Herbs Botanicals

What are signs of brain damage in a kitten?

We recently rescued a kitten who is approximately 4 months old. When we visited the vet, we learned he was severely dehydrated and malnourished. He received IV fluids in his kidneys. He also received worming medication for three parasites, including lung worms and flea treatment. This all occured on Wednesday. Since then (and before treatment as well) the kitten has been lethargic. He gets up and moves around but does not play and spends most of his day sleeping. He has what we are labelling seizures where he shakes his head and spews spit. He is not eating by himself but was when we first found him. He does react to light, touch, and sound but loud noises do not freak out. He is having semi-regular bowel movements and is urinating some. His temperature has been going up and down between 99 and 92. We have been keeping him in a towel and a heating pad and have been administering food through a syringe. What is going on with this little fellow and what can we do to help him?

Oh man.

Sounds like you've opened the proverbial can of worms with that little fellow. Be prepared to spend lots of money to get him fixed up, and also be prepared for a poor prognosis just in case.

With a temp that low, one of your main battles is going to be to keep him warm. I'm sure your vet told you this, but a normal cat temp should be somewhere between 100.8 and 102.8. Keeping him warm will help with his appetite but that will come as he gets better (hopefully!).

I'd be curious to know a bit more. Are you seeing lots of mucous from the nose and eyes? Is he moving around by himself without wobbling, even if just for a moment? Is he on any antibiotics or other medications currently (he should be!)? Where did you rescue him from? Any sneezing, coughing, vomiting, diarrhea?

If it were my kitty, I'd have him hospitalized immediately at a well qualified veterinary hospital with an isolation facility (since he's a rescue). As much as we would like to keep them at home, vets are just better prepared and have better tools to diagnose and treat our pets then we can.

Best of luck with your new baby.

Vet in Vegas

PS. Please do not follow any diagnoses you receive online. There isn't enough information here to make a diagnosis or treatment regiment.