LUV DEM.
THEN LUV DEM SOME MOAR.
full disclosure: Dese r not mah kittehs
Posted on 12/07/2011 5:03:40 PM PST by jocon307
I need some advice on the two new kittens we adopted Saturday. They are very lethargic.
One of mine jumped into the dryer when hubby wasn't looking and did a few spins when it was turned on. The thunks alerted him that something wasn't right. He opened the door and there she was, happy to have the room stop spinning. Yet, after that, she did it AGAIN a few more times!
LUV DEM.
THEN LUV DEM SOME MOAR.
full disclosure: Dese r not mah kittehs
It's also a good sign that they let you handle them and trust you to sleep on your laps. By all means, let your Vet check them out and don't just rely on what the Petstore adoption people say. God bless you for taking them and giving them a loving home. So many never get to know what that is like. It's very sad. Let us know how they're doing.
Yes, they do go a little “wacky”; however, in this case, we want to stimulate a bit of wacky, don’t we?
Pick up a box and let the kitties go nuts.
And they almost certainly will.
Put it this way - if catnip doesn’t get the kitty’s juices flowing, better take them to the vet, cuz there may be something seriously wrong!
Does “Fat Cat” make those little balls with the bells inside?
Or the microwave. Unless of course, you poke 'em a few times with a fork first.
Also, when I have kitties who are timid I play a radio station that plays old fashioned Christian hymns. Every cat I have ever helped through fostering and adoption loves old fashioned Christian hymns and the music really does comfort them. I leave it on kind of low most of the time for them as they have ears that hear much better than ours.
Also, I have a daily prayer and Bible reading time. If a kitty needs extra assurance I keep one or two on my lap during this time. The Holy Spirit is present in a special way during prayer and Bible reading time and His special presence at this time ministers to the kitty/kitties on my lap.
I am assuming that they are eating and drinking, peeing and pooping, right? Are their stools runny or soft ... or are they little Tootsie rolls? Save one (even if it's runny) and stick it in a ziploc baggie (in the fridge) and take it in to your vet and ask for a fecal sample. There are LOTS of parasites out there, and lots of meds for parasites, and you want to make sure you're treating with the correct medication.
Something else this COULD be ... some cats seem to get what's sometimes called Limpy Kitten Syndrome (not the precise medical term) where their joints get inflamed and they don't move much because everything's sore ... some vets think this could be a temporary side effect from the Calici virus, or even the vaccine for the Calici virus. I'm not a vet and haven't seen your kittens, but it's something to consider.
Did you get med records with your kittens? Have they had one, two, or three vaccines? You'll want to know so you can discuss with your vet to see if another one will be needed. This will be something to ask at your vet appointment.
They may just be freaked out and scared and under-socialized. There's a 2-fold remedy for this: turkey baby food on a spoon, and a feather-on-a-stick. Basically, put some plain turkey baby food on a spoon and just sit quietly... eventually they will come up to eat some. This helps them realize you're the FOOD person! The feather-on-a-stick is, well, just plain fun!
www.kittencare.com is a wonderful resource ... check it out and bookmark it!
Please keep us posted!
We raised a number of kittens on bottles over the years, so I’ve seen them from Day One (literally!) ... and I have NEVER had an older kitten that was lethargic in the way you describe unless it was pretty sick. I would take them to the vet tomorrow. Bring a stool sample from them, if you can get it. Also bring the medication with you.
The vet may look them over and say yup, just keep on with the meds ... but really, I would be worried at very lethargic kittens. Kittens are small and their health can go south rapidly. It’s important to keep on top of things.
Good luck!! (And thanks for adopting! :)
That is such a sweet picture! We are giving them LOTS of love, that part is for sure.
Their poops look good. One had an accident with very runny poop, but that was in the first few hours they were in the house. Since then they’ve been perfect about using the box, and they cover up the waste and everything.
I sure hope I got the records, I have to check. They got some shots I know that.
Last night they were actually exploring around a little bit, so we were happy to see that.
One of them eats everything you offer her. The other seems uninterested in human food, but they are eating the cat food like little champs.
I had a pair of kittens arrive here and do pretty much the same thing for a week.
They stayed in a closet. They were getting used to the sounds of a new place.
Before long they were going on adventures, exploring the house.
Your kittens may just be overwhelmed at the newness of things.
“I had a pair of kittens arrive here and do pretty much the same thing for a week.”
That’s reassuring.
My daughter said if there are 2 of them they’ll kind of stick together, if there is only one the cat is kind of forced to interact with the humans.
Hubby insisted we let them roam last night and today they’ve made the great advance of sitting under our bed.
We named them Lola and Nikita, but I told them yesterday that if they continue to be so tragic I’m going to change it to Juliet and Ophelia.
I had a Calico that would only eat dry catfood. Thats all she wanted, even turned her nose up at canned food and Tuna.
Each kitten appeared "overawed", for lack of a better word, with its new environment and took some time to get comfortable enough to even explore the limited area of the cage, spending most of their time lying in their bed, watching and listening.
I started by putting the cage in a back room where there wasn't much traffic for the first few days and then moved the cage, day by day, out to the family room where most of the noise and human interaction was.
After it looked like they were comfortable, I put a baby gate across the exit to the room and opened the door to the cage, letting them explore the room but able to retreat to their sanctuary whenever they wanted. At night, they would go into the cage and I would close the door until morning, when I would open it again and give them free run of the family room.
When they reached the age where they could climb over the baby gate, I removed the gate and showed them where the cat-flap was on the back door, which leads to an open-air, but enclosed by wooden lattice, back porch where the main litter boxes are. That way, they can be "outside" but still "inside".
Finally, when it appeared that they were no longer using the cage and its litter box and food and water bowl, I cleaned and packed up the cage, putting it away for the next adopted kitten.
That sounds like a nice set up you have for your babies, they can be outside but still safe.
I’m glad these little ones are not out in the wild that is for sure.
Our “longest serving” cat, Flower, was also a calico. She lived to be 19 and was truly a harmless little fuzzball, she was afraid of her own shadow. She would eat tuna, a little, but no other human food, except lamb chops, she was crazy about them.
Those brought out a completely different side of her personality. Every time we had them she’d jump up on the table and steal a bone then sit on the floor gnawing at the remnants of meat like a wild animal.
And our last cat would only eat yogurt and ham. She loved ham, but nothing else, not even other pork foods.
Take em to the vet. Even if the vet just thinks they’re from a naturally calm breed mix or something, at least then you know, you have peace of mind.
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