- Joined
- Jul 7, 2013
- Messages
- 31
- Purraise
- 5
This is a long post, but please bear with me, as I want to give all the detail I can.
I was given two newborn kittens, cords and all (fate of the mother unknown). I had no experience with fostering but wanted to give them a chance, so I took them in. I raised them on kmr for six weeks, with no problems except ocassional sneezing and milk bubbles in the nose a couple of times. I was also given strong id to deworm them.
After weaning onto science diet wet kitten food, one kitten would throw it up every once in a while (always looked like the food, and always in the morning several hours after eating). I tried him on baby food, a/d wet food from the vet, and friskies, all which he kept down. Ocassionaly he would sneak a few bites of the science diet from his sister's plate (big appetite). When he would throw up after that I figured it was from the stolen bites. I thought he was allergic to that brand and kept it away from him as much as possible. Other than the throwing up he was very playful, using the litterbox, good appetite.
One morning he threw up and seemed listless and no appetite. I panicked and called the woman in charge of the shelter where I got them. She said to give him sugar water. I did and he perked right up. All was good until two days later he threw up again. But he seemed fine and ate his food. I had an appointment at the shelter's vet two days later (Sat) so thought it would be okay until then. I was very anxious to talk to the vet and discuss my concerns. Turns out it was not like a regular vet appt. There were a lot of cats and kittens to get to in a short amount of time. My kittens (8 weeks) were tested for aids & leukemia (neg)
and given a distemper shot. The only thing I got to tell the vet was about his vomiting. She said some cats are just sensitive.
Later that day he was very tired and slept for a few hours while his sister was unaffected. But he perked back to his usual playful self and was fine for the rest of the night and all through the next day.
Early Monday morning he threw up his food again from the night before. He was uninterested in food and even the sugar water did not perk him up this time. He also felt very warm and his eyes looked "sick" to me. Sort of glassy or something. Took him to the vet immediately (not the shelter vet). He had a fever of 105. They managed to get it down to normal, and he was eating again, although not playful. They kept him for a few days for observation and gave him antibiotics. On Wednesday afternoon I got a call to tell me he was having trouble breathing and to come in. When I got there he was on oxygen and covered in heating blankets. The vet said his temperature had dropped too low and his gums were very pale. They advised me to put him to sleep. I was devastated and in shock and could barely think. I pet him and told him I loved him. He got very agitated and bled a bit from his nose. After a short time he laid back down and bled from the mouth, and that was it. The vet could not find a heartbeat. She took some fluid from his stomach but found nothing.
I was crushed and blame myself still (it has only been four days). One of the techs told my brother that he could've had a weak immune system and the vaccine could have pushed him over the edge, which makes me feel unbearably guilty.
To further add to my torment, he had bitten a tech and the vet said they have to send him for a rabies test by law. The thought of that... doing that to my baby makes everything ten times worse.
If anyone has any idea what could have happened to my precious baby, please let me know. I am very angry, upset and confused. I will never be able to stop beating myself up over it.
I was given two newborn kittens, cords and all (fate of the mother unknown). I had no experience with fostering but wanted to give them a chance, so I took them in. I raised them on kmr for six weeks, with no problems except ocassional sneezing and milk bubbles in the nose a couple of times. I was also given strong id to deworm them.
After weaning onto science diet wet kitten food, one kitten would throw it up every once in a while (always looked like the food, and always in the morning several hours after eating). I tried him on baby food, a/d wet food from the vet, and friskies, all which he kept down. Ocassionaly he would sneak a few bites of the science diet from his sister's plate (big appetite). When he would throw up after that I figured it was from the stolen bites. I thought he was allergic to that brand and kept it away from him as much as possible. Other than the throwing up he was very playful, using the litterbox, good appetite.
One morning he threw up and seemed listless and no appetite. I panicked and called the woman in charge of the shelter where I got them. She said to give him sugar water. I did and he perked right up. All was good until two days later he threw up again. But he seemed fine and ate his food. I had an appointment at the shelter's vet two days later (Sat) so thought it would be okay until then. I was very anxious to talk to the vet and discuss my concerns. Turns out it was not like a regular vet appt. There were a lot of cats and kittens to get to in a short amount of time. My kittens (8 weeks) were tested for aids & leukemia (neg)
and given a distemper shot. The only thing I got to tell the vet was about his vomiting. She said some cats are just sensitive.
Later that day he was very tired and slept for a few hours while his sister was unaffected. But he perked back to his usual playful self and was fine for the rest of the night and all through the next day.
Early Monday morning he threw up his food again from the night before. He was uninterested in food and even the sugar water did not perk him up this time. He also felt very warm and his eyes looked "sick" to me. Sort of glassy or something. Took him to the vet immediately (not the shelter vet). He had a fever of 105. They managed to get it down to normal, and he was eating again, although not playful. They kept him for a few days for observation and gave him antibiotics. On Wednesday afternoon I got a call to tell me he was having trouble breathing and to come in. When I got there he was on oxygen and covered in heating blankets. The vet said his temperature had dropped too low and his gums were very pale. They advised me to put him to sleep. I was devastated and in shock and could barely think. I pet him and told him I loved him. He got very agitated and bled a bit from his nose. After a short time he laid back down and bled from the mouth, and that was it. The vet could not find a heartbeat. She took some fluid from his stomach but found nothing.
I was crushed and blame myself still (it has only been four days). One of the techs told my brother that he could've had a weak immune system and the vaccine could have pushed him over the edge, which makes me feel unbearably guilty.
To further add to my torment, he had bitten a tech and the vet said they have to send him for a rabies test by law. The thought of that... doing that to my baby makes everything ten times worse.
If anyone has any idea what could have happened to my precious baby, please let me know. I am very angry, upset and confused. I will never be able to stop beating myself up over it.
