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

Original poster

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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Original poster
Poorlycatadvicewanted · 29/12/2023 23:58

@TortillaChipAddict aww your poor fur baby. My second son had eczema that covered his body when he was a baby. Its horrendous, itchy and painful!

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Original poster
Poorlycatadvicewanted · 30/12/2023 00:06

Can't post a video but I grabbed a screenshot

He's making biscuits on my lap now and hasn't done it in ages!

Advice needed for situation with poorly cat
OP posts:
SabrinaThwaite · 30/12/2023 01:33

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 29/12/2023 22:37

Right sorry new question. I just saw some white blobs in his poop. They looked like pudding rice. Are they eggs do you think? Same Size and shape as pudding rice

Could be tapeworm segments - diarrhoea, bloody stools, loss of weight etc could all be due to tapeworms. You said he had fleas when he came to you, and fleas can be a source of tapeworms if ingested.

FormerlyPathologicallyHappy · 30/12/2023 07:39

How is he this morning?

MadeOfAllWork · 30/12/2023 08:53

Playing sounds very positive.

Original poster
Poorlycatadvicewanted · 30/12/2023 10:06

Morning all. Just had his second dose. He's meowing at me again and following me around and choosing to sleep in the middle of the floor rather than hiding away. I told the kids to give him space for a few more days.

Haven't seen a bowel movement yet. So keeping an eye on him. But he came and sat with DH last night and was making biscuits. He hasn't done that for a long time either

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Original poster
Poorlycatadvicewanted · 30/12/2023 10:16

He's just used his tray. Still bad watery diarrheah. As the day went in it clumped more and more. So I'm assuming as it's been night the new dose will do the same thing as the day goes on. He still seems brighter. And is sleeping on the living room rug rather than hiding under the airer.

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FormerlyPathologicallyHappy · 30/12/2023 11:25

Well it sounds encouraging.

Original poster
Poorlycatadvicewanted · 30/12/2023 11:33

@FormerlyPathologicallyHappy yes. Hopefully. We shall see in a few days i guess. I will do the samples after the course is over. I don't want to mix things up until the course is over.

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margotrose · 30/12/2023 11:37

Fingers crossed - it all sounds very positive.

Original poster
Poorlycatadvicewanted · 30/12/2023 12:10

Vet just emailed me back and said to do panacur for 5 days. But she also said he should have 0.75mls a day but the instructions say 1ml per 1kg body weight and he is 1.5kg so surely it should be 1.5mls a day?

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FormerlyPathologicallyHappy · 30/12/2023 12:24

If that’s what you’ve been giving and he’s peeking up carry on.

Original poster
Poorlycatadvicewanted · 30/12/2023 12:26

Ok. Thanks @FormerlyPathologicallyHappy will do!

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Original poster
Poorlycatadvicewanted · 30/12/2023 15:26

I'm quite convinced it's some sort of worms now. More little white blobs in stool

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Original poster
Poorlycatadvicewanted · 30/12/2023 19:08

We have had a semi on the way formed stool!

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FormerlyPathologicallyHappy · 30/12/2023 19:47

How is he acting?

Original poster
Poorlycatadvicewanted · 30/12/2023 20:07

He's much perkier. Chatting to me more and not hiding away sleeping all day. still has diarrheah but not as frequent and starting to have a little bir of formation. Lots of tail flicking!

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Original poster
Poorlycatadvicewanted · 30/12/2023 20:08

When dh came home last night he commented that he looked a lot brighter!

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FormerlyPathologicallyHappy · 30/12/2023 20:11

Ok that’s good.

Original poster
Poorlycatadvicewanted · 30/12/2023 20:16

Cat tax

Advice needed for situation with poorly cat
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MadeOfAllWork · 30/12/2023 20:16

I know when we gave Pancur to my kitten it was 1g per kilo. As she wasn’t even a kilo in weight it was hard to weigh. But then this was once and then again two weeks later, not every day.

(photo of my girl as a kitten because I’ll take any excuse)

Advice needed for situation with poorly cat
Original poster
Poorlycatadvicewanted · 30/12/2023 20:17

Thank you @MadeOfAllWork and beautiful little kitty!

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MadCatLady27 · 30/12/2023 20:45

He's very sweet OP!

Our BSH has the most sensitive stomach, but touchwood seems to be agreeing with the Purina hypoallergenic prescription diet dried biscuits

Annoyingly this has sent our ragdoll completely fussy, because she wants it (I swear they put something in it to make them eat it) and now she won't eat her food, but the hypoallergenic one doesn't agree with her!

Out of interest what does his tummy feel like if you squeeze it? Does it feel loose and soft? There's a reason I'm asking but want to see what you say first

Hope he's feeling better soon

If he's having a flare up, we find plain cooked white fish or chicken helps, until everything settles down for a few days

Original poster
Poorlycatadvicewanted · 30/12/2023 20:48

Thank you @MadCatLady27 so before today it was looking some what swollen and it was feeling bloated. Today it feels a lot more squidhy and not bloated. So I think the panacur is doing what it needs to.

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MadCatLady27 · 30/12/2023 20:48

Also re BSH, he has a VERY strict diet, he only has his biscuits, no treats, dreamies would cause flare ups. He had a little turkey over Christmas but you need to be really strict, prescription food only unfortunately. If he's got hold of Ragdolls food, you can tell as the tray becomes iffy.