Worms in newborn kitten

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catoncat

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Hello
A stray cat i take care of gave birth 2 days. one of the kittens has a lot of tiny worms inside and coming out the anus. As the kitten is only two days old is there anything to do to help remove the worms?

Not sure if related but one of the kittens seems to have yellow loose diarrhea (not sure if it's the worm kitten or another one)

Thank you
 
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catoncat

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Just checked and the same kitten that has worms is the one with yellow diarrhea
 

StefanZ

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Hello
A stray cat i take care of gave birth 2 days. one of the kittens has a lot of tiny worms inside and coming out the anus. As the kitten is only two days old is there anything to do to help remove the worms?

Not sure if related but one of the kittens seems to have yellow loose diarrhea (not sure if it's the worm kitten or another one)

Thank you
How are the worms looking?

Pyrantel takes the common round worm. Can be applied with kittens of 2+ weeks old. But I suppose in desperate cases it may be done earlier too.
Its prescription free.

The problem is, it may be something else... Potentially more evil....

I will think on you, usually there comes ideas....
 
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catoncat

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How are the worms looking?

Pyrantel takes the common round worm. Can be applied with kittens of 2+ weeks old. But I suppose in desperate cases it may be done earlier too.
Its prescription free.

The problem is, it may be something else... Potentially more evil....

I will think on you, usually there comes ideas....
The worms are white and thin, size of a rice grain. I think they are also coming (or attempting to) from the bellybutton there seems to be a hole behind the umbilical cord. The worms seem active and moving a lot.
 

di and bob

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It is time to see a vet. If they are active outside the digestive system, something is wrong. Could they be maggots? It would be less serious if they were coming from the anus. i would definitely recommend getting some help with this one, newborn kittens are so delicate......
 

Sarthur2

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You definitely need to get this kitten to a vet. I was thinking it might be maggots too. It would be rare for a newborn to have tapeworms yet. An umbilical tear will require antibiotics, and yes, a kitten this tiny CAN have antibiotics.

Were the kittens born outside? Are they still outside? How many kittens? Is mom nursing them?

If you do not help this kitten it will likely die.

C catoncat
 
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catoncat

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You definitely need to get this kitten to a vet. I was thinking it might be maggots too. It would be rare for a newborn to have tapeworms yet. An umbilical tear will require antibiotics, and yes, a kitten this tiny CAN have antibiotics.

Were the kittens born outside? Are they still outside? How many kittens? Is mom nursing them?

If you do not help this kitten it will likely die.

C catoncat
After googling I think they might be maggots. They look like it.
They were born outside not sure where but the mama moved them to a box I put out with clean bedding. They are 2 kittens and she’s nursing them.
 

Sarthur2

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Good! Can you get the kitten to the vet?

They’ll want to euthanize it, but if it’s umbilical wound is not life threatening, say no, insist on antibiotics, and ask them to kill and remove the maggots. They will not go away on their own. Maggots are killed with chloroform, among other ways.
 

StefanZ

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After googling I think they might be maggots. They look like it.
They were born outside not sure where but the mama moved them to a box I put out with clean bedding. They are 2 kittens and she’s nursing them.
Maggots looks unpleasant but they arent that bad as it looks. For example where there are maggots there are no bacteria infection in a wound. So unless there IS something dire going on, dont let the vet pts it...
 

Sarthur2

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Maggots actually eat infection, but they must eventually be removed. How are the kittens doing now? Please keep us posted, no matter what happens.
 
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catoncat

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Maggots actually eat infection, but they must eventually be removed. How are the kittens doing now? Please keep us posted, no matter what happens.
Thank you for checking. Unfortunately the kitten didn’t make it. Right before I was gonna take her to the vet I checked on her only to find out that it was too late. The umbilical cord area was covered in blood, totally open and the organs/insides bulging out. No idea what happened, if it was caused by the maggots or maybe the mama was trying to clean and it tore open? Never seen anything like it, it was a horrific sight :(
 
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catoncat

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Hello
I took a 4 day old kitten to the vet for a possible umbilical cord infection. The area behind it is swollen. The vet prescribed an antibiotic and gave her the first dosage, told me to give her another dose 4 hours later and then for the next 4 days once in the morning and once at night. I don’t have the name of the antibiotic but the dosage prescribed is 0.2 ml. I just wanted to double check it’s okay to give a second dosage only 4 hours after the first one? Seeing as the usual time between is 12 hours and the kitten is so young. I double checked with the vet and he confirmed to give it 4 hours later (night time) and then one in the morning.

Thanks!
 

StefanZ

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its difficult to know for us what it is if you yourself dont know what is it. Peculiar, as you checked up? Is there any label?

Anyway, if unsure, trust the vet. Esp as he confirmed.
Vet perhaps decided it was a severe infection and wanted to give the full salvo at once??


ps. Seeing this is the same errand as "the other thread" its apparent my guess was correct. Vet saw it was a severe infection and wanted to give full salvo at once.... Good try...
 
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Sarthur2

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Yes, follow the vet’s instructions. Keep us posted how the kitten is doing.
 
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catoncat

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I’m so sorry. A euthanasia would have been easier. How is the other kitten doing?
The other kitten is doing well. He has an umbilical cord infection(the umbilical cord was tangled/stuck to black material might have been placenta or the other kittens umbilical cord) which i think pulled at the cord and caused an infection. There was a slight swelling behind it when I cut it off and it increased in size so took him to the vet and he’s been prescribed antibiotics. Giving oral medication to such a tiny kitten is no easy feat but hopefully that helps it heal. Other than that kitten seems fine and is with mama nursing all the time. Thanks for checking!
 

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:bawling::alright:. I am so,so sorry that the poor baby kitten had to endure that & thay you had to see it. At least the tiny is no longer suffering and its sibling got the much-needed medical attention. Sometimes nearby rescues can use a nursing mother, depending on the health of all parties involved, in case you are interested in fostering.
 
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catoncat

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Hi all. The kitten is doing well and finished his antibiotics, infection has gone down significantly and he is gaining weight steadily which is a great comfort. The mother cat has been unusually aggressive this week, shoos my hand away when i get near the kitten (she didn't mind me at all the first week) and is now aggressive with other cats and attacks them randomly. I've noticed she also started being a bit aggressive with the kitten, when the kitten tries to nurse she'll start holding him down and biting him aggressively like a toy at first but it's like she would realize it's her baby and starts grooming almost excessively which doesn't allow the baby to nurse. Is there anything that can help with her aggression? Thanks
 

StefanZ

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Im suspecting she may be in pain somewhere? Cats in pain tend to lose most of their usual patience; most visibly against other cats, but sometimes against humans too...

Ps. As she is irritated on the other cats, it may be wise to separate them from her and her kittens.
This too may by itself, be a cause of the problems: she is stressed and reacts / overreacts.
 

Norachan

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I'm glad to hear the kitten is doing well. Yes, it does sounds as if the mother might need to see a vet. Also, female cats come into heat shortly after giving birth, so this could be why you're seeing mood changes in her. Ask your vet about when she can be spayed. I usually wait until the kittens are past the 5 week mark and are on solid food, but mothers can nurse even after being spayed.
 
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