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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Advice needed for situation with poorly cat

489 replies

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 27/12/2023 01:03

I need some advice please. So we have a kitten still but he isn't well. We've been to the vets countless times. He's on prescription food, he's been on 4 rounds of antibiotics and he's not getting better. I've tried a few vets and they all say he might just always be ill as a complication of the virus. I want to take him to the vets again. But my husband wants to give him up to a cat charity so he can be looked after and possibly re homed. I'm not sure and think we should try to get him better. Its cost me a fortune in treatment so far.

The lady we got him from lied about everything. She said he was a she. She said he was flea treated but he was riddled with fleas. (I took him.straight to the vets and he was flea treated and wormed and vaccinated) She said any cat food was fine but he had diarrhea from the day we got him. After weeks of messaging her it turns out she was feeding him a raw food diet. He was only 4 months old and he got campylobacter ( like salmonella) vets reckon this is the cause of his illness.

He doesn't have campylobacter now as we got this treated but the constant diarrheah is an ongoing complication and he's not putting on weight even though I feed him 4 times a day. Kids are devastated because he said we need to give him up. I'm quite upset but part of me agrees with him and the other says we should carry on looking after him.

The other problem is that the vet refuses to do his vaccinations again or neuter him until he is better. But then also said he might never be better. But won't advise what we should do! I've tried all 3 vets in our area and they say the same. He can't have top up vaccinations as he has the diarrheah and so now he would need them re started but again can't because he's ill.

So now I don't know what to do as he is very much loved! But I feel awful that he's not getting better and looks like there isn't anything we can do about it either. The vets kind of given up!

OP posts:
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MadeOfAllWork · 09/01/2024 15:57

His tail will tell you if he’s happy. If it’s straight up with a hook on the top, a bit like a question mark, then he’s happy.

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 09/01/2024 16:16

Yes. Lots of that!

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Poorlycatadvicewanted · 09/01/2024 16:33

We are back to runny poos and swollen belly again. Surely the worms should be sorted now? I'm going to have to do stool samples again, aren't I?

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margotrose · 09/01/2024 16:37

Yes, I think he needs stool samples and another check up I'm afraid. This is a long time for him to have issues.

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 09/01/2024 17:33

Yes. Although the stool samples didn't show anything about the worms last time. I best get scooping!

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StBrides · 09/01/2024 18:04

MadeOfAllWork · 09/01/2024 15:57

His tail will tell you if he’s happy. If it’s straight up with a hook on the top, a bit like a question mark, then he’s happy.

Look out for the tail shiver that often accompanies this, too, it's sort of a shiver of a happiness when they see you

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 10/01/2024 16:08

Vet suggested another round of panacur. She said sometimes one round is not enough. So we are doing another week. I gave him the first dose this morning and seen a poop improvement already

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StBrides · 10/01/2024 17:04

Fingers crossed it does the trick!

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 11/01/2024 14:03

He's perked up again massively and poos getting better again! He must have a really bad worm infestation!

On a side note. Is play fighting OK? It's the first time he has done it. He was flopped next to me and I was stroking his tummy like normal and he started grabbing my head and gently biting (play fighting) but then I wandered if I shouldn't be encouraging it!?

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Extratoebeans · 11/01/2024 14:53

I have been checking in on this thread every day, so glad to see he is doing well. Alot of people say you shouldn't play with hand and let them bite ect. I personally do, but also I would suggest a kicker toy, if he is bunny kicking your hand, he will enjoy a kicker. Mine goes mental for it and he is almost 5.

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 11/01/2024 16:07

Thank you @Extratoebeans he's definitely improving again with pamacur again. Wandering if 1 week is long enough again? Either he's riddled with them or the panacur is masking symptoms of something else

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Extratoebeans · 11/01/2024 16:20

I feel it's definitely something the vet should have picked up on with such a bad case of worms, poor little thing. What's the guidelines on the packet in terms of timescale of use?

StBrides · 11/01/2024 17:14

Play fighting, in itself, is fine - with other cats or a toy. But you really don't want to encourage playing with hands or other body parts - sweet right now but just wait.

Remove & distract.

You can take my personal experience on this one!

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 11/01/2024 17:36

Thank you both. Will take the playing into consideration!

The oanacur ways 5 days fir sever giardia. I put him on 7 before and he started improving. This is a second round. I saw on another pet forums someone else had a similar experience and it took 3 weeks of panacur to finally dort her cat out. So I'm assuming it's safe for him. The vet said do 7 days and see how he is. But I don't want to get to 7 days. Break and then he goes back to square 1. It took under 48 hours for him to go back to bloating and diarrheah.

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margotrose · 11/01/2024 17:54

If he likes biting your hands, why not try getting him some of those kicker toys?They hold them between their paws and kick them/bite them.

MadeOfAllWork · 12/01/2024 22:11

How is he today?

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 12/01/2024 22:32

Definitely getting better!

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MadeOfAllWork · 12/01/2024 22:46

Good news. Sounds like it was a bad case of worms.

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 12/01/2024 23:03

Yes I think so. He still has another 6 days. And if he's still not properly solid, I will extend it a bit more. I've looked into panacur and cats can have quite a bit without any ill effects. Need to make sure they are gone completely before stopping again!

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MadeOfAllWork · 12/01/2024 23:06

Have you seen any live worms coming out of his bum? That’s usually the first sign.

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 13/01/2024 08:41

No I haven't. But there where some white blobs in his poo. So im assuimg broken tapeworm? Either way. He is less bloated on panacur. His stomach goes right down and his poop starts firming up

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Poorlycatadvicewanted · 13/01/2024 17:56

Just a quick update! Having the best poos he's ever had currently!!

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MadeOfAllWork · 13/01/2024 18:17

Yay. Never have a been so pleased about another cats poo.

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 13/01/2024 18:42

@MadeOfAllWork 🤣🤣🤣

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TemporaryCatSlave · 13/01/2024 21:37

MadeOfAllWork · 13/01/2024 18:17

Yay. Never have a been so pleased about another cats poo.

Me too! Very invested in poor little Ipek's bowel movements!.

Possibly because Rex the temporary cat has the opposite problem and is on special (i.e. expense Royal Canin) fibre rich 'poo biscuits' to make sure he goes regularly. I was googling constipation in cats, came across megacolon and started panicking, They do make us worry so!

(More cat tax photo's please OP)

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