Strange Changes In Kitten's Behavior

[mrsnides5]

I have a 4 mo kitten that has been acting very unusual for her the last couple days. She usually eats every kibble in sight at meal times. But at the last couple meal times, she goes to pick up a kibble then shakes her head and spits it out. I thought maybe she was teething and her gums hurt because she was still drinking normally and was still trying to eat, as well as keeping up her comical kitten energy!

However, when I came home today, I noticed a very strong odor from her back side and what looked like yellow mucus (maybe diarrhea) in a 5mm circle around her anus (she's white so it shows easily). I went to help her clean up (wipe with a warm cloth) which I have done a few times before without her giving a care, and she became frantic and squirmed way more than necessary. I also noticed she had been super vocal all afternoon, which is completely unlike her (usually doesn't make a sound).

She goes to the vet tomorrow, but now I'm scared she won't make it through the night! If anyone has any ideas, please help!

Thanks!

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

I'm so sorry that no one replied to your post last night! Have you been able to get any food into the kitten the last few days, maybe even trying canned food, or even a gentle baby food with no onion/garlic/seasonings?
How long has it been since she's had a full meal?

How is she doing?

I am so glad she's going to the vet today! Please keep us posted!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Oh, PLEASE let us know what is going on with your kitten! I try to get back online late in the evening, but don't always make it! I am so sorry no one saw your post!

 

[mrsnides5]

Please excuse my tardiness. The vet couldn't find anything wrong externally on her and a fecal float didn't turn up anything. Was a rough weekend with her. I was 99% sure she would not make it through Friday night, but somehow she did. The vet put her on metronidazole, but I don't think it's doing much, may have made the diarrhea more explosive. I had to hand feed her water soaked kibble for the entire weekend because she couldn't move to drink and wouldn't eat the wet food I bought for her. Her eyes were so blood shot and she could barely keep her eyelids open. Poor thing just laid on my chest, couldn't even purr.

Now it's three days later, she's still not 100% herself, but getting better I think. Took two hours to get her up and moving to eat Saturday. Now she's eating on her own, but not early as much as she did. Her diarrhea isn't any better and now she has gas so bad she scares herself. She's constantly grooming her anal region as well.

I wish I had had the money to do x-rays or something, it's still scary.

 

[aelu]

Hey there, I've been dealing with kitten diarrhea for almost 3 months now For us, he was positive for Giardia parasite, then tested negative later on...buuuuut still had diarrhea. We're still trying to figure out what is wrong with him, but his diarrhea always resolves within a day of taking antibiotics so we suspect he has bacteria overgrowth. Since you said the metro didn't fix your kitten's diarrhea, try not to worry! It's actually more common for antibiotics to cause diarrhea as a side-effect.

Sometimes a fecal float won't show anything. Some parasites can be present and not shed in feces all the time. Metronidazole is sometimes prescribed for Giardia, but it doesn't have the highest success rate (66%). You said that the diarrhea is yellow and has mucous? That can sometimes associated with Giardia or Coccidia, both which are hard to find in fecal floats (especially if they arent fresh feces). Is there blood in her diarrhea?
I find it weird that your vet didn't suggest to switch your kitten's diet to chicken and rice

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

mrsnides5 , thank you for the update and so sorry your little one is going through this! How many days of the antibiotic metronidazole did the vet instruct you to give? Have you given the vet this 3 or 4 day update to let them know that it is not helping the diarrhea? Sometimes certain antibiotics can have the wrong effect, and a different antibiotic -- or another approach-- might help more. Having diarrhea for so long is not a good thing to be happening, it's very dehydrating, can you let the vet know? Maybe a different antibiotic might help. And fluids, gentle food. (I wouldn't recommend rice, though, as if she's already gassy, that might make her feel worse-- I'd stay away from grains, in my view.) She will get weaker if the diarrhea isn't "fixed". I hope she continues to eat and get better!
Your kitten is trying to clean her poor bottom as it's probably so very sore from being sick so much. There is also an ointment called Animax your vet might suggest if her bottom is getting very inflamed and sore. In any case, I hear you when you say you cannot afford x-rays, but don't let that stop you from giving the vet a phone or email update or query regarding the continuing diarrhea problem. Maybe with just a few changes, she'll start feeling a lot better!

 

[mrsnides5]

Thanks for the help! The vet said to give her this med until tomorrow, so I was going to wait until Thursday to call them back with the updates. She's been drinking water and has been more active (at least picking play fights with her year old, much larger step-brother). I do think she's feeling better, but the diarrhea is just getting annoying. I found it two feet up a wall this morning, which I still have no idea how that is possible! When she farts (which are very loud and nasty smelling), she scares herself, runs and hides, which causes the leaked poop to make little trails behind her.

When I was at the vet, I expressed my concern for Giardia, but the vet said it came back negative (the sample was less than 20 minutes old).

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Thanks for the help! The vet said to give her this med until tomorrow, so I was going to wait until Thursday to call them back with the updates. She's been drinking water and has been more active (at least picking play fights with her year old, much larger step-brother). I do think she's feeling better, but the diarrhea is just getting annoying. I found it two feet up a wall this morning, which I still have no idea how that is possible! When she farts (which are very loud and nasty smelling), she scares herself, runs and hides, which causes the leaked poop to make little trails behind her. ...

Poor thing! Her little "tummy biome" is all out of sorts!
The good bacteria and the bacteria are duking it out inside her

(I'm sure there's a farting smiley somewhere on the web but I'll purposely not locate it... )


I hope the metronidazole was the winning antibiotic, and I hope the good bacteria wins and she continues to feel better!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

If her bottom is sore, a TINY dab of olive oil may soothe it, and I mean tiny. It is also used to combat constipation in kittens, so GOD KNOWS you don't want her licking much of it! Maybe best to wait for ointment, or until the diarrhea slows down. Do keep it in mind, though.

 

[mrsnides5]

I want to thank all of you for answering me. Being a first time kitten mom has not been easy, but saving this little girl has been worth every minute.

Binka (Bink-ah) is more or less back to her normal self. She's still dealing with diarrhea, but it's minimal compared to what it was before. She's eating like the little hoss she is. Bum is still super red and irritated, but she's cleaning less often. She still has nasty farts that could clean a room, but they are less frequent.

I want to thank all of you, I don't think I could have made it through this without your helpful insights and kind words!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

That's the news we wanted, and that's why we are here! Don't stop posting just because Binka is recovering, please. You are a part of our community now. One day, you might be able to advise another new person with a similar situation.

 

[aelu]

Would love to know your progress with Binka, because we are dealing with the same thing.

 

[mrsnides5]

Would love to know your progress with Binka, because we are dealing with the same thing.

After this week, she's almost back to normal (99%). Once her behavior started returning to normal, Binka was through the worst of it. The diarrhea is gone, but she does have a tiny bit of discharge that she cleans. I also started mixing her food with the cat food we use (Taste of the Wild). The basic ingredients are helping her stomach get back to normal.

 

[Mamanyt1953]