Advice for Vomiting and Sometimes Constipated Kitten (Long, Sorry)
Back Story: 9 week old female Siamese kitten (born 2-5-26) who was part of a litter of 4, including Mama Kitty. Mama Kitty approximately 1.5 years old. Total of 5 cats in the beginning. I fostered them for a local rescue organization. My first and last time fostering. Kittens were 3 days old when I brought them home. Mama Kitty was a stray and had undiagnosed coccidia before I brought the family home. I paid for Mama Kitty’s vet bills and coccidia medication (Albon) with my own money. Could not afford to pay for all 4 kittens at my vet, so the rescue gave me Toltrazuril to treat the kittens. 2 kittens died at age 2 weeks despite coccidia treatment and I did take them to the vet for additional care. There are now 2 surviving kittens, a boy and a girl. I have since learned from my vet that Toltrazuril is NOT their drug of choice for coccidia but that is all the rescue had. The rescue told me that Toltrazuril is very strong for young kittens but they had to weigh risks vs. benefits in giving it. I have officially adopted Mama Kitty, Girl Kitten, and her brother Boy Kitten. I am now a FOSTER FAIL.
Girl Kitten was the runt. She has struggled to gain weight since Day One. If anyone was going to die, I thought it would be her. Vet called her a “Low Performing” or “Slow Performing” kitten. She is significantly physically smaller and cognitively slower than her brother. Boy Kitten has done great. Mama Kitty is doing great. All have negative stool specimens and all have been de-wormed and caught up with vaccines except for rabies….rabies vaccine still pending. Both kittens are pretty much weaned now, although they do try to nurse if Mama Kitty will let them. She shuts them down pretty quickly. Boy Kitten took to the litter box quickly. Girl Kitten still struggles to know when and where to go. I have to help her sometimes to go to the litter box….she forgets where it is sometimes or sometimes doesn’t realize that she needs to go. There appears to be a disconnect between her brain and her bowels/bladder. Bless her! She is “special needs.” But she is slowly coming along.
About 3 weeks ago, Girl Kitten started vomiting after meals and I also noticed that sometimes it would be 4 days in between poops for her, so also dealing with some constipation. Sometimes Girl Kitten vomits 1-2x/day. She is still active, playful and alert with a voracious appetite. She eats fast! Most of the time she doesn’t act like she feels bad. Because of her small size, she has a hard time keeping up with her Mama and her brother and takes more frequent rest breaks. I have taken Girl Kitten to my vet 3x. The vet office probably thinks I’m a Crazy Cat Lady! Vet has made some dietary changes for her. I have to feed Girl Kitten separately from Mama Kitty and Boy Kitten. Mama Kitty and brother are doing fine on Fancy Feast wet and dry. Boy Kitten and Mama Kitty also snack on dry kibble. Girl Kitten will NOT eat dry kitten kibble (yet) although she sniffs it and observes the others eating it.
In a nutshell, this is what we have tried and not tried so far for Girl Kitten after 3 vet visits:
Stool specimens tested. Negative
De-wormed Girl Kitten 3x so far. Mama Kitty and Boy Kitten have been de-wormed 2x.
Vet changed Girl Kitten’s diet to Hills Sensitive Stomach and Skin Kitten Stew and gave me an Rx for Hills Kitten Sensitive Stomach the prescription kind. Vet thought she might be allergic to chicken and might need a different protein. The protein in the Hills Sensitive Stomach and Skin Kitten Stew is salmon. It is chunky with carrots and potatoes. I have to mash it up for Girl Kitten. I also add a little bit of water.
1/8 tsp of Miralax in a.m. and p.m. This has helped! She is now pooping good solid poops every day or every other day.
Sprinkle Fort Flora for Cats probiotics on her food.
No labs done. Vet said she is still too small for venipuncture. She weighs 588g today. Yesterday she weighed 602g, but she vomited at lunch time today and just had a good poop. But this has become her pattern….she starts to gain weight, then vomits, and backslides in the weight gain department again. The rescue told me she was underweight and needed to gain. Duh! We are trying here!!
No x-rays done to rule out obstruction or physical malformation.
8.Under the Weather Ready Cal Kitten. One pea sized drop mixed in her food every day.
I made an appt. with a different vet for Monday for a 2nd opinion. For some reason, I just don’t feel like my vet (whom I love btw) is taking this seriously enough. One of my vet’s partners even told me, “Some cats just vomit a lot. That’s what cats do.”. ( I had a male Siamese cat that was a barfer and he lived 17.5 years but he did not start barfing at 6 weeks old.)
Elevated feeding bowl and slow feeder lick mat. We’ve done that. Didn’t seem to make a difference.
Vet told me to keep her calm for 30 minutes after she eats. I try but easier said than done with a very active Mama Kitty and Boy Kitten who have no issues.
I would appreciate any advice and suggestions that might help my sweet little Girl Kitten. Thank you!