Sick kitten Options

[Pippu]

My kitten that is 5 months old has had diarrhea for the last 2 days and is acting odd. She is meowing lots (which she doesnt normally do) I have recently heard clay cat litter can be bad so I have just changed to a natural litter. She seems dehydrated but doesn't seem to drink much! Vet has told me to only feed dry food, but that hasn't seemed to help! Anyone have any ideas what it could be? I will be taking her into the vet as soon as I get paid but cant afford it til then!

[ChocolateDots]

Iams Hairball formula is meant to be very good for stopping the runs, however given her odd behaviour and dehydration I'd be taking her back to the vets ASAP
Perhaps your vet will allow you to pay off the follow up appointment in a few days?

[Pippu]

Thanks il try iams she's on purina does uti cause diarrea ?? does anyone know pippy isn't a happy camper (

[fleabag]

Hmm a uti usually doesn't cause the runs ..does she have access to outside water? Try giving her boiled water or filtered, if the Iams doesn't help, she needs to see the vet and take a sample with you of the runny stuff ..grin..poached chicken and rice is also good for upset stomachs.
But kittens can dehydrate very quickly ..so it might be worth asking your vet if you can pay the bill off.

[Lee Lee]

Agree with the others that a vet visit is most important as kittens can go downhill very quickly.

Cooked pumpkin is also good at firming up stools...you can mix that with the poached chicken. Also I use Slippery Elm powder, mix with a little water to make a pea size ball and give that to her. Will help firm the stools and soothe the digestive system. That will help ease the symptoms but a vet needs to see her to work what is causing the runs in the first place. I would also be syringing some water into her mouth to make sure she doesnt get any more dehydrated.

[stephm1188]

Maybe you can try some natural yoghurt too? Sounds like it would have the opposite effect, but the good, live cultured, unsweetened and ideally lactose free stuff works wonders on icky bellies.
Mine get really loud and unsettled when they feel yucky, they let you know!

[Pippu]

Thanks for everyone's advise and good ideas , I've since taken her to the vet , he couldn't find a reason for the diarrea but gave me liquid n dropper to give twice daily her stools have improved and are firmer but quite dark he couldnt feel any blockages so that was a relief, she doesn't like the medicine n foams n try's to spit it out I think it maybe a chalk type liquid . Also kitty is on heat which explains the constant meowing which is driving me nutts all hours of the day and night , she's a inside kitty so no boys at the moment , will be buying a nice boy n two weeks however he'll be 2 young for this season .
So my next question is how to quieter the constant meowing in her stress .:)

[Catsfriend]

Thanks for everyone's advise and good ideas , I've since taken her to the vet , he couldn't find a reason for the diarrea but gave me liquid n dropper to give twice daily her stools have improved and are firmer but quite dark he couldnt feel any blockages so that was a relief, she doesn't like the medicine n foams n try's to spit it out I think it maybe a chalk type liquid . Also kitty is on heat which explains the constant meowing which is driving me nutts all hours of the day and night , she's a inside kitty so no boys at the moment , will be buying a nice boy n two weeks however he'll be 2 young for this season .
So my next question is how to quieter the constant meowing in her stress .:)

Hello Pippu, I don't mean to be mean, but in your initial message you mentioned that money is an issue for you (I'll take her to the vet as soon as I get paid), and now you are thinking of breeding with your cat? Breeding is a very expensive hobby, and only purebred pedigree cats with papers explicitly sold for breeding purposes should be bred with. Is your cat a purebred cat from a registered breeder who sold her to you as a breeding cat?

If yes, you are welcome to get started, BUT ONLY IF you can save enough money in advance to be prepared for the upcoming vet costs. If not, please don't breed. The animal shelters are overflowing with unwanted kittens who have been bred by the wrong people, and more of them are offered 'for free' on every notice board in town. Just to give you an idea: If you want to sell or give away your kittens with all important vet services done (as I do and many other good breeders do, too) you are looking at a minimum of $200 per kitten which you have to pay upfront, before you even start advertising them. That is $1,000 for an average sized litter of 5. And if your mother cat needs a caeserian it can well be $1,000 on top. So, please think it over!

Further, a female cat should be one year old before she has her first kittens. A male kitten can be sexually mature with 4 months and able to impregnate her. Have you also considered that an entire male will spray in your house? You will need a safe outdoor enclosure for him. If you don't lock him in, he will run away in search for females and may never come back. Add another $1,000 for a suitable large cage to your cattery budget.

By the way, is your girl cat well now? I guess what the vet prescribed may be Scourban which is a bitter-tasting earth-based antibiotic fluid of a pinkish colour. It is good and gentle and in many cases the right medicine. However, if your cat has, for example, giardia (as fleabag's question whether she has access to dirty water suggested and which can be identified by laboratory examination of a stool sample only - about $200 worth) she may need more specific medication. In every case, she needs lots of clean water. If she won't drink by herself, push some water deep into her mouth with a syringe several times a day. If she dehydrates too badly, you may even have to inject salt-water underneath the skin (but only if your vet instructs you to and shows you how!). Also boiled chicken and rice, as fleabag already suggested, is good in every case of diarrhoea. Good luck!

[kittenmitten]

For once I actually agree with romana - if this kitten is only 5 months old she has a long way to go before she is mature enough in body to have kittens safely - I would not let any of my girls breed until they are about 15 months. Unless she is a purebred cat though and you are a registered breeder you should not breed her though _ she does not "need" to have a litter and health wise for her it is not wise to let her keep calling - a female cat will keep calling until she is. Agree that if you also had issues with money just to take her to the vets for diarrhea then getting a girl pregnant is most unwise - what if she needs an emergency c section, suffers trouble afterwards with retained afterbirth, kittens require emergency vet visit - how will you pay for that. Not to mention a pregnant cat needs a lot more food during and afterwards so your food bills will massively increase and thn assuming all has gone well and you don't need to supplement feed the kittens then about 4-5 weeks old even more food as you introduce kittens to food. Vet visits for the kittens to give them checks, vaccinations and desexing, all which mounts up. Lastly before ou can sell the kittens at at least 10-12 weeks they need microchipping too. Would please urge you to reconsider or this girl unless you are a registered breeder - please desex this girl.

[stephm1188]

I'm sure that will quiet her down in the meantime, but have you ever lived with an undesexed male cat as a pet? It's no walk in the park! The peeing, yowling, escape efforts and general frustration is a nightmare. Have you never had a stray tom in your neighbourhood? Gosh.
And the female, lots can go wrong and would you want to lose her over kittens? It would be a shame, you sound like you adore her.

I think you'd be mad to let her pop out kittens, as adorable as they are at the time. Perhaps if you enjoy kittens so much, you could contact a rescue operation and volunteer to foster some babies to satisfy your urge?
I don't want to sound snarky, but honestly the number of homeless cats and kittens on the streets and in pounds is shameless.

Every cat not allowed to breed saves literally hundreds of cats roaming.

I too hope she's better, but please don't risk her further :(

[Pippu]

Thanks for everyone's input , as for the comments on not affording my cat to have kittens because I said I had to wait till pay day to visit the vet was simply a comment and can more than afford to take care of her and our two other grown cats I have brought and paid for to relocate them from Nz , gold coast, Perth as I am a responcible cat owner not a person who dumps and digards a animal at shelters like a lot of people do . I also have bred several litters in the past and every litter has been healthy and vet checked etc. I joined this site due to the love and care of cats to get information and share when people are so narrow minded and judgemental and presume things it dosent allow someone to ask general advise not opinions that are closed it puts me off sharing anything. So thanks first timer on this site.
Ps my grown cats are happy healthy outside cats and indoor and are spoilt, my kitty lives as pampered inside so will any future additions without cages .

My kitty did not get a pink antibiotic either, and is well and back to her happy playfully self still meowing but is content we found she was just eating everyone's food which caused the diarrhea so all good bowls are put out of her reach now and she's back to her food only sneaky girl :) as for breeding her of course we have papers both sides and I dont intend on any babies till shes older maybe 3rd or 4th season as I believe it's better for the mother and babies :) thanks to the kind unjudging replys I may not use this site to share again in the future any of my cats stories adventures . Im sure there is friendlier sites in Australia :(

[Catsfriend]

Pippu, I haven't found anything unfriendly, judgmental or off-putting in any of the above answers. Just on the contrary, there is a lot of helpful, informative and important information up there, and all 'presumed things' were logically based on your own words. However, you are of course entitled to have your own opinion.

I would like to urge you once again to rethink your idea of keeping an entire male cat "outdoors and indoors, without cages". He will most certainly spray, if you keep him indoors - and your home will soon stink worse than a pigstall, and your cat will be at high risk of disease, accidents, loss, theft and even of being killed if you let him roam outdoors instead of giving him a safe outdoor enclosure.

That is, once again, not a judgmental closed opinion, but simply a matter of facts. If you ask in other forums, you will certainly find this information confirmed. So, please keep an open mind, be willing to learn and don't run away from people who are trying to be helpful and are telling you the truth.

[Furrballz]

I also dont see anything unfriendly Pippu

People can only go by what info is given to them, as well :)

[kittenmitten]

Having found that some people consider anything that doesn't agree with what they want to hear as judgmental, nothing surprises me these days. However in order to answer your question pippa, perhaps assumptions were made because you did not say you were a breeder and this kitten is one of many you have and she was a future queen. A lot of people who come on here asking basic questions like this and then just throwing into the conversation that their girl kitty is undesexed and calling are not breeders but ordinary pet owners and do not realize health risks associated with letting their girl go on and on and call or want that 1 litter without realizing how much that 1 litter could cost. I think we answered on that basis as if you couldn't afford to take you kitten just for a checkup then anything else would be a big cost. Obviously since you have clarified this is not the case. What breed are they that you are breeding. Would strongly suggest even if the girl has started calling early that you wait as long as possible - yes pyo is possible but potential trouble from an underdeveloped queen not having maturity to carry a pregnancy or abandoning kittens from immaturity or squashing them etc because she doesn't know any better can also be problems.
I have Persians which are a slower maturing breed and ideally hold them back until at least 14 months before mating them.

[ChocolateDots]

Agree with KM, you didn't state you were a registered breeder, would have saved some posts if you had. Also don't know of any responsible breeders who allow their cats out to roam.

I don't like to mate mine before 12 months, but I don't let them call and call either since I use acupressure and they start to call from 4-5 months.


Glad she's feeling better now.

[Catsfriend]

... but I don't let them call and call either since I use acupressure ...

ChocolateDots, can you please explain how acupressure prevents queens from calling? I find that idea very interesting. By now, I have only checked out pharmaceutical means (hormone treatments) but I am much more inclined to use gentler alternatives, if possible. Did you learn and are you applying the acupressure yourself or do you have to call a professional in?

[ChocolateDots]

Acupressure is just a pressure point under the tail, no professional needed though it can take some practice to get the technique right, will post a link for you later when on the computer

Keeps my girls quiet for 6-8 weeks