I have just found a stray kitten who has diarrhoea. He (I think) appears to be about 6 weeks old, very lively and affectionate but with thin liquid diarrhoea, yellowy-brown with very little odour. The anus is red. One eye seems to be slightly more closed (the left). He is very thirsty and hungry, quite thin but not at all droopy. He also miaows a lot when I appear and definately wants company. He is also very interested in his surroundings and wants to explore. Not scared of the dog. Any suggestions? I am leaning toward Phosphorus or Sulphur.

Meg,

Sounds like a great cat! Well, I'm thinking that I want a remedy that isn't debilitated and weak with diarrhea, and 2 remedies come to mind.
Under phos-ac, it says: happy with diarrhea.
Nat-sulph is another one: cheerful after diarrhea.

Can you look those 2 up and see which one you like better? Of course, I'd feel a lot better if gpm, our animal person, were here! Maybe she'll show up soon. If this helps, Sulphur is supposed to have foul smelling diarrhea, like rotten eggs.

Snoopy

[ 02. February 2003, 18:57: Message edited by: Snoopy ]

Hi,

Actually, Krista is probably more knowledgeable in kitten problems like this but thanks for the compliment, Snoopy. (Could use a lot more of that attitude on this BB.)

You didn't mention how long you've had her or the circumstances with the mommy cat, if you know. Had she diarrhea when found or developed it? The crying for company and fearlessness are expected with such a young kitten who was probably on the brink of starvation.

A lot depends on what the kitty is eating, diet adjustment. It's pretty normal (I think, Krista can correct) to have loose stools if kitty was very thin, deprived, and then given food richer than she obviously was getting. Have to go kind of slow and easy at first. If giving her milk (which can cause loose stools) you might want to try cream or half and half and supplement with some acidophilus. If you can find the acidophilus combined with pectin, it's even better. You can wash off her anus with some plain water after stool, like mom would do if she were still with her. A little olive oil might soothe the redness caused by the diarrhea.

Rather than too much dairy, you might try some baby food cereal moistened with cream. And a little high quality (natural) kitten canned food or ground chicken or beef. Beaten egg mixed with a bit of cream.

Try to find the natural litter for her because of the problems concerning the clumping kind. Particularly if she cleans herself after diarrhea and some of the litter might have clung.

You may want to consider Acon or Arn, both useful for rescues. Let us know how she does. Maybe Krista will see this on Monday......and offer more qualified advice.

__________________
Sometimes on Earth, you can find something that resembles a little piece of Heaven. And sometimes on Earth, a little piece of Heaven can find you.

Thanks guys for your advice! He went to the vet for a checkup today and has no fever, the eyes are now fully open (after some euphrasia) and bright. The diarrhoea certainly is not bothering him and its not at all smelly. He was a stray that turned up on the doorstep and I have not had any luck at tracking down owners as yet. The vet also believes its something he ate and is not contagious so have been introducing him to the dog (who he is in love with). He is in isolation at the moment until the diarrhoea settles. I have been cleaning him and we have natural litter. He is apparently about 5 or 6 weeks old and I think must have been weaned as he attacked the food pretty fast. No milk given, just water. There was a little bright blood in the stool last night but none since. He has had rescue remedy but no homeopathic remedy as yet. We may get away without one.
I had thought about aconite but there is absolutely no fear or nervousness. Arnica is a thought though. We will try him on dried kitty food (he has previously had canned) and see what happens.

[ 03. February 2003, 08:33: Message edited by: MegsNZ ]

I think you are best to wait. Food changes (especially from nursing to solids) can cause GI upset as gpm has already wisely pointed out. Obviously the vet checked for parasites and bacterial overgrowth and the kitten is not in crisis at the moment.

I would strongly recommend to stick to canned food and fresh meat etc. Grains are the evil of the pet world stay away from those cancer causing, pathetic excuse for food bits, if possible!

Yogurt with live bacteria culture, can help to keep "good bacteria" flourishing in the intestinal tract which will aid in digestion. Raw bone (take a chicken back and put it through the food processor) will naturally slow the digestion of the food giving it a chance to form in the intestinal tract.

Fresh looking blood in the stool is most likely irritation of an already sore rectum & anus. This type of bleeding is very slow to heal as everytime kitty takes a dump, it has to go past the site of irritation. Eventually it will heal as the GI straightens itself out.

Thanks guys for all your advice. Sadly kitty took a turn for the worse today and has just died. The diarrhoea returned with a vengence and he became too dehydrated while I was at work. We gave him fluids but I think he'd had enough.
I guess I'm just not cut out to be a foster mother!

So sorry to hear this. There is no question you were (and will be again) a wonderful foster mother. You left out nothing, did all the right things. The only thing that was wrong was that the poor little baby needed a foster mother in the first place. You certainly aren't responsible for that. What you did do was give that baby a warm and wonderful person to be with, who cared about her. You gave her love and comfort. She had the opportunity to enjoy life, the days she had with you. She would have died frightened and alone without your efforts. Hard as it is, you did a very good thing for her.

__________________
Sometimes on Earth, you can find something that resembles a little piece of Heaven. And sometimes on Earth, a little piece of Heaven can find you.

Yikes! Sorry to hear about kitty, that was a really fast decline that I usually only see with Panleuk infections. Its not unusual to not even know they are sick at that age and find them expired in the morning (without actually showing any symptoms). I really wouldn't be so quick to blame your fostering skills, it is likely that this would have been a no win situation. As gpm points out we will never save them all but taking the time to care does make a difference to their passing, so please do continue to care and foster!

Thanks guys for your help and support! Great to know there are so many knowlegable people willing to share their expertise!

I wanted to respond to a critique I have read posted on another board. The post accuses of mismanagement and in essensence euphr to be the cause of this kitten's demise. In case there are readers of both boards I would like to share a few points on the matter.

This kitten presented with what appeared to be non-debilitating diarrhea; ie it had tons of energy, was eating and drinking and in fact a vet had checked vitals and performed a fecal exam which turned out to be NSF. Could a dose of euphr which produced healing of the eyes, be the cause of this kitten's death? I would find it unlikely given:
a) it had a favourable affect on the eyes
b) the diarrhea was present before euphr and did not appear to be changed or perhaps became a little better after dosing
c) the "life force" of the kitten appeared strong not only to the caregiver but also the vet (who did check vitals)-if a reasonable potency was given, and it was wrong for the case I would have expected the kitten to expire within 24 hours showing signs of agrevation
d) death occured suddenly 4 days after the dose

Megs, if you are still around, what potency, frequency and amount of euphr did you use?

If threatening symptoms showed and could have been prescribed for, perhaps this kitten could have been saved; but given the sudden demise I would still remain highly suspicious of another factor (perhaps genetic or of a viral component)that caused the death. Its a shame routine necropsy are not performed -I always wonder why vets don't seem to be bothered by not knowing? It drives me nutty, hopefully to a pathology degree!