Kitten Help?! Baulding! she's too cute to die. ): - She's worsening.

osullic

With my boyfriends full permission, i'm using his account to ask a very serious question. He thinks I may be fretting a bit too much, but I figure it's important enough to warrant a visit to the vet. Problem is both of us have busy schedules during vet opening times, and no car. I understand if it's important, but as I mention further on she doesn't even seem to notice, so i'm hoping someone here will tell me if it's something that will just go away on it's own in a few days, or if it's more crucial that I get her some veterinary attention before it worsens. If this is the case I will of course take time off from work without hesitation to get a taxi and bring her to the vet, but hopefully someone can inform me of an idea of what I'm dealing with.

Our six week old kitten has begun to bald on her head, no other part of her body. The skin under where she is balding is flaky / scabby, and it's all over her head, from between her eyes / above her nose up to between her ears. I'm very worried for her well being as I've always grown up around cats and have never known balding to be a common occurance.

It clearly isn't from nibbling as she is our only pet (an indoor pet), and the placement of this problem area. We do bring her outside, but only for short amounts of time, and alway accompanied. Could a bug have done any harm though?

My question is, does anyone know anything about this kind of thing? Do you think it's serious? What should we do?

Also, we used to have rabbits staying with us briefly. The kitten was only introduced to them for max. a week, but is it possible she could have caught something from them? They have been gone over a week, with her not showing any signs of this until a few days ago. While they were here we kept a close eye on both her and them, and all seemed fine. Could something have been left behind after they were taken away (germ wise, etc.) ?

Neither of us are experiencing any symptoms (eg. itchiness). She doesn't seem bothered by it. She rolls around sometimes, but that's more because she's young and playful in my opinion. When she's asleep she doesn't mind us petting her on top of the head, even in the problematic area. She doesn't even seem to notice.

I'm just very worried about her. Possibly overly so, but if anyone can help, please do.

Thanks. x



- She is still as hyper and playful as ever, but i'm now terrified of playing with her or her running around anywhere incase she hurts herself. She doesn't seem to notice but i'm just worried that she might die before I can get her to a vet Tuesday. Does anyone know of a vet open during Sunday / Bank Holiday Monday in the Dublin City Centre area?

Also as I stated further down in a post, she sleeps on our bed. Is this okay considering her condition, and also could what she has eventually affect us as we are currently experiencing no similar symptoms.

Please read all posts and help as much as you can.

Yours gratefully,

Blue.

:: Update. I had been posting this last night at about 1am, so there wasn't really anything I could do I figured. It's now about half nine and I just woke up. The kitten cried because she wasn't let in our bed, so my boyfriend eventually went and got her. ): I guess if ringworm is treatable, and it's what she has, we can get treated for it too if we catch it. She ended up just falling asleep between us.

She still doesn't seem bothered, but this morning when my boyfriend picked her up, he found new patches on her stomach and her two front legs.

I'm going to try and find a vet right now and we'll bring her in if they'll help.

Thanks for all advice. x

Captain Chaos

Not 100% sure but it could be Ring Worm, it can't pass to people once past their teens. You can get a cream from a vet but if it is a severe case the cat may have to be put to sleep as there is no 100% cure. I don't know if it can pass to rabbits but I'd keep it away and make sure you wash your hands every time you come in contact with the kitten. If it is ring worm the odds are that it was passed on from the mother.

Hope it turns out OK.

osullic

Captain Chaos wrote: »

Not 100% sure but it could be Ring Worm, it can't pass to people once past their teens. You can get a cream from a vet but if it is a severe case the cat may have to be put to sleep as there is no 100% cure. I don't know if it can pass to rabbits but I'd keep it away and make sure you wash your hands every time you come in contact with the kitten. If it is ring worm the odds are that it was passed on from the mother.

Hope it turns out OK.

I don't really know anything about the mother of the kitten. I was told it was perfectly healthy by the family who gave me it though. Are there any other symptoms of Ring Worm? I can't imagine her being put down. I love her way too much. ;_;

carwash_2006

Yes, it could be ringworm. But, I have never heard of a cat having to be pts because of ringworm! The treatment for ringworm these days is usually a course of tablets and is really easy and painless. It used to be a pain years ago, but veterinary has come a bit of a way since then, thankfully.

There are other things it could be, including something as simple as fleas. Really the best thing is just to get into a vet as soon as you can, although it doesn't sound like something that needs to be done during a bank holiday weekend unless it is bothering her. If the vet you know isn't easy to get to during times you are available, then either find one that is, or make time. It is something that you will have to do if you have pets, so find a way to do it.

Not getting at you in particular, just a general observation. Why is it that there always seems to be more people wondering if they should bring a pet to the vet at the start of a bank holiday weekend? If I think my pets might need to see a vet I bring them in before the weekend unless I think it could wait till after, or if it's serious I call the after hours service, I don't post on a website wondering if maybe they should see a vet! As I said this is not aimed at the OP as I understand that you have had someone saying you are over reacting. But, people, rule of thumb, if you think your pet might need to see a vet, then just bring them. The vet will not chastise you for bringing the animal in if it wasn't necessary and if you can't cope with the odd €35 then you should think twice about having a pet.

osullic

carwash_2006 wrote: »

Yes, it could be ringworm. But, I have never heard of a cat having to be pts because of ringworm! The treatment for ringworm these days is usually a course of tablets and is really easy and painless. It used to be a pain years ago, but veterinary has come a bit of a way since then, thankfully.

There are other things it could be, including something as simple as fleas. Really the best thing is just to get into a vet as soon as you can, although it doesn't sound like something that needs to be done during a bank holiday weekend unless it is bothering her. If the vet you know isn't easy to get to during times you are available, then either find one that is, or make time. It is something that you will have to do if you have pets, so find a way to do it.

Not getting at you in particular, just a general observation. Why is it that there always seems to be more people wondering if they should bring a pet to the vet at the start of a bank holiday weekend? If I think my pets might need to see a vet I bring them in before the weekend unless I think it could wait till after, or if it's serious I call the after hours service, I don't post on a website wondering if maybe they should see a vet! As I said this is not aimed at the OP as I understand that you have had someone saying you are over reacting. But, people, rule of thumb, if you think your pet might need to see a vet, then just bring them. The vet will not chastise you for bringing the animal in if it wasn't necessary and if you can't cope with the odd €35 then you should think twice about having a pet.

I can cope with paying the extra bit of money easily, sad thing is that I've never been to a vet in the area i've currently moved to before, and the closest one (also being the only one I know of) is closed for the bank holiday. I'm just terrified of her dying in the mean time, and I don't know of any other vets in the area that are open on a Sunday / Bank Holiday Monday.

I would have brought her to a vet before now but I only noticed the balding this morning, and it's gotten worse throughout the day with flaking / scabbing appearing. ):

I'm not neglectful, it just wasn't there before. We give her only dry food as we were instructed by a lady who worked in the pet store we go to, and feed her slightly chilled bottled water, never tap. The food is meant to have everything they need, and I was told not to give her milk, so we don't. We don't feed her whiskers, and we constantly make sure she has enough food and milk.

Also, she sleeps on the bed? In her condition, is this safe? As I mentioned before, we haven't experienced any symptoms ourselves.

Our man in Havana

Open the phone book & find a vet in the area - most have an emergency number - call them tomorrow & tell them the symptoms they will say if you need to bring her in etc.

carwash_2006

Don't worry, I really wasn't aiming that at you. I really do think that unless she is showing severe discomfort she will be fine till Tuesday, but you must find a way of bringing her to the vet then. I have issues with bringing my animals to the vets sometimes as I have my own business and cannot not turn up for work. If I have something that doesn't warrant getting the out of service vet but can't wait till my day off, I bring the animal in in the morning and they keep it there till the evening for me. I also have a similar arrangement with a vet closer to my work in case the normal vets can't do that any time.

It is very rare that a skin problem can cause the death or necessity for pts in an animal these days and if it does it is usually something very complicated that has been treated for many months without any positive response and by that stage it is out of kindness to the animal not to put it through any more suffering rather than there being no more avenues to try.

If you could get to a pet shop tomorrow you could pick up a flea comb which would allow you to ascertain if the cat has fleas. It might be an idea to confine the kitten to a crate or perhaps a large box untill you can get her checked, only because sometimes some skin problems can be contagious. Ringworm for instance, but in my experience only if the person is young, old or for some reason has an impaired immune system. If it is fleas, you would not want to allow the fleas to get a hold in your bed, only because you will end up having to get a household spray to eliminate them.

The mother cat does not necessarily show the symptoms, as a kitten can come down with something that an adult carries but doesn't cause it any problems.

Rancid

First off, ringworm is totally treatable and curable. But you need to take her to the vet to have it diagnosed.
Most vets have emergency numbers for weekends, check the phone book.

And if it's ringworm, it's highly contagious between animals and humans (of any age) so be vigilant washing hands and bedding she's in contact with.

Your kitten is SIX weeks old?
She should still be with her mother, that's way too young to be separated.
This could be a simple case of stress due to separation.
Apart from needing their mother's milk for nutrition, they need her for comfort, closeness and they learn a lot from her in the 5 - 9 week stage.

osullic

Rancid wrote: »

First off, ringworm is totally treatable and curable. But you need to take her to the vet to have it diagnosed.
Most vets have emergency numbers for weekends, check the phone book.

And if it's ringworm, it's highly contagious between animals and humans (of any age) so be vigilant washing hands and bedding she's in contact with.

Your kitten is SIX weeks old?
She should still be with her mother, that's way too young to be separated.
This could be a simple case of stress due to separation.
Apart from needing their mother's milk for nutrition, they need her for comfort, closeness and they learn a lot from her in the 5 - 9 week stage.

We were given her when she was a few days older than four weeks. She was the runt of her litter, and not receiving any attention from the mother cat. She was already eating whiskers and cat milk, which we weaned her off slowly preferring to give her dry food and water. She didn't show any problem signs about this, eating anyway.

She was already litter trained, and the only problem was that she'd crawl onto our bed and stay there, miaowing if we put her on the ground, in a basket we'd gotten for her, or outside the door. Otherwise she'd just jump up and try again, so we let her.

The family that owned the mother cat gave her to us as she seemed fully capable of looking after herself, she grooms herself too of course. And the fact that the kitten wasn't receiving any attention from the mother cat.

I've helped to hand rear younger kittens than this, but it didn't need to drink from a bottle or have anyone show it how to groom itself or use a litterbox. She's a great kitten.

---

I rang an emergency veterinary clinic number, but they only directed me somewhere else telling me to bring her immediately. It's in range by taxi, so we made a booking and we are going in ten minutes.

Rancid

Ok, considering all of that, you're doing a great job. Poor kitten. She had a bad start.
She sure sounds like a tough little kitten, survival instinct good and strong.

Glad you made the appointment, it's better to have her checked out sooner rather than later.
Let us know how you get on and good luck at the vet.

osullic

We went to an emergency veterinary clinic. It cost €130. And then another €30 for the taxi.We've made a booking to bring her back in two weeks. We were told to throw out all her things, not to touch her with our bare hands, and to give her all this stuff (tablets, drops, wash)! It seems it does have ringworm, and probably got it from the mother as we've no other cats / dogs living with us, and it's an indoor kitten.

She was shaven and given a bath at the vets, to which she cried and hissed. She's now miserable, constantly crying and sulking. I feel awful about it. ):

First off I guess we're going to try going through our own stuff, aswell as its stuff, and then we're going to the pet shop for new stuff for her. Both our families have had to send us money for this. It's very costly, but I guess it can't be helped since we do love her so much.

I'm just sad we spent hundreds on her cute toys before and now we've to throw them out when we've only had them about two weeks, just to get her new ones when we've no money. ):

She also looks so desperate. i know it's mean to say, but it's entirely true.


- How can we cheer her up?
- Does everything really need to be thrown out or is there some way to disinfect?
- How long will it take all her fur to grow back?

Rancid

Hi,

Don't panic, you'll get through this and so will Little Kitten.

First... DON'T rush out and buy new bedding or baskets for her. Grab some old towels, sheets, clothes, anything soft that you don't mind throwing out after use.
There's still the chance that she'll be capable of passing it on for another few days. So hold off on buying new stuff.

Other thing is that she'll be cold without her fur, even though the weather is warm so plenty of soft stuff to snuggle into would help, especially at night.
Or even a luke-warm hot water bottle under her bedding might help.

Cuddle her on an old towel or something and unless you have open cuts or scratches on your hands, I wouldn't worry about rubbing her, she'll need the attention and you can wash with hibiscrub or some anti-bac soap afterwards.
Or just use those little light disposable plastic gloves.

While ringworm is very infectious, it's not the end of the world if you get it!

I *think* you can sterilise some of her stuff, but wait for someone else to confirm that.

Her fur will take a couple of months to regrow fully.
And cuddles and rubs are about the best way to cheer her up and settle her down.

Oh...and if you have her out in the garden, mind the sun, she'll burn in mins without the protection of her fur.

Well done on getting her to the vet today, she's already on the mend now.

hadook

Anything you can wash at 60 degrees with a proper disinfectant doesn't need to be thrown out.

If you can get something like Safe4 or Trigene I'd recommend those. Common sense, plenty of cleaning and you'll be fine

I've personally caught ringworm from a foster cat and it's fairly easy to cure for people too. I didn't throw out my bed or all my clothes so I didn't see a point in dumping all the cat stuff either On the bright side - your house will be spotless now as a result

carwash_2006

There is a spray you can get in the vets or if you ask in a pet shop they should be able to get it for you if they don't have it, it's called Safe 4 and it will kill the spores from the ringworm so you could wash everything in it. They also do a hand scrub that would be very useful for you to have.

Well done you for bringing her to the vets so quickly. She is miserable now, but she would have been way more miserable if it had been allowed to progress any further before treatment began. She could have got it from the mother, but it is probably because she was weak that it was able to get a hold, also the mother would have a natural immunity that she would have been getting from the milk, but because she wasn't getting the milk and her own immune system isn't fully developed yet.

If you can get her a high quality kitten food, such as Royal Canin Babycat, Nutro Kitten or Arden Grange Kitten, it will help to strengthen her immune system more.

Rancid

carwash_2006 wrote: »

There is a spray you can get in the vets or if you ask in a pet shop they should be able to get it for you if they don't have it, it's called Safe 4 and it will kill the spores from the ringworm so you could wash everything in it. They also do a hand scrub that would be very useful for you to have.

Well done you for bringing her to the vets so quickly. She is miserable now, but she would have been way more miserable if it had been allowed to progress any further before treatment began. She could have got it from the mother, but it is probably because she was weak that it was able to get a hold, also the mother would have a natural immunity that she would have been getting from the milk, but because she wasn't getting the milk and her own immune system isn't fully developed yet.

If you can get her a high quality kitten food, such as Royal Canin Babycat, Nutro Kitten or Arden Grange Kitten, it will help to strengthen her immune system more.

Excellent advice!

osullic

Royal Canin Kitten is actually what we've always fed it, though we gave it some Hills kitten food today to get her to take half a tablet along with it.

guh. all's okay I guess.

Thanks everyone.

If it only gets worse i guess i'll be back.

Thanks again.

Byee.

/end

cltt97

Hi,

One of my kittens had ringworm and she was also badly balding, she didn't shed skin, but she lost hair all over her little body. The vet put her under an ultraviolet light and she lit up like a christmas tree, which confirmed that she was badly infected. We had to treat her I think in total for about 8 weeks. She had to take some liquid medicine one week on one week off (to catch the spores). Of course we got the ringworm, too, but that was easily treated with some fungal cream. I threw out all the blankets she was lying on fairly early on. Once the antifungal kicks in the hair starts growing back fairly quickly. She is happy as larry now.
Hope your kitty is feeling better already.