Sick Kitten-Vet said roundworms but Im not so sure?

Question
I've had my baby Bugs since around Christmas; he was about 3-4 weeks old perhaps.(He was born to a barn cat who belongs to my boyfriends dad). Thursday he would randomly vomit clear liquid. He was not eating, but only drinking and was lethargic.I took him to the vet who told me it was roundworms due to his belly bloat (which I did not notice, he is quite fluffy) as well as the symptoms I described.

They gave him a dose of de-wormer and sent him home w/ liquid vitamins.  This was yesterday and he is not better and has not passed any worms (or stool for that matter), nor did I see any in his vomit (which I also told the vet).

He is drinking water and a wee bit of milk just to get *something* in his belly (I was told milk is bad for cats so it isn't a common treat for them).
My other 3 cats are fine and dandy; they are indoors for the most part (I have one female who goes out a few hours a day).
Bugs mother and her other three kittens are healthy as well. The vet told me to "give it a few days" to see if he got better. I told him outright to be honest if he thought it was anything severe. I believe he has been doing this for around 30+ years and had probably seen a numerous amount of cats. I'm still concerned. The vomiting has not occurred except once today and I bought kitten formula and used it in a syringe for nutrition this evening. He is still very lethargic though. Also, about an hour or two after we got home from the vet, he threw up his wormer....was it in there long enough to be effective? Is it safe to give him more from walmart? Do you have any thoughts that it could be FIP? Someone else suggested that on another website. The vet checked his temp but didn't say he had a fever.
thank you for your website, too--I think it is just *wonderful*!!! It is very appreciated!!!

Answer
Adriane,

I'm terribly sorry to hear that your kitten lost his fight with whatever was ailing him medically. Unfortunately about the only thing that you could do would be to take Bugs' body in for a necropsy which is the animal version of an autopsy. Obviously this is sort of pricey, but it might help you to figure out why Bugs passed away. I know how heart wrenching it can be to lose a special pet and I would advise that you at least consider providing another homeless kitty with a home when you're ready to to so. I know that my advice to parent another kitty in need is difficult to hear right now, but I know that it's good advice. I also took the liberty of including a special piece of writing that has helped countless people to cope with the loss of a special animal friend. To be completely honest I don't know that there really is a polite way to let your vet know that you think s/he made a mistake in diagnosing your kitten, and to be honest I don't think that Bugs would want his special human to continue being angry and hurt over the mistake that a veterinarian made. I'm terribly sorry and I wish that I could offer something more in terms of support to help you grieve the loss of Bugs. I do think that's important to tell yourself a few things - firstly, it's okay to grieve Bugs' passing, he was a special fur baby and he will always hold a special place in your heart. I would also recommend that you ignore people who have comments like "What's the big deal, it's just a cat?" You and I know that statements like that are completely false, Bugs was an individual and he was unfortunately taken to the Rainbow Bridge early in his life, but you love him and it's okay to grieve and cry for him. As I mentioned though I would recommend that when you feel strong enough you consider rescuing a homeless kitty from your local shelter, Bugs would want his special human friend to be happy, to be able to laugh when you remember him.

Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...


I hope that you can take some comfort in knowing that Bugs is well again and that you, your partner and Bugs are in my thoughts and prayers. Please feel free to write again if you feel that the support I'm able to provide is helpful and know that as terrible as you feel you aren't alone in grieving the loss of a pet. If you need the text of your original answer, please find it below the solid line.

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Adriane,

Unfortunately I'm not a veterinarian so I can't offer diagnoses, but I will offer some advice to help you and your kitten out until he can be seen by a vet. Please bear in mind that this isn't medical advice it's intended as a stop gap measure to keep this kitten as healthy as possible until he is assessed. I do recommend that you seek a second veterinary opinion because it sounds like this kitten may have a little something more than the normal health concerns for a baby barn cat going on. I'm sort of wondering based on the general description if it's possible that this kitten may have eaten something that he shouldn't have - a foreign body would explain a bloated tummy as well as the nausea and vomiting. If your kitten has possibly eaten string, ribbon, thread or even the inside of a cassette tape he should be immediately taken to the nearest emergency vet clinic for x-rays and possible surgery. A foreign body being ingested by a kitten is a very serious but common occurrence, linear foreign bodies like the ones I've mentioned are quite serious because they can potentially become entangled in the digestive tract and as the process of digestion happens and the intestinal tract begins to contract a linear foreign body can become stuck and actually cut through the intestines if not discovered in time. If this happens the outlook is pretty bleak. I don't recommend that you administer any over the counter dewormers, they aren't safe for kittens under 12 weeks most of the time and to be honest there aren't enough safety regulations dictating how over the counter pet medications are handled for me to be comfortable recommending their use. It's quite possible that your little guy has absorbed some of the dewormer so be sure to let the next treating vet know that he has had a dose of dewormer, the name of the dewormer if at all possible and the time that elapsed before he threw up the medication. I think that it may be wise to try giving this baby some cooked, pureed chicken breast mixed with some plain, organic yogurt, this will help to ensure that he's getting some nutrition and the active bacterial cultures in the yogurt may help to settle his tummy because cultures like acidophilus and lactobacillus are commonly found in the digestive tracts of mammals. The cooked, pureed chicken breast is fairly neutral and may be more likely to stay down than kitten milk replacers given the age of the kitten, I'm guessing he's around 10-12 weeks old at this point. I'd certainly be interested in hearing what the problem turns out to be so please feel free to send an e-mail out letting me know how your kitten's doing.