Need support. I feel awful.
I feel like a failure of a cat parent.
At the end of April, I adopted an 8 week old kitten. She is so sweet, playful, and affectionate. I discovered she had a mild prolapse and we’ve been dealing with diarrhea. She is a Manx mix and the vet explained this as the reason for her prolapse. We’ve been monitoring. The diarrhea has not yet resolved itself - we appropriately transitioned her onto her current regimen (75 % dry 25% wet 3x day) and she is taking a probiotic powder. This has done nothing to change her stool. She eats well, drinks regularly, and acts like a normal kitten for the most part.
Prior to adoption, the shelter did not disclose this diarrhea issue to us. They had disclosed to me that they had bathed her because she had poo all over her butt, but did not disclose if this was a one off thing or a constant problem. They also failed to disclose the prolapse.
It all came to a head this past weekend. She has left skid marks on the couch, the chair, my bedding, my clothes while I’m wearing them and my pillows. She uses the litter box so her skid marks are more a result of runny poop/not realizing she has poo in her butt rather than her trying to tell us she’s having a health concern. We tried giving her a bath and we bought diapers to help contain her skid marks during the night when we can’t be on hand with wipes to clean her. She fought the diapers and clawed us up so she’s just been banished to the living room and that makes me sad. I know it’s not her fault.
I am just so overwhelmed and at a loss of what to do. My friend says she could grow out of it, but what if she doesn’t? I work full time and I can’t dedicate the time she deserves for round the clock care to keep her butt clean and prevent skid marks. I know diapers are a risky game because they need to be changed frequently and would need regular bathes. She has another vet appointment on the 18th soon to get more answers hopefully. Her older brother struggled with diarrhea when he was a kitten, but he grew out of it (for lack of a better term). I feel like I’m just letting her down. My boyfriend and I love her so much. My biggest fear is having to rehome her/surrender her to a special needs cat rescue if that becomes the situation.
I have never had to rehome/surrender a cat before. I had my previous cat since my freshman year of high school and I euthanized her this past February due to old age/quality of life (19 y/o). It’s not a decision I take lightly if it comes to that.
I just needed to vent. I’m scared. I feel hopeless. I feel like I’m doing a bad job as a cat parent.