concerned about sick kitten

by ashely
(buffalo, ny)

I found kittens abandoned under my porch the other day. the spca refuses to take them, and said if they do take the kittens they will be put to sleep. I didnt want to see that happen so I have been caring for them. Today when I went to feed them one was salivating from the mouth and crying a lot, he has been refusing to take milk all day and is still salivating. what could this be, and what can i do to help him? the last time I brought a sick kitten to the vets, they just put her to sleep, i don't want to give up without trying something first

Answer by Kate
I'm glad I don't live where you are. i have never heard of a vets just putting a sick kitten down unless there was absolutely no other course of action, plus at the end of the day you have the final say as to what happens. If you are not happy with one vets diagnosis then you are always entitled to another opinion.

I am lucky i live in the UK and animal charities here are all no kill, they always try to rehome.

The thing is your kitten may have a genetic problem and could be the reason why they were abandoned by their mother or they just have ill health due to there young age and needing so much care and attention. (are you sure the mother cat has gone?)

Anyway the only course of action is to find a good vet that can tell you what the problem is and take it from there. the symptoms sound like poisoning or a mouth irritation or even a gastric issue.

I do have a web page here with a list of animal shelters on, I don't know if there is one near you that you may want to call for some advice. here is the page

http://www.our-happy-cat.com/cat-shelters.html

Looking after new born kittens is quite a commitment, Please see my pages about hand rearing new borns for more information

http://www.our-happy-cat.com/kitten-food.html

I do hope you can find some help soon for your sick little guy.

best wishes Kate

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concerned about sick kitten

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Jul 24, 2009
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by: ashely

I am positive she left the kittens, she had the litter in the hallway that leads to my front door. I placed food out there, and she hasn't come by to eat it like she always does. I have left the kittens where they were because I have a newborn son, and they have fleas. i tried to make them more comfy by placing them in a basket with a blanket and putting a space heater in the hall to keep it warm for them. But anyways, I called the 24 emergency vet before asking the question on here, and the doctor I talked to said because of their young age and size(they're only 1 week old) it would be too much of a hassle to do anything other then euthanise him. What a nice vet place, right? Today I am taking the kittens to a different vet that is actually willing to give them a shot at life, so I can hopefully bring the youngings into my home. :]
The little guy, did finally take a bottle last night and fell asleep! He lost the weird coloring around his mouth too. He's definitely a fighter