New kitten - possible parasite

[KittenHelp]

Hi Mumsnet - I'd really appreciate some advice please!

I'm about to adopt a kitten from a cat charity, however it has been delayed by a few days because the kitten has had diahorrea (sorry can't spell that word!).

I have spoken to the fosterer and they think it is a parasite/worm that hasn't been covered by the worming treatment they had last week. They have started the kitten on panacare (I think that's what it's called) and have said the poos seem to be getting a bit better, however the kitten hasn't pooped yet today so they can't tell if it has continued to improve.

I'm due to collect the kitten tomorrow and will give 2 more days of the panacare paste to finish the course, but I want to check if that's a really bad idea? Is it better to wait til the kitten is completely better before taking home?

The fosterer did say that if it doesn't get better and we have to take to the vet that they will pay, however it makes me quite nervous to essentially be adopting an unwell kitten.

Has anyone else been in the same boat? Or have any advice?

Thank you!!

If the charity is responsible enough they should make sure all their cats are well before re homing. Poor cats. Seems to be the norm now to have poorly cats

Oh bless you, that sounds so tough. I have spoken to the foster carer and agreed to wait until Sunday to reassess. The good news is kitten is responding to the panacur so it is most likely that, which is very reassuring. If she hadn't responded then I would've been a lot more concerned. I am going to be cautiously optimistic that all will be well by the weekend.

If it's a case of carrying on the worming treatment then I'm happy with that, it's just if it's a different cause then that's a bit more worrying.

Hope your cat is all better now xx

Definitely food for thought - however she does seem to be responding well to the medicine so I'm hopeful that confirms it's worms and that the medicine will sort it and we can collect on Sunday. If things continue to be up and down or get worse, then I will definitely re-think.

From all the reading I have done over the last few days it does seem to be quite common for kittens, particularly rescue kittens, to have worms - it's unknown what the early weeks were like for this particular moggy so may have only received the first worming treatment last week (was definitely wormed last week) so may not have had any treatment before that.

Whilst I definitely hear what you're saying, I think I need to be pragmatic as well. It could turn out that we got a kitten from another charity and they have the same problem but we didn't find out about it until afterwards - at least I know that it has been caught now and is being treated. The foster carer is lovely and not happy to let her leave without being healthy and I trust that she would be true to her word on it. There's been no pressure to take an unhealthy kitten and I can't fault Cats Protection so far.

We'll see how we go - keeping everything crossed that she continues to respond to the medicine and we can have her home on Sunday 😺

@KittenHelp good to hear kittens is perking up!

I would ask for lots of pictures this week and have a look at what the kittens eyes look like - are they weepy/gunky/do they look bright and healthy?

I grew up around rescues and strays and the eyes were always a good clue if they were a kitten with problems.

What's the place like you're getting kitten from and what's the health of the other kittens like?

You're right that worms are common, but so are other issues and you do tend to find the kittens that struggle to shake the worms may be more inclined to other stuff going on.

I've seen a dealt with a lot, and I get the emotional pull when you have emotionally committed to bringing a kitten home but do go into it with your eyes open about what that reality might look like xx

Thank you for the brilliant advice - really appreciate it!

So apparently responding well to the panacur, poos almost back to normal as of this morning. I phoned our local vet for advice and they advised waiting a week after treatment has finished, so that's what I will do! And will also ask for kitten to be checked by vet again before coming to us.

That's a good point about pictures - will ask for regular photos over the next week. The eyes look clear in the pictures I already have and apparently kitten is a live wire, so that's good I think! Apparently eating/drinking normally too.

Kitten is coming from Cats Protection and is being fostered with older cats and dogs, no other kittens. She came from an unwanted litter so probably didn't receive any worming treatment in first weeks of life so I'm wondering if the parasite has been picked up from other animals in the home as I know the eggs can live a long time. Who knows really - but the good thing is kitten is being well cared for now and treated, so if she continues to respond well then hopefully all will be ok.

Definitely trying to keep eyes open whilst also being pragmatic - as who's to say we won't encounter similar problems with other rescues! At least in this case we know about it, and it does seem most likely that it's worms (would the panacur have such an effect if it wasn't that?) so really hoping it's just a blip. But I'm also new to cat ownership (had cats as a child) so I'm also a bit in the dark!

Thanks so much for all your advice, so so helpful.

Also! I would buy some panacur just incase they need a re do of treatment after 2 weeks as we have discovered with mine!

I'm glad she's perking up, but be prepared that it may re-occur if you take her home. It can take weeks to really get rid of worms.

Thanks KittenHelp.
He's ok now., but it's made me very vigilant about his health They were the worst 2 months of all our lives.December to January.
In the end the vet said his system will deal with it, so no magic cure, no idea why he had cat flu too, maybe coincidence
Oh I'm so glad to read your update today.Bless her hope you have a long happy life together.😸

Sorry me again.Good point about checking the eyes.The first sign our cat was ill was that his 3rd eyelids were up.It's called Hawes Syndrome, and can be a sign of diarrhoea

@Clarich007 ive had that experience, started as horrible bum/worms and the third eyelid after a week of weepy eyes and cat flu! He didnt make it unfortunately. I know that's quite extreme combination of things but any runny bum or persistent worms in a kitten that was a stray and i'd always have a very keen eye on their eyes!

Keep us updated OP, hoping this kitten is in full health soon. Im emotionally invested now too 🩷

Ah I will defo keep updated!

I have been really thinking about this and my gut is saying it's not a good idea to take this kitty - I haven't heard anything from fosterer so don't know how she's getting on today. But if it is worms as previous posters have said, it may take weeks to eradicate. As first time cat owners with small children, it just doesn't sit right. Also what if it's not worms and we end up with a cat with health problems! As @lifeispainauchocolat said, it won't be covered by insurance and don't want to be stuck with loads of vets bills.

Gutted as she's so lovely, but think I need to be sensible and realistic. I think I may go with a reputable breeder instead so I can see worming history etc. I really wanted to rescue but there are too many unknowns I think ☹️

@KittenHelp oh lovely! It's such a tough decision and i know it feels so hard making a call like this.

I think you have to prioritise the kids here - they'll be so excited and it will be quite hard if kitten is worming treatment pooping. Only you can judge if they can take the boundaries that come with worming treatment.

I feel like we've all scared you a bit, but i wish i had known this info before. Im not sure it would have changed the outcome pre kids but it would post kids.

If you do decide this kitten isn't right for you - there will be another one to rescue soon and give a loving home too.

How have the fosterers been? Have they been pushing the kitten? I know they've gone quiet today but life happens, so give them the chance to catch up. But I've found pushy fosters or charities dont always have the cats best interests at heart, they can be more interested in a quick rehoming.

Ps have a look on some local lost cat pages - they often have lovely volunteer organisation or charities on that will take in and rehome strays and look for lost kitties, etc. They may have well looked after kittens with histories you can see or have tips on where to rescue from locally. Out of interest what charity is it? Sorry if youve said below.

Breeders, I would take care - my two are rescued from rogue breeders and they werent weaned from mum, one had a broken tail from being thrown by their child and they were sold too young, so if you go down that route do lots of research and visits before you bring them home.

Im really putting you off arent i - im not trying to i promise! X

Oh goodness, don't let this put you off rescue. Generally slightly older cats are a better bet for younger children as they're a bit more robust and you have a better idea of their personality (and often their history too).

Oh no I wouldn't go down the breeder route unless it's someone you know! Mine was from a breeder and he really wasn't looked after before coming here.

Oh no I'm sorry to hear that. Can I ask how you found the breeder? Were there any red flags when you visited? Did you get all the paperwork of vaccinations etc? Parents genetic testing? Did it look well when you visited?

Just going by the research I've done on how to find a reputable breeder / these are the questions I'll be asking if I do go down that route but good to have an idea of other people's experiences if all these things were provided but still turned out to be bad breeders.

There must be some reputable ones surely? I'm just going to take my time and visit as many different places as I can (rescues and breeders). There's no rush, I think it's a combination of you lot giving such good but slightly scary advice as well as being unlucky with this first kitty we were going to adopt, I'm scared it's all going to go wrong!! But I do appreciate the advice 😄😄

Oh poor kitties, that's awful 😔. Will definitely do as much research as possible and visit as well. But I guess you can never really be sure 😞

Just to answer your question yes the fosterer was a bit pushy - made it clear they're struggling to look after kitten at their house and want me to take asap. I said I'm not happy to take until at least a week after finishing treatment and I haven't heard back, probably busy but it has put my spidey senses up a bit...they wanted me to take now and carry on treatment at home which was a bit of a red flag for me...

@KittenHelp honestly we where a bit stupid and clueless. I looked up everything I should be asking. But she had quote a few older cats of the same breed and that put me in a false sense of security.

He hadn't been vaccinated. He was going cheap as she said she was going holiday the next week so needed him to go to a good home.

She put flea treatment on him 1 hour before we arrived nut it wS the first time it had been done. That evening I found he was riddled with them.

She gave us a little bag with his favourite toy. And a booklet with how to care for a kitten etc.

Looking back there are many red flags and I was stupid. She refused to tell me the food he was on. (After a couple of months we found it was a raw good diet, which si where he got campylobacter from. The fleas caused the worms) she also said he was a she. I wasn't co vinced when I got home as it was quite obvious he was a boy!

So yeah. If the price is too good to be true, run!

It's so easy to look back with hindsight! It's so hard when you fall in love with a cat, I'm sure you had everyone's best intentions in mind!

Do you mind me asking how much you paid? And what breed your cat is? Or you can DM me if you'd rather!

She only wanted £150. So that was probably the biggest red flag!! But we all thought be was adorable and he looked bright and healthy when we visited him. Ifs one of those things where you don't know really until you take them home and a few days later you see if there's a problem. Bit like buying a house! You view it twice and then commit to buying it but don't find the cracks in the foundations until you move in!

Also she said he was a Scottish fold ut straight ears..but my newest vet said he isn't and is obviously a cross breed. She has pure Scottish folds laying around the house. Could tell from the ears. So reckon my poor little boy was from the mums escapades and possibly the runt (I don't like calling him that, but you know what I mean)

It's better he's not a pure breed though so I guess there's that.

He was getting better..but last night and this morning he had awful diarrheah again. I reckon I have tackled the worms now but think he still has campylobacter. So we re now doing stool samples over the weekend to go in on midday. We got him in August and it's been ongoing.

@KittenHelp how are you doing? Xx

I fostered to adopt and my cat unexpectedly turned out to have an issue. Because she was seen by my vet. It's not a pee existing problem and not covered by insurance. She's cost a mint already!