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2 kittens with illnesses: unable to walk, eye infection

Hi,

I've described below what's happened to 2 of my 4 Birman kittens in the past few weeks. If anyone has guesses what could be going on, I'd appreciate any feedback. I haven't been able to google anything that matches these symptoms, together or separate.

First, we found one of the male kittens not moving one evening. He completely refused to even stand, the most he'd do was sit. I had to even lift him into the litterbox and then out again. The cat's stay indoors, we don't know if he fell somewhere or not. When touching, nothing felt broken and the kitten only showed pain when touching the hip/upper hindleg area. A few days after, he also developed an eye infection. It took him about 4-5 to start wobbling along again, but he was otherwise very energetic and even tried to play with front paws when he didn't want to move otherwise. Next, about a week later (on Mothers Day, of course...) another male kitten was literally screaming in pain and came out from the litterbox and collapsed on the floor. I imagined it had to do with stomach issues, and took him to the vet the same day. He was given laxative oil that day + pain meds, but he didn't improve much by evening so he got antibiotics (the vet thought that the likely reasons were either constipation or urinary tract infection, or he'd swallowed something dangerous). 1h after giving the antibiotics he indeed peed and felt better. He also ate (very little, but still), but I had to feed him chicken broth for 2 days as he refused to drink.  5 days he didn't move an inch, sat up at the most. Few days later he started to take interest in his brothers and sisters and to eat and drink normally, 5 days later he started to walk again. Both of them still limp, and it looks like they limp at least 2 of their feet.
Neither one has had any respiratory issues (no coughing, runny noses, sneezing or anything), the gums, tongue etc are ok and Cat Flu tests came back negative. They're still both on antibiotics.

Any similar experiences?
4 Responses
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587315 tn?1333552783
Hi, my first thought is possibly the wrong diet.  How old are the kittens and have they been weaned from mom too soon?  If they are very very young they may need to be on milk replacement(KMR, for example that can be purchased at any pet store) or soft canned food and kitten chow.  

IF this is a diet related issue, then this is a super easy fix.
Helpful - 0
874521 tn?1424116797
I am on my computer now and can include a link or two abt clots...(saddle thrombosis) this is mostly due to a condition called Hypertrophic Cardiomyopothy..or HCM. a disease of the heart. it can affect cats of all ages (I now read)
symptoms usually appear rapidly, a small piece of these clots dislodge and cut off blood flow to a limb thats what causes the paralysis in that limb...did you notice it being extremely COLD to the touch?
I will include a pdf I found, but if you google felilne HCM you'll find alot more info.....
If this is what they have, they will continue to throw these clots and each one is an emergency, a cardiac ultrasound is needed to diagnosis...  I sure do hope this isn't the case...do lots of reading

http://mysite.verizon.net/jachinitz/hcm/hcmbr1008.pdf
Helpful - 0
874521 tn?1424116797
Oh my this sounds a lot more complicated than constipation...I am not a Vet but when I hear the words screaming in pain and unaBle to use limbs in same breath the first thought that hit me was passing a blood clot, but this usually doesn't affect kittens(that I know of) a and it's highly unusual for two having this happen relatively close to same time. If this is what it was it is extremely painful, unable to waLk during an attack and with paIn the a appetite goes. If it should happen again they need to see a Vet ASAP.
Otherwise I am completely baffled, how old are these kittens? Are they nursing or eating on their own, if so what is their diet?
Helpful - 0
7052683 tn?1392938795
Hi Odi,

Sounds like the little men in the family are having a bit of a hard time finding their sea-legs. I have never had any experience with this type of behavior, but you are in good hands with the oversight of your vet. He should be the one you consult with. I would assume he has had these same symptoms with other kittens in his career.

On the other hand, I hope someone here has had this experience and can shed some light on what to ask the vet about.

Good luck to you all,
CNL
Helpful - 0
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