Feral cats/kittens getting ill.

Greetings. This is my first post (and it's a long one!) so I hope I'm following the board ettiquette correctly. :)

I'm living in eastern Washington and helping out the local feral cat rescuers, starting with the cats that were dumped and breeding on acreage we're renting.

The good news is that I've finally managed to TNR all the outdoor gals. I also managed to nab all the kittens from the last two litters and isolate them in rooms for their future spaying and re-release. (The local rescues were contacted but none had the room for any kittens.) Nine out of the ten were female so I'm VERY glad I caught them!

A couple of weeks ago I found one of my outdoor males sick and barely able to walk. Before I could catch him he wandered into some heavy brush and I haven't seen him since. I assume he's gone. :(

A few days later, I noticed that one of my kittens had stopped running around and was barely walking. She had also started vomiting bile.

I took her in to the local vet who hospitalized her. (Her temp was 106!) A day later, another kitten was hit hard with the same symptoms but sadly she didn't make it.

When I noticed that the rest of the litter weren't eating, I took them in for observation last Friday. I saw them today and they looked rough, still not eating or drinking.

Now the older litter is showing the symptoms and I took one in today. The vet has no idea what it is that's affecting these kitties. We did a feline leukemia test and it was negative.

The good news is that I got the first kitten back and she seems to be recuperating well. I have yet to see her drink but I'm offering her food every hour or so and she'll take a few bites. She's active and whiny.

So has anyone here had any experience with this? Symptoms seem to be fever, lack of appetite, vomiting and stiff gait. No runny eyes or sneezing.


Thank you for your time,

Dani

Oh dear. Jan - Queenscoopalot - has dealt with lots of different medical problems in recued kittens. Hopefully she'll post when she gets a chance. Are the sick kittens isolated from the others, and does everyone make sure to wash their hands vigorously after being with them?

The two litters have always been in different rooms with no contact between them but as soon as one started showing the symptoms the rest were only a day or so behind. Sadly, I don't have the room to split them up even more.

It was just suggested to me that the problem could be Feline Infectious Enteritis so I'll be suggesting that to my vet when she calls.

I've always been careful to wash my hands after working with any of the cats. The younger litter has always struck me as having a weak immune system but the older litter was always robust so my hopes are high that they may have a better survival.

The ones that are hospitalized are taken care of well so it's all up to them at this point. Poor things. I gave permission for euthanization if the vet feels they're too far gone.

I may have to just give my car to the vet when this is done. Luckily she's letting me make payments!

It sounds like you are doing a great service in your area .... how horrible though that this mystery illness is claiming so many lives!:( :( I sure hope you can find out what it is ... and be able to get it under control. Maybe you shouldn't bring any more into your home, until this is all cleared up?

Good luck, and welcome to PT.;)

This was the last of the cats that needed to be taken care of on my property so I doubt there will be any more need to board so many. At least I hope so. Dumping pets seems to be par for the course here.

So far only the one kitten has recuperated fully. The rest are either really sick or sinking. I had to take three more in today and I only have one left here that hasn't shown any symptoms yet, I assume it's only a matter of time though.

Still no idea what it is.

why was distemper ruled out? (assuming such as you have not mentioned it). Also, any chance of adopting kittens out as you acquire them? If even through internet? As opposed to more out there to catch whatever, be exposed to the elements, just is nice to find forever homes reasons?
The kittens in your care won't be feral and they will want to be with people (you!)

No idea how distemper was ruled out, I'm not a vet. :) She just seems sure that it's not.

I contacted all the local rescues and shelters and they were all overrun with kittens. The one person who said that they would take some decided that they didn't want black, tabby or female. That ruled them all out.

Right now I'm just hoping more survive. I buried two more today. The only survivor so far is doing great and you wouldn't have guessed that she was so sick. When the final tally is in, I'll re-evaluate my options.

There was a rescuer kind of interested in the survivor (before she got sick) and I'm wondering if she'll still take her after the ordeal. I haven't spoke to her recently because I know that her kitties are also going through a similar illness.

I have no idea what the kittens are suffering with, but will hold you and them in my prayers.

Do keep us updated, and keep your spirits up.

What a challenge you are facing!

Oh My...Just saw this thread, and it does sound a lot like panleukopenia/distemper. The vomiting bile, and high temps are a few of the symptoms. Is there diarrhea as well? Usually it hits hard and fast like you've described, and it's been very prevalent this year. Michigan was hit hard and one area lost over 800 cats and kittens due to an outbreak. I'm glad you're helping control the colony there, but also hoping you aren't going to burn out before you really get going. Stock up on bleach and wash down everything with a mixture of bleach and water. Right now it's the only thing I can think of that would cause so many to just drop like that. Keep us posted, and hang in there. :(
edit..Feline Infectious Enteritis...same as panleukopenia. Horrible virus that really can depress a person fast. :(

Well, here's an update.

My vet clinic is closed for the week so I had to pull the kittens out of their care. The good news is that most of them seem to be recovering slowly. There's still one that's not eating or drinking so I'll try to find another clinic that will take her in.

One of the kittens has some weird puncture wounds in his side. The vet tech I spoke to asked if I had a problem with spiders in the house (we do sometimes but not right now) and suggested they were spider bites. When I got him home and had a good look at him, I was floored at the size of these 'bites', the size of a dime on a teeny kitten, two side by side on his shoulder and neck. His ear is also bloody. They didn't send me home with any meds so I hope that just leaving it will allow it to heal. Poor guy, he's been through so much.