I need some good thoughts for my new furbaby, please. (Beware: too much information)

tiredmommy

Well-Known Member
Our new 'lil guy is a 4 year old shorthaired orange tabby. He is a complete love muffin that we adopted from our local shelter. He was neutered on Tuesday and we brought him home Wednesday.

He had a voracious appetite and finished his 1/2 cup of dry food within a minute or two. My husband heard some retching in the middle of the night (we have him in husband's office to keep isolated from our other kitty). He checked on him and found no vomit so it must have been dry heaves. He had a bowel movement between then and morning. It was rather large and slightly soft. He purrs non-stop but made a kind of gurgled cough while purring this morning. Then he sneezed a few times this afternoon. And the kicker: the poor boy had another large and slightly soft bowel movement but this time there was blood coating part of it. :( His history includes coming into the shelter with an URI and very bad flea infestation. Both were treated at the shelter and (per policy) he was given a general de-wormer. He was sheltered as of 10/13 and was deemed healthy for adoption as of 11/8.

I have a "new patient" appointment with the vet on Tuesday but, per their instructions, I called the shelter this afternoon. I'm to bring in a stool sample tomorrow and we have an appointment for Monday. They think he must have another URI and a parasite that the general de-wormer didn't clear. They're very helpful, they said they will treat him for both for free and I can postpone the vet appointment (we need to temporarily disrupt the adoption and "foster" during treatment and have the adoption reinstated when he's better). But I worry. He doesn't seem terribly ill, he's definitely happy. But I worry. Any good thoughts for a speedy recovery are appreciated.

Going North~ if you read this, would you think from what I've described that he has a good prognosis? I need some reassuring about my newest baby.
 

Marguerite

Active Member
I think you're doing the right thing asking the shelter to help. I was thinking intestinal parasite even before I read that far in your post. The stool sample needs to be examined under the microscope to see if they can identify something and work out the best treatment option. Also looking for fecal blood. You won't always see it, if it's coming from higher up the GI tract.

If he seems otherwise okay, I wouldn't worry. Another thing the vet at the shelter might want to do, is do a blood count. That will also tell them a lot.

Hope he's okay. Poor kitty...

Marg
 

tiredmommy

Well-Known Member
Thank you. We'll keep him here except for appointments, but technically be his foster family until treatment in done. This allows the shelter to treat him. My poor little buddy!
 

recoveringenabler

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Holding good thoughts for your new little guy, hoping for a good healthy evaluation and that everything goes smoothly, quickly and the result is perfect health.
 

cubsgirl

Well-Known Member
I hope he's ok. Good thoughts for your new baby. The shelter sounds great (like where I got our furkids - they were great too).
 

helpangel

Active Member
Sounds like an internal parasite to me too. My whole colony just ran me a whole bunch of vet bills dealing with an upper respiratory infection so its great shelter is helping you out with treatment. I've started giving my cats the L Lysene supplement and it seems to be dealing with it better then the antibiotics from the vet (along with me getting bit a lot less). Pet supplies plus carries chewable liver treats (they cost about $6 for 60) that I crumble a couple and mix in with their food. The L Lysene is a suppliment that helps clear up the URI and if they get a URI it is short lived, all the feral cat caregivers here swear by the stuff one even uses it to control herpes in her colony (they all have it, glad I'm not her).

Anyway check into it many fur babies have a rough start but still live to see 20 years old; one of mine the mother dumped at birth, distemper around 3yo and shot twice by the time he was 5 still lived to see his 20th birthday; couldn't see much or hear but he still had a full life.

good luck,
Nancy (aka crazy cat lady LOL)
 

tiredmommy

Well-Known Member
Sorry I haven't responded back sooner, it's been crazy busy here. Thank you for the good thoughts, they helped. He does have an internal parasite (cicca something or other). I go to pick up medications today. Thank goodness he's been isolated from other kitty and we've been washing hands thoroughly whenever we leave his room.
 

GoingNorth

Crazy Cat Lady
Sounds like coccidian. This is a protozoan parasite that lives in the intestines. It is spread by fecal/oral contact. It should not be a problem in a properly sanitized environment. Meantime, until the course of medications are completed and the stools back to normal, it is imperative that he have no contact with other cats.

The good news is that it doesn't do permanent damage to the GI tract, so once he finishes his medications and is excreting normally, he should be fine. Last tme I dealt with this parasite, the medication of choice was tetracycline.

Are they still using that or have they come up with something else?
 
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