Need Help with Cat, gross O/T

K

Kathy02

Cathlete
Ok, over the new Year, my ds and dh and I all went up north. We left the cats unattended, with plenty of water and food. It was only for 3 days that we were gone. When we got back one of our cats was dead. I have no idea what could have heppened. Anyway, ds and I went and adopted another kitten at a local pet supply store. When we adopted him we were informed that he had diahrea. She said she had him checked, that he didn't have any worms, and that she thought it might be from stress of being in a cage. But if it continued she would pay for another fecal sample. It continued. I have since given him antibiotics and changed him to Herring and sweet potato food, trying to figure out what could be the cause. Nothing seems to be working. He doesn't act sick, doesn't look sick, none of the other animals are sick. I have a vet appointment tomarrow. But in the mean time thought maybe somebody here might have an idea what could be causing this, and maybe some good ieas how to fix it.
DH wants to return the kitten. I'm thinking, no. We didn't return his puppy when he ate 3 rocks and needed $1000 worth of surgery. Why would we do that to our kitty?

Thanks for you help!

Kathy
 
Kathy-
I have no advice but being a kitty lover I wish him well! Hopefully the vet will be helpful for pinpointing the cause.


Judy "Likes2bfit"


If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.
 
OMG that is so sad about the kitty dying while you were away! That is my biggest fear whenever we go away for a few days. I am so sorry to hear about this.

As for your new kitty, I have no idea what it could be but I agree to get him checked out. Hopefully it will be something that is easily treated and not something chronic.
 
Are you giving the kitty any milk products. That could be the problem. My cat cannot tolerate any kind of milk, she gets diahrea from it. It is a myth that cats need milk, they like it but most cats cannot tolerate regular milk. You need milk that is especially for cats. It may also just be nerves and getting use to a new litter box. I am sure the vet can figure it out. Good luck with your new addition.
 
Hey Kathy--no real advice from me either but I'm sure he'll be fine. Probably just a bacterial infection that'll be cleared up w/some antibiotics in no time.

But have the lady from the pet supply store pay the bills. ;-)
 
Thank you all for the support. I did do a quick check online to see what somme causes could be. And I found a link to trying canned pumpkin to help solidify the stool. So, I tried that.
No milk products on purpose at least. But if there is any of ds cereal left on the counter or in thr sink,the kitten will be the firt to jump up and try to lap it all up. I've gotten much better about making sure no bowls, plates or cups sit on the counter or sink unattended now. I even rinse out the sink after dumping anything into it, just to make sure he can't get any.
Laura, do I even have a leg to stand on with the pet store owner if I purchased thr kitty after she told me he had diarrhea? This is the problem that I'm affraid of. But I had no idea it would be this hard to get rid of. So, maybe I do? I don't know.

Kathy
 
There probably isn't much you can do legally.

However, if it were me, I'd go in there during her busiest time (I'm thinking around noon-1:00 on a Saturday) & raise a stink. And not STFU until she gave me my money. }(
 
I've adopted plenty of kittens from shelters and almost all of them have had some form of tummy troubles. The most common are parasites in the intestines. For about $40 (vet visit and prescription) you can probably clear this up. Also for new kittens I recommend Iams kitten food (just buy one bag, after that move on to whatever dry food you like...when the Iams is getting low start mixing it with whatever you plan on feeding the kitten, most cats don't do well with a quick change of food). With a new home, anxiety, etc. it pays to have good food in thier system while they are getting used to their new surroundings. And a BIG DITTO on human food...you are just asking for trouble (both tummy trouble and an annoying habit of begging!)!!
 
Oh he's not getting human food, on purpose. The food that I'm feeding him is California naturals, it's a cat food. If he gets human food, it's because he's jumped up on the counter when we're not looking and is licking a spoon, or the bottom of the sink, or a plate. But I just don't allow plates, or anything to sit at all, even for 5 min now, hoping that this will help.
I've had him checked already for parasites, he's clean. We've had him now for about 2 months, so he should be totally comfortable in our house by now. He and my small dog play all the time. She's adopted him as her kitty/puppy. They even cuddle up to eachother.
He seems to be feeling better now that I gave him the canned pumpkin. I guess that's an anti diarrhea food. Who knew?! I still have the vet apointment for tonight. I hope that they don't just give me more antibiotics, as it didn't help before.
BTW, the canned pumpkin is plain pumpkin, no spices, no sugar. And I only gave him about a teaspoon full. I normally would never feed any of my animals human food. But because I was desperate yesterday, as he was having movments all over my house (yuck!). I gave it a try.

Kathy
 
Diahrea in a kitten can be very serious. You might find some good advise at bestfriends. com. I can not post the link here but if you email me at [email protected] I will send you their link. They are a wonderful non-profit org that helps animals all over the world. their message boards are monitored by an on staff vet & her advise is great. do not cancel your vet appointment.

Good luck,
karen
 
>I recommend Iams kitten food (just buy one bag, after
>that move on to whatever dry food you like...when the Iams is
>getting low start mixing it with whatever you plan on feeding
>the kitten, most cats don't do well with a quick change of
>food).


I would never give Iams my business. Check out www.iamscruelty.com .

A good pet store should have some quality food that is easy on the digestion.
 
>I would never give Iams my business.
>

Ditto. Iams was bought out by Proctor & Gamble several years ago. Aside from the animal testing issues (which is reason enough not to buy), I think the quality of the food took a serious nosedive. We were feeding it to our dogs before the company sold, and both our dogs refused to eat it not very long after.
 
>>I would never give Iams my business.
>>
>
>Ditto. Iams was bought out by Proctor & Gamble several years
>ago. Aside from the animal testing issues (which is reason
>enough not to buy), I think the quality of the food took a
>serious nosedive. We were feeding it to our dogs before the
>company sold, and both our dogs refused to eat it not very
>long after.


Agreed! The quality of Iams (and several other major, well-known pet food brands) is just horrible. It is loaded with by-products, fillers, preservatives, etc. You wouldn't put that junk in your own body, so why would you put it in your pet?
 
Wow! I thought Iams was a good choice! Get this...we have fed our cat Iams for YEARS and she will be 20 years old next month! Maybe it's the lovin' we give her? Ha!


http://www.PictureTrail.com/gid8692709
Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH (AKA "Den Mother Debbie") http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/aktion/action-smiley-066.gif[/img] If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!
 
Well darn, that's what the animal shelter gave me when I adopted Minnie. And this place is the palace of animal shelters........Oh well, I guess it's gourmet food for both animals now. I swear I spend more on their meals than I do on my own.
 
I recently switched from Science Diet to a natural food, then to another, similar but better)natural food for my cats. After 3 weeks on the most recent stuff,their coats are soft as can be (the vet said Bobsie feels like a chinchilla!). I only hope it's doing as much for their insides as for their outsides.

I get "Nature's Variety," which I first found through "Only Natural Pet Store" ( www.onlynaturalpet.com ). I also just discovered that a natural food store I go to from time to time also carries it (but in smaller bags that what I bought).

I figured I'd rather spend the bucks on healthy food than on end-of-life care for chronic diseases that lesser-quality food might contribute to (kind of like for myself!). And it hasn't added to my 'cats' budget, since I now have 3 instead of 5 cats (and am saving a lot on litter, since my diabetic Scooter used a lot more litter than any of my current cats).
 
>Well darn, that's what the animal shelter gave me when I
>adopted Minnie.

Shelters basically give out what is donated to them, and Iams donates food.

Our local shelter gets food donated from some manufacturer whose food has been shown to cause a high rate of intestinal upset and vomiting (cats there often poop what I affectionately call 'caramel sauce'). The manager and other cat workers there don't like the food, but if they refused the free donation, they would have to put food in the budget, and couldn't afford it and would probably have to euthanize a lot more animals, because they couldn't feed as many).
 
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