Expert: Ali - 9/28/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hi, I have a 3 week old kitten and he's the last out of a litter of five, the others died and they all showed the same symptoms of whatever was killing them. I really worried about this one too, he's not eating as much, he doesn't move around a lot and he just sleeps. I have no Idea what to do! My parents wont take him to a vet because they're in a money situation. I just want to know if you seen these symptoms before and how much a normal check up from a vet would cost.
I don't want this one to die like the others.

ANSWER: Maggie,

I have a few questions to ask before I can provide information to help you with your situation. Unfortunately with such a vague description of symptoms that this kitten is experiencing I'm not even close to being able to provide an educated guess as to what might be happening. Sometimes if young kittens have a fair infestation of fleas or intestinal parasites that aren't treated the amount of blood that such a small animal will lose can cause serious and potentially fatal anemia that must be treated by a veterinarian in order to save them. If this kitten is being hand reared there are a number of potential causes for his lethargy and loss of appetite. Some kittens simply don't get enough nutrition from kitten milk replacer alone, if this is the case the kitten could be hypoglycemic or suffering from a nutritional deficiency. If this kitten is still with his mother it's quite possible that she isn't producing enough milk to meet the nutritional needs of her kitten. I have seen kittens with a number of different symptoms, however I'm not able to provide a diagnosis because I'm not a vet, it's also important to note that with the vague symptoms that you have provided any number of things could be going on with this little one so I'm not even able to offer an educated guess as to what the problem could potentially be. Some kittens just die for no apparent reason which is usually related to a birth defect or some such issue, however I don't think that an entire litter would die as a result of birth defects. Obviously something medical is going on with this kitten, maybe I can find you some resources within your community or nearby that would be willing or able to provide medical care in exchange for volunteer work or allow you to pay for the medical needs that this kitten has on an installment plan.

- Is this kitten still being cared for by his mother?

> Is his mother showing any signs of illness?

> Did this kitten's mother receive routine vaccinations?

> Is this kitten's mother an indoor cat or an indoor/outdoor cat?


- What are the symptoms that you are referring to?

> Some common examples of concerning symptoms in cats and kittens include sneezing, coughing, gagging, vomiting, diarrhea, fever and discharge from eyes or nose among others.

> Normal body temperature for cats is around 100.5 - 102.5, I don't recommend that you take this kitten's temperature with a rectal thermometer because this kitten is very small and you don't want to cause inadvertent damage or stress the kitten any further as that may result in his death. You could try taking his temperature under his armpit, although I would guess that you wouldn't get a very accurate result.

> Was this kitten starting to become more active as he got older or has he been somewhat subdued for awhile now?

- Do you have a SPCA shelter in your area?

> Is there a program called SPCA Cares in your area?

> Do you have an animal shelter nearby?

- If you are hand raising this kitten what is he eating?

> If you are hand feeding this kitten have you started to slowly introduce solid foods into his diet such as pureed meats or a soft kitten food?

> If you are feeding this kitten by bottle or supplementing his diet with kitten milk replacer what position is he in when you feed him?

> How often is this kitten being fed?

> How often is he being stimulated to use the toilet?

> How long has he seemed lethargic?

> How much does he weigh?

> Is this little one being kept warm?

> Has this baby been gaining weight since birth?

> How often are you feeding him formula?

> When you feed this little one does formula come out of his nose?

> Is the kitten quite squirmy and vocal?

> If so, for how long have you been noticing that the kitten has been squirmy and seeming discontented?

> How long has this kitten been showing symptoms that may be related to illness?

- Do you have a family veterinarian?

> Have you considered calling the vet to see if you can work out a payment plan or work off the cost of any treatment that this kitten needs by cleaning cages or performing odd jobs around the clinic?

> Have you thought about contacting animal rescue organizations or your local animal shelter to see if they would be willing to take on this kitten's care since it isn't financially possible for your family to provide him with the medical care that he needs?

It sounds like you're in a tough situation. Sometimes I can offer more assistance if I know the general area that you are in, however this isn't information that you should share in a question that isn't flagged as private. If I know what major city (NEVER send out your address or specific area that you live in out to anyone online, it's not safe to do so, I am just looking for a general area so that I can potentially refer you to resources that might be helpful) you live in or close to I can certainly look for information and resources to help this kitten. It's entirely possible that this kitten has a serious birth defect of some sort that has simply made his condition deteriorate as he's gotten older. In this case I would be more suspicious that this little one has picked up some sort of viral or bacterial infection because young kittens have very immature immune systems. It's very important that this kitten is provided with proper vet care even if it means that you must surrender him to a vet clinic or animal shelter. I realize that this would be a difficult choice to make, but if this kitten is sick it could very well be in his best interests to be surrendered to a shelter so that he can get medical attention if his condition is treatable or be humanely euthanized if there isn't any way to provide effective treatment or supportive therapy to allow him to recover. Hopefully we will be able to find you some resources close to home to help care for this sick kitten and maybe even hazard a guess as to what the health issue is.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: - Is this kitten still being cared for by his mother?
No Its hand raised now.
> Is his mother showing any signs of illness?
Yes, mastitis but we're treating that with a warm compress.
> Did this kitten's mother receive routine vaccinations?
Yes.
> Is this kitten's mother an indoor cat or an indoor/outdoor cat?
Indoor

- What are the symptoms that you are referring to?
Always look's tired, he walks around sometimes and he doesnt talk much. and he never seems to be hungry so he's kinda skinny
> Some common examples of concerning symptoms in cats and kittens include sneezing, coughing, gagging, vomiting, diarrhea, fever and discharge from eyes or nose among others.
He doesnt have any of those.
> Normal body temperature for cats is around 100.5 - 102.5, I don't recommend that you take this kitten's temperature with a rectal thermometer because this kitten is very small and you don't want to cause inadvertent damage or stress the kitten any further as that may result in his death. You could try taking his temperature under his armpit, although I would guess that you wouldn't get a very accurate result.

> Was this kitten starting to become more active as he got older or has he been somewhat subdued for awhile now?
He was but now he's reverted.

- Do you have a SPCA shelter in your area?
I think they have one in Atlanta

> Is there a program called SPCA Cares in your area?
Not that I know of
> Do you have an animal shelter nearby?
No
- If you are hand raising this kitten what is he eating?
He's drinking goats milk.
> If you are hand feeding this kitten have you started to slowly introduce solid foods into his diet such as pureed meats or a soft kitten food?
No not yet
> If you are feeding this kitten by bottle or supplementing his diet with kitten milk replacer what position is he in when you feed him?
On all fours on my lap, While his head is slghtly tilted upwards.
> How often is this kitten being fed?
Every 2 to 3 hours
> How often is he being stimulated to use the toilet?
Every time I finish feeding him
> How long has he seemed lethargic?
3 days
> How much does he weigh?
I dont know we dont have a scale. He has a tummy but you can still feel his bones pretty well.
> Is this little one being kept warm?
Yes. He has blankes and a heating pad under them.
> Has this baby been gaining weight since birth?
Yes, but now its losing.
> How often are you feeding him formula?
2 to 3 hours.
> When you feed this little one does formula come out of his nose?
Nope.
> Is the kitten quite squirmy and vocal?
No unless I pet it.
> If so, for how long have you been noticing that the kitten has been squirmy and seeming discontented?

> How long has this kitten been showing symptoms that may be related to illness?
4-3days
- Do you have a family veterinarian?
no
> Have you considered calling the vet to see if you can work out a payment plan or work off the cost of any treatment that this kitten needs by cleaning cages or performing odd jobs around the clinic?
No, I didnt know you could do that.
> Have you thought about contacting animal rescue organizations or your local animal shelter to see if they would be willing to take on this kitten's care since it isn't financially possible for your family to provide him with the medical care that he needs?
Yes, but my older brother is dead set on keeping him.

I forgot to say this in the first note, the mother had mastitis, and I thought maybe the bacteria was effecting him? I looked every where to see if I could get any info on that but it only talked about the mother effects and not the kittens. We are treating the mother though.


Answer
Maggie,

You could try keeping the little fellow in a fairly warm part of the house and turning off the heating pad. Sometimes heating pads can be a factor if the kitten can't get away from the heat and the heating pad is on too high. Providing towels or small blankets is perfectly okay without the heating pad going for extended periods of time. Having a heating pad on high or in a place where the kitten can't get away from it can cause serious health issues related to an increase in body temperature that is allowed to continue over a period of time, essentially causing a fever of sorts because young kittens aren't really able to maintain their own body temperature well, especially when only one surviving kitten is left. I would suggest that you try feeding this kitten a small amount pureed meat (chicken is usually the first meat that I introduce them to - you can use commercially prepared baby food provided that the only ingredients are meat and water, however it's much more cost effective to cook and puree your own meat) mixed with the formula or goat's milk and see if this helps to make a difference in this kitten's symptoms. It's important that the meat/formula/goat's milk mixture is thin enough to be easily fed by syringe as I suspect that this kitten is very weak at the moment. You would probably need to have the mixture be the consistency of a good gravy initially, if the kitten improves then you can gradually increase the amount of meat or kitten food he's getting while decreasing the amount of goat's milk or formula in his diet. If the kitten gets diarrhea it's important to deal with that fairly quickly by giving him some plain, unsweetened yogurt (about a teaspoon or two a day will usually suffice) as this will help to restore the balance of beneficial bacteria naturally found throughout the kitten's digestive system. When kittens are hand raised it's usually best to make sure that they're getting solid foods as early as possible because goat's milk and kitten formulas are a poor substitute for mom's own milk when it comes to meeting the rapidly changing nutritional needs of these young carnivores.

It's possible that this kitten has his own infection going on as a result of being exposed to the bacteria from mom's mastitis. Mom really should be getting antibiotics for her mastitis in addition to the hot compresses and many vets will also give the kitten an antibiotic to combat any exposure to infection that may have happened prior to finding out that mom was ill. Usually goat's milk isn't the preferred form of nutrition, it's fine short term, but it just doesn't meet the nutritional needs of a kitten as well as a kitten milk replacer like KMR, Mammalac or Just Born. It's possible that the kitten has some sort of sensitivity or allergy to the goat's milk and is losing condition as a result. Since your brother has his heart set on keeping the kitten there are a few things to consider. Firstly it's worth speaking to local vets to see about a payment plan or calling around to animal rescue organizations and seeing whether or not they would be willing to pay for part or all of the medical care that mom and her son need. If you can't afford to have the kitten assessed and treated by a vet it's quite likely he will die the same way as the other kittens have. There really isn't a whole lot that can be done at home if the kitten has some sort of bacterial infection going on, antibiotics are the most effective way to treat infections.

It's important to consider the possibility that if things don't turn around shortly for this little fellow, there's a good chance that he will slip away just as the others have. If there isn't any possibility of providing medical treatment for the kitten I'm sure that it would be much easier on everyone involved if he was surrendered to a rescue organization or animal shelter so that he could either receive appropriate medical treatment and have the chance to find a new home with a great future ahead of him than if he is allowed to continue on the path he's on. I know that this is a difficult situation, so I would suggest that you spend some time trying to get ahold of a vet that will be receptive to providing medical care for the kitten with a payment plan or an agreement to work off the debt incurred by this kitten's vet care. As for the cost of vet care for the kitten I would guess that the cost could range between $50-500 depending on the costs of medications and the standard office fee that vets charge in your area. For now I would suggest that trying the dietary changes and calling around to local vet clinics would be your best bet.