Loss, Paranoia, New Kitten

[Itsmandymo]

The last time I posted here was a year ago. My baby Zoe had so many health issues at such a young age, I was at a loss. After multiple surgeries and many guesses from specialists, our internal medicine doctor suspected FIP. I spent all of my time with Zoe, hardly sleeping myself, just to keep her comfortable and happy and give her the best life she could have in her remaining time. She was on steroids and three other medications that had to be staggered every couple hours. Despite the progression to wet FIP, Zoe lived for another month. One afternoon, she started to have seizures and we were able to get a doctor to our home that helped Zoe pass peacefully in my lap. By the end, the disease caused so many health problems for her, I can hardly list them all and I don't want to, as the memory is still extremely painful for me. She was five months old when she passed last August.

All this to say, when she died, her little brother Booker lost his playmate and cuddle buddy. It has taken a year, but my husband and I decided to adopt again a few weeks ago - a little cream point siamese mix from the shelter. His name is Charlie, and he's three months old today. He and Booker already get along very well and they both seem really happy.

Charlie seems healthy, but I think I'm traumatized by what happened with Zoe. I watch Charlie obsessively for any signs of illness. He had a mild herpes flare-up (conjunctivitis) and I took him to urgent care - not waiting for a real appointment. I am constantly checking his skin elasticity for dehydration and feeling under his arms to check his temperature. And I weigh him at least once a day. But my paranoia persists. (Though I'm very careful not to let my worries disrupt Charlie - he is a cuddle bug and is more than happy to let me hold him and check him out, then we go right back to playing.)

He had normal formed poops when we adopted him, but recently the poop has been getting softer and lighter in color. He had two instances of mild diarrhea yesterday, and it was much lighter than normal - basically the color of his wet food. Maybe he's overeating? I might subconsciously feed him too much because Zoe never gained weight. I don't know. However, I worked all night last night, and when I came home this morning, I noticed that Charlie didn't finish all of his wet food that my husband fed to him, and there's a part of my brain that is convinced something is terribly wrong because he didn't finish his dinner and he also had runny stools for a single day.

He acts normal, and is always playing hard. I recently transitioned him from the shelter food to another one, and I know he is stealing the adult cat food as well, because I don't always notice until it's too late, so I'm sure he's making his tummy sensitive. (We ordered microchip feeders to prevent this, but they haven't arrived yet.) His fecal test from the doctor also came back with a result of a mild parasite which the doctor said usually causes no symptoms, but diarrhea can happen occasionally. It requires an antibiotic to treat, but the doctor said it isn't really necessary unless I absolutely want to treat him, due to the nature of the parasite. Now I'm thinking I should, though.

I'm rational when it comes to most things. But what happened with Zoe was one of the worst things I've ever gone through and I'm so afraid of losing Charlie, I'm driving myself crazy.

Sorry for the wall of text, and I'm sorry I'm such a crazy cat mom. Any advice to calm my nerves this morning would be very appreciated. Can anyone else relate? Do his symptoms seem normal?

 

[Itsmandymo]

Also, I should mention - if anyone is interested in reading more about my baby Zoe, you can see my original thread here: Sickly Kitten Advice (long Story)

And the parasite Charlie has is cystoisospora felis, which is related to coccidiosis. He must have gotten it from the shelter and now my other cats likely have it as well. I find it strange that the doctor recommended not treating it, but I'm keeping an eye on everyone and Charlie is the only one potentially showing any symptoms.

 

[weebeasties]

I'm so sorry about your loss of Zoe. I do not have any helpful advice, I just wanted you to know that I understand your feelings.
Our Isabelle was only one and a half when she passed away unexpectedly. She had lost her appetite and on the second day we took her to the vet. The vet examined her and said she was fine. Said she probably was sneaking food from our other cats when we weren't looking. I knew that wasn't the case and demanded bloodwork. They said they would call with results the next day. They gave her a shot of cerenia and sent us on our way. We awoke the next morning to find Isabelle in extreme distress. We rushed her back to the vet, but it was too late. She died 30 minutes later. We were devastated. The shock and immense grief were too much to bear. I wasn't thinking properly and so didn't ask for an autopsy. I will always regret that decision. I will forever wonder what happened.
Four months later we adopted a kitten, Buddy. I was so paranoid about his health, I took him to the vet for every little thing. He had 8 vet visits in the first three months. I'm not kidding. There was never anything wrong. He never even came down with a cold, which many shelter kittens do. But the fear was so strong that I kept dragging him back to the vet if I thought anything seemed off. It's been a little over a year since I've brought him home. I still have anxiety about his health, but I no longer panic over every little thing. If he doesn't finish his meal or if he is sleeping more than usual one day, I can now sit back and observe to see if he improves before I rush to the vet. The fear is still there, but perhaps it has eased somewhat.
I just wanted you to know you are not alone with your feelings.
Charlie is gorgeous BTW!
I'm sure someone with more knowledge than myself about the parasite will be along shortly to answer your health questions.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. So sorry about Zoe, and certainly understand your concern over anything happening to Charlie - who is so adorable, btw!

I had to look up this parasite and so I am including an article about it so you can read it over as well. This particular article does indicate an antibiotic treatment, as well as disinfecting all areas to help prevent recurrence and spread. It also suggests additional treatments to help alleviate diarrhea and the concurrent dehydration that can follow. So, I am not quite sure why your vet doesn't seem to think any treatment at all is appropriate.

I hope this information helps some.

Coccidiosis in Cats

 

[kysa]

The last time I posted here was a year ago. My baby Zoe had so many health issues at such a young age, I was at a loss. After multiple surgeries and many guesses from specialists, our internal medicine doctor suspected FIP. I spent all of my time with Zoe, hardly sleeping myself, just to keep her comfortable and happy and give her the best life she could have in her remaining time. She was on steroids and three other medications that had to be staggered every couple hours. Despite the progression to wet FIP, Zoe lived for another month. One afternoon, she started to have seizures and we were able to get a doctor to our home that helped Zoe pass peacefully in my lap. By the end, the disease caused so many health problems for her, I can hardly list them all and I don't want to, as the memory is still extremely painful for me. She was five months old when she passed last August.

All this to say, when she died, her little brother Booker lost his playmate and cuddle buddy. It has taken a year, but my husband and I decided to adopt again a few weeks ago - a little cream point siamese mix from the shelter. His name is Charlie, and he's three months old today. He and Booker already get along very well and they both seem really happy.

Charlie seems healthy, but I think I'm traumatized by what happened with Zoe. I watch Charlie obsessively for any signs of illness. He had a mild herpes flare-up (conjunctivitis) and I took him to urgent care - not waiting for a real appointment. I am constantly checking his skin elasticity for dehydration and feeling under his arms to check his temperature. And I weigh him at least once a day. But my paranoia persists. (Though I'm very careful not to let my worries disrupt Charlie - he is a cuddle bug and is more than happy to let me hold him and check him out, then we go right back to playing.)

He had normal formed poops when we adopted him, but recently the poop has been getting softer and lighter in color. He had two instances of mild diarrhea yesterday, and it was much lighter than normal - basically the color of his wet food. Maybe he's overeating? I might subconsciously feed him too much because Zoe never gained weight. I don't know. However, I worked all night last night, and when I came home this morning, I noticed that Charlie didn't finish all of his wet food that my husband fed to him, and there's a part of my brain that is convinced something is terribly wrong because he didn't finish his dinner and he also had runny stools for a single day.

He acts normal, and is always playing hard. I recently transitioned him from the shelter food to another one, and I know he is stealing the adult cat food as well, because I don't always notice until it's too late, so I'm sure he's making his tummy sensitive. (We ordered microchip feeders to prevent this, but they haven't arrived yet.) His fecal test from the doctor also came back with a result of a mild parasite which the doctor said usually causes no symptoms, but diarrhea can happen occasionally. It requires an antibiotic to treat, but the doctor said it isn't really necessary unless I absolutely want to treat him, due to the nature of the parasite. Now I'm thinking I should, though.

I'm rational when it comes to most things. But what happened with Zoe was one of the worst things I've ever gone through and I'm so afraid of losing Charlie, I'm driving myself crazy.

Sorry for the wall of text, and I'm sorry I'm such a crazy cat mom. Any advice to calm my nerves this morning would be very appreciated. Can anyone else relate? Do his symptoms seem normal?View attachment 291312 View attachment 291313

We recently got a kitten who tested positive for coccidia & was given ponazuril (2 doses a week apart) then retested negative 2 weeks after first treatment. We opted to give one more dose of ponazuril just in case. She is doing fine. We were instructed to keep her separated from our other 2 cats until she tested negative. If yours has already been with your other kitty it might need treated also? We had lost 2 prior kittens one at a year old & one at 4 months to FIP. So I do get your fears. We do the best we can & hope for the best. I hope this helps.

 

[Itsmandymo]

I'm so sorry about your loss of Zoe. I do not have any helpful advice, I just wanted you to know that I understand your feelings.
Our Isabelle was only one and a half when she passed away unexpectedly. She had lost her appetite and on the second day we took her to the vet. The vet examined her and said she was fine. Said she probably was sneaking food from our other cats when we weren't looking. I knew that wasn't the case and demanded bloodwork. They said they would call with results the next day. They gave her a shot of cerenia and sent us on our way. We awoke the next morning to find Isabelle in extreme distress. We rushed her back to the vet, but it was too late. She died 30 minutes later. We were devastated. The shock and immense grief were too much to bear. I wasn't thinking properly and so didn't ask for an autopsy. I will always regret that decision. I will forever wonder what happened.
Four months later we adopted a kitten, Buddy. I was so paranoid about his health, I took him to the vet for every little thing. He had 8 vet visits in the first three months. I'm not kidding. There was never anything wrong. He never even came down with a cold, which many shelter kittens do. But the fear was so strong that I kept dragging him back to the vet if I thought anything seemed off. It's been a little over a year since I've brought him home. I still have anxiety about his health, but I no longer panic over every little thing. If he doesn't finish his meal or if he is sleeping more than usual one day, I can now sit back and observe to see if he improves before I rush to the vet. The fear is still there, but perhaps it has eased somewhat.
I just wanted you to know you are not alone with your feelings.
Charlie is gorgeous BTW!
I'm sure someone with more knowledge than myself about the parasite will be along shortly to answer your health questions.

Thank you for your reply! That is exactly how I feel and it's nice to know I'm not alone at least! If not for my husband, I think I would've rushed to urgent care a few more times already. It is such a horrible thing to lose a baby and I'm so sad to hear about your Isabelle. I'm glad you found Buddy and he has such a wonderful home and a family that loves him so much!

Some good news - we tried giving Charlie a little less wet food today and let him pace himself on dry food and his stool this evening was back to normal! Thanks to all of the kind and helpful replies here, and the improvement with his poop, I'm feeling a lot less anxious. I'll be starting him on antibiotics soon, too. I'll keep you all updated.

 

[di and bob]

It's good to be vigilant, but bad to be obsessive. Of course you are going to feel this way after what you have gone through, that is completely normal. But try to take each day as it comes, you can't change the past and the future is not here yet. I have found in my great age, that worrying about what MIGHT happen, is a pointless endeavor. What you envision very, very, rarely comes true.
It is good to be alert to any changes in your little one's health, many things can be changed and corrected. As long as your little one is playing, eating, drinking, and using the litterbox, he is fine. A sick cat very early will sleep a lot and refuse water and food. As for this latest diagnosis, call the vet that did the test and point blank ask him why he didn't recommend treatment, he may very well have a legitimate excuse. If not seek another vet. Do what your heart tells you, but don't expose your precious one to needless pokes and proddings either.

 

[neely]

First, let me express my sincere and deepest sympathies on the loss of your sweet Zoe. I truly understand how difficult it can be to do everything in your power to help a kitten or cat with multiple health problems and they eventually pass on to the bridge.

Second, I'm glad to hear you adopted a new bundle of fur named Charlie who is a compatible cuddle buddy for Booker. All the above members have given you knowledgeable advice regarding coccidiosis. Here is another article that may be helpful for you: Intestinal Parasite (Coccidia) in Cats | petMD

Best of luck with your new guy. Please keep us posted on his progress.

 

[Lucas&Landonsmom]

I can totally relate to what your going through. I lost my most beloved Zachary Owen in early April of this year. It all happened so suddenly, I couldn't believe I didn't realize something was wrong with my Zachary. We put him to sleep and I sang his favorite song that I sang to him everyday since he was just a baby.

In May we started looking for a bengal kitten just like Zachary. We got Lucas our sweet boy in June. My husband is a firefighter/paramedic so we have some medical supplies at home. When we first got Lucas I would make him listen to his heart, check his breathing rate, I also weighed him every day and still do. I inspect his poop to make sure it looks okay. I chart his weight daily, I take notes when I notice anything out of the ordinary. I even took him to the vet because I was sure he was breathing to fast. I am so terrified of loosing my babies too. I go home at lunch everyday just to check on them. I know deep down he is perfectly healthy, he came from an exceptional breeder that screened his parents for all genetic disorders. We got another bengal kitten Landon in late June and I do the exact same thing with Landon. I love these little boys so much, I can't let them down. I have had cats all my life and never been so constantly worried since I lost Zachary.