5/6 month old kitten lost his spark

[moosmom]

The third eyelid showing is a sign that the cat may be sick. I'd give the vet a call and see what he thinks. He may need a visit to the vet. Whenever I think one of my cats is sick, I get them to the vet and forgo paying a bill. It's part of being a responsible pet owner.

As cats age, they become less active. I've got 5 couch potatoes myself so it's easy to tell when one of them needs a visit to the white coats.

As long as he's eating, drinking, using the litterbox, and he's not lethargic, just keep an eye on him. The third eyelid is what has me concerned.

[kb2yjx]

The " all he does is sleep " concerns me. Especially since he is so young. Has he been tested for distemper, feline leukemia/aids, is he neutered? Also, NEVER feel bad about keeping a cat INSIDE!!! The cat inside is less exposed to all the dangers of outside? Is that outside cat that he was exposed to, healthy??? Did the vet draw any bloodwork? Good luck with your wee boy!!!

[Medusa]

I'm big on trusting your instincts. Even if your kitty isn't exhibiting specific symptoms, the title of your thread says it all to me. A kitten that young should not lose its spark. Your instincts are telling you that something is wrong. Get your kitty to a vet and tell him/her exactly what you posted here. Cats are magical when it comes to hiding symptoms until it's too late. Your decision to keep him indoors is a wise one; cats live much longer, healthier lives indoors but if he isn't thriving, you owe it to him and to yourself to have him thoroughly checked out by your vet. Many prayers going out to you. Please keep us posted.

[Jyotsna_indu]

I took Marcel to the vet today, and they couldn't place a specific disease or illness to him. They treated him for a fever and for mild dehydration ( his temperature was 105).

The thing is, he SHOULDN'T have FIV, leukemia, FIP, distemper, or anything of the sort. He was vaccinated against all of those about a month ago. And yes, he was neutered before I got him.

The cat that Marcel is exposed to is the picture of health (excluding the few scratches he gets from his escapades in the world outside). He does eat some birds here and there, but he doesn't go to the bathroom in the house, vomit in the house, breathe on Marcel, or anything. He comes in to eat real food and to cuddle.

I couldn't afford to do the blood work this time, but if Marcel gets sick again within the next two months, I'm going to get his blood tested. The vet suggested an X-ray, but she didn't make it seem like it was important. She basically just mentioned it, waved her hand, and moved on to the next round of suggestions. I asked her what seemed to be the most important thing to do, which was giving him fluids, and giving him anti-fever medication. That's what I went with. For now, all I need to do, is give him the medication twice a day for seven days, and give him nothing but wet food to keep him properly hydrated. He has a nasty bump on his shoulder from the fluids, I can't wait to see his shoulder go back to normal! (the shot was under the skin, not in the veins) It's just so WIERD looking, I can't even stand to touch it. I happen to have a paranoia about things under the skin, haha.

The poor thing, he's so sad looking... He reminds me of someone with a really bad cold. If he's not getting any better over the next few days, I'm taking him back. Thanks for your help guys, Marcel sure is a mystery when it comes to health.

Oh, and he tried to play once or twice today, but couldn't work up the energy to keep at it. It's an improvement compared to yesterday, that's for sure.