VERY skinny mother....what's wrong??

[gothic_amethyst]

I know this thread may anger some....please dont get mad at me. Only you can help me save her...
One of my cats has 4 kittens...they are old enough to be weaned.
She is sooooo skinny she looks like bones. She also has bad diareah. She stopped eating the dry food and now wont eat nothing but the kitten's canned food(mixed with kitten chow)and even though it's good she's eating something, that's not helping her get rid of the diareah eating canned food. I'm not sure why she is so skinny.She acts fine and meows alot. She drinks fine too. She eats the kittens food asif she never gets to eat...Her kittens are very healthy and all i can think is she just has gave too much of her body resources to the kittens. What do you think? I want to take her to the vet, but grandma said that she will take every cat to the vet except her and that she is gonna take her to pound as soon as kittens are weaned. I have a week to convince her to wait and let me save her. The reason she says she refuses to take her, but will my other cats is because she says she is dying and doesnt want to waste money on a dying cat. I offered to pay and she said no that it's too late and she has decided to take her to the pound unless I can prove she is worth saving. She said it's cheaper and nicer to let the pound kill her instead of trying to save her. Let me know what you thing is wrong with her and what I can do to get her looking better. Or if u agree that she should be put to sleep

 

[hissy]

Please take this cat to the vet. Get an older friend to help you talk her, volunteer to do chores at the friend's home if you have to, but get this cat to the vet and quickly. She risks her life every day you hold off taking her in. There could be a lot of things wrong with her and diagnosing her over the internet is silly and also dangerous. PLEASE get her in to be seen!

 

[gothic_amethyst]

That's why I wanted you guys to help me think of the possible reasons and if it's just something like nutrition I should be able to convince her. She has always been alittle skinny, but never so much she didnt look healthy. This has happened since the kittens were born. She acts fine other than the diareah. I think maybe 4 kittens were just too much for her body and the canned food is giving her the diareah. I just cant get her to eat HER food (dry), and the kittens wont come eat unless she's eating...so I'm not sure how to get her to eat her food if that's what it is. So I think it's either she's not eating like she should and that 4 kittens is too much for her to handle. If it is the kittens...is there a way to make her wean them early since giving them milk probably isnt good for her?

 

[gurlpower]

Hello there!

i am so sorry you have your hands full. Sounds like your furbaby is pretty stressed and something is definitely amiss.

could you just take her to the vet as soon as possible?

Hope all is well.

Hugs for your furbaby.

 

[gothic_amethyst]

I asked in the first post to not get mad at me. How can you call my grandma kind? She has wanted them ALL to be took to pound and i only talked her out of it by paying what i could and doing chores. SHE is insisting that this cat be took to the pound and killed. Not me. How does that make her kind refusing to let me pay for the vet visit? Yes I am an adult and I know it's on my concience. Just because I am adult doesnt mean I can do anything. Since I cant find a job(small country town bad economy)I cant work. She is the main person in house since she provides the income. As a result she feels even if I pay for it all she is my boss in this regardless of my age. The purpose of this thread was to see if the majority of people felt it was something like nutrition due to kittens or disease and if so I could convince her to take her to the vet. She told me if you guys think that then she will take her. All I wanted was someone to answer my question.I didnt want anyone getting upset or losing their temper.This cat is the only cat I have that's not healthy.She acts normal other than being skinny and having diareah.I take care of them all and take them all to the vet. Grandma has just said not this one. Why would I be "pawning guilt off the people in the forum"? What gives you that idea? The purpose of this forum is to help others and to offer advice. What I need is support and an answer to my question. Not anger. Please just PM me from now on if you have something to say that is about me and not my cats. Let's keep the forum about cats and not members. I think that's why they created PM's.

 

[jeanie g.]

G.A. Please walk, if necessary, to the vet with the cat in a carrier from which she can't escape. Offer to help there part time if they will help you with this cat. Explain your situation. Be willing to work for minimum wage, if necessary. Be willing to have the cost of neutering and spaying the cats as your ONLY salary. Or get a part time job elsewhere, as advised, and ask the vet if she'll take payments. But please realize that you are in over your head.

When you ask for advice, please listen to the vet and anyone else who is trying to help. Also check out Meowhoo to see about getting homes for the new kittens, and check out http://www.alleycat.org/ to get as much information as you can. If you don't have a job of your own, you have set a goal which is beyond your reach right now. I'm not being unkind. I'm not in a financial position to do it myself, and I'm a grown woman. Sometimes we have to discard our pride on this earth. It's a brave thing to do. Just tell him your situation, and be willing to work hard.

 

[gothic_amethyst]

If I could walk, she would already have been to the vet. As I said before I live in small country town. The closest vet is about 30 miles. I also already asked about working there but they said they needed no help. I have the money to take her to the vet in my savings account. Problem is I have no way to get to town. Grandma feels she is superior in this issue regardless of my age. Even if I pay she doesnt want to drive all the way to the vet unless you guys can say if it's nutrition due to kittens or if its a disease. What do u mean by in over my head? She has taken every cat to the vet and we have payed for them. She just wont take this one. Oh and I wanted to post about finding homes for my cat, but online Im very paranoid about telling anyone where I live or how to find me. I have to start giving them away though next week...I just pray that my instincts are right about the people that take them. Cross your fingers that good people take them and ASAP. Grandma said I have so long after they are weaned to give them away or they are going to the pound.

 

[jeanie g.]

Unfortunately, we cannot diagnose a cat either in person or on the internet. There are many causes for diarrhea, and we would be guessing. Also, the kittens should really stay with mother as long as possible. The experts suggest 12 weeks. We can't help you, unfortunately, if everything we suggest is impossible. I believe the vet might change his mind if you walked in with the cat and the offer. They're not heartless people. I hope you will try the suggestions given.

 

[princess purr]

This is why I said you were in over your head. She needs to go to the vet ASAP, she sounds like she is very sick and i'm really worried about her.

Caring for cats isn't just about being able to give them food, it is also about being able to care for them when an emergancy happens. Please get kitty to the vet

 

[lorie d.]

Gothic_Amethyst, I have a couple of suggestions for you.

1. Please check your phone book listings for mobile veterinary services in your area. This way you will be able to have a vet come right to your home. When you make an appointment, please tell them that this is very urgent and the cat needs to be seen ASAP.

2. In your signature, you mention your fiance(sp?) Lyle. Could you ask him to help you get your cat to a vet?

 

[gothic_amethyst]

Jeanie G:
I know you can't diagnose, but I just wanted to know due to everyones experiance if it's possible a mother can get skinny from too many kittens affecting her immune system. I think that's what it was and the canned food is giving her the diareah since she was healthy and didnt have diareah before they were born. Oh and they are either 9-10 weeks. They eat fine so I think they can be weaned. Im waiting one more week to make sure.

Princess Purr:
I know. Im worried too. Otherwise I wouldnt be trying to find out something to use to convince grandma. I know it's not just food and Ive said many times before that we have taken them all to the vet when needed. Grandma just refuses to take her.

Lorie D:
Unless they would be willing to come over 30 miles to my house...I doubt that would work. Lyle cant because he has no time, and we live really far apart and only see each other once a week IF he get off work..(He would if he could so dont think he's not a cat lover).

 

[princess purr]

have you had your cats tested for felv and fiv?

 

[gothic_amethyst]

Of the 4 that have needed medical attention they tested negative. Since they all stay together and she is the only one skinny or at all unhealthy, I dont think that's what it is...atleast I hope not. If it was though, would her kittens be unhealthy? They are very stong and healthy.

 

[mellanie]

I hope you are able to find some way of getting your little momma some medical attention! Being skinny and having loose stool could be the symptoms of more problems than I can even think to list! She really does need the medical attention.
Now, when you do get this health problem under control, you should perhaps consider getting new homes for some of your kitties. I don't meant this as a personal attack against you, but from this thread and others you have posted on these forums, it sounds like you are unable to properly provide for your pets. I have no doubt you love your pets and do everything you can for them, but if you can't take care of them when they get sick, then what you have to offer them clearly isn't enough. Sorry to hurt your feelings, but it seems pretty obvious to me that at this point in your life you can't provide all the care your cats need.

 

[gothic_amethyst]

I know. I'm goin to start giving them away next week. Not because of money (that's not been a problem for several months)but because I am moving and cant take them all with me.What makes you think I am unable to properly provide? They get all the food they want and there have only been 4 that needed any kind of vet attention. All 4 have been taken. All of my cats are healthy and happy. I take them all to the vet, and I've been the one doctoring them all hours of the day and night when it was needed. I do love them. If i didnt they would've all been taken to the pound a long time ago like grandma wanted. This mother is the only one sick. I can provide all the care they need except for her. Grandma thinks that she is a "lost cause" since she has been this way since pregnancy. I think she just had too many kittens and not enough milk and it's an immune system drain. she acts the same as always except for looking skinny and having diareah.

 

[princess purr]

I decided to pm you instead of posting it on here.

 

[dragonlady]

Keep giving her Kitten food as it is high in nutrition.Get to a store and water down the food with pedeolite as this will replace vital fluids.

It could be as simple as a worm infestation. You will have to go to get the medication from a vet for it to work. With worms and kittens she would drop a lot of weight and have diarreah.

I cannot guarentee this is what it is as It could also be an infected uterus and that can be cured by spaying.

Tell your grandmother you are sorry that she feels no pity for this poor defencless creature and you hope no one treats her this way when she is ill and helpless. God sees when even a sparrow falls...

I will pray that you get the help you need to help this baby girl. Maybe a neighbor needs help with childcare or yard work. They take you to the vet and they get free services!

Good luck

 

[gothic_amethyst]

Ive been mixing kitten food with canned and gradually less canned food trying to get the kittens to eat more dried food and her too so she'd maybe have less diareah since every cat ive tried on can food diet got diareah. I heard about this paste stuff(nutrigel?) that u give to cats that is full of nutrients...either they lick it off your finger or u put it in the food. Im gonna try to get some of that for her. Isn't pedeolite for humans? Is that safe for her? or is that nutrigel paste better?

It's possible that it's worms i've thought of that.
If i can get grandma to NOT take her to the pound I cant spay her untill she's healthy. I plan to put her in a room where she will be isolated from the other cats.

Ive told her that stuff and how it's not fair she is singleing out this cat and wont take her but said she would the others and that if it was me she would take me so how is a cat any different.

Thanks for your prayers atleast now i know im not the only one praying that grandma sees the right thing to do in this situation and that mamma cat can be ok. My neighbor is the owner of the paylake and he is a JERK

His 2 cats and one of his dogs are too skinny and always comming here for food. He doesnt like me calling my cats at food time and disturbing his customers and lets his dog scare my cats to death up a tree.

I think his dog is responsible for felix's ball sac getting ripped.He obviously makes me furious...so I wont go into the subject of him...the next closest neighbor is too old to drive. This is why Im moving soon. This tiny place is like a prison. The 4 Im taking with me will be able to get better care since it will all finally be in my control and Ill be close to a vet.

 

[princess purr]

 

[gothic_amethyst]

I cant tell who u were just mad and cussing at me or grandma but please delete that post and PM me with problems. If you dont this thread will be closed because the administration frowns on this stuff.
Dont let this thread be closed because u are angry. Pm me with problems.

Princess purr: u too please. I know it's funny to u, but u need to delete it too. Momma cat needs you.

anyone mad can PM me I dont care what u say to me...just dont let anger cause my thread to be locked. My cat doesnt deserve it and neither do the other people trying to help that are nice.