Expert: Jessica - 10/28/2009

Question
Hi, there.  I do so hope that you can give me an inkling of what's going on and what to do about it.  Let me say up front that I DO want to take this animal to the vet, but I am a single mom of three who attends school full time and makes only a VERY small amount of money from tutoring.  If I had any hope of even enough money to make payments at the vet, I would take the cat immediately.  But... I don't have that luxury right now. This kitten showed up on my porch, as I do leave food out for the strays in the neighborhood. It is maybe 3 - 4 months old, and has diarrhea, even as it walks.  I noted that she has a distended rectum as well.  I Googled it, of course, and found some similar questions posted on Yahoo Answers.  Unfortunately, most people who answered the queries were rude and instead of offering any real advice, simply told the asker how mean they were for not taking the animal to the vet.  If I have no hope of helping this animal, I would like to call animal control.  At least then it would be put down in a (I hope) humane way.  Have you any suggestions?  I feel so terrible for this sweet being that's shown up on my doorstep.  I cannot take it in, due to my lease, but I did make for her a soft bed and keep plenty of food and water available to her.  Thank you so very much for your help.
Artemis

Answer
Hi Artemis.  Unfortunately, there are a lot of "animal people" who forget how to be "people people", and the animals ultimately lose out when there is judgment being passed rather than advice.

Sadly, I don't think there's too much that can be done for this little one without a veterinarian's attention.  You could try adding some pea baby food to canned kitten food and feeding it to her.  This might help to bulk up her stools.  You also might be able to get her to eat some plain yogurt, which could add some beneficial bacteria into her intestinal tract.  But her underlying problem is likely to be something that needs prescription treatment.  Young kittens tend to have parasitic worm infections or protozoan infections that cause this kind of serious diarrhea.  Pet stores do sell a roundworm treatment for cats.  I'm not sure if you could manage to purchase one of those.  They're not as safe as prescription treatments, but it would probably be better than no treatment.  Protozoan and bacterial infections can only be addressed with antibiotics prescribed by a vet.

There would remain the problem with her rectum, and I'm not sure how severe the problem is that you're seeing.  Sometimes the rectum is just swollen from diarrhea and straining, and this will resolve once the issue causing the diarrhea is corrected.  However, there's a more serious condition called a rectal prolapse.  This is also usually brought on by straining and diarrhea, but the rectum actually pushes out through the anus.  Here, you will see 1/2 inch or more of intestinal tissue protruding.  This is a life-threatening condition.  If the kitten doesn't receive medical attention, the exposed tissue will die.  More and more of the intestine will continue to die unless the dead tissue is surgically removed, eventually killing the cat.  This is a slow and painful death, and you are right that a humane euthanasia would be a better alternative to this.

Potentially, a vet may take in the kitten, fix her up and place her up for adoption in the office.  It all depends on the sort of hospital they run, but some veterinarians in my area with a soft spot for rescues always make room for cases like this.  You may want to call around to see if any vets in your area can help before resorting to calling animal control.  

Best wishes!  I know it won't be an easy decision, but I hope all ends well.

Jessica