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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!

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Poorlycatadvicewanted · 02/01/2024 12:01

@margotrose because the vet said it doesn't treat all types of tapeworm. And to use both to cover all bases. I spoke to her again this morning

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margotrose · 02/01/2024 12:03

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 02/01/2024 12:01

@margotrose because the vet said it doesn't treat all types of tapeworm. And to use both to cover all bases. I spoke to her again this morning

Ah okay. If you're using both though I would expect him to keep having an upset stomach for a while. Just from personal experience.

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 02/01/2024 12:31

Thank you. Yes I thought that might be the case. I saw white lines in his stool this morning. So somethings obviously working! That's why I'm holding off on the stool samples. He's still happy and playing though. So we shall see!

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margotrose · 02/01/2024 12:46

If he's still eating and is energetic and playful then that's a good sign!

It's such a worry when they're unwell. Our kitten went through a phase of not eating and having really runny poo, it was so concerning but we got to the bottom of it and you'd never know it now. Paws crossed it's the same for your boy.

FormerlyPathologicallyHappy · 02/01/2024 20:00

How has he been today?

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 02/01/2024 20:33

Ok. Still happy and eating and playing. Poops up and down. But that's good as up until a fee days ago it was 100% watery diarrhea

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Poorlycatadvicewanted · 02/01/2024 20:37

He's sat with my eldest at the moment

Advice needed for situation with poorly cat
Advice needed for situation with poorly cat
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Poorlycatadvicewanted · 02/01/2024 20:51

I've also noticed poops getting better as the day goes on. And nearly solid by the evening. But morning it's watery again... like a cycle

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margotrose · 02/01/2024 20:53

I wonder if that’s linked to the timing of his medication?

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 02/01/2024 21:18

I give the panacur with breakfast everyday at about 8am

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FormerlyPathologicallyHappy · 02/01/2024 21:45

Medication has a life span, it’s likely been broken down by his liver by evening.

How many more days is he on the meds for?

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 02/01/2024 21:50

2 more @FormerlyPathologicallyHappy

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Poorlycatadvicewanted · 03/01/2024 12:01

I think he looks a lot less swollen now.

Advice needed for situation with poorly cat
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Poorlycatadvicewanted · 03/01/2024 12:06

Purring away, almost snoring

Advice needed for situation with poorly cat
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MadeOfAllWork · 03/01/2024 12:27

He looks a lot less swollen.
As a rough comparison, here is my girl at the same age lying in kind of the same way.

Advice needed for situation with poorly cat
Poorlycatadvicewanted · 03/01/2024 12:29

Thank you @MadeOfAllWork looks like there's a way to go then! But better than before

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margotrose · 03/01/2024 15:19

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 02/01/2024 21:18

I give the panacur with breakfast everyday at about 8am

That probably explains it, it's firming it up while it's there but isn't really in his system overnight. Bless him!

Cookerhood · 03/01/2024 15:35

The half life of panacur is about 15 hours in cats, this is why it's once daily, if it was faster (eg like some human antibiotics) it would be given more often. This means (a bit simplistic, but...) that half the dose is remaining after 15 hours, after another 15 hours half of that half is remaining, and so on. After a while "steady state" will be achieved so that the blood levels remain the same (no idea how long this takes - a few days probably).

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 03/01/2024 20:03

Ok. Thank you. He's currently sat on the sofa being forced to watch a YouTube video of cats with classical music playing by my eldest daughter....🙄he's watching it though 😂

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Poorlycatadvicewanted · 03/01/2024 20:07

She's finding cat memes for him now

Advice needed for situation with poorly cat
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ELCismyspiritnana · 03/01/2024 22:37

Oh he's a lovely little chap. Glad he's feeling more chipper. Hugely impressed he's getting it all in the litter tray too!

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 04/01/2024 08:16

@ELCismyspiritnana we did have lots of accidents in the beginning! But not as much now

But!! This morning he is pooping normally!

Thank you everyone for helping me!!

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ELCismyspiritnana · 04/01/2024 08:37

Yay!! Hopefully this is him on the road to recovery then.

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 04/01/2024 08:59

I hope so! I will monitor for a few more days. But, he's walking about, playing, meowing at me. Looking for me around the house. So I think he's feeling better

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Poorlycatadvicewanted · 04/01/2024 09:01

We are between a 4 and a 5 on the cat poop score card. So I'm hoping it just improves now. Its been a consistent 7 for the last 4 months. So a huge improvement

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