Kitty health questions....help needed!!

[tommygirl79]

Question for my DIS friends with Kitty friends....

Some of you might remember that we got a new kitten last week who, with the help of the DIS, we named Nala. This is the first kitten/cat ANY of us has ever had so it's a new experience.

Nala has been doing pretty well. She has been going in the litterbox everytime from what I can tell and what I've seen. She's eating okay (except that she wants someone sitting next to her while she eats). She's very affectionate with our girls and up until today has been quite playful. Basically she has our whole family wrapped around her finger or should I say paw?

Here's my question:

The last two mornings Nala has had a bout with diarrhea - both times on my oldest DD5 when she was carrying her around. After this mornings bout she ate a really good breakfast and has wanted to just rest and not do much at all. Other than the first day or so, her poop has been quite normal looking and quite solid. We haven't been able to get her wormed or get her shots yet as our vet is out of town. We called his son (also a vet in a town 30 minutes away) and he doesn't think it's anything to worry about for today but to bring her in tomorrow.

Last night was just the second night we let her have "the run of the house" overnight and I'm wondering if her mood now is just from being tired and needing to rest after a couple of days of my girls wanting to play with her and maybe not sleeping much last night.

Also, would there be any reason why she would have pooped on the same DD both times as she was carrying her (sqeezing too hard, being too forceful, etc) and that be the reason for the diarrhea. Or do you think it's something we should really worry about today and what should I do today - let her stay in the bathroom where her litter box and her bed is and rest by herself or watch her more closely and try to play at stuff?

Thanks DISers!!!!!

 

[DizBelle]

I have 6 cats (all old though) and my gut tells me that this is a result of the environment change and diet change for the little one. I think that she just needs to stabilize and that will happen with a little time.

Cats sleep A LOT so I wouldn't worry about all the rest. As long as she is eating, is reasonably energetic when she is playing and not dropping weight, I think she will be fine.

She could have been squeezed a little too hard which made here poop on the same DD. She's a baby, remind your DDs to be gentle with her. I have one cat that "puffs" when you squeeze her in the right place with the right pressure so I can see how it could happen.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Since you have not had the cat to the vet, I would not let it have run of the house until then.
Most likely it is worms.

 

[sskem96]

Hi! We have 2 cats, our youngest is almost 2 and we've had her since she was 3 weeks old and not even walking yet! Our older one is 5 or 6.

It sounds like it's probably dietary changes, but I would suggest not letting your kids carry the kitten around. Just have them sit on the floor and play with it. Every cat's personality is different, but most don't like to be carried around much, especially by children. It makes them feel insecure, and when they try to jump down, they could accidently scratch your child pretty badly.

We never let our cats have the run of the house at night until they were declawed and their paws were healed. Our vet wouldn't declaw until 3 mos old.

If the diarrhea continues, you may want to have your vet check for allergies. Our older cat is allergic to red food dye and gets red diarrhea if he eats food that contains it. He was a year old when we got him, and very malnourished because he had always had this problem and his previous owners never had it checked out.

 

[Rajah]

I agree. Most likely it's nothing to be concerned about, but I'd give her time to adjust and take her in to the vet when you can to get her checked out and her shots.