
Yesterday was one of her worst days, she did not come out of her cubby at all, so in the afternoon I gave her a dose of Prednisolone. Within an hour she was out and laying on my lap, very much more comfortable than she has been for quite some time. She was also more active today.

 

[SheriB]

Oh boy, I wrote this last week and just now realized I never hit post!
”Vet appointment yesterday. She still has a fever. Lost 2 oz over the 2 week period. He suspects a virus but says testing to see which one really wouldn’t be of any benefit. He did an ultrasound to look for wet FIP and saw nothing, also checked for distortion of the organs and neurological symptoms from dry FIP And did not see any. It was a good thorough exam. Result - Clavamox, Prednisolone, and l-lysine for 10 days.“

This is a week later, she is not improving. I’m now trying to get her to eat canned chicken breast with homemade broth. She seems to like the broth. This morning I spotted her in the cat box eating litter. I immediately caged her and gave her a new box with non clumping litter. Two hours later she was eating that litter. Now she has a box with paper towels in it. I’m waiting for a call from the vet.

 

[SheriB]

We helped Venus pass yesterday. It had become clear that she had FIP. She had fluid accumulated in her abdomen, was having seizures, and had become wobbly and weak. She purred til the end. She’s free now.

 

[kittenmittens84]

I’m so sorry. I was going to respond that this is almost exactly how my kitten’s FIP presented. What an infuriating disease

 

[cataholic07]

I am so sorry for your loss