Mama Cat had sniffles when my kitten neighbor picked her up at the shelter. That became a full-on respiratory infection shortly after the last pics. She came through ok, but of course the kittens caught it from her, and it’s been a week of misery. All are having trouble breathing, so they struggle to nurse. The darker calico died Thursday after probably developing pneumonia, and Friday evening this little guy started to crash.
The shelter vet gave instructions and supplies for tube feeding, so kitten neighbor and I are topping him up every 2-3 hours during the day and weighing the other three to hopefully catch them in time. I’m sad and tired and just want to keep these babies alive because it’s the one little thing I maybe can do to counteract the awfulness in the world right now.
I am sorry to hear it. These little creatures are so fragile. For example, I read that small kittens cannot use the bladder or intestins propely, so the mother has to stimulate them by licking their bellies. It is very hard to take care of them. I am rooting for you! Força!
Mama Cat is doing all the right mama cat things: nursing them, cleaning them, taking care of their potty needs. She’s a good mother, but the sick babies are so congested (sinuses and lungs) that breathing is hard, so nursing is hard, and losing much of their sense of smell seems to make finding the nipple hard, even if they do show interest in nursing. So tube feeding it is…
Today he had an ultrasound at the veterinary clinic which confirmed changes in his pancreas and liver. The examination ruled out problems in the intestines and the blood test showed no signs of infection nor the presence of common parasites was detected.
We feared it could be cancer or something else as the kitten’s abdomen is quite distended. The vet reassured us that this was not the case, She thinks He was very poorly fed in his other life in another home. They must have given a lot of high-calorie things that could have affected the liver, making it greasy like that of poor geese raised for pâté.
Fortunately, she believes that medication, diet and exercise can help him have a healthier life.
Seen today in my neighborhood in Minneapolis, while walking by the Mississippi River. A friend I was with took the photo for me with her phone. The eagles were in a tree growing partway down the river bluff. They were looking out over the river. Their nest is in a tree about 200 feet away, directly behind us, across the street, in someone’s back yard.
He’s in rough shape but still hanging in there. I didn’t think he would make it through last night. The shelter vet gave him fluids and an injection of anti-nausea meds today. She is not optimistic but didn’t suggest euthanasia yet.
After the fluids, his next feeding, and a very long nap, he showed interest in nursing for the first time in about 12 hours (still can’t manage that though) and tried to walk around the nest some. Kitten neighbor and I decided this afternoon that we will continue tube feeding him until we shouldn’t or don’t have to anymore, for whichever reason.
a few houses up the street from us is a run-down old shack where some rather dodgy folk had skulked about for years, then just disappered. they abandoned this super sweet girl, my little Orange Crush, and she is so lost and lonely. i can’t let her be hungry, so i am feeding her and giving her lovies. she is so sweet! we will take her to the vet for a thorough scan and any shots she may need, any parasites that may need treated and have her spayed (if she isn’t already).
i am a pushover for a hungry kitteh, but our spoiled little brat cat just goes nutso over my attention to OC (orange cat, other cat, orange crush) she would never tolerate another cat in HER house!
but this one is sooo sweet! have i said how sweet she is?!
Holy crap, I almost had a heart attack this past hour.
I sat down to eat breakfast and take my medications when I realized one of my pills was missing and Ripley was making motions with her mouth like she had just eaten something that displeased her. Checked my pills, and the 50mg Sertraline (generic Zoloft, at 25X feline dosage) was gone.
I was seriously freaking out until I moved my mug and saw that she had got it in her mouth but spat it out.
I just received a small payment this morning, so I could have afforded to take her to the veterinarian, but with all the crap I’ve been going through this last month, I did not need this. I will be definitely keeping a closer eye on the tiny things that could interest a cat.
