5/6 month old kitten lost his spark

[Jyotsna_indu]

Over the past three days, my cat has been acting under the weather. Today, he's worse. He refuses to play, which is incredibly unusual for him.

About a week ago, I noticed that his appetite was a little less than desirable, meaning I'd usually find over half of his bowl still full. Now, however, despite his illness, he's eating a full bowl of food (over the course of a few hours, like it used to be). I can't figure it out!

He's walking with his tail down, all he does is sleep, he only gets up to eat, drink, or use the litter box. Like I said, he also refuses to play. It looks like he has a hard time closing his second or third eyelids as well (I don't know how many lids they have).

His medical history has been somewhat frustrating (for me, at least). He's had an eye infection, ear mites, and a yeast infection in the ear. He's been to the vet's four times for all of those, and has gotten two doses of anti-mite medication over the past two months. He's had all of his booster shots and vaccinations as well. Oh, and, he's an indoor cat with exposure to an outdoor cat, and occasionally I'll take him to the park on a harness (I've never had an indoor cat and feel awful for restricting him to one house for his whole life).

Please, tell me what you think could be happening to him!! I haven't taken him to the vet yet ONLY because I want to make sure it's not something completely trivial... I can't afford going to the veterinarian this often, but I will if I have to.

-Laura

[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.

[Karen]

Glad to hear he's ben to the vet, and gladder that he is showing some signs of improvement. Keep us updated, okay? Poor kitty!

[cristy]

It's good that you took Marcel to the vet...dehydration happens so fast in kitties. You can tell if he is dehydrated by pinching the fur on the back of his neck...if it snaps back in place he is hydrated...if it stays humped up then he probably needs more fluids.

The thing that worries me is the fact that you have one inside cat and one outside cat. The inside cat has a tremendous chance of catching something from the outside cat if they have contact at all...vaccine or not. The first thing 2 cats do to greet each other is sniff noses...bingo, you have contact! If you can, I would try keeping them both inside only. I know that it is hard to see your kitties cry to go outside, but they will get over it eventually and you are being much kinder in the long run by protecting them from other animals, other humans, cars and disease.

By the way, welcome to PT!!

[Catty1]

I hope the fever medication helps! I wonder if adding B vitamins to his diet would help.

If Marcel eats wet food, you can mix it with some warm water to help get more fluids into him.

Also - is there another vet where you can get a second opinion? All vets are good, but sometimes one will see something that perhaps the other one didn't.

Prayers for Marcel.

[Jyotsna_indu]

Trust me, I've tried to keep Buster inside before. It's impossible. (My Mom has a weak spot for letting him out). He found us as a stray, at about 1 1/2 or two years old, and had been living off of wildlife for quite a while (we guessed...when we brought him in, he attacked my old cat's toy mouse and nearly swallowed it. When we gave him some of our other cat's food, he nearly choked himself because he wasn't chewing), and, nine years later, it's still the lifestyle he chooses. He stays in during most of the winter, which is nice.

Marcel, on the other hand, is just a few months old and has been indoors for about 5/6th of his life. He's used to it. He enjoys it. It was easy to keep him indoors. Sure, he gets jealous of Buster, and tried to run out a few times, but he knows the rules now.

And thanks! I love the forum so far! ^_^

Oh, and, Catty1, the vet told me to give Marcel a little bit of fresh garlic and some oregano to help boost his immune system. Apparently garlic is only poisonous in large doses (no surprise there) but small doses are healthy.

[Medusa]

I'm glad that Marcel is doing better. It's scary when a cat so young becomes dehydrated. If possible, though, I too feel that you should get a second opinion. I have two vet clinics that I work with and, Catty1 is right, one vet sometimes misses something that another vet can readily see. At any rate, at least Marcel is doing better for now. Welcome to PT and we hope to see more of you and perhaps some pix of Marcel and Buster.

[Jyotsna_indu]

My mom had to take Marcel to the vet while I was at work, and she ordered blood tests for me... He has leukemia. Life expantancy is two years, but that's with tumors, illness, and infections left and right.

What the hell?!?! First Jasmine, my best friend of 9 years, then a couple months later, marcel?f! what. the. hell. i've had him for barely even three months!!! This is ridiculous!!!!

The vet told me I should probably put him down... I will in a day or two.

Thanks, guys, your help meant a lot to me.

[Moesha]

Oh dear! That is sad news. I'm so sorry for all that you've been through with your kits. Could the outside cat be infected and be transferring it? Has he been vaccinated? If not, then has he been exposed to Marcel?

[Jyotsna_indu]

No, Marcel had his leukemia vaccination...It's most likely from his mother. Buster is vaccinated as well.

[Catty1]

Jyotsna - read this thread first. Some cats can survive well with feline leukemia (FeLv), even though their immune systems will always be compromised.

Please feel free to send a message to anyone on this thread.

http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthre...light=Leukemia

Hug to you - and hope that perhaps Marcel can enjoy some good time with you yet.

[Jyotsna_indu]

Putting him down is the LAST thing I want to do. I can't take away his life at such a young age... I had just come home from work, and my parents told me it was that, or vet bills, which I definately can't afford. I might look into the steroid shot though, thanks!!

I got another opinion from someone else, and they told me that some people or shelters adopt and specialize in cats with leukemia. If I can, this might be the best route for me. He'll still be alive, I can visit him (maybe)... Ugh I don't know. I'm hoping that he doesn't have it and that their lab test failed at life....

On the other hand, I can't imagine poor Marcel being this MISERABLE all the time!! I know what it's like to be constantly sick, and it's awful!! (I had a really stressful job at one time and was sick for two months straight).

I'm going to let him get better, hopefully he will... Then I'll be forced to make the decision I suppose. Ugh.

I didn't mention that the only reason why my mom took him to the vet without my knowledge was because he was having an extremely difficult time breathing and was trying to meow at mom but couldn't even catch his breath... He's sicker than we thought.