Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,

Please help me. My 4 month old kitten receieved a rabbies vaccine and a booster vaccine on Saturday. When I brought her back home she ate normally in the afternoon. By evening she had the expected fever and wasn't active or eating. Throughout Sunday she ate about a third of what she normally eats. On Tuesday she didnt eat anything all morning, then I caught her vomiting clear liquid in the afternoon. I rushed her to the vet, who calmed me down and checked her out. She had a fever of 39.4 C (102.9 F). He gave her an injection which he said would make her fever go down. He said that it is related to the vaccine. She didnt eat anything when we got back home again. Now today is her third day of full fasting, although she is drinking (not sure how much). I am worried sick. She looks thinner and feels lighter, although she is very active and playful (sleeps more though). I will take her to the vet again this afternoon. Any advice? I think I will suggest forced feeding. Is there anything the vet could be missing? He checked her heart and mouth and ears. How long will she be forced fed until she regains the will to eat? I'm soooo sad

Adam.

Kitty is still not eating. She threw up again I just got back from the vet. He said she is not dehydrated. He squeezed her liver and said it is normal size. Her fever went down to 38.9 C (102 F). He gave her a shot of Keratine (sp?). I will begin force feeding her with a syringe tonight. If she is still not eating I will take her back again tomorrow for a two hour IV session. I really hope it doesn't come to that. Any tips regarding force feeding her? I will mix baby food with feeline milk. Unfortunatly I cant find any baby food that contains beef or chicken. So I settled on mixed vegetables baby food. Also, should it come down to IV, I wanna know if that is painful for my baby?

Thanks,
Adam

Ive started force feeding her. I mash up the wet kitten food in the blender and feed it to her through a syringe. I'm also smearing her nose and face with honey which she promtly licks up. She's still not eating on her own. She threw up a little today about 3 hours after force feeding her. I watched her doing her business in the litter box. It was a mixture of diarreah (sp?) at first then it was solid. Any advice? someone please chime in.

Thanks
Adam

Hi Adam,

I am so sorry your kitten is so ill. Vaccine reactions normally only last 24 hours, so I think this is something else.

It's very good that you are force-feeding your baby. This will prevent the chance of her getting fatty liver disease. However, if this were my kitten I would want bloodwork to be done. It would be helpful to know if an infection is present, and also how the organs are functioning. Also an FeLV/FIV test needs to be done if she hasn't had one yet.

Kittens normally bounce back quickly when they are ill and I am worried that this has gone on for so long.

Please keep us updated on how your baby does.

Regards,
PHKitkat

Hello again,

I took kitty to the vet last night. Her fever was down to 38.6C (101.5 F). The vet said that its almost down to normal. He gave her a double injection of a fever reducer and appetite enhancer. She is now drinking on her own, and today morning she even ate half a tablespoon of dry food on her own but afterwards refused to eat again. I'm still force feeding her baby food and honey. I will take her to the vet again tomorrow. She still has diareah and her poop really stinks although she hasn't vomited in over 48 hours. I feel her more active and heavier to hold. The vet seems sure that the she is reacting to the vaccine (possibly an allergy). He also thinks that the vet who innoculated her might have given her a slightly larger dose since she jumped off the table while being injected and spilled half the dose. Should I suggest to him a bloodwork analysis tomorrow when I take her? Also what are your thoughts on the honey I'm giving her? My dad says that in Humans honey causes diareah. I'm giving her about 3/4 a tablespoon a day.

Thanks for your advice,
Adam

Hi Adam,

A cat's normal temperature is 101 - 102 1/2, so your baby does not have a fever. Even when she was up to 103----that is just a tad above high normal for cats. Sounds like the vet may not know this.

I still feel that your kitten is having more than a vaccine reaction. These reactions don't last for almost a week, and as far as the vaccine dose, it's the same whether given to a small kitten or a large cat. Something is wrong here. There isn't any chance that your baby was fed some bad food, is there?

Yes, I would still want a blood panel done, and a fecal exam would be good also. Possibly the baby has parasites and this has affected her GI tract. If this were my kitten I would have had all the basic tests done already. I may be paranoid, but I like to do all I can to find out what is going on.

No offense, but I wouldn't trust a vet that says a cat has a fever when the temp is normal. Is there any chance you can take your baby somewhere else for another opinion?

Take care, and please keep us updated.

Regards,
PHKitkat

YAY !!!! SHE IS EATING And she seems hungry. She ate two heaped tablespoons of dry food for dinner!!! She is active and purring and her stool is more solid (still not fully normal). I think she is over whatever she had. Unfortunatly I dont have a choice of vets here to choose from. I reside in Kuwait and there are two vet clinics, a free government run one, which is god-awful, and a private clinic run by a team of Italian vets. If her condition continue improving tomorrow, do you think I should go back again to the vet?

Thanks for all your advice and concern.

Over the moon,
Adam

Well I took her to the vet just to make sure all is good. He gave her a clean bill of health. She is very active and is eating like crazy

Thanks for your support.
Adam

Great news Adam!

Thanks so much for the update

PHKitkat

Hi Adam,
This is not good and the vets never want to tell you that vaccinations can cause serious!! adverse reactions and sometimes deadly results in some cats & kittens. There is not enough room to tell you everything I know but suffice it to say I suggest that the culprit here could be a reaction to vaccinations & my suggestion is to not get anymore.They really do more harm than good.Remember, your vet has a business which equals money and vaccinations are a huge part of their profit.Search out an article on the internet "hazards of pet vaccinations".Right now to nurse the kittie back to health buy "KMR" kitten milk replacement(inthe can,not dry)great for sick animals-full of nutrition,Pour it into an ice cube tray and remove a cube,microwave to melt & give to kittie as much as she wants.Good luck and keep us posted.