Help me decrease my stress levels over my sick kitten?
January 28, 2021 1:54 PM   Subscribe

I posted a question a few days ago where I was worried about my kitten being beaten up by my other kitten. Since then, timid kitten has really declined in health. I'm SUPER anxious about the kitten, and sad and worried she might die, and also super stressed about the money and time off work I've taken and will take to sort this (I'm freelance). Please help me with positive stories of your sick kittens pulling through, or ways to handle the next 24 hours - is it okay to sleep?

She started off very skinny and not eating much which I assumed was stress but she didn't eat anything today and, after a couple of trips to the vet in the past two days, she may need hospitalisation if she doesn't improve with the antibiotics they've given her for what they think might be an infection, but they don't know - it's all very vague it seems at this stage. She won't eat, is very weak, has diarhroea etc.

I don't have any children and this is my first pet, but I'm actually feeling physically sick from how stressful this all is. I'm very concerned about the little thing and feeling awfully guilty for introducing her to another kitten who I'm sure has contributed to her stress. I'm also feeling stupid for not getting some sort of contract / making sure that the person I bought her from had insurance etc.

I've already spent about £400, and if she needs hospitalisation it's going to be around £1000. I am not covered by insurance yet as we're in the initial two week period and I really can't afford to keep up this level of expense. Again, am feeling stupid for not thinking about this beforehand. Just had no idea how many kittens got sick at this age.

My flat is a total mess from the amount of care giving I've been giving both kittens over the past few days (I have another very rambunctious one who is getting increasingly annoyed and sad I'm spending lots of time with sick one), I've missed a lot of work through vet visits and trips for special foods which she won't eat (and I'm freelance which means I lose money), plus I'm going to take the next week to look after her I think (if she doesn't go into hospital).

Please tell me your positive stories of kitties pulling through, or just anything to make me feel better. I'm feeling stupid, and sad, and guilty (about her and the other kitten) and so so stressed. Which feels silly as they are 'just' kittens, but they have quickly come to feel like my babies!

https://ask.metafilter.com/351707/Two-kittens-have-gotten-off-to-a-bad-start-can-we-go-back
posted by flimflamflop to Pets & Animals (22 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
When I first adopted my cat, he immediately developed a blockage and nearly developed sepsis. The vet knew I was really upset. If the vet didn't go above and beyond, he would've died.


Do you trust the veterinary office the cat is in? Cam you get a second opinion?
posted by firstdaffodils at 1:58 PM on January 28, 2021


Last summer, my cat (14, so not a kitten) suddenly had what is probably a stroke -- he just yelled, he couldn't walk properly and also could only do right hand turns, wouldn't eat. I brought him to the vet, where they weren't sure, and I got special cat food and a syringe to force feed him. So I force fed this stupid cat for 10 days (he hated it and fought it every time; I had to feed him every few hours during the day because I couldn't wake up overnight to feed him and if I did it less often it was too much at once and he puked it all up, so 4-6 times a day we were having these miserable interactions and everything smelled like this weird sweet cat food and it made me sick constantly), I was just grieving a recent loss and was having a lot of trouble dealing. At day 10, one and a half days before his followup appointment, he started showing interest in eating regular wet food himself. So I brought him back to the vet, who essentially badgered me into not putting him to sleep (I had been resigned) and you know, over time, he's been improving. He still can't turn left, and his legs are a bit wobbly, but he can climb onto the chair and sit with me, he purrs, he finally gave up pretending he could only eat wet cat food, he does mutual grooming with the other cat. He's happy again, when he was miserable before.

I know this is a very different story from yours, but I have had, more than once, foster kittens pull through stuff by being force feed regularly until they finally got their appetite back. (Most of them didn't fight so much.)
posted by jeather at 2:11 PM on January 28, 2021 [2 favorites]


I'm so sorry you and your little ones are going through all this. When I got my dude, he was vibrant and healthy and happy, and I brought him home on a Thursday night. By the weekend he had started vomiting, and was vomiting foamy red water after a few hours. There's no emergency vet near me, so I was trying to just keep an eye on him, but he kept getting more and more lethargic, and I would go into the closet he'd taken refuge in at night every hour to check on him. At some point, I must have fallen asleep, because I woke up, certain he'd died since I'd thought he'd already died once in the night, and he wasn't in the closet. Instead he was running around the living room, where I hadn't introduced him yet to the other kitty and didn't want him to be, batting his koosh ball around and looking at me expectantly for food.

This has been a continuing problem for his whole life--he acts like he's dying, I take him to the urgent care and spend thousands, he recovers like nothing happened. The last time it happened was in the two week waiting period for insurance, so I know what you mean. I really hope that maybe this vet can help you, or if there's anyone else you could go to, they can help. Have you tried something simple like boiling some chicken? That might be something they'd eat, it's one of the few reliable things I can get my dude to eat when he doesn't want to.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 2:12 PM on January 28, 2021


I have no sense of smell and one day my son came over and picked up my cat and said "he smells like death" so we took a good look and he had a gash - probably from a fight - so I have a bottle of spray peroxide and I sprayed the wound several times a day. he recovered! I really think he almost died.

and - - a friend told me to give a cat who had diarrhea Pedialyte just like you would a baby. ask the vet if that is OK for your cat.

once I gave a cat ice cream when they wouldn't eat anything else - just a little bit at a time. and the cat came back to health. ask your vet if that is ok if you want to try that.

I really feel for you. These are hard lessons. It seems like the vet should be more helpful. My vet goes over how I am feeling whenever my pets are sick.

In the end you are going to be an expert in kitten health and you will be able to help other people/kittens and that may be all you can take away from this experience.
posted by cda at 2:17 PM on January 28, 2021 [1 favorite]


I got two teenage kittens who were littermates, brought them home and both were bright-eyed and happy and curious--I took them to the vet to get their booster shots/check them out and they were both in good health. Then within about a week, one of them became listless and very dull-eyed, not eating/drinking--rushed her back to the vet and was told that they had to run tests because it could be one thing that was incurable and would mean she'd die in a few days/weeks or another thing that could be treated with antibiotics. They kept her over night. I didn't sleep. The next day I went back and they said it was probably a UTI and gave me antibiotics. But warned if she didn't respond, it could be the other terrible thing (I can't remember what). She responded and was back to her cute, bouncy self in a matter of days. ($1,000 later). 8 years later, they are both the picture of health except now a little fatter because I'm home all the time and they are good beggers for treats.
posted by agatha_magatha at 2:32 PM on January 28, 2021


Oh no. When we once found a kitten under a car she wouldn't eat anything, at first, and after she rejected all kitten foods we ended up feeding her tiny bits of pancakes (only very temporarily). I don't recommend pancakes, but you might try experimenting with different food (are you feeding her the same thing as her previous caretaker? that might help). Our kitten quickly improved and lived a happy 18 years.
posted by pinochiette at 2:45 PM on January 28, 2021


I have fostered several kittens and when they have been in the shelter they almost always have several common illnesses and infections that make them very sick and pathetic (upper respiratory tract infections and diarrhea are both very very common).

When the little things are sick they’re not very hungry and that can make them feel even worse. Re-hydration can definitely help a ton with perking them up (basically giving them a saline IV which can be done at home but isn’t super fun). I’ve also had to force feed when their appetites were low (shelter vet recommended in my case) which also really wasn’t fun. The low appetite can be because they feel crummy generally but also if their noses are stuffy due to URI they don’t really notice their food as much.

For feeding low appetite cats and kittens I’ve found plain chicken baby food (very important it’s just meat and water with no garlic or onions or other flavoring) can really get their interest even if nothing else will.

All of the kittens got better! Even when I got them very underweight and sickly.
posted by forkisbetter at 2:52 PM on January 28, 2021 [1 favorite]


I rescued a litter of kittens off the street this fall. One by one, they all got adopted out except for one sweet seemingly healthy little orange dude.

I spent the day after Thanksgiving out on my patio all morning, then when I finally came inside I saw the orange kitten on the living room floor looking for all the world like he was dead. I ran to him and was able to revive him with some difficulty, but he clearly wasn't well and I could see from the color of his paw pads he was jaundiced.

We rushed him to our regular vet, who then referred us to the emergency vet since he needed care they weren't equipped for. He was in the emergency for four days hanging on by a thread, the vet was calling us in the middle of the night with guarded updates and he had to have two blood transfusions but after that and some steroids and antibiotics, he slowly got better. By the time we were able to bring him home, he seemed just like his old self again. He's here with me at this very minute messing with the power cord to my computer. He needs medicine every day and the occasional blood test but is very much alive and well and being naughty every chance he gets.

I know it's so hard because vet care is incredible expensive - boy do I know. But there is a thing called CareCredit you can apply for if you really need it. It looks you're in the UK, where there's Carefree Credit (you may need to make sure your vet accepts it first though). I also toyed with the idea of setting up a GoFundMe, so that's another option.

I'm hoping though that the antibiotics will do their magic for you. Please keep us updated.
posted by Jess the Mess at 2:59 PM on January 28, 2021 [1 favorite]


Along with chicken puree, if you can get kitten milk -- liquid or powder, either is ok -- you can add it to the chicken puree, or feed it separately. I've also added rice cereal into the chicken puree, on a vet's recommendation. You just want to keep getting nutrition and liquid in until their appetite picks itself back up.
posted by jeather at 3:10 PM on January 28, 2021 [1 favorite]


Meat flavored baby food - making sure it doesn't have onion!!!! check the label - can help entice a cat to eat.

I am sorry you're going through this and I hope your kitten pulls through. It can be really hard to diagnose cats, and especially kittens.

I rescued a young kitten from our backyard a month ago and right now an unknown cat virus is running through our house of 2 adult cats and the kitten. Both of the adults ended up with bronchitis and needing subcutaneous fluids and meds and X-rays which has cost a lot of money... The kitten seemed feverish Tuesday night and was lethargic and lost interest in her food -- and I was just overcome with worry that she was going to go quickly downhill like the boys did, and worse because she's so young.

But, she has bounced back. Not enthusiastic about eating but will do it with some coaxing, and still sneezing, but not feverish anymore. We already have a vet appointment for her for her next round of vaccines on Monday so after talking with the vet basically we're just hoping she stays this side of "healthy enough" to wait until then to be seen.

One of the adult cats got antibiotics and it cleared up his bronchitis in a matter of days (of course we will give him the full course as prescribed). Hopefully the medicine your kitten is taking helps to clear up her problems quickly.

Another story: In a pervious life, I found a very sick kitten in my neighborhood and took her in. She was nearly dead from exposure - literally limp except for occasional seizures. Took her to the emergency vet, they stabilized her overnight, and she recovered. Maybe a month or two later she then got really sick again - fever, listless, wouldn't eat - and the vets could not diagnose an exact cause but she had to be hospitalized. It was really touch and go but she made a full recovery. There's a reason they say cats have nine lives!!

Since you're a new pet owner, I'll say this: one of the hardest things about a pet being sick is they can't tell you what's wrong. And it's really easy to get into a mode of hyper-vigilance where you are analyzing every moment for signs of further illness or improvement. I'm not saying it's bad to keep a close eye on such a young kitten who is demonstrably ill, but try not to spend every waking moment staring at her. I say this as a complete hypocrite who isn't good at avoiding it myself as evidenced by the last two weeks but knows it's not helpful.
posted by misskaz at 4:09 PM on January 28, 2021 [1 favorite]


Anyone who has taken care of a kitten or dog this way, or who has adopted a tiny helpless creature and been the primary caregiver for it, knows that this really does feel as intense as anything in the world. Something primal kicks in, and you feel everything and would do everything. Please trust that other people -- most other people, at least in my circle -- really do understand that this is not 'just a kitten'. She or he is a baby, a literal baby, that is completely dependent on you, and you are responding as anyone would - with total commitment and emotional connection. It's OK and real.

I'm worried about you and your kitties. Have you called the breeder? They may know something that would help - maybe this is a condition that has affected other cats they know of.

I'm so so sorry you're going through this. You really don't know what's going to happen, but I can tell that you are doing your best. Whatever happens, you will know that you did your best, and gave this little one all you could.
posted by amtho at 5:19 PM on January 28, 2021 [5 favorites]


You are being such a loving new pet owner; I am so impressed by the care and love you are giving your kittens.
posted by theora55 at 6:12 PM on January 28, 2021 [7 favorites]


Also - this really is an extreme situation. Having one kitten being all rambunctious while another one is super super sick -- and it sound like you live alone? -- is time to call in favors, friends, and get supportive help. Like, do you have someone you trust to play with the other kitten? Do you have friends you can call (on the phone, I think) to just vent, who are animal lovers and would understand?

I wish I could help you! Hang in there, this is going to pass. As I said, this is an unusually taxing situation and you are in a tunnel.
posted by amtho at 7:52 PM on January 28, 2021 [1 favorite]


This is a Twitter thread about Sid the kitten (and his co-adoptee, Fern), who ended up being very sick and visiting several different vets multiple times until he finally got a diagnosis. Sid is very healthy and happy now.

Best of luck, I know this is hard and sad and stressful. If the vet isn't filling you with confidence, try another vet (a local rescue may have a good suggestion). Kittens aren't easy to diagnose and sometimes it takes some outside the box thinking. Try to keep her hydrated with some very watered down wet food or kitten milk replacer. Crossing my fingers for you.
posted by oneirodynia at 10:21 PM on January 28, 2021


Oh, also from the Sid Kitten twitter thread I posted above: if cats can't smell their food they won't eat, so try getting some of the most horrifically stinky food you can find. If she has an upper respiratory infection that hasn't cleared up yet this may be why she's not eating.
posted by oneirodynia at 10:29 PM on January 28, 2021


Another resource for kittens generally, but particularly for sick kittens, is Kitten Lady!

Her YouTube videos have helped me get through some really stressful times while fostering.

General kitten webinar

Introducing kittens from different litters

Kitten diarrhea

Badger the hot mess kitten
posted by forkisbetter at 5:49 AM on January 29, 2021


It sounds like you are doing everything you can, being a kind and loving owner in the middle of a challenging time. Big metaphorical hugs.

As others have said, it might be that the little one isn't smelling her food. Unfortunately, I've spent a lot of time trying to get a cat to eat when he was under the weather. Some things you can try: Meat baby food has been the most successful for me, tuna from the a packet, bonito flakes on top of other things, and the liquid from containers of fish. Also, it really helps to slightly microwave whatever it is to make it extra stinky. (As a note in case you don't know, these can't be the long-term only-foods because they don't have the nutrition cats need like taurine, but they help a lot for getting calories in.)

In terms of a hopeful story, the cat who I learned this is very old in cat terms and has had multiple summers of going rapidly downhill, to the point where I ended up sobbing at a vet tech and begging them to figure out what is happening. The best guess at this point is a brain tumor, so we have him on an easy medication schedule and he is so happy right now. He's not going to live forever, but having this extra good time with him has been such a joy.

I hope that things get better soon for both of you!
posted by past unusual at 7:39 AM on January 29, 2021


I have a 9 year old cat that suddenly started having diarrhea and acting really anxious. He would howl and look for us when we went to the store (we have cameras to keep an eye on things), would howl and bring toys into our bed while we were asleep, would look for us at random times during the day...everything looked like separation anxiety. He also lost weight, but he would still eat some food. Turns out he had a parasite (coccidia I think it was) and we treated him with about 10 days of antibiotics.

Things like that are harder on little kittens, and coupled with a respiratory infection I can see why the appetite isn't good right now. Do what others said...get smelly cat food that will hopefully get them excited to eat (sometimes it's tuna, sometimes it's beef flavored...might want to try a variety). You may also want to water it down just a bit so that the cat drinks the watery part and gets something in them that way. I fed my cat the Fancy Feast Broths, which was basically like soup for cats...had a few pieces of meat in broth. You can do the same by watering down wet kitten food.

Also, clean the litter pans well...stuff like this can be transmitted through shared litter pans, so both need to be cleaned and disinfected while this is happening and again when it seems to be over.

Also...BIG HUGS to you and to baby kitty!! I totally understand the stress and anxiety of caring for a sick one. It's so hard because you can't use words to understand each other. All you can do is the next right thing, whatever that seems to be at the time.
posted by MultiFaceted at 7:51 AM on January 29, 2021


Response by poster: Hey everyone, thank you SO much for all of this. It made me feel less alone as I think my boyfriend thinks I'm overreacting slightly (I was in real tears last night after I got back from the animal hospital).

They gave her antibiotics and she does seem to be a bit better today - she's eaten some food! Not huge amounts but better than nothing. Also she showed a tiny interest in playing which is quite unusual for her (in the total of four days I've had her - which feels weirdly like an eternity).

There are SO many good suggestions here which I will be putting into practice. Feeding her microwaved tuna (Applaws brand) has definitely helped and also Royal Canin Gastrointestiinal. She even did her first semi firm poo!!! I couldn't imagine ever getting so excited at the sight of poop but I did, and I did cry when she ate.

No one tells you how much this will pull on your heart strings. Just got to keep things going in the right direction now. I've told clients i'll be less available next week so I can devote time to her.
posted by flimflamflop at 1:26 PM on January 29, 2021 [10 favorites]


First off, you're doing a great job! And I don't think you're overreacting, although I'm not exactly a casual cat lover :)

My wife and I have been fostering baby kittens for many years (at least like 70 something kittens), and unfortunately these kinds of problems are fairly common. Which in a way is good news, as while I am very familiar with what you are describing, the vast majority of kittens made it through.

Diarrhea is so common in young kittens that I'm surprised when I see a litter _without_ diarrhea (we had one last year and it was amazing).

I think people have covered a lot of the basics --- when kittens are not eating or have diarrhea, focus on calories. So basically anything that gets them to eat is good --- meat based baby food tends to work really well as someone mentioned. We use it as a topper (basically spread a thin layer of baby food on top of their regular wet food). There are lots of cat-specific things like this (toppers, broth, etc) but the baby food usually works and is often cheaper.

Showing energy or interest in play is a really good sign! Thats definitely one of the things we look for when watching for the signs of recovery.

The most common causes of this are either parasites or bacterial infection, if she is improving some with antibiotics hopefully it was that (I would guess they gave her Metronidazole, but there are others I've seen used as well).

We have been in your shoes many times, and its hard but the consolation is the joy you feel as you see them turn around and be more active. Hopefully soon you will have a crazy energetic kitten and will find it hard to believe that just a little while ago they looked so weak!

If possible, weigh the kitten several times a day (if you have or can get a scale that works for small weights). If the weight is stable or increasing the danger is much less (even with diarrhea/low energy). The trio of weight loss, diarrhea, and no energy is the flashing danger sign for kittens.
posted by thefoxgod at 1:42 PM on January 29, 2021 [2 favorites]


There is a thing called fading kitten syndrome. Its etiology is not wholly understood, and in some circumstances, it may not be reversible even with the very best care, but the suggestions on this thread are in line with the accepted treatments for fading kittens.

I have never had a cat, no matter how sick, turn down Gerber ham flavor baby food. Warm it up very slightly, mix with some water or Pedialyte, and let her lap it up. You can also try feeding it with an oral syringe, but unless you've done it before, I wouldn't recommend trying without a demonstration by the veterinarian. It's unsettlingly easy to cause aspiration and pneumonia with improper technique.

You might also want to look up recipes for Kitten Glop. The exact formula varies, but it's usually some combination of meat baby food, mayonnaise, unflavored gelatin, and Pedialyte or water. It has calories and fat and is easy to digest.
posted by easy, lucky, free at 11:20 PM on January 29, 2021 [1 favorite]


So glad to see your update! I hope her improvement continues. Don't feel bad about being worried or crying (and a hearty stink eye to your boyfriend for giving you a hard time about it). When one of my adult cats first came down with the virus that's running through our crew right now, it hit him really hard and we didn't even know what it was - he was horking up clear fluid so we actually thought it was a stomach thing, not a respiratory thing. It was really nerve wracking to not have a diagnosis and not know how to make him feel better. Anyway, at one point as he was recovering he brought me one of his toys (he plays fetch) and I definitely started crying with relief.
posted by misskaz at 6:09 AM on January 31, 2021 [1 favorite]


« Older What can you tell me about this marble bust?   |   IOS Mail + Gmail weirdness Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.