Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us
Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network
Home
Discussion GroupsGeneral TopicsCat AnecdotesHealth and BehaviorRescue
CatKB.com
Contact UsLink To UsSearch & Site Map

Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / October 2003

Tip: Looking for answers? Try searching our database.

Stomach Problems

Thread view: 
Enable EMail Alerts  Start New Thread
Thread rating: 
Jonathan Clarke - 17 Oct 2003 23:08 GMT
My little kitten of 9 weeks has a swollen stomach and a slightly sore bum
also has runny poos, when she goes, When i got her from the pet shop she was
riddled with fleas (which I kicked up a stinker) Once all the fleas had
gone, someone told me that fleas carry worms so i wormed her bout 1 1/2
weeks ago.
HELP!
and I can't get can't get into the vets till the end of the week, just a
little worried about her and wondered if there was anything that i could do
for her in he mean time (all she eats is whiskas kitten verious flavours and
the odd treat)
cheers
jono
Cheryl - 18 Oct 2003 02:53 GMT
> My little kitten of 9 weeks has a swollen stomach and a slightly
> sore bum also has runny poos, when she goes, When i got her from
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> cheers
> jono

What did you worm her with?  Kittens often have more than just
tapeworms from fleas, and all wormers don't treat all worms.
Roundworm comes to mind, and coccidia and other nasties.  Roundworm
would explain the swollen stomach and sometimes they will vomit up
worms that look like tiny rubberbands.
Iso - 18 Oct 2003 02:56 GMT
Jono,

Diarrhea can be caused by many things. Parasites such as hookworms and
roundworms will cause diarrhea, sometimes bloody diarrhea (hookworms).
Coccidia and Giardia are protozoa that live in the intestinal tract and will
also cause chronic bloody stools if they proliferate or if there are times
of stress. Most of the time, medications will clear both conditions.
Irritation to the bowel can cause bloody stools and again, medications will
clear this up. If your veterinarian has not performed a fecal exam, that's
the first thing that should be done. This will rule out intestinal parasites
such as hookworms and roundworms. Giardia can be difficult to find on a
fecal so if the fecal is negative and your cat has not been treated for
giardia, I would advise treating anyway. The medication won't hurt your cat
if she doesn't have Giardia, but it will certainly make her feel better if
she does. Kidney disease is one cause of diarrhea in cats but 9 weeks is too
young for kidney failure. Blood tests should be able to rule in or out this
problem.

I would have your vet perform a complete physical, fecal exam included,
treat for intestinal parasites if any found, and treat for giardia if this
has not been done. If the diarrhea persists, further diagnostics should be
done to determine the underlying cause (bloodworm, intestinal biopsies,
etc.) Nonetheless, all the symptoms that you mentioned indicate that worms
are present. Worms are very common, and roundworms can be caught from other
cats, and even be ingested through mothers' milk. Symptoms in kittens
include a poor coat, diarrhea and a swollen stomach. Tapeworms can be begin
life in cat fleas which your kitten could have eaten. I would start with the
simple things first and go from there. I suggest you find another vet that
will see your cat sooner than the one you are scheduled to see. I hope this
helps.
MacCandace - 18 Oct 2003 20:27 GMT
I agree about seeing the vet soon and that it sounds like worms or other
parasites.  I would like to caution, though, that over the counter worm
medications are not particularly effective and can even be quite toxic,
especially to a small kitten so please don't use them again.  I would
definitley get her to the vet asap as I'm sure she is uncomfortable.

Candace
(take the litter out before replying by e-mail)

See my cats:
http://photos.yahoo.com/maccandace

"One does not meet oneself until one catches the reflection from an eye other
than human."  (Loren Eisely)
 
Sign In
Join
My Latest Posts
My Monitored Threads
My Blog
My Photo Gallery
My Profile
My Homepage

Start New Thread
Enable EMail Alerts
Rate this Thread



©2008 Advenet LLC   Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.