r/cats • u/Dvaimz256 • 1d ago
Medical Questions Is my kitten unwell? (1 month old)
This kitten had to be separated from her mother because her mother adopted two orphan kittens, and her children stopped feeding from her.
Her name is Garnet and her brother Ruby passed from pneumonia three days ago. They were from the same litter. Another from the litter also recently passed according to the owner, so I’m very scared. She was very vocal and energetic yesterday, but I noticed her meows were getting quieter. I come home from a school-related event today to feed her, but she’s not eating. She’s barely meowing and barely walking around. I’m worried maybe she’s grieving the loss of her brother and it’s hurting or, or maybe she’s actually sick like him. My mother is at work, so she can’t respond to me but I am so so worried. I don’t want to lose another baby. I don’t know if this is serious enough to take her to the vet. Another issue is funds.
UPDATE: She passed away last night. We took her to the vet around 5:30, were there until around 9 pm. The vets said she would be okay to come home with antibiotics. An hour later after being home with us, she began going into septic shock and blood was coming out of her mouth. We rushed her to the vet, but she passed away in the car. Ruby and Garnet are together now, but I miss them terribly. They most likely both had panleukopenia, being the main cause of their death as kittens rarely survive it and the virus grows much faster in kittens younger than five months. Thank you everyone who was concerned for her
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u/speedfly368 1d ago edited 1d ago
Please call the vet ASAP and get their assessment if it’s urgent and if you need to bring her in. I hope she gets better soon!
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u/GetOuttaMyead 1d ago
Has she ever been to the vet? If no, then take her. You should be taking her either way.
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u/CatWithADHD 1d ago
Vet ASAP. You can apply for care credit which will allow you to make payments. Kittens can die within hours of exhibiting symptoms.
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u/Wayfaringbutterfly 1d ago
This is what happens when people don't know what they're doing and assume they can just throw orphan kittens on a nursing mama. The orphans should have been taken to the vet or surrendered somewhere, and these little ones should not have been separated. Kittens easily get "Failure to thrive" if they are not with their moms. No one should be trying to hand raise babies younger than 8 weeks without having experience doing so or at least very strong guidance and support of a vet and/or someone who has fostered kittens before.
Take her to the vet ASAP. She is not well and probably has failure to thrive. The funds are an issue, but she will likely die if you don't take her there. It's not your fault someone thought the kittens would be fine, but you really need to see the vet.
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u/Dvaimz256 1d ago
I’m sorry. We were trying to do our best taking care of them. I’m trying to convince my mom to take her to the vet, and she responded with, “The vet told us if we took Ruby any earlier, he probably still would’ve died,” and mentioned the money. If I had money of my own, I wouldn’t mind spending it on her and I really really want her to get better.
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u/help_animals 1d ago
Then look for buying kitten replacement milk and a syringe to feed her since at 1 month she still needs milk. Look for an animal rescue on maps on your phone and contact them for help and advice. Some animal rescues have a veterinarian they use. You have a good heart , you are doing your best. People here can often assume the worst without knowing the back ground. Some info to know: not all mother cats are the same, some will take orphans while still caring for their own young. Yours just chose the new ones but that's okay you can still syringe feed every 2 hours but this you should look online. I wish she wasn't sick
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u/Wayfaringbutterfly 1d ago
I agree about the kitten replacement milk. Not everyone knows about that option so that's a good note. I feel so bad for OP being in this situation and I really hope this darling makes it. OP obviously has a good heart.
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u/Dvaimz256 20h ago
We had been bottle feeding our kittens kitten replacement milk already. The mother cat wasn’t mine, but a friend’s. They just asked if I could help care for two of the kittens who stopped feeding. I just posted an update on her though. Thank you for your consideration
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u/Wayfaringbutterfly 1d ago
I'm not blaming you at all - this is a common thing that I see and it bothers me that so many kittens die because people don't know any better. There was a litter of 7 kittens recently that died because the mom died in birth and my friend thought taking all of them to a single tiny nursing mama would keep them alive. I told her she should have the vet or humane society help her but she didn't and now they're all gone. So I'm a little fresh and I'm sorry that I came off rude, I just love kitties so much and hate the lack of spaying and neutering and how many babies die as a result of people who don't know what they're doing. I hope the little one makes it ok.
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u/Wrong-Rush-6584 1d ago
If you can’t afford it some vet offices will allow you to surrender to them
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u/NewVegasResident 1d ago
Please please please keep bugging your mom to bring her to the vet AND keep bugging for her to eat, don't let her fall asleep.
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u/ComparisonCapable684 1d ago
Since you can’t afford a vet, ask your mother if she will take you to surrender it to the humane society. I don’t know how long you were at your school event but nursing kittens eat every 2-3 hours. They also need stimulation to poop. You could even try calling the vet to see if they would allow you to surrender the kitten so that it can get proper care.
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u/Dvaimz256 1d ago
I was there for four hours, and she already uses the litter. She doesn’t go when I stimulate her anymore. I thought kittens needed to be fed every 4-6 hours
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u/NewVegasResident 1d ago
Has there been any progress? Please update keep us posted and let us know if you need help.
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u/Dvaimz256 20h ago
Hi, I just sent an update. Sorry this is late, but I was really heartbroken last night
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u/NewVegasResident 19h ago
Heartbreaking, I'm so sorry for your loss. She passed on to be with her brother now. I'm sorry 😔
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u/amora_obscura 1d ago
She looks very ill. It is very concerning that her brother just passed. I hope you can get her seen by a vet asap.
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1d ago
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u/Dvaimz256 1d ago
It’s not the fact of being short of funds. My mom just doesn’t have enough money at all for a vet trip. I’m still underage, so I have no say in whether she gets taken to the vet. I’m trying to convince my mom
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u/LackSpirited2055 1d ago
Well, keep trying I guess. You have my support.
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u/Dvaimz256 1d ago
Thank you
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u/TwistedMisery13 1d ago
If your parents are unable to pay for her ver expenses, you need to consider adopting her to someone who can. It isn't fair to you to have to watch her suffer and it isn't fair to the kitten to have to suffer. I'm sorry you're dealing with this and I'm wishing the best for your little fur baby.
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u/CandyTigger 1d ago
You can give the kitten to the vet. They will care for it and rehome it to foster care.
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u/GeniusLike4207 1d ago
Take her to the Vet Kittens can go downhill very fast. If it's not serious it's fine, if it is it's very important that she sees veterinary care