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Question
We rescued a mother cat from a rural area who had been abandoned by her humans, was living in unsanitary conditions, and was not being fed. She had one kitten of her own and had adopted five others from two other litters. Mother and all of the kittens are doing well with the exception of one. This little kitty is aprox. three weeks old and had been bullied by the mother cats older kitten. She had a sever infection on the top of her head but we have taken care of it and her wound looks great now. She is still bald and has scars but it is healing. The big problem is that the mother cat has rejected her and refuses to feed her. We have taken over care which is not a problem because we have fostered litters of bottle babies but this one is not growing. She is still the size of a one week old kitten. She also has very swollen joints on all of her limbs (one wrist, one elbow and two knees). The swelling inhibits her range of motion and ability to walk greatly. she does not seem to be in any pain. The plus side is that she has: a more than great appetite,she urinates and has BMs regularly and normally, she is affectionate, and calls for us when she is in need of anything. She is developing normally as far as her eyes opening and her ears are thinning and developing. The rest of her is not growing and her joints are a huge mystery. Any advise that you have for us would be appreciated. We would love to see this little girl grow up healthy.
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Hi Valicity,
I'm concerned that the swelling around the kitten's joints, as well as her failure to grow, might indicate a systemic infection. This could have been introduced by the infection she had on her head or may be a separate infection altogether, but infections are the most common reasons for joint swelling like this in kittens of this age. At this age, she is old enough to receive antibiotics, which should treat any bacterial infections she is suffering. If the infection is viral, the vet may be able to offer you some tips for supportive care, such as a supplement like Nutri-Cal, which may help her grow and boost her immune response.
Good luck!
Jessica
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| Comment | We started the little kitten on some anti-boitics and she is starting to grow a little. Her joints have not gone down yet but we are sure that you are corect on her diagnosis. Her joints became so swolen that we punctured the systs and found bright yellow puss inside of them. The skin was so taught on one of her hind legs that a large patch of skin lost circulation and fell off. We have been persistent with her feedings, her antibiotics, as well as keeping her clean and warm. She seems to be healing up on her sore leg. I'm not sure how long it will take for her joints to go down but as long as she continues to show progresion we will keep up the fight for her. She is such a sweet loving little kitten and she and we appreciate your time and knowledge in helping her out. Thank you so much | ||
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Answers by Expert:
Jessica
Expertise
The areas in which I have gained the most experience are cat health and feral cat management/rescue. I provide supportive care to chronically ill cats, hospice care to terminally ill cats and also am involved in trap-neuter-return efforts. My specialities lie in taming feral cats and in the allopathic treatment of cats with illnesses or special needs. I also have owned Siamese, Himalayans, Abyssinians, Russian Blues, Savannahs, Bengals, Peterbalds, Don Sphynx and Oriental Shorthairs and am well-versed in cat breeds as well as cat behavior and nutrition.
Experience
I have 15 years of extensive experience with cats ranging from breeding to medical care. My daily routine consists of caring for cats with diabetes, thyroid disease, kidney failure, feline leukemia, feline AIDS as well as feral cats. I have experience with liver patients, heart patients, feline infectious peritonitis, cancer, recovery from amputation and trauma, congenital deformities and most every disease in between. I have assisted cats giving birth and hand-nursed kittens who were neglected by their mother from 2 days old through weaning.
Education/Credentials
15 years' hands-on experience
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