Yesterday morning, while out on a Sunday walk with my husband, we found a tiny little kitten crying by the side of a path.
After catching it, we brought it home. I gave it a wash in the sink (its paws were filthy) and noticed it has fleas and its tummy is bloated.
I've kept it in the bathroom (since I have other cats and didn't want them getting fleas) tucked up warm in a little box.
It wouldn't eat anything all day, so I called the out-of-hours vet and managed to take it in last night.
The vet examined it, weighed it, and checked its temperature and blood sugar. She then managed to get it to eat a bit of that 'a/d' wet food or something similar.
Weight-wise: it's about 1.5 lbs (704g), estimated age: 6 weeks, temperature and blood sugar were both fine.
She gave me some worming treatment, which I gave it last night around 7 pm after getting back from the vet's.
I offered it some more wet food which it ate; it even went back to the bowl for more on its own. It's used the litter tray for a wee twice, once yesterday and once this morning.
However, no poo yet (so this morning I put a bit of liquid paraffin in its wet food – one of my other cats gets constipated, so I use it sometimes), and this morning its little belly is still swollen. I was searching online during the night and saw that FIP can also cause a bloated tummy. The vet told me its general condition was good and that it's probably just worms, but I'm panicking now I've seen the info about FIP...
How long do you think it takes for the wormer to work? And for the swelling to go down?
Thanks for your help.
Translated from French
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Argh! You can never be too careful; I should’ve patented the idea...
Since I have a fairly large and colourful bird, I’ve banned all those fishing rod toys with feathers so as not to tempt the little devils—or at least, to avoid being the one who encourages them to hunt feathered things! So, I replaced those blooming feather teasers with little furry critters 🐭... Mind you, they don't squeak.
@Ouistiti,
Except when they’re young, it’s actually quite tough to change a cat’s diet. The older they get, the more suspicious they become, and they just won't budge from their usual dry food. Manufacturers know this perfectly well, so they coat their kibble in a secret tasty coating to keep them hooked.
But above all, the hardest thing to change is the owner, if the initiative doesn't come from them...
As for toys, you shouldn’t leave them all out all the time. You need to hide them and only bring them out every so often—that way, it’s a fresh (re)discovery every time.
Greylox has changed his tune with the Kong when it comes to play; once upon a time, he was more into wand toys and courgettes—I actually owe him my username!
And I’ll be asking for royalties for that, too!
In all seriousness, I’m just adapting. We’re heading into a (long) period of kittens that haven't been properly weaned, so the Kickeroo is perfect for the little rascals (and for our little devil Mister, who’s nearly 4 now ^^). The wand toy is still a must, but kittens will play with absolutely anything, whereas adults can be a bit more "fussy".
As for the courgettes, no change there—as soon as moulting season starts, they’re back on the menu ;)
Oh! Speaking of wand toys, we’ve found THE absolute best thing for our lot: the wand with the squeaky mouse. We were already giving them a squeaky mouse for solo play and it was a big hit, even if it took Mister a month to stop being scared of it... no comment. The wand version just sends them absolutely crackers!
Cats are just like children; they’re only interested in toys for a day! ^^
Regarding my mum’s cat’s food, you hit the nail on the head! He’s on Royal Canin (I’ve told her to switch, but she just says "yes, but he’s used to this brand" – she’s one of those people who is terrified of change...). Mind you, when he’s at my place, her cat eats the same dry food as mine (I don’t want my lot eating Royal Canin, so she doesn't have much of a choice), but oh well, I’m not going to try and change her mind anymore.
Mine are on Purizon and Almo Daily wet food (I tried the "better" natural ones with chunks of chicken and so on, but they just weren't interested). For a long time, I was feeding them that supermarket junk, and I think they've just got too used to it.
Anyway, Ouistiti has already had some Purizon with a bit of water; he likes it, but that a/d wet food from the vet? Now that is pure heaven for him.
@ouistiti,
I understand, but if your mum cares about her cat, she’s bound to have kept his jabs up to date and treated him for fleas etc... so the risk is minimal (though I bet she only feeds him dry food from the vet, which really isn’t great... don’t worry, we can give you some advice for him if you like).
Just do your best until Saturday.
Grelox has moved on to his Kong now; back in the day he was more into fishing rod toys and courgettes – in fact, that's where my username comes from!
Best wishes
using @greylox's toy (who I’m sure has shares in the company but won’t admit it ^^)
Hey! That’s not even true! ^^
Mind you, I suspect my lot have shares in a certain well-known online pet shop. They can end up getting bored of a toy after a while, but as soon as you bring out a brand new version of the exact same toy, it’s suddenly the most exciting thing in the world again...
Hi Courgette et canne à pêche,
I completely agree, which is why the isolation is worrying me for this little one. My problem (besides the fleas) is that I’m cat-sitting for my mum until Saturday. I don't want to take any risks with her cat's health just in case the little guy is carrying something (to be honest, I don't think it’s likely given how lively he is, but better safe than sorry...). If my mum’s cat were to get ill or worse, she’d be devastated (she lives alone and he’s the apple of her eye).
So I won’t be able to let him out until Saturday evening (on Saturday morning I’ll try to find the spray the vet mentioned). It’s hard for both of us, but as soon as he starts crying I spend time with him, tire him out with play, give him a stroke, and a few kisses too lol.
As for the fleas, I don’t have a comb yet so I’m going to buy one tomorrow along with the toy @greylox suggested (who must be on commission but won't admit it ^^).
I hope he’ll be okay until Saturday, after that he’ll be with us all the time.
Personally, I don't agree with isolating him in the bathroom just because of fleas. If you're his 'mum', he should be able to find you on his own most of the time. I'm worried he might learn to meow whenever he needs to see you or wants something; this could become quite a problem as he grows up.
As for the fleas, don't worry—they'll find a way out of the bathroom anyway, and...
The best chemical-free method is to put him on a large white towel and gently comb him against the grain; you'll see them 'scurrying' off. Do this regularly.
Brush and vacuum his bedding very often. This will help him get used to being groomed and to the noise of the vacuum (whatever you do, don't try to vacuum the cat to remove the fleas; it won't work and you'll likely traumatise him!).
Hi Greylox,
Right, so I’m giving a loud "ouch". I’ve got one of those fishing rod toys with a little feather on the end, he absolutely loves it, and a little bouncy rubber ball—he likes that too, but not quite as much. I’ll head to the pet shop tomorrow to look for a Kickeroo. Earlier, he started climbing up my legs :) he’s certainly a bold little thing! Mind you, he jumped off my lap while I was sitting on the edge of the bath. He landed on his back and I didn't even have time to react... I think he's okay since he went back to playing straight away, but he’s such a hyper little kitten and so fearless!
Okay, so in about a week and a half, I’ll start easing off on the mothering a bit; by then, he’ll be roaming the whole house with me and my other cats, so I don't think he'll cry as much.
Thanks for the info, it’s not easy trying to be a cat mum on the fly! ^^
Hi there,
As a rule, never let him play with your hands – always use a toy. If he scratches or bites regardless, give a loud "Ouch!" and then ignore him. If he keeps pestering you, pop him in another room for 5 minutes with a toy (it’s not a punishment, just a gentle way to distract him from you :) ). There are toys specifically designed for kittens to let off steam (people will start thinking I’m on commission, but I’m really not! ^^) – the Kong Kickeroo is a great one (they come in both kitten and adult versions).
Until he’s about 2 months old, I’d say yes, you should go to him when he cries. After that, he’ll need to learn a bit of patience.
Not all cats (or kittens) purr. It might happen later (even much later), or not at all.
As for cuddles: kittens are mostly focused on burning off energy, so snuggling isn’t really their priority :) . You can, however, give him a little scratch when he’s sleeping, but always be careful not to startle him and only do it every now and then.
