Kitty people- need thoughts on sick kitten please!

[TeamChaos]

Hi there,
We had a stray cat show up at the farm a few months back and, no surprise, she was pregnant. She had the babies in the garage and has really turned into a tolerant sweetheart w/ us. 5 weeks ago she had 6 babies- all survived. 2 black tabbies and 4 grey tabbies. All babies have been in good health despite some eye gunk early on. The kittens have taken an interest in mama's wet cat food and we've been providing kitten chow for about a week now. Mama has been very reluctant to nurse for several days- the babies have to chase her and crrrrry and she'll relent for about 5 minutes. Anyway, one of the black tabbies (Chuck) has been eating the wet food and kitty kibble really well and has not bothered chasing his mama down for milk. Yesterday, it became apparent that something is wrong with him- his fur is falling out by the handful! He was lethargic (not like him at all) and felt boney but his belly was like a hard ping pong ball. His poor butt was really inflamed as well. We got mama to nurse him exclusively for a while and that seemed to perk him up some. We gave mama cat some rare steak and she was delighted to drink all the blood from it, and Chuck was sucking on the meat too! When he finally had a bowel movement, it was clear liquid with a little bit of yellow in it and very sticky. I rubbed his belly for a long time last nite and he seemed more comfortable. We gave him a heat lamp and he slept in a pile with his brothers and sisters. He's looking a little brighter today, but still small and wobbly with weird "poop"s. Mama cat has been hiding from the babies and doesn't want to nurse them at all. About an hour ago, she vomited and had white poop. I've got a call in to our vet but it's after hours and I'm sure she's on another call since we haven't heard anything yet. Any ideas what is going on here? I was initially thinking malnourishment but I don't have a lot of cat experience. Thanks for any thoughts!

 

[Imp]

Sorry the kitten is sick. I think a vet is a good idea, hope you hear soon.

Guide to the Rainbow of Poop
and Urine Colors (The Scoop on Poop):

Color:

• Bloody - Actual red blood seen in stool. Could indicate panleukepenia. Grossly abnormal, must be seen ASAP.
• Mucous - yellowish/white/clear slimy substance. Indicates severe bowel irritation. Grossly abnormal and needs immediate care.
• Black - True dark black color to stool. Usually indicates bleeding high in the bowel. Severe sign, needs immediate attention.
• Brown - Normal color. Be happy!
• Orange - Usually indicates way too much bile in stool, can occur with reflux.Seek medical advice.
• Yellow - Almost always indicates bacterial imbalance in the bowel. If has diarrhea also, usually related to coccidia. Seek medical advice.
• White - Grossly abnormal color, usually indicates, severe bacterial imbalance and severe infection in the bowel. Kitten at risk of dying, needs medical attention, ASAP.

Consistency:

• Dry/hard - Abnormal, usually indicates dehydration. Seek care, promptly.
• Firm - Normal, be happy.
• Formed but soft - Low range of ‘normal’. If stools change from firm to soft you should seek medical advice.
• Toothpaste - Still has somewhat tubular form but falls apart once touched. Abnormal, needs medication.
• Cow-patty - Never formed but thick enough it falls into a ‘cow-patty’ shape. Abnormal, animal is at significant risk and needs immediate attention.
• Liquidy - Just fluid that falls out of rectum, thin and may have mucous. Abnormal, animal is at severe risk and must be seen immediately.
• The ‘Squirts’ - Animal has no control over bowel and watery fluid squirts out of rectum. Grossly abnormal, animal in danger of dying, must be seen immediately!

​

This table lists a group of skin conditions that affect the appearance of the coat and hair. These diseases do not cause your cat much discomfort -- at least not at first.Hair loss is the main sign. It may appear as impaired growth of new hair, or you may notice a patchy loss of hair from specific areas of the body. At times, the coat does not look or feel right and may be greasy or coarse and brittle. Many of these conditions are related to hormone production.

• Congenital hypotrichosis: A genetic condition where kittens lose any hair they are born with by about 4 months of age.
• Cortisone excess: Symmetrical hair loss over trunk and body, with darkening of the underlying skin. Seen with Cushing’s disease. May also indicate a thyroid problem. Thinning of the skin is also seen with this condition.
• Demodectic mange: Thinning and loss of hair around the eyes and eyelids, giving the cat a moth-eaten appearance. Not common in cats.
• Eosinophilic granuloma: Raised, red circular plaque on the abdomen or insides of the thighs (eosinophilic plaque); or linear plaques on the backs of the hind legs.
• Feline endocrine alopecia: Thinning or balding of the coat on insides of the back legs, lower abdomen, and genital area. Distribution is symmetrical. Occurs most often in neutered males and spayed females.
• Hyperthyroidism (excess thyroid hormone): About one-third of cats with this endocrine problem will have hair that pulls out easily and hair loss.
• Hypothyroidism (deficient thyroid hormone): Dry skin and thinning of the haircoat. Hair becomes dull and brittle. Rare in cats.
• Indolent (rodent) ulcer: Red shiny patches of hairless skin. Usually involves the middle of the upper lip and occasionally the lower lip. Not painful.
• Psychogenic alopecia: Thinning of hair in a stripe down the back or on the abdomen. Caused by compulsive self-grooming.
• Ringworm: A fungal infection. Scaly, crusty, or red circular patches 1⁄2 to 2 inches (12 to 50 mm) across. Patches show central hair loss with a red ring at the periphery. Sometimes just broken hairs around the face and ears. May become infected. Highly contagious, including to humans.
• Stud tail: Greasy, rancid-smelling waxy-brown material at the top of the tail near the base. The site of the glands is usually devoid of hair.

 

[AinaWGSD]

The stools sound pretty typical of what you might see with worms and giardia. The hairloss sounds like it could be consistent with malnourishment from intestinal parasites, mites, or ringworm. The lethargy could also be from malnourishment, anemia due to parasites, or a viral disease such as distemper, feline leukemia, or FIV. Either way, lethargy combined with diarrhea like what you describe can quickly be fatal to a young kitten so it's really best to get him seen by a vet as soon as possible.

 

[leadwolf1]

x2. Kittens are born with parasites that they get from the mom. Since she was a stray I am pretty sure she probably is loaded also. You need to get them to a vet, have a fecal exam done and get meds. Good luck with them, it was great of you to take her in and help her and her babies

The stools sound pretty typical of what you might see with worms and giardia. The hairloss sounds like it could be consistent with malnourishment from intestinal parasites, mites, or ringworm. The lethargy could also be from malnourishment, anemia due to parasites, or a viral disease such as distemper, feline leukemia, or FIV. Either way, lethargy combined with diarrhea like what you describe can quickly be fatal to a young kitten so it's really best to get him seen by a vet as soon as possible.

 

[TeamChaos]

Thanks for your replies, everyone! We went to the vet this a.m. and she was kind of surprised to not find any worms in the mom (Scraps) or the kitten (Chuck). I took all six kittens along and the rest got a clean bill of health. Chuck and Scraps will be on antibiotics in case it's something bacterial, like giardia, but no real diagnosis- just supportive care. Everybody got wormed just for good measure.

 

[leadwolf1]

That's wonderful! My only other thought was ringworm...that requires a skin scrape. I'm glad that they got a clean bill of health!!! I just love kittens