Kitten with Panleukapenia. (Feline Distemper).

[Juan Galonso]

Last Friday I got a girl kitten from the Cattery on County Road near where I live who is 12 weeks old for company for my older cat who is a year old. I paid £70 for the kitten which on the stipulation of rehoming her covered her fees to be speyed, microchipped and her jabs over the course of the next few months.

 

There were six other cats there in the cattery along with the kitten I acquired. The kitten was brought here on Friday and she seemed okay, a little bit underweight for my liking but even so. She seemed quite happy at first for the first couple of days when you only had to touch her head for her to start purring until Sunday afternoon when she seemed to change in an instant without any previous heed or warning and became very lethargic and listless, not eating or drinking her food and water despite eating reasonably well in the first day or two and just sitting there with her head bowed down and just generally down in herself.

 

My girlfriend took her the vets on Monday morning which was free of charge as part of the stipulation of rehoming her also that if she is ill in the first two weeks of rehoming her with us. They gave her a few needles and a dose of anti-biotics via needle also. Her situation didn't improve Monday afternoon and night and I was awoken at 4am this morning to her trying to poop in my other cats litter tray but without any food there was nothing there to come out. We had been feeding her water through a plastic syringe to at least keep some fluids in her body while she wasn't eating or drinking.

 

My girlfriend took her back to the vets this morning as she had shown no improvement in the preceeding 24 hrs who then advised to refer her to their other branch in Wavertree where they have now placed her on a drip to help her fight the virus that they think she has in this ''Panleukapenia''. I have done a bit of reading up on the said virus and it doesn't seem hopeful for her as kittens tend to die from the virus more often than not apparently according to various internet sites.

 

I am extremely angry for various reasons. Mainly because the Cattery sold us the cat whilst she probably had this virus with sharing litter trays etc with other cats at this cattery who are sadly probably all infected with the virus. If we didn't have our other cat vaccinated then that Cattery's negligence with this could have affected my other cat who thankfully seems okay at present. I can't see any other explanation for it. My elder cat who we have had for a year almost certainly isn't a carrier as she has had all her jabs even though she is due for a booster jab anytime now and we would have noticed symptoms anyway.

 

That surely means the Cattery sold us the cat with the virus already but I don't understand why it took two days to flare up. Why didn't she show the symptoms prior to that on the first night we got her? Very confused and angry with it all. Surely the Cattery are guilty of negligence here?

 

The little kitten is currently as I say on a drip in a vet in Wavertree and the vet have said she could die but didn't state she would definitely. I am assuming they will be giving her anti-biotics and fluids to help keep her going.

 

Has anybody elses cat on here had this virus? Even if they had to be put to sleep please just say. Are there many success stories of kittens or cats recovering and leading a healthy life? I read that if she survives the first five days of the symptoms showing she has a better chance of living?

 

Any help on this would be much appreciated. Both with advice on the kitten and advice on how we would be best to speak to the Cattery about this who's cats they have in residence there must surely all have this virus as it is apparently very contageous.

[Tossed and blown]

PM'd

 

(and not post mortem, for any funny fuckers)

[dennis tooth]

Last Friday I got a girl kitten from the Cattery on County Road near where I live who is 12 weeks old for company for my older cat who is a year old. I paid £70 for the kitten which on the stipulation of rehoming her covered her fees to be speyed, microchipped and her jabs over the course of the next few months.

 

There were six other cats there in the cattery along with the kitten I acquired. The kitten was brought here on Friday and she seemed okay, a little bit underweight for my liking but even so. She seemed quite happy at first for the first couple of days when you only had to touch her head for her to start purring until Sunday afternoon when she seemed to change in an instant without any previous heed or warning and became very lethargic and listless, not eating or drinking her food and water despite eating reasonably well in the first day or two and just sitting there with her head bowed down and just generally down in herself.

 

My girlfriend took her the vets on Monday morning which was free of charge as part of the stipulation of rehoming her also that if she is ill in the first two weeks of rehoming her with us. They gave her a few needles and a dose of anti-biotics via needle also. Her situation didn't improve Monday afternoon and night and I was awoken at 4am this morning to her trying to poop in my other cats litter tray but without any food there was nothing there to come out. We had been feeding her water through a plastic syringe to at least keep some fluids in her body while she wasn't eating or drinking.

 

My girlfriend took her back to the vets this morning as she had shown no improvement in the preceeding 24 hrs who then advised to refer her to their other branch in Wavertree where they have now placed her on a drip to help her fight the virus that they think she has in this ''Panleukapenia''. I have done a bit of reading up on the said virus and it doesn't seem hopeful for her as kittens tend to die from the virus more often than not apparently according to various internet sites.

 

I am extremely angry for various reasons. Mainly because the Cattery sold us the cat whilst she probably had this virus with sharing litter trays etc with other cats at this cattery who are sadly probably all infected with the virus. If we didn't have our other cat vaccinated then that Cattery's negligence with this could have affected my other cat who thankfully seems okay at present. I can't see any other explanation for it. My elder cat who we have had for a year almost certainly isn't a carrier as she has had all her jabs even though she is due for a booster jab anytime now and we would have noticed symptoms anyway.

 

That surely means the Cattery sold us the cat with the virus already but I don't understand why it took two days to flare up. Why didn't she show the symptoms prior to that on the first night we got her? Very confused and angry with it all. Surely the Cattery are guilty of negligence here?

 

The little kitten is currently as I say on a drip in a vet in Wavertree and the vet have said she could die but didn't state she would definitely. I am assuming they will be giving her anti-biotics and fluids to help keep her going.

 

Has anybody elses cat on here had this virus? Even if they had to be put to sleep please just say. Are there many success stories of kittens or cats recovering and leading a healthy life? I read that if she survives the first five days of the symptoms showing she has a better chance of living?

 

Any help on this would be much appreciated. Both with advice on the kitten and advice on how we would be best to speak to the Cattery about this who's cats they have in residence there must surely all have this virus as it is apparently very contageous.

 

 

The cattery you refer to, AA?

[Magic Sponge]

Fuckin hell mate. I'm sat here gently weepin into my butties.

 

I hope your cat pulls through.

[Hermes]

There is a vaccine for it, they should have had the kittens injected.

[She Knows It]

Hope he's on the mend soon, John.

[dennis tooth]

Thee incubation period is no longer than 14 days so it seems quite unlikely she got it from the cattery but she should have been vaccinated if old enough, I will be finding out what is going on and let you know, have pm'd you as well.

[Nantwich girl]

Aw poor thing! I hope it gets better.

[neko]

i'm following this with interest, JG - hope it turns out well.

[Juan Galonso]

She is still in the vets attached to a drip. We went to see her earlier and the vets had said she seemed a bit livelier today and was walking around a bit more in her cage but they are still having to feed her via syringe which she was rejecting a bit of this morning apparently and that is the massive problem. They are giving it until Saturday for her to eat on her own before deciding to put her to sleep.

 

Part of me feels like bringing her home and getting her to another vet to see if that extra little bit of time could make all the difference for her but with the bank holiday the costs would be extortionate to do that. I really think if she was given the time she would start eating on her own eventually. I would try and nurse her back to health from home if I could but I don't know if that would be allowed or not as she is on a drip at present.

 

EDIT: We just called the vet and they said she has taken her afternoon feed by syringe without any problems which is positive so I would hope and pray that when the vets open in the morning she will have ate whatever food they leave for her tonight.

[dennis tooth]

Cjheers for the update Juan.

I would be careful about reading too much into her being a bit better as often they improve before it gets worse.

 

Hoping for the best but was getting a bit worrried as hadn't heard nothing from you. Did you speak with Paula?

[Juan Galonso]

Cjheers for the update Juan.

I would be careful about reading too much into her being a bit better as often they improve before it gets worse.

 

Hoping for the best but was getting a bit worrried as hadn't heard nothing from you. Did you speak with Paula?

 

Not been in yet mate as had a few errands in town after going to the vet but definitely will be going in in next couple of days, will let you know how I get on. Yeah I guess you are right about getting my hopes up. They did say at the vets however if she was to eat food on her own they would let her come home on Saturday. That is the key to everything mate judging by what they have said to us.

 

I just assumed it was the Panleukapenia but it is just some form of Feline Enteritis and the only way they would know is doing a Post-Mortem on her if the worst happens. She had a tiny bit of diarrhoea but hasn't vomited again yet so hopefully the vets will go in tomorrow to a nice empty bowl and no sickness or diarrhoea. Appreciate you trying to guard against getting my hopes up though.

[dennis tooth]

I hope it is something else and it may well be the case, there are so many similar things that can cause the symptoms but they will do all they can there, I think that is the best to hope for that she has ssomething other than that. Tomorrow evening should reveal more than now, if she deteriorates or not so I think the vets have called it right and giving her every chance to respond so I guess the next 24 will matter most but you'd expect an improvement in the first 24 either way with her being in there. It's so frustrating as all you can do is hope she improves.

[Juan Galonso]

It looks like the poor kitten will be getting put to sleep at midnight tonight by the lady at the vet who is nursing her barring an absolute miracle in the next few hours.

 

The whole thing has been confusing beyond belief but it turns out she definitely does have this Panleukapenia virus and the poor little thing has tried to fight it as best as she can but it seems to be getting the better of her.

 

We went to see her earlier and she looks so down and vulnerable. I would rather her be put to sleep and have a bit of dignity than for her to die of this virus she has. It is no life for a cat the way she looks now. Her diarrhoea was like water when we went to see her earlier and while she did seem responsive to us apparently a blood test she had when we left showed a blockage by her liver or something and her protein levels are going down.

 

I told the lady at the vets on the phone not to call us at 12 midnight to ask for permission to put her to sleep as apparently that is what they were going to do but I asked them just to go ahead and do it if they think she doesn't have any chance and to ONLY call us if they think she does still have the slightest fighting chance to beat it.

 

It is best that way as it was hard enough earlier especially for my girlfriend to deal with when she was talking to the vets on the phone when she called for an update. It has been horrible, only a week ago she was here in this house and seemed happy then a week later she has gone.

 

The whole chain of events which led to this have been sad. My girlfriend read about two kittens dumped in a binbag in my local paper which were in the place we got the kitten from as originally she wanted one of those kittens but they had been rehomed already which led her to her getting the poor thing we got with the other two having gone.

 

If those kittens had never have been dumped this would never have happened. Talk about bad fate.

 

I have told my girlfriend to look at the positives and look at her being probably being put to sleep as a last act of how much she cared for the kitten and the refund off the Animal Aid shop where we got her the majority will go towards our 1 year old cats booster jabs and we will set up a monthly Direct Debit for the Animal Aid shop as I went in there today for the first time and they need all the help they can get and it was a bit of an eye-opener how underfunded these charities are.

[Anny Road]

Can I as a question of you cat lovers?

If I let my dogs out at night and they roamed about and shit all over your garden, pissing on the kids toys in the garden. Would you just laugh and say Oh them dogs?

[RedKnight]

Bit harsh that on a thread where John's upset about his cat. Poor form.

[Trumo]

That is bad news mate. If nothing else the vet will be doing the kitten a favour, but it's still a pisser of a start to the weekend. It's at times like this where my avatar is very inappropriate so please ignore it.

[Anny Road]

Bit harsh that on a thread where John's upset about his cat. Poor form.

Hows that? Cat owners seem to have this attitude that my animal is superior to yours so I will let it wander.

I am going to buy 10 pit bulls and at night time just let them go. I'll have a pit bull flap in the back door. It's their nature it would be wrong of me to stop them.

[RedKnight]

Whatever, man. Have at it.

[Anny Road]

Sorry man. Maybe It's just me but I don't get the grief from people on the internet.

You don't know each other yet you are giving each other sympathy for a dead cat.

 

Monty python couldn't make it up. YNWA

[RedKnight]

I know John and his girlfriend well, they're both great people. John's a great lad and he's spoken at length on this thread (which is clearly labelled) about the upset that this incident has caused. You don't like cats, sound. No need to go on about it on this thread.

[manwiththestick]

I went from hating cats to owning three rescue ones due to my missus being a vet and i feel for you mate, kittens rule. The wife used to bring some day olds home for the weekend that needed syringe feeding at all hours and to be honest it was ace, but come Monday they would go to Cats Protection.

[Anny Road]

Sorry RN but you fall into the catapologist trap nowhere have have I said I dont like cats.

 

I do actually like cats. I think they are are a fantastic window into the world of wild animals that we like to kid ourselves that we are still part of.

 

What I don't like is shit and piss all over my kids garden toys.

 

I don't see why I should have to put my stuff away because irresponsible pet owners see fit to let their cats wander.

 

Unleash the pitbulls.

[RedKnight]

Whatever, I'm saying no more.

[Anny Road]

TBH Juan needs to man up its a fukin cat