Expert: Tomay - 9/11/2006

Question
My roommate has a kitten of about 20 weeks old or so, and all of a sudden it is acting very strange.  It's meowing loudly, constantly cuddling (it's an independent cat, usually runs around on it's own) and it's continuously, forgive the description, licking it's butt.  It will not sit, only lays down.  Meows loud if you touch it's lower stomach region.  We're not sure what the problem is, but my roommate cannot afford a vet at this point.  Do you have any ideas what it could be, and will waiting for a week or two make matters worse?  It's only been doing this for 1 day, but it's wierd, and you can tell the cat is uncomfortable.

Answer
Hi Pam,
Sounds like you have a sick kitty on your hands.  There are a variety of diseases that young kittens are subject to contracting.  Many of these are life threatening and require immediate vet intervention.  I know that vets can be an expense, but perhaps you could call around and check for a low cost clinic, or even the humane society.  You may be able to make payment arrangements with them.  If you aren't sure if this kitten has had all it's baby shots, you might want to have them updated when you go into the vet.  I can't diagnose, as I am not a vet, but I can tell you that if this behaviour continues for another day, I would be getting some medical attention for her/him.
It may also be that this kitten has some sort of constipation problem.  Have you checked the litter box to be sure he/she is elimating regularly?  
Best of luck with this baby.  Hope this has been helpful.  Thank you for your inquiry and your intrest in this site.
Tomay