Common cat problem

Question
We live on a farm. Our kittens start out healthy, like, for the first 5 weeks, then something starts to happen. They won't eat, can't stand up, and are trembling. I try feeding them warmed-up milk and small bits of cat food, but they won't swallow.I have lost at least  3 cats this way and I'm really starting to worry. Most of the cats that get it are young. Please help!

Answer
You should probably have all of your adult cats tested for leukemia. This virus can be rampant in cat colonies and it is one of the major causes of failing kitten syndrome.

Most kittens are born with this disease if the mother has it and rarely do they make it past kitten-hood.

There are many other reasons why this could be happening but this could possibly be the foremost cause.

Get them tested, weed out and/or spayed, and then get some healthier cats. Spaying them won't make them not have the virus, and they will continue to pass it on if they have it. It is always fatal, but at different times. In other words, adult cats might be a carrier but not be sick. Younger or older cats are more likely to die from this virus. There are more viruses that are fatal to cats; panleukapenia, calicivirus,rhinotracheitis, etc.


So get them tested and if they are positive, or even if they are not, get them spayed. Better to reduce the population of viremic cats then to keep letting them breed and have kittens that die from this virus (if they have it of course).

If these cats are negative for leukemia, you should take these kittens in to your vets and find out what is causing this. They would need to be looked at and possibly some tests run.