Kitten with diarrhea.

Dr. Marie replied:

Sorry to hear that Zena is not well.

You have checked off in your description of Zena that she is under 3 months old. I get really concerned when a young kitten doesn't want to eat. There are a number of possibilities for what could be going on.

Has she had any vaccinations? If she is not fully vaccinated then she could have a virus such as panleukopenia. This is a very serious virus that is the equivalent of parvo virus in dogs. (It is not contagious to dogs though.)

It's also possible that she has some parasites but they would have to be quite severe to cause her to be so unwell.

Another possibility is if she has eaten something that has caused a partial obstruction in her intestines. Again, this is very serious.

A change in food can cause some diarrhea in cats but generally it doesn't cause them to be not moving and very quiet.

Whatever the cause, I would highly recommend that you have your vet see Zena as soon as possible. Kittens are not good at fighting dehydration and can die if they are sick for too long.

Your vet will do a very good exam. They may determine that she is sick enough to need to stay in the hospital and need fluids. Or, they may possibly just give you medication to give her at home to help with the diarrhea and to improve her appetite. When you go, it's a good idea to bring a stool sample with you. The vet can do tests on this to determine if there are any parasites present, and if so, what medications are needed to treat them.

Unfortunately there is no at-home treatment that I can recommend for her.

I really hope that she is ok!

Dr. Marie.


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