Nine Week Old Kitten Stopped Eating

Hairy the rescue kitten is nine week old, he has adjusted well from abandonment when he was three weeks old.  He is a big eater, loves to play and cuddle so I was surprised when he stopped eating and drinking.

Baby kitten Hairy on day we rescued him 

I went to feed him and he sniffed and walked away I thought it was odd.  When I brought in his favorite canned food; Natural Balance chicken pate recipe with gravy on plate I expected Hairy to coming running but instead he did not get out of bed.   Hairy was sick I just knew it and he was looking dehydrated too so I knew we had a problem.  I filled his nursing bottle with replacement milk mixed with his chicken pate and started feeding him , he took to this okay and so I put the mixture on a plate and Hairy sniffed and walked away.

Normally Hairy laps of his replacement milk with siblings

I thought at first he could not smell the food and that is why he fed off the bottle and not from his food bowl.   My husband said he must have eaten something that upset his stomach he will be okay. But Hairy was not okay he developed diarrhea that would not stop, the poor kitten was leaking when he walked or lay down in his bed.  This was not good so I called the veterinarian and they said they could not see him until two days later.

I continued to care for Hairy and his diarrhea did stop, but my little rescued kitten was still not eating.  So I kept the kitten close by in a crate and bottle fed him every hour.  Hairy was getting weak and would was not taking to the bottle.  I called the veternarian and there were no appointment, the only option they could offer was to bring Hairy in when doctors arrive and are getting ready for their day.  They would then have one check Hairy to determine his condition. 

So we waited two more days and on the third day Hairy weight indicated that he had lost a pound. I was certain that if we did not get veterinarian care he would die.  We rushed him to the veternarian today so he could be evaluated.  

He needed an IV and was treated for coccidia and I was told that he would be back eating and being a normal kitten within a day.  Hairy stopped eating and refused to eat or drink due to worms.  All of the rescued kittens including Hairy were wormed today and should make a full recovery.

*We rescued Hairy and  his four siblings when they were three weeks old. They were abandoned on the medium in the center of the highway at night.  

Trapping an Injured Neighborhood Cat

Part of my duties as a cat caretaker and rescuer is to watch over the cats and to trap them if any of them are injured. 

So when the baby-injured feral kitten showed up at the workshop with a noticeable lump on his upper leg I knew that he needed veterinarian care.

Feral kitten I trapped in a Live animal trap

We tried to catch the kitten but when that failed we decided to set up the Havahart double-door trap that I bought at amazon.com in the workshop and close off the kitty door so he could not exit and other cats could not enter. 

 

The live animal trap was set and baited with Friskies mixed grill canned cat food and I also added some water in a small plastic bowl.  This stinky food should attract the cat into the live animal trap. When the feral kitten enters the trap this evening at least he will have food and water and a soft bed of straw.  I covered the trap with a soft white baby blanket, so the kitten will think the trap is its den. The blanket is a way to lessen any stress or anxiety. 

photo of a kitten in a recovery cage

The kitten entered the trap and was not distressed. His leg needs to be looked at by a veterinarian.  Trapping was successful 

Rescuer Takes Cat to Veterinarian for Checkup

The Aegean-mix cat that I found after following distress meowing in the woods had a bite wound to the tail, cold-like symptoms and stomach upset with diarrhea.  

Since there was no way of knowing how long the cat was outdoors it was taken to the Veterinarian for a wellness check up.  While at the veterinarian the kitten received a rabies vaccine, test for feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus the results for cat disease were negative.

The kitten is being treated for the bite wounds however will be released to me and I will continue my efforts to locate its people. I will make every attempt to find the cats people and if they pet owners are not located the cat will be put up for adoption.

I will not turn the declawed cat lose in hopes that he goes home as there are dogs that run loose in my neighborhood as well as coyote.  A declawed cat has no way of protecting itself from these predators.