Expert: Jessica - 10/17/2010

Question
A stray female cat, whom we fed only twice or thrice before,
brought her 3 kittens into our house a few weeks ago (3-4
weeks approx). They were tiny then but could run around
really well. All extremely healthy, playful and very
energetic.

However, this morning, one of her kittens was meowing really
loud so I went out to check. She was near our water geaser
(the one that's not electric, it's safe though because we
have fenced it so no kitten tries sneaking inside it). She
was shivering wayyy too much and wouldn't walk on her legs,
just sort of sat there looking at her mother. I took her
inside and rapped her in a towel because she was cold (her
ears felt really cold).

Anyway, she didn't want to be inside so I left her outside
with her other siblings and they all huddled together and
slept for a few hours. Her mother nursed the other two while
she didn't drink milk. Later in the evening, I went out to
check her. She wasn't shivering at all, and she wasn't cold.
She was sleeping until I woke her up. While examining her
closely, I noticed her left looked a biiiit strange... like
a little bag below it. It wasn't visible to anyone else in
my family... could be in my head. Also she's very much
spotted so my mind must be playing games.

What worries me is that her HIND LEGS seem to be weak right
now. She wouldn't walk straight up. She sort of walks low
(not crawling, but not standing straight up either). She's
energetic and all, and is walking a lot right now but she
feels swaying a bit and falling off small objects (like my
books on the floor... she can't climb them easily right
now). I'm sure something's wrong because she could climb
anything very easily and her siblings are doing fine too! I
gave her some water and she drank a bit. Haven't tried
anything solid yet because I'm sure if she'll eat or not. Do
you think it's something serious?

Thanks & regards

Answer
Hi Cheryl,

Weakness in a kitten is always something to be alarmed over.  If she hasn't been nursing, this could be causing the weakness.  The underlying cause of her loss of appetite would need to be determined by a vet.  Miscellaneous infections are very common in young kittens, and these will generally clear up with antibiotics.  There are some infections that are very dangerous, however, including panleukopenia.  A physical exam can help determine whether the kitten seems to be suffering from anything this serious.

There is one virus that's common in kittens, called calici, which can cause pain in the joints.  You will notice that the legs seem to be stiff when the kitten walks, and kittens are reluctant to move them much.  They may even cry or growl when the legs are touched.  This infection will also cause a loss of appetite in many cases.  It's also highly contagious, and will usually spread throughout the litter.  Although it's a virus and can't be cured, bacterial infections almost always follow, so antibiotics are usually an important part of the treatment plan.  A special food to encourage appetite and provide extra nutrients for kittens who are of the appropriate age (5-6 weeks or older) will also be important.  A veterinarian is the best one to provide this for you.

If you're unsure that the kitten is eating, I would recommend that you rub some corn syrup on the little ones gums for now.  This will introduce sugar into the blood stream to help prevent hypoglycemia, which can quickly be deadly in young kittens.  However, it's only good for a quick fix, and the kitten will really need veterinary treatment to help her get through the ordeal in the longrun.

Best wishes!

Jessica