My kitten got sick and died in just two days

Question
My husband and I were given a kitten about a month ago. He was a spunky
little guy in seemingly good health...he played like crazy and was a real
glutton at the dinner table...so much so that he'd whack at our adult cats if
they came near his food dish. Anyway, he was just about 8-9 weeks old, full
of piss n' vinegar and almost ready for his shots. A few days ago we noticed
that he wasn't holding his food down...he'd stuff his face then about a half
hour later he'd leave little vomit bombs around the house. At first it was of no
real concern.....we figured that since he ate so much so quickly that his little
tummy got a bit upset, something that we'd seen before in our other cats (we
have three, all raised from kittens) when they were his age. He was still his
usual energetic self, racing round the house playing with his best buddy Boo
til they settled down for a nap. The next morning, he was no longer throwing
up but he didn't have much of an appetite...he'd eat a little but there wasn't
the same gusto he usually had for his breakfast, and he seemed a teensy bit
listless. I kept an eye on him, still thinking he might've caught a wee bug or
something...he didn't have any fever that I could tell, and he'd still play with
his big sister so no alarm bells sounded just yet. By evening, he lost any
interest in play...he cuddled up  on the back of the couch ( his favourite
place) and didn't move from the spot the entire night. Next morning, he
nibbled at his breakfast but really didn't seem too keen yet again....though he
still wasn't running any fever, he wasn't his bouncy self at all. My husband and
I discussed it before he went to work...if he wasn't getting any better by that
evening, we'd take him to the vet that very next day. There wasn't any change
in him until that night, and it was then that I really got scared. He was having
trouble with his back legs...they kept buckling on him whenever he tried to
walk , so much so that he finally refused to walk at all. He still wasn't eating,
so I tried hand feeding him a bit of egg yolk, which he seemed to enjoy, as
well as giving him water thru an eye dropper to keep him from becoming
dehydrated. My husband cuddled with him on the couch, putting him on his
happy place just above his head, petting him until he dozed off. Around 2AM,
my husband told me that Beeno had rolled off the back of the couch and
landed on his lap..by this point he was almost completely limp, as if he were
either too week or simply unable to move his limbs any longer. By the time I
woke up that next morning, Beeno had deteriorated to the point that I was
scrambling for a vet appointment as quickly as I could. Except for an
occasional head turn, he could no longer move anything..when I'd pick him up
and try to put him in a sitting position, he was just like a rag doll, completely
unable to support himself. His breathing was laboured and getting worse by
the minute...he could still swallow, so I gave him a little water via the
eyedropper again then made an appointment with a vet for 10AM that
morning. I could'nt believe this....two days before he'd been a happy healthy
ball of fluff pouncing on everything that moved and eating like it was his last
meal, and now....I prayed he'd make it long enough for me to get him to a
vet. Heartbroken does'nt even describe what I was feeling...my kitten was
dying right in front of my eyes and I had no idea why. I've had cats all my life
and have dealt with my share of kittens getting sick, but I've never seen
anything like this.
About 9:30 AM, I got out his carry box and went to call a cab....he was still
laying his basket, gasping for breath but still alive. I finished getting ready
but by the time I came back to get him, he was dead. I'm at a complete loss
over this.....both my husband and I can't understand how a kitten could be so
healthy one minute then suddenly get this sick and die in just two days. What
would cause something like this?? We're absolutely beside ourselves with
grief...we adored this little guy and to lose him so suddenly...I can't even
begin to put it into the proper words. If someone could give us at least a little
insight here, it would be greatly appreciated.  

Answer
Hi,
I am truly sorry for your loss. I do understand how horrible it is to go through this. First of all please don't blame yourself for what happened. It might not have been preventable at all.

So many things can go wrong with babies like him. One of the things kittens get is fading kitten syndrome, but it usually affects cats under 6 weeks old. From what I have read, Panleukopenia is another cause of sudden death in kittens. It's onset can be very fast and usually kittens under one year don't make it. Vaccinations can be started at 6 weeks of age and might prevent this in the future, but many times these kittens are born with a problem that causes this sudden onset of illness.

Bacteria's in food can cause severe illness. You have to remember that a kitten has a very weak immune system and something that might be passed off by an adult cat can be fatal to a kitten. They go downhill so fast that we recommend they be seen immediately when an owner calls in about one. There is no 'wait and see' with kittens or puppies. They are like newborn babies (human) until they are about 13 weeks old.

There are so many other things that this might have been that I can't even think of them all, and they are all speculation at this point anyway. If the vet had done a necropsy they might have been able to tell you what went wrong, but they might not have either. We have seen dogs get what you described- a total paralysis, with no explanation at all.

The worst part of little Beeno's passing is that no one knows why. I am sorry I cannot be of more help here. You might want to cut and paste your question to one of the vet's on the board here and maybe get a better answer than I can provide for you.

Please know that you did the best you could and that he was a happy kitty until he got sick. Sometimes things happen in life we can't understand or explain- but I know that doesn't make them any less painful.

This was not something you should worry about if you get another kitten either. This was a fluke and most uncommon nowadays. You sound to be excellent pet owners so I know it's not your quality of care.
If you get another kitten, make sure he/she is vaccinated by 6 weeks and continues to be until 16 weeks old. Get them tested for FELV, FIP and FIV.
That is all you can do and hope for the best.
God bless you for caring for the little guy.My heart is broken with yours.
Please let me know if I can be of any other assistance. take care,
Jana