AboutJessica Expertise I have bred Siamese cats and have years of experience caring for homeless, feral, orphaned, and terminally ill cats. I am knowledgeable in cat behavior, health, history, troubleshooting, breeds, coat patterns and colors, and trivia.
Experience I have extensive experience with cats ranging from breeding to at-home medical care to rescuing homeless cats and placing them in homes. I have assisted cats giving birth and hand-nursed kittens who were neglected by their mother from 2 days old through weaning. I have given supportive care to cats suffering from terminal cancer, feline leukemia, feline infectious peritonits, and kidney, liver, and heart failure. I have been through chemotherapy with one of my cats who had lymphoma and have also been through many cutting edge surgeries with my special needs cats. I'm an avid cat show attendee and can give you info on the ins and outs of showing.
Expert: Jessica Date: 7/22/2008 Subject: Kitten vomiting water and sleeping in litterbox.
Question Yesterday I adopted two kittens from a privately run shelter. They are appx. seven and ten weeks old and looked active and playful when I chose them. I was told they had been frontlined and dewormed and tested for FIV (testing negative) when I noticed dark waxy gunk in their ears I asked about earmites and was told they were just dirty, then they began sneezing when I put them in their carrier and was told that all kittens sneeze, as there were hundreds of cats in the place and the smell was awful I was hoping it was that.
The older kitten was car sick on the ride home and threw up on both of them (no surprise) so when I settled them into the bathroom as the adjustment room they each were given a bath and towel dried.
During the bath I found a flea, after being totally dried I found something that looked whitish 1/16 inch wide and 1/4 inch long stuck to the big guys fur- it looked like a worm, they have not stopped sneezing. The smallest one last ate at 7 am monday morning 1/4 can wet food 1/2 cup dry, when I left for work he was fine, playing and running around- my husbands been checking in on them all day every 2 hours and said the small one was lethargic the last few times he went in, and he wouldn't touch his food and he looks thinner than when I saw him this morning I tried to give him water, but he drinks and throws it up a few mins later, its a clear foamy vomit sort of like spit, no food or color to it, and I think his stool is loose but he doesn't have a pasty butt-yet. they both like to lay in the dirty litter box as well which they were doing in the over crowded cages they were in- that cant be healthy.
We were going to take them for a check-up later on this week to a vet recommended to us by the person operating the shelter, not sure that I have confidence in their suggestion. I am really worried about the small one vomiting its water, as we live in a rural area there are no animerge type places.I don't know what to do and I think hes getting dehydrated and.
Answer Hi Ann. I would urge you to get the kitten to a vet today if he's still not doing better. I know it seems hasty, but kittens this little burn sugar extremely quickly. That means if they don't eat every few hours to replenish it, their blood sugar starts dropping dangerously low. A hypoglycemic kitten can die before you even realize anything is wrong. I don’t mean to panic you – this is a worst-case scenario, and some kittens fare better than others. But very unfortunately, it took me losing a litter of kittens who were vomiting for a day to learn just how quickly low blood sugar can kill. You are also right that he is probably becoming dehydrated. The vet will usually give a vomiting kitten some fluids under the skin, which will contain electrolytes to restore balance that is thrown off when a kitten becomes dehydrated. It will also contain some sugars. The vet can add extra dextrose to the solution to boost sugar further if he feels the kitten has become hypoglycemic. He may also give the kitten a medication to reduce stomach acid and/or a medication to prevent vomiting.
There are lots of things that may be causing his vomiting. It could be the change of food, and the vet may give you a mild food for kitties with stomach upset. It could be caused by intestinal parasites, which will need to be treated with an antibiotic, depending on which parasites are suspected (worms, protozoa, etc). Or it may even be a very serious viral infection including feline distemper. This is unlikely if you have proof he was vaccinated against distemper. However, if this is questionable, then prompt vet attention is imperative in case distemper could be to blame. It is considered a fatal disease in kittens, taking about 90% of kittens’ lives, but if you get treatment early (which will consist of supportive care at the vet’s office), chances of survival are increased.
I’d recommend bringing both kittens in. While there, the vet can check the ears for mites. Kittens do often have dirty ears without mites being present, but if mites are found, they are easily treated these days with one dose of medication given by the vet. Also, a flea killer can be given by the vet. Most flea killers are labeled for kittens 8 weeks or older, so the vet might hold off on the younger one. Additionally, bring his attention to the little worm you discovered. It sounds like this kitty has a tapeworm. That little white segment you found is actually an egg sac from an adult tapeworm, which anchors itself in the intestines and absorbs nutrients from your cat’s food. Egg sacs shed off the end of the adult worm and pass through the anus. At first, they are moist and free-moving, appearing to be individual worms, but they actually are just a tiny segment of a worm that may be feet long! Tapeworms are most commonly contracted when your kitten swallows an infected flea while grooming. So to get rid of it, you should have the kittens treated for fleas, and then give an oral medication prescribed by your vet to kill the worm itself.
And just as a precaution, because of how dangerous low blood sugar truly is, I would recommend getting some Karo syrup right now and rubbing it on the vomiting kitten’s gums. The sugar will absorb through the gums and can help prevent hypoglycemia until the vet sees him. This is an aid I have used in countless kittens who wouldn’t eat and in diabetic cats whose blood sugar has dropped.
