Bad Breathe and Eating Habits

Question
Me and my girlfriend received 3 kittens from an animal rescuer.  2 kittens were sisters from the same litter and one was from a litter that was born a week later.  One of the sisters came to us taking anti-biotics for breathing difficulties.  Since we have had her she does not eat alot while the other 2 have gained in size dramatically.  She is very small for her age and her breathe smells terrible, and now she wont use the litter box.  We dont know what to do and dont have any ideas.

Answer
Hi Jason.  I think it would definitely be a good idea to work with a vet on this one.  I'm not sure how old the kittens are.  Bad breath can be caused by a number of things including growing in teeth, if she's of teething age (younger than six months).  But also by feline herpes and feline calici virus, kidney failure, fecal impaction, or severe periodontal disease which may be caused by the feline leukemia or feline AIDS viruses, among other things.  All of those things would also explain the lack of appetite.  There is a less common disease called Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) that is seen most often in kittens.  But it causes these generalized symptoms you're seeing - failure to thrive, poor appetite, stunted growth, etc.

If she is not yet 12 weeks old or has not been tested for feline leukemia and AIDS since she was 12 weeks old, then I think she should at least have those tests run.  This is because the tests can sometimes be unreliable in kittens who are much under 12 weeks of age.  And with her symptoms, she needs a good look over by a vet.  I'm not sure what they'll find, but it does sound like she's in some trouble.