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  #1  
Old January 7th, 2008, 10:42 AM
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vcheng79 vcheng79 is offline
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Problem with my 3-month-old kitten

Hi everyone. I bought a 3-month-old Birman 2 days ago. She's been very talkative and active until this evening. She seems very tired and she's always lying on top of the modem or charger where it's very warm. Tonight she even poohed on the carpet once and it was very watery. She also seems quite hot to the touch. When I took her to the vet for body check before bring her home, the vet said her temp was on the high side of normal. I am going to take her to the vet tomorrow after work, but can anyone please help me? Thanks.
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My babies:

Samantha/BB (11-month-old ~~ Born on Oct 9, 2007)


Mama (17-year-old) - passed away
Sabrina (11 year-old) - passed away on Feb 7, 2006
Meow Meow (8 year-old) - passed away on May 15

My nephew:
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  #2  
Old January 7th, 2008, 12:20 PM
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Kristin7 Kristin7 is offline
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We can't really do anything for your kitten, but your vet should be able to help. Your kitten may have an illness which they should be able to pinpoint, or, if your kitten has just been vaccinated, this could be a reaction to the shots. Hope she feels better soon!
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  #3  
Old January 9th, 2008, 11:41 AM
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vcheng79 vcheng79 is offline
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i took Samantha to the vet today and he said she's fine except she's a bit small for her age. I told him that her brother (in pet shop) is about the same size as her and the doctor she might be younger than I think.

After the checkup, the vet says the diahrrea could come from worms although the pet shop told me they just deworm her a while ago. He gave her some liquid meds that she's supposed to take 1 time a day for 3 days. I just gave her the first dose but she spit out half of it. I am going to ask the vet tomorrow to see if I should give her 1 extra day of meds.

About 1/2 hour ago, Samantha poohed again (very watery and on the floor). I found some red spots in her pooh. I am so worry right now...what should I do....she seems to be very active today...
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My babies:

Samantha/BB (11-month-old ~~ Born on Oct 9, 2007)


Mama (17-year-old) - passed away
Sabrina (11 year-old) - passed away on Feb 7, 2006
Meow Meow (8 year-old) - passed away on May 15

My nephew:
Bor Bor (6 year-old puppy)
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  #4  
Old January 9th, 2008, 12:04 PM
SARAH SARAH is offline
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This sounds so like my little Spoutnik ... except he is "just" an SPCA rescue kitten, not a "fancy" petstore Birman (no offence to either kitten).

We were told Spoutnik was 2½ months - or so it said on the cage he was in. When I looked closer at the papers a few days leter, it said 2 months. And we're pretty sure he wasn't even that old, both Lewis and I and some of the cat-experts on this forum so I've revised his initial age to 6 weeks.

Anyway, he was brought in to the SPCA the day before we took him, and had had his shots either the day he got in or early the next day when we got him. Also, as we left, he was chipped. Pretty mean to such a tiny kitten, it could have waited till he's going in to be fixed.

He was fine that weekend, but on the third day, Monday, he was not eating, pooping pretty much brown water, throwing up bile (from not eating, how could he trow up anything else?) and getting weaker by the hour.

Me on to pets.ca and a HUGE THANK YOU to all who helped me save little Spoutnik!

I went to the petstore to get a baby-bottle and kitten-formula, to the pharmacy for baby food (Heinz, chicken in broth, no salt or onion, lol - there is onion on the list of ingredients btw), home, mixed it all up, gave him by the bottle that evening, as much as he would take but not so much as to overload his little, fragile system; babyfood by the teaspoon-tip the next day and more bottled milk/babyfood mix, as well as water by the teaspoon as I didn't want him to get dehydrated.

I wore a sweat-jacket, zipped just half way up, and Spoutnik sleeping inside it like a baby kangaroo to keep him warm.

That Friday, he was good. Eating alone and running with the dogs and Misti a little, getting house-warm over the weekend.

Monday ... poor little thing gets a stuffy nose, fever, and more water by the teaspoon for that first day. I broke his fever by placing amber in his bed right below him - one hour and his temperature was down He kept eating by himself that week, but was a little sleepy and had trouble breathing through a very stuffy nose, sneezing my screen full at one time (well, he slept on my desk so I could keep an eye on him).

Three weeks later ... he's the terror of the house and we love him to death! Super cute little rascal, a total nuisance, and both thoise words could make great middle names for him!

Make sure you keep your little kitty hydrated first of all, and try that babyfood, it would be yummy for us even with a little added salt
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  #5  
Old January 9th, 2008, 12:21 PM
Cassiopeia Cassiopeia is offline
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Call your vet back and tell him about the red spots. Does it look like blood or bits of food or did she eat something she shouldn't have eaten?

What are you feeding her? Didn't your vet test stool for worms first before prescribing medication?

Definitely keep her hydrated. Free access to water and canned food if she'll eat it.

Does she have teeth coming in? If she is teething, that could be one explanation for the temperature.

Keep us posted on your kitten. Good luck.
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  #6  
Old January 9th, 2008, 01:21 PM
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vcheng79 vcheng79 is offline
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cat formula? won't that increase her diarrhea just like humans? I don't know if I can get Heinz baby food but I will go see tmr...hopefully my Samantha will be like your kitten running around soon...thanks.

i don't think the red spots are food because she didn't ate anything red, at least not that I know of.

The vet recommended that I should get some kitten canned food. I got a can of Science Diet canned food today and will start giving it to her tmr. There are so little choices when it comes to kitten canned food. Right now I am feeding her another brand I bought from the vet that's for adult cat. The vet also said I should give her 1 teaspoon for 4 times a day to help her with her weight and size...

Is this the right age for teething? This is the first time I have such a small cat. I feel so nervous...feels like I could break her bones when I carry her in my arms...
__________________
My babies:

Samantha/BB (11-month-old ~~ Born on Oct 9, 2007)


Mama (17-year-old) - passed away
Sabrina (11 year-old) - passed away on Feb 7, 2006
Meow Meow (8 year-old) - passed away on May 15

My nephew:
Bor Bor (6 year-old puppy)
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  #7  
Old January 9th, 2008, 01:33 PM
Cassiopeia Cassiopeia is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vcheng79 View Post
The vet recommended that I should get some kitten canned food. I got a can of Science Diet canned food today and will start giving it to her tmr. There are so little choices when it comes to kitten canned food. Right now I am feeding her another brand I bought from the vet that's for adult cat. The vet also said I should give her 1 teaspoon for 4 times a day to help her with her weight and size...

Is this the right age for teething? This is the first time I have such a small cat. I feel so nervous...feels like I could break her bones when I carry her in my arms...
How much does she weigh?

You could try Wellness canned kitten food and/or Nature's Variety Instinct canned which is appropriate for all ages. They are both grain-free foods. These are what I am currently feeding my own kitten. They are higher protein and are appropriate for a kitten.

They start teething at about 3 months I believe.

Has she been vomitting at all?

It's not unusual for kittens to have worms or fleas for that matter.
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  #8  
Old January 9th, 2008, 01:39 PM
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Love4himies Love4himies is offline
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Wellness makes a canned kitten food that is grain free and human grade meat, no by products. My 7 foster kittens were getting this along with raw and Felidae when they were very young and they trived on it.
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Old January 9th, 2008, 01:45 PM
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14+kitties 14+kitties is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vcheng79 View Post
i took Samantha to the vet today and he said she's fine except she's a bit small for her age. I told him that her brother (in pet shop) is about the same size as her and the doctor she might be younger than I think.

After the checkup, the vet says the diahrrea could come from worms although the pet shop told me they just deworm her a while ago. He gave her some liquid meds that she's supposed to take 1 time a day for 3 days. I just gave her the first dose but she spit out half of it. I am going to ask the vet tomorrow to see if I should give her 1 extra day of meds.

About 1/2 hour ago, Samantha poohed again (very watery and on the floor). I found some red spots in her pooh. I am so worry right now...what should I do....she seems to be very active today...

I would thing if the pet store told you they just dewormed her they used one of their products which almost always do not work. They are not strong enough to expel and kill the worms. The red could be just a little blood from staining or from having diarreha. Call vet and tell him to be on safe side.
Do you have a syringe (without the needle of course) or a child's medicine scoop that you can use for the kittens meds? Or can you ask your vet if it comes in pill form. I would think that would be a lot more effective than her wearing half of her meds.
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  #10  
Old January 11th, 2008, 08:31 AM
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vcheng79 vcheng79 is offline
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I called the vet yesterday and he told me that the medicine he prescribed was very mild and it was ok to give her maybe a bit more than 0.3 cc. Samantha still has diarrhea but I don't think there is any red spots anymore (just looked). She's more active now. It just seems crazy when cats will actually starve themselves rather than eat something they don't like....weird animals....very characteristic....
__________________
My babies:

Samantha/BB (11-month-old ~~ Born on Oct 9, 2007)


Mama (17-year-old) - passed away
Sabrina (11 year-old) - passed away on Feb 7, 2006
Meow Meow (8 year-old) - passed away on May 15

My nephew:
Bor Bor (6 year-old puppy)
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Old January 11th, 2008, 10:23 PM
t.pettet t.pettet is offline
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Problem with my

I recommend taking your vet papers to the pet shop where you purchased the kitten and make them very aware how sick she is and what your vet said is the problem. You might not get compensation but they should know that it is illegal to sell sick animals. Then drop-in to the SPCA in your area with all your evidence and ask to have the shop investigated and from now on NEVER purchase another living creature from a pet store. They are unethical, money hungry supporters of bybs and don't give a sh-- what happens to the pet as long as they get their $$$$. I hope your little kitty pulls through.
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  #12  
Old January 12th, 2008, 01:00 PM
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vcheng79 vcheng79 is offline
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Samantha is getting a bit better. Her pooh return to normal color and less watery (just little). She's also much more active now and very naughty. HOwever, I don't know if she doesn't understand the idea of litter box or that she's having a stomach flu because sometimes she just pooh in other areas....please help...
__________________
My babies:

Samantha/BB (11-month-old ~~ Born on Oct 9, 2007)


Mama (17-year-old) - passed away
Sabrina (11 year-old) - passed away on Feb 7, 2006
Meow Meow (8 year-old) - passed away on May 15

My nephew:
Bor Bor (6 year-old puppy)
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  #13  
Old January 13th, 2008, 01:52 PM
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CyberKitten CyberKitten is offline
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She may still be ill and not have time ti get to the luitter box 9I assume yiu have the followed the rule of thumb - one box plus one per cat so two boxes.) In her case - being ill- a box close to where she likes to be- wold be a good idea. As for food, KMR is not the same as human milk and as you may know, kittens and cats cannot handle cow's milk which human drink - in spite of our thoughts in the past.

Another things that can help diarrhea is canned pumpkin but as a kitten who is not well, I'd give her a very small amt and see if that helps. Yogurt sometimes helps too.

She could also have a bug of some kind and that should be determined by your vet. Do not use the vet the pet store recommended since they are usually not the best. Find your own vet!!! Please!! You will doing her a world of good. I know you have her now but it is not entirely safe to purchase a kitten from a pet shop - they come from Kitten mills or back yard breeders, like puppy mills. I am sure this is news to you but in the future, keep it in mind. I hope your kitten will be OK- bring her to a reputable vet for a thorough check up.

For future reference, the best place to buy a birman or any kitten with a pedigree (Did you receive a CFA pedigree with the one you bought at the per shop - ie, would she be accepted by the shows, is she show quality? There are so many questions and so much to know that it is mind =boggling) I have the name of some excellent birman breeders if you really want one and the cost is usually less- sometimes it seems more but 9/10, kittens purchased at a pet store exhibit heath problems (like yours) and what you might have saved in initial cost, you pay in vet fees.

I have four purebred cats- and none of them came from a pet shop all are show quality cats, two of whom are Grand Champions - all spayed now. . I loathe pet shops because of were they get their kittens. They will tell you differently just to make the sale A breeder will only sell a pet quality kitten (usually much less than a show quality kitten) if she/he had been spayed and neutered first so you are paying for that as well and for the first round of vaccinations,. Did the pet store cover the first round of vaccinations and deworming and vet visit? Di you have a health certificate? =Good breeders also cover health costs for the first few weeks and will work with you. the same is not always true of pet shops. There is such a huge difference.

I am sure your kitten is adorable - I just am giving you advice if you opt to get your kitten a friend. There is also the SPCA or Birman Rescue groups which often have kittens if you do not want to pay a huge price. I am involved with SIamaese Rescue and we have several kittens for example and in fact, 25% of all cats and kittens brought to rescues are purebred to think of them before you think of a pet shop which buy from the worst breeders - people who keep cats(and dogs) as livestock (with no vet care and the worst food) and are in it for profit only.

I hope your kitten will be OK but I would have her thoroughly checked by a reputable vet!
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