In case you haven’t read my prior question, I have a kitten that I am fostering. The Humane Society said she was 2months but considering that she is still bottle fed, I’m guessing that wasn’t entirely right. Anyway, she is very distrusting, and is the sweetest thing once you break her out of her shell. She loves cuddling more than anything.
Question 1: She would look at pictures of kittens and it seemed like she longed to have a companion, so we contacted the shelter and got a little friend for her that we are fostering as well. She has taken to the other kitty but here’s the dilemma: The other cat is 3 months old. The new 3month old continuously hisses and swipes at the younger one. I’m worried because the younger one has already been so traumatized and has already had such a traumatic life. I’m afraid that it is going to mess with the younger kitten’s head because she’s been making progress and I don’t want her to regress. How can I get them to be kind to each other?
Question 2: This one is important!!! The younger kitten seems….sad. She likes to hide, doesn’t like to eat, doesn’t like to drink, and has terrible diarrhea. If it was her choice, she would just stay in a corner under a bed or dresser, and just die. We have to force her to eat or drink anything. It’s almost like she has no will to live, whatsoever. But the fact that she has bad diarrhea and her gums are white rather than pink or red makes me believe that it may be an illness that’s causing it all. Does anyone know what the matter could be?
ADVICE PLEASE!
I haven’t seeked help because I’ve only had her since Thursday. I’ve been giving her time since the shelter said that she’s "unsocialized". I thought I would give her time incase that was the issue.
But I think it’s now evident that it’s something other than that..
I would never leave a kitten to suffer if I believed that she was truly ill.
the obvious answer is to go to a vet or clinic.
white gums mean low red blood cell count. fleas are the most likely source. however, diarhea causes dehydration, which can also whiten gums. not eating will cause adrenal failure. not drinking will cause death.
it is also possible stress from the new kitten and its reactions are causing all the problems, and it might not be an illness, which is why the vet or clinic is necessary. however, the likely times for a cat to spit/hiss at another cat are from meeting new cats, meeting rivals, or meeting sick cats.
Bring the ill cat to the vet. Pale gums indicate shock or anemia. Isolate them from each other, because I guarantee whatever the sick one has is contageous. But you will likely end up with a dead cat if you do not seek immediate veterinary attention. I don’t know why you have not done so already?
little one needs to see a vet, it sounds like she is sick. I’d keep her away from the other one for a while
as for the ruff housing, I wouldn’t worry too much, they may seem like they’re hurting each other but in reality they are play fighting.
White gums are alarming – that is a very anemic kitten which explains the lethargy. And the bad diarrhea is depleting her as well. These two situations *must* be corrected, or the kitten’s going to deteriorate or die. The anemia is probably from flea bites – that’s the most common cause in a young one. The source of the diarrhea needs to be determined too, as it can be parasites, coccidia, giardia – not a case for going out to get an OTC wormer and expecting the diarrhea to go away. This is a very ill kitten – and she needs vet attention.
The other kitten may be reacting to the fact that she is so sick, in nature the sick animals are driven away so as not to attract predators to the healthy ones. It’s sad, but it’s how they survive. His attitude towards her may change once she’s better. In the meantime, be sure they are not sharing a litterbox, or he will need to be treated for whatever it is that is causing her diarrhea.
get rid of the mean cat and get a nicer cat. take the sick one to a vet.
sounds like panleukopenia to me. if that is the case you need to take the sick kit to the vet at once. take the other kit back to the shelter immediately and have them put it in quarantine if it is not completely up to date on shots- panleuk is highly contagious and almost always fatal. get the sick one to a vet tonight. if they suspect panleuk then they can instruct you on how to give care to the kit and how to disinfect your home