Kittens Suddenly Dying

[botard89]

Hey everyone. First post. Trying to make a longer story shorter but basically just had three kittens in a litter pass away literally one yearersay and two today. I guess by asking this I am trying to find a little bit of closure. I was wondering whatight have caused it. They were healthy one day but I noticed the mama quit feeding them completely. We ended up getting them some formula and kitten food. I noticed all of a sudden they would all start breathing really fast and there was a build up of fluid. None of them made it a whole day when they would start breathing like that. We did have to give them quick flea batha but we were quick to get them in and out because of them not being able to regulate their body temperature. After they died on one of them I noticed that there was a yellow fluid in the mouth which I assume would indicate infection. Also, the mama cat had one little before this one and there was a case of FIP in the litter. One survived and the other one didn't. So, could these three have contracted FIP of the wet variety? It is spread by saliva and they did nurse on the mama cat plus they were licked by her as well. Thanks for any input and may they all three rest in peace.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Are there any kittens left in this litter?

My guess is that there was either a birth defect, which is why mom stopped feeding them, or that there was an issue with them getting fluid in their lungs. It could have been pneumonia. I’m so sorry they didn’t make it.

Are you able to get mom spayed now? We can help you to find a low cost spay/neuter clinic if needed.

 

[StefanZ]

Fip is contagious, and worst to kittens. So its possible they got it. Although this was quick downhill for Fip.

Are there any kittens left alive?

Sterilize everything as well you can. And dont rescue nor adopt kittens for at least a full year.
Although you can proceed to rescue adult cats, whom have better immune system. And if they are ex homeless they typically have very strong immune system.

 

[StefanZ]

ps. Im not giving a diagnosis, I dont know what they died off.
As said, it were quick for FIP, its usually more prolonged dying...

The advice is still, wait with new kittens, till you are sure what it was. IF you think it was FIP, take adults instead. Because taking in kittens is dangerous for them, even if you clean off everything as well you can.

 

[botard89]

Are there any kittens left in this litter?

My guess is that there was either a birth defect, which is why mom stopped feeding them, or that there was an issue with them getting fluid in their lungs. It could have been pneumonia. I’m so sorry they didn’t make it.

Are you able to get mom spayed now? We can help you to find a low cost spay/neuter clinic if needed.

There are no kittens left in the litter. There were three and the first thing I noticed was the faster breathing. If it is Pneumonia what brings that on?

 

[botard89]

Fip is contagious, and worst to kittens. So its possible they got it. Although this was quick downhill for Fip.

Are there any kittens left alive?

Sterilize everything as well you can. And dont rescue nor adopt kittens for at least a full year.
Although you can proceed to rescue adult cats, whom have better immune system. And if they are ex homeless they typically have very strong immune system.

There are none left and not sure if I put this in the first initial report but the kittens all showed an inflammation around the ribs. The one that died from a previous litter had distention in the intestines. I wouldn't be surprised if FIP wasn't the culprit but this is more of a learning experience and closure at this point. To have them all die within a day of each other, I'm not sure if that would rule out a birth defect or not.

 

[talkingpeanut]

I’m so sorry.

Are you able to get mom spayed?

 

[StefanZ]

I understand more than well this is a shocking experience, horrible to you. You have my total sympathy.

Still you had some luck in the disaster- FIP takes typically much longer time to die if you try to fight against. And its difficult a death with long dyeing.
Apparently some survive because some people and their vets choose to fight on instead of pts. You yourself told one of the kittens in the previous litter survived.
But its exactly by this reason we know what happens if they do not survive...
The caretakers swear vehemently on FIP, its a worse villain than most other diseases.

Take your rest off, try to load up the batteries again. Take care of the surviving momma and kitten if you can. They should be these whom are immune now.
Clean everything you can clean with antiviral fluids. (they sell for example Virkon in shops for horses and horse-stables. Tractor supply should have this too).

IF and when you take a new start as caretaker, do work with adults.

Warm hugs!

 

[botard89]

I am kinda wondering now if it was wet FIP that got them. I was reading up on it and remembered that the kitten that died from FIP of the first litter had dry FIP. He got sickly, stayed like that for about a week, got over it, got it again, and died room it the second time. His organs (intestines) had swollen out. I think the vet said distention or something like that. Either way saw that wet FIP had all the symptoms they were exerting and that it can kill in about 1-3 days which all lines up. It's truly sad and I hope that someday they come up with a cure for it. As of now I have been cleaning around the bedding, towels, and in the bedroom floor because they stuck to that area. I have been keeping the other cats out of there because I hear that it can last up to two weeks. Just wondering if anyone else has any thoughts, opinions, any added input at all. Thanks KS again to all for your support in these tough times.

 

[Bwelch]

I’m so very sorry for your loss. My daughter and I are fostering our first set of kittens and lost 2 of the 4 to 2 different issues. The first one I believe died from coccidia not diagnosed quickly enough and the second one was incredibly tiny and probably had something wrong internally and we were just lucky to have her as long as we did. It’s unreal how deeply these little babies can touch the heart in such a short time. All we can do is love, feed, warm, and spay/neuter as early as it can safely be done. As much as my heart hurts, I’m so glad I got to love them. Sending peace and gratitude for caring for the littlest ones.

 

[Sarthur2]

I’m so sorry. Clean everything with a clorox solution, and wash towels and linens in hot water.