Very sick kitten...

[chickpea616]

Just sharing my current situation and hoping for some good vibes...

We have 4 cats: 2 kittens and 2 adults. The kittens are newer to the household, we got them around November of 2019. Everyone is all integrated together and getting along. Last week, one of the kittens injured her paw. We don't know how - she was just suddenly limping. Ok, so we take her to the vet and they do an x-ray. No breaks, some swelling. They give her a pain injection, and we go home with pain meds for a week and crate/room rest, little to no activity so she can't injure it more.

The weekend passes and she starts to get more lethargic. By Monday, she's totally lethargic and shivering. My husband rushes her to the vet and they say she has a high fever and give her another pain injection and start an antibiotic. On Tuesday, she's no better and now one of her eyes is starting to show signs of closing, having goopy/crust, and you can see the third eyelid. Back to the vet, and they draw blood and say we'll find out results on Wednesday. Near the end of the day, both eyes are now showing signs of infection, and she's not moving all day - but at least still responds and moves for us while we are there. I'm syringe-feeding water at this point and at least she's picking at wet food as I hold the bowl up to her mouth.

Wednesday evening takes us to an emergency vet. She still has a fever! Although not as high as it was - and both eyes look bad. She treats the symptoms - giving her pain shot (and again sending us home with some), antibiotic injection (slow releasing that will last 2 weeks), and subcutaneous fluids to stave off dehydration. We also have ointment for the eyes.

Today shows almost no improvement - but at least still responds to us. I have given the meds as directed, and I'm just hoping she improves a little. I'll probably go back in for more subcutaneous fluids for the weekend because I really don't want her to get dehydrated on top of all these other problems. And her eyes look horrible!! They are swollen, and red, and you can clearly see the third eyelid on both of them. I'm hearbroken, worried, and just looking for some positive vibes/thoughts to get me through...I do believe we are doing the best we can for her so it's not like I think I can do anything else, even though at the same time I'm so antsy that I just want to be doing something for her!

Ugh!!! (And whew! It actually feels good to get the story out there and off my chest for now)….if you made it this far in the story, thanks for listening!

 

[mentat]

Any opthalmic meds, such as tobramycin drops? Systemic oral antibiotics specific for the eye infection and possible skin wound on forelimb i.e. doxycycline and clindamycin orally, not injectable cefovecin, the popular long acting antibiotic primarily used for superficial skin infections. Eyes sound like a coinciding symptom with separate diagnosis; perhaps exposed initially at vet hospital last week if they had a chlamydia or herpes patient in the ER. Nasal Cerenia can also help the lacrimal/nasal drainage and inflammation, fairly new clinical treatment option discovered in last 2 years for URI kitties. Images of chlamydial conjunctivitis and thick fluid filled conjunctiva Chlamydophila Felis - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
If her orthopedic issue resolved, no more limb swelling, the fever could be secondary to the respiratory infection. If limb swelling persists, the swollen tissue still needs to be aspirated at some point, checking for purulent material accumulating in dead space vs soft tissue swelling. Edema and lymphatic drainage is a less likely cause, as kittens are prone to limb trauma more than prone to lymph diseases.
Time for internist consult for that fever of unknown origin, who may recommend surgical consult if trauma has led to an injury. Internist may repeat rads if limb still affected, have boarded radiologist interpret them, for targeted diagnosis and treatment. With all your emergency visits, a specialist going beyond symptomatic stabilizing is needed to get Rain sorted. That'd be my plan of attack if she were my own or my foster kiddo.

 

[chickpea616]

Erythromycin ointment for eyes. When she can stand, she still barely puts weight on the injured leg. No abscess that anyone can find, but we can see it’s swollen.

 

[Jcatbird]

Definitely more sub q fluids. I’m so sorry she is sick. I’m not a vet and wish I was right now. Any open wound on the hurt foot? Strictly indoor kitty? The thing that strikes me is the onset of fever along with the hurt foot. Any chance of a bite? I also am wondering about any reaction to that particular pain med. It’s certainly worth asking about. It does seem that more is going on here. Two separate issues but I worry about possible infection in the hurt paw.
If she won’t take regular kitty food you can try the Gerber 2nd foods all meat baby food. Warm it slightly to enhance the smell. It contains a good bit of fluid to help hydrate. If she seems to have any congestion difficulties you can use a steamy bathroom to help her a bit. Our vet has us use a cool mist vaporizer and an air purifier. Has the blood work come back yet? Hopefully that will indicate the next course of action if she hasn’t shown improvement. How old is the kitten?
You definitely have all the good and healing vibes we can send! Please update us!
catsknowme maybe you have some tips?

 

[Jcatbird]

It seems we all posted about the same time. If she were a very young kitten I know that a bit of honey on the gums can give some energy. Hopefully some of our members with lots of kitten experience can give some tips on building her strength while you work out the other issues. I’ll see if I can find some other help for relevant threads on site.

Furballsmom can you help or find another helper? kittychick
Mamanyt1953

 

[chickpea616]

Definitely more sub q fluids. I’m so sorry she is sick. I’m not a vet and wish I was right now. Any open wound on the hurt foot? Strictly indoor kitty? The thing that strikes me is the onset of fever along with the hurt foot. Any chance of a bite? I also am wondering about any reaction to that particular pain med. It’s certainly worth asking about. It does seem that more is going on here. Two separate issues but I worry about possible infection in the hurt paw.
If she won’t take regular kitty food you can try the Gerber 2nd foods all meat baby food. Warm it slightly to enhance the smell. It contains a good bit of fluid to help hydrate. If she seems to have any congestion difficulties you can use a steamy bathroom to help her a bit. Our vet has us use a cool mist vaporizer and an air purifier. Has the blood work come back yet? Hopefully that will indicate the next course of action if she hasn’t shown improvement. How old is the kitten?
You definitely have all the good and healing vibes we can send! Please update us!
catsknowme maybe you have some tips?

She’s taking regular wet kitten food, thank goodness! Drinking is non-existent so we will do more sub-q fluids (who knew there was such a thing? Not me, until yesterday)

We believe that the paw injury and other stuff is not related, just coincidental. One vet explained it like this; her bloodwork showed an elevated muscle enzyme , which shows she was using all her “resources” on that, which made her susceptible to anything that came along. But what that could be is a mystery...

Yes, all 4 are strictly indoor cats, and there’s no visible wound (no marks, scratches, bites, anything), and that’s 3 different vets checking that paw out thoroughly.

Speaking of bloodwork, WBC was elevated, understandably...plus some other stuff was “off” but not enough of anything else to warrant alarm. Kinda crazy that we don’t really have a diagnosis yet. One vet was clearly “puzzled”.

Little Rain is 10 months old.

 

[mentat]

The internist I mentioned can help with such odd cases. A few months ago a foster kitten had polyarthritis and persistent FUO in the face of broad spectrum system antibiotic therapy and critical nursing support in ER with initial IM consult; sedated joint tap and blood PCR analysis revealed coronavirus. Other rule outs were autoimmune and fungal infection (ie cryptococcus, other mycotoxic species). Just to show you how exotic the diagnosis can get...

 

[Jcatbird]

Taking wet kitten food is fantastic. The sub q can give her a boost. As to what could have hit her, there are so many things out there that can attack a compromised immune system. Pinning it down takes time and it could be an elusive thing to diagnose without specialized testing. Is she immunized? It sounds like she is functioning a little better? Building her system so she has the strength to fight off whatever is causing this is a good thing. It buys you time and may get her over it. Make sure to keep her isolated from the others for the time being. With sick kitties here we practice very careful cleaning routines. Besides washing hands, I change shoes and outer clothing between kitties. I sterilize bedding and do not let anyone share food/water dishes or litter boxes during illness. Washing all bedding in hot water and drying on high heat too. Any items used for cleaning should be sterilized or discarded in a sealed trash bag and removed to a closed trash can outside. I am sending all the purrs I can find.

 

[chickpea616]

So in a bad case like this, I'm trying to gain some perspective. If I look at the actual timeline of events (big picture), she's only been like this for about a week (lethargic, barely moving, etc.). And yet, it feels like such a long time and the days seem to drag on with very little movement from her, and when she does, it's slow and "clumsy". I was hoping to at least see her sitting up in the crate this morning, but no - she's sleeping and doesn't really want to be roused for food. The only time we seem to see more alert-ness is shortly after we've given pain meds. That's also when I'm able to get her to eat.

So how long is reasonable for a noticeable improvement ? (I realize this is something that perhaps only a vet can answer - I'm just sorta getting all my thoughts down to stop me from bawling my eyes out)

I was planning on taking her in today for more sub-q fluids, have them assess her overall condition, and ask them for their thoughts on a diagnosis.

Jcatbird - she is isolated from the other cats, in a very large dog crate. She has her own litter box in the crate, along with water (that she never drinks, but anyway...) I will use more of your suggestiions, also. Thanks.

And - thanks all who responded and read this. It's nice to know people are out there listening! ((hugs))

 

[Furballsmom]

I was planning on taking her in today for more sub-q fluids, have them assess her overall condition, and ask them for their thoughts on a diagnosis.

This is a good plan.

I would wonder if she jumped and landed badly, regarding that leg - I'm assuming the xray included the shoulder?

About the rest of her, are you sure she didn't ingest/come in contact with something she shouldn't have? I'd think that would show up in the tests, but....

So, what about a specialist, as mentioned? Do you have a University Medical Veterinary department your vet could consult with?

 

[chickpea616]

The only place I could think of that she would have had contact with something she shouldn't have - is the vet's office. She's been there 3 times since last week, and also the ER vet a few days ago.

Not sure about them consulting with a specialist but I will ask.

Today is the first day she hasn't accepted food....she's going in to the vet in a few hours. Not sure how much more stress I can handle right about now

 

[Furballsmom]

If you need to hand feed her, be sure and do that - you'll both feel better.

Here's this thread as well, but handfeeding sounds like it will be the option. My vet taught me this; Utilize a popsicle stick, or tongue depressor, put a little food on the end of it, gently open her mouth by pressing on her jaw back where it hinges and scoop the food onto her tongue. Repeat a few times. She needs the nutrients as well as the hydration, pate' style works the best for this method.

Any Good Tips To Get Your Cats To Eat? Share Them Here!

 

[jefferd18]

Oh wow, I have been reading this with all of my fingers crossed. I can't imagine what is wrong with her but I do know that the sub fluids will help immensely. Please let us know what happens at the vet's.

 

[kittenmittens84]

Do her actual eyes (iris or pupil) look different at all or is it only the surrounding eyelid area?

 

[jefferd18]

chickpea616- how did things go today at the vet's?

 

[stephanietx]

If she got a Convenia shot, it could be the cause of the extreme lethargy. It causes that reaction with 2 of my cats and now I have it on my never, ever give list.

 

[Micaela227]

Oh, i hope she gets better soon! Good luck, stay strong xoxo

 

[chickpea616]

Thanks guys. We had to take her in to the emergency vet again yesterday and ended up leaving her there to receive IV fluids and a whole mess of other stuff. This is/was one very sick little kitty. Both her eyes were basically covered with the third eyelid, not to mention the fact that when the vet took her temperature yesterday, she literally said "holy crap". It was 105.8

So she's there right now and I was just about to call for the latest update. The update at around 1 was that they finally had broken the fever and she was eating. Both good signs. They are not a 24/7 ER vet, however, and so we need to decide whether or not to leave her there one more night and pick her up in the morning (which we are leaning towards), or just get her tonight (not my favorite option). I want to get her as stable as possible before bringing her home.....

Thanks for all the well wishes. This is a complete roller coaster and I'm about at the end of my emotional rope with all the kitty stuff (and everything else going on in the world right now)....will update another time soon.

 

[stephanietx]

I'm so very sorry you're kitty is so sick and having such a terrible time. Please keep us posted. Big hugs to you.

 

[chickpea616]

Her temp went way up again Not good .