Can someone help me with my kitten!!!!?

Question

I NEED SOME HELP! I ONLY WANT HELPFUL RESPONSES! I DO NOT WANT SARCASTIC REMARKS OR REMARKS TELLING ME I AM A HORRIBLE PERSON.
PLEASE HELP! I AM BEGGING FOR SOME HELP!!!!

My kitten was born in August, making her 9 months old. She is the smallest from her litter and the only one to become really sick. I took her to the vet and had 3 virus tests completed on her, a heart examination, her teeth checked, and a blood examine.

The vet cannot find anything wrong with her. When we first got her, she had lots of spunk, and personality. She was so loving and caring; we cuddled her to bits. She would climb up and down peoples legs and play all the time. In January suddenly she got very sick. She drools like a running facet. On top of having a temperature for awhile she also became..whats the word...lethargic. Barely moving, and the drool!! The drool also has a bad smell. The vet can't find anything wrong!!

When she is on antibiotics she is fine for awhile, but it seems that her body builds anti-bodies against the medicine and she goes back to drooling and barely moving. But when she first starts the anitbiotics she is back to her normal self..almost.

Please, someone help me. I do NOT want to put her down, shes just a baby! There has to be more I can do!! Has anyone had this happen before?

Answer 1

January to April is a long time...what is she like now?

The lethargy, lack of playfulness, plus the drool, are a very concerning set of symptoms.



How recently was her blood work done? If it has been even a month, perhaps you need another CBC. If she has a bacterial infection, or even a persistent virus, she should have an elevated White Blood Cell count.



I know she is a little old for cutting teeth, but if she is a runt, she may be delayed in all areas - including her teeth coming in. Have you checked her mouth very carefully? Look for red lines around her gumline where it meets her teeth (indicative of gingivitis and could account for the breath), look for any teeth that may be coming in, perhaps poorly aligned and not able to push the baby tooth out of the way, or even a cracked, or deeply chipped tooth. Also look closely for any marks or sores in her mouth, on her palate, or at the back of her throat (usually an indication of Calici virus, which could also cause all of the symptoms that you listed).



There are a lot of causes for a kitten to be undersized, ranging from genetics to disease to metabolic problems to thyroid problems....



If it were my kitten, and I was not finding help with my vet, I would first try to find a new vet that was more knowledgeable about cats (and more willing to help you with your cat because not all vets are that...cat friendly). I know how it is to want to help and be on a budget, but, if you are going to help her, you are going to have to keep working through diagnostics, I am sorry to say (please forgive me if I am making an incorrect assumption but it is the way of the world it seems these days!)



If her mouth looks OK, and her bloodwork was somewhat recent, then we move on to the next steps. Personally, I am a big fat of a type of testing called Polymearse Chain Reaction (PCR). Due to the fantastic reputation of the lab coupled with the fact that they are a LOT less expensive than the 'big' labs many vets use, I would go to www.zoologix.com -> Companion Animals -> Feline Blodborne Pathogen Panel. It is a blood test that looks for FIV, FIP, FeLK, and Mycoplasma. It will not give false positives for FIP as will most other FIP tests on the market, this test looks specifically for the mutated form of the corona virus that is the cause of FIP (think of the Corona virus as a cold, and FIP is basically like Pneumonia in a way). Being absolutely certain she is clear of these key things (FIV, FIP, FeLV specifically), you know that what you are dealing with is likely something that you can help her with.



Print out the whole page about the Bloodborne Panel, along with the form you mail in with a sample (also on the site) and take it all to your vet. They can do a blood draw and mail it directly to the lab.



After that, I'd be looking into a more thorough Complete Blood Count, specifically looking for the White count again, but also the Thyroid panel, and I'd be asking the vet about a Metabolic Panel.



There is a slight chance that these symptoms could be caused by a heart problem, as well, but, as bad as she sounds, it is very likely that the vet would be hearing a heart murmur, or eurythmia (irregular heartbeat), or would have found other symptoms that were indicative of a heart problem. An Xray is sufficient, but ultrasound is the best way to rule this out as a possibility.



So sorry you are having this heartache, I really feel for you.

Answer 2

Take her to another vetand get a second opinion.



Also, try to think back to January...did you change anything in her diet or in the house. Do any construction work? Did you put a flea collar or any flea medication or powders on her? Change her flea collar or powder in January?



I did a quick check on the web and found the following regrading excessive drooling:



"In cats, it is important to rule out stuff that they might have eaten,

because cats salivate really excessively as the result of ingesting several

medications and flea sprays.



We have also seen salivation after ingesting

small lizards (we have skinks here) and toads. Most cats will leave toads

alone so we see this more often in dogs. Once in a while we see salivation

in dogs who have ingested bees and presumably been stung, even though there

isn't an obvious swelling in the oral cavity. I suspect this could happen

in cats but can't remember a case. If the problem has cleared up and not

returned, I would lean towards the possibility of an ingested source of

irritation, even if there isn't anything that you can find that might have

caused the problem.



Dental disorders can cause excessive salivation in cats. If this is a

persistent problem at this point, it would be good to look for broken

teeth, a trapped foreign body (caught between teeth), odontoclastic lesions

(small to large enamel defects right at the gumline), eosinophilic

granuloma lesions and gingivitis. Infected or damage salivary glands

sometimes cause excessive salivation, as well.



In cats, excessive salivation occurs when there is a portosystemic shunt

(liver shunt) but it would be unusual for this to occur suddenly and also

for it to appear at this age rather than during the growth period. Other

liver disease can sometimes cause excessive salivation so considering the

possibility of liver disease is worthwhile if other problems haven't been

found and the problem continues.



Cats can have excessive salivation from infection by feline herpes virus

(rhinotracheitis virus) or calicivirus. If any other signs of disease do

develop, such as fever, sneezing, eye discharges or loss of appetite and

especially if the other cats start to show signs of this problem."



I think another, experienced vet's opinion would be a good idea.

Good luck Please let us know how kitty is doing.

MissMic

Answer 3

I don't know what's the matter with your cat. It could be he is having a bad reaction to his food. Keep track of what he eats. then take one item away, See if he gets better or worse. or if there is no change. then take another food away see what happens. Keep notes, Wait about a week and then remove another food. Is he improving, getting worse or is there no change.

Give him a little of the first food you took away. How is it affecting him? wait about a week then add the next food you took away. and so on.

If there is no change, Change the brand of cat food. each is made differently. Be sure you note the ingredients. See if there are any foods or types of foods that affect him. this is a long involved project. But allergies are hard to find. It might be corn in the cat kibble that is causing this or it might be the kind of cleanser you use to clean the floor. Read up on the kind of foods that are not good for cats and see what you can tweak. Remember for each food you find is NOT causing the problem, You are one closer to finding what is. causing it.





No one can tell you when it's time to put an animal you love down. You will know **if** that time comes.

Answer 4

If your veterinarian has recommended additional diagnostics you should consider having them run. You should also consider allowing them to examine her under anesthesia if they haven't already; it is unlikely that they were able to do a thorough exam otherwise.



It may also be time to seek out a different veterinarian for a second opinion or ask your current veterinarian to refer you to a specialty center. If there is a veterinary school near you they may also be able to help. In any of these cases you should have a copy of your records with you so that the new veterinarian has some idea of her case history.



If a diagnosis still cannot be reached, and her condition is no longer manageable - you will want to think about her quality of life (NOT her age) and discuss with your veterinarian whether euthanizing her might be the best option. Sometimes there is nothing else you can do, and you should never feel guilty about doing what is best for your pet given the circumstances.

Answer 5

Try looking up the symptoms on the internet. If you can't find anything, then try going to a different vet! Maybe your vet doesn't see anything wrong, but another one might! Lethargy doesn't sound good at all, and when a cat is not acting like they usually do, something's wrong. I'm thinking it might be something wrong with the mouth or teeth. Dental health is connected to heart health, which affects overall health. So just go to a different vet than usual and check EVERYTHING.

Answer 6

Ok, you were terribly irresponsible and didn't get your cat spayed. Now, you'll double that irresponsible act and give intact kittens away. You need to s/n them and s/n your cat. If you are not willing to do that, and I'll assume you won't, then at least take the kittens to your SPCA or Humane Society. They will probably charge you a small fee to take the kittens, but they WILL s/n them before placing them. They also screen the people adopting them and charge them a fee. They will do a much better job than you finding them good homes.

Answer 7

I actually had the same thing with my cat. Dont worry, if the blood test is fine, its ok. She/he is probley just alergic to something or could just have a virus or cold keep her on the medicine, but shes ok your just going to have to do some research on what it is. For my cat he had a virus. And my cat also couldnt have cat nip, he was alergic. Have you changed your cats food latley and how long has this been going on... maybe i can give you some more help....?

Answer 8

i have not had this happen to me before but i think you should try to get her to be more playful and spend lots of time playing with her! if that has no effect then you should get a second opinion of another professional. the vet says that its no big deal, and that its not harmful, just annoying, then you should just get used to it and love her for the way she is, and she very may well grow out of it!! hope that helps!! =) you could also consider adoption, but only use it as a last resort.

Answer 9

If that one Vet can't find the problem try different Vets. Not all Vets are smart enough to find a horriable problem. Maybe try a very experienced Vet.

Answer 10

Have you disinfected your house and all the areas she goes in? It could be the bacteria/virus is lingering and reinfecting her. You might want to get a second opinion on the blood tests.