Monday, November 10, 2014

Two little kittens and the battle they face.


So I contacted the shelter to see if they had any kittens for me to take. I was told there were a group of five that were 12 weeks old that weren't social, and another two who were younger that also needed some socialization. I went down to the shelter on Friday to take a look and see. The older group was a little older than I am comfortable taking because I spend so much of my time at work, and sticking five kittens in a cage is a lot of work. The younger kittens were more my speed and frankly..


Seriously, these kittens are unbelievably fluffy, they are also double pawed..

Unfortunately they are also an incredible hot mess. I did not blog about them before now and I was hesitant to do so now but I was recently reminded that people forget that kittens are still pretty much considered disposable, and because of that I decided to share with you what these kittens are going through. It is not pretty. They reek. They completely lack that new kitten smell and smell a bit like garbage and death. They have diarrhea that smells so bad that I do think it could be used to strip paint, and I nearly vomit every single time I smell it.. They have incredibly long fur, and thus look robust, but they are actually little more than fur and bones. I have been trying to give the littlest one fluids to help counter the diarrhea, but her skin is so frail it is leaking right out of her. I have had them for three days now and since she hasn't died I am hopeful we can pull her through it but it has taken some work.

I was thrilled that she came to investigate the plate
I got some seafood canned food, hoping their not eating might be a smell thing but they were not interested in it, some fluids, some pet-tinic, some albon, and some probiotics. I also have some slippery elm bark which I mixed in to some premade KMR which they seem to like. They are eating very little, but they are eating..


They are skittish, they spent some time like this..


I spent some time down in the room ignoring them and watching tv and we have gotten to the point where I can walk up to them and get them as long as I am cautious and aware. They have also completely fallen in love with Happy Bear and are loathed to leave him.


I do not know if the littlest one will survive. While trying to give her fluids I was able to confirm the presence of quite a bit of flea dirt, so maybe this is just a really bad case of anemia and inappropriate foods, and with the fluids and the antibiotics and the nutrition... well in either case I am doing the best I can. They both desperately need a bath, and I'm considering bringing them back to the shelter to do it as I'm not a huge fan of walking these cats through my house and bathing them in my sink not knowing exactly what is going on with them. I am keeping quarantine procedures, using one pair of pants and a scrub top along with a pair of slippers to try to keep exposure to a minimum.. If this is panleuk, it should be interesting to figure out how to decontaminate the room. I've had it in the house before.. one of the kittens I brought home with Jack back in 2002 was euthanized because the shelter said he had it.. but we will cross that bridge when we come to it.. I'm still hoping this is just a bad case of fleas..

23 comments:

  1. I have my fingers crossed and prayers winging your way...life is pretty tenacious and I hope they make it.

    {{hugs}}

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  2. pee ess: vicks vaporub smeared under your nose might help mask the smell.

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  3. These babies are in the best hands we know. We purr that they will pull through whatever is ailing them.

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  4. We've lost some to flea anemia. We know these Kitts are in good hands and will send lots of healing purrs in their direction. Every life is worth fighting for...but we know you know that. <3

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  5. Sending healing and positive thoughts for these two little ones!

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  6. Good thoughts and purrs to these little kittens. We know they couldn't be getting better kitten-care than from you.

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  7. I'm pulling for them! I'd love to see what they look like healthy.

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  8. Paws crossed for these babies! I am sending lots of purrs their way.

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  9. we add our paws crossed with these cutie pies. purrs to them and to you too.

    emma and buster

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  10. Not possibly coccidia or giardia on top of it all? That can really wring a little one out and it also leaves a lingering smell you can almost see hovering in the air. Hope it's just the fleas, but I'd be scared to bathe them in that condition too.

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  11. Poor little babies. All our purrs and purrayers to them both, we have our paws crossed that they'll both make it. They're getting the very best care possible from you, this we know!

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  12. They are so fluffy and cute. But poor babies...I hope they get better soon xoxo

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  13. What beautiful little babies. We are keeping them in our thoughts and purrs. Thank you for taking them in. Happy Bear has magical healing powers we bet.

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  14. Oh my goodness, the floof! They are beautiful. I'm praying and purring for the best. Thank you for doing what you do, and taking care of them so well. You are truly a gem.

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  15. Bless your heart for helping them. They sure are fluffy!

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  16. Anonymous9:34 AM

    When I had my pathetic little foster last September and he just seemed to keep failing no matter what I did, we decided it was flea-induced blood loss - a couple of good flea baths and a blood transfusion fixed him up. If they are so depleted by fleas, maybe a couple of CCs of transfused blood will help them the way it helped him.

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  17. They are beautiful! I pray you can save them.

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  18. Awww, poor kitties. It sounds like they came to just the right place! Hoping they can be saved..

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  19. They are adorable! I hope you can bring them home soon, maybe the shelter staff can help them get stronger.

    I do a lot of volunteer work at the shelter so sometimes I get kittens that have just come in the door. Before I leave with them I check for fleas, give them a Capstar if they are old enough, and a bath. When I get them home they get my special food formula, a mixture of KMR and canned food. The thickness of the mixture depends on their age. I also mix in a touch of Karo syrup. If they have diarrhea they get a little crumbled up Stella and Chewy food for cats. Stella and Chewy has worked wonders with diarrhea in my fosters. It is expensive but one bag goes a long way with kittens. As they get older I cut back gradually with the KMR. I have learned a lot through trial and error but I also have to admit I have a Vet Tech and two vets who I can text for help if needed.

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  20. Oh my goodness. It sounds like you have your hands full. We had 5 kittens this summer who had diarrhea that was just awful and wouldn't go away. It turned out to be giardia, but even after treatment, they still had it for awhile. Maybe a poop sample is in order? If anyone can help them pull through, it's you! They're in good hands. Sending purrs. - Alana.

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  21. We send tons of healing purrs to the kittens ! We know they're in good hands. We agree with Katnip Lounge : Vicks Vaporub makes miracles... Purrs

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  22. We sure send purrs and prayers to those dear little ones.

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  23. Paws crossed that you can get these little ones healthy and on their way to a fantastic future.

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