my kitty Valentine

Question
QUESTION: my kitten is 3 month old I only had her for a couple weeks and all the sudden her tummy was full of gas hard and she stopped eating and drinking, so I took her to the vet and they ran blood work came back normal then did surgery on her to check if she swallowed anything she said her tummy was full of gas ran a other test couldn't find anything but my kitten is gasping in air and its filling her belly up with air the vet don't know whats wrong she has to feed her with a serenge she cant meow I don't know what to do can you help me? I'm up to 500.00 dollars on a kitten i paid 40 for what do you think I need help no other vet will help its all about money and I just want my kitten to live she is 3 months she is staying at the vet  until she gets better help please they did X-rays nothing wrong my poor cat can you help with any answers?

ANSWER: Hi Melisa, what a terrible story !! First off I would say if she is not getting better then I would take her out of the vet hospital. There is no sense running up any more bills unless your kitten is going to live and things sound pretty bad....
Have they x-rayed her head? Could she have something in her throat, nose  or sinuses that is blocking her breathing so that she is gasping??
For example .. if you close her mouth.. is she able to take in air through her nose?? If not, then I would focus on that.
I have seen "mouth breathers" when kittens have upper respiratory viruses and they cant breath through their nose. I would assume the vet had checked for this?? It can cause a lot of problems because the kitten dehydrates from breathing through the mouth and it can't eat or anything...
Do they have her on antibiotics? It may seem really simple but often.. simple is the way to go !! Then try clearing her nose so she can breath by using some vicks and a humidifier... darn.. I can't think of the name right now but one of those things mom's use when kids have colds. You can put vicks into it and they steam a room to help loosen the congestion. You should also have the kitten on subcutaneous fluids... whether you leave her at the vets or if you decide to take her home. Warm the fluids first before you inject them.
Good luck and keep in touch Teresa

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VALENTIES   QUESTION: Teresa THANK YOU PLEASE LET ME KNOW A KITTY NAME JUST IN CASE HERE IS A PICTURE OF VALENTINES AND HER BROTHER ROCKEY BEFORE SHE GOT SICK


ANSWER: Hi Melisa, she looks adorable and healthy and so does her brother! Did you want me to let you know a kitty name?? because it seems like you have some great ones already... I certainly hope valentines does a turn around quickly.Let me know how things go.. I am still suspicious there is something in her nose like a piece of grass or else I am suspecting an upper respiratory virus...
either way.. she should be on antibiotics and fluids and kept warm and kept away from her brother. Is there anything wrong with him? have you seen anything unusual like sneezing? runny eyes? teresa

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QUESTION: Hi tearsa, Valentines does look healthy the one with the pink bow she is the one is sick right now. I am going to the vet today to visit her and talk more about it, yes If I get this other kitty that has a candycane on its head yes I would like you to name her. I will let you know and keep up whats going on. with everything. I am feeding them kitten purina chow but I'm not sure if thats what caused all the gas in her tummy Rockey has had a couple burps but his tummy isnt filling up with gas like valentines is? my vet is cluesless she is filling up with gas again at the vets. she also said that she was only going to make me pay  300.00 I just pray that what ever it is stops. my husband asked could it be her sophlices in ther throat? since the air she is breathing in is going to her tummy?and making her have a balloon tummy.?I will right back tonight. and let you know how things are yes if she passes? and I can't keep her, and I get this other kitty yes I would like you to come up with a name for her,so far you are the only one that has really helped me ask the vet questions. and I am blessed to have you do that thank you very much!! Melisa

Answer
Hi Melisa,
*** I hope by the time you get this that your baby is home safe and sound. You can always soak the kibble before giving it to the kittens as they often like it better that way. Even add a little beef broth, soup, gravy or something tasty to eat to encourage them to eat. Also if it is soaked it is easier for them to eat it at this age and then as they get older and as Valentine gets better give it to them hard again. I am SO glad to hear she is doing better! Phew! Did they ever say what the problem was??
Regarding a name for a new kitten. I had a very dear old dog that I had to get put to sleep just before xmas. She was 14 years old and was always a lady. She was very gentle and kind but she was never very good about sharing her toys or food with other dogs!! haha She really loved swimming and children and ice cream! I miss her dreadfully. I loved going for walks with her and always felt safe with her. Her name was "Brenna". I know that is not very original, but I would love to know someone is carrying her name after she is gone. :) Teresa ****




You are up late like me !
re the swallowing of air. Any of us can do this..just try yourself and it is not that hard. but it is uncomfortable and not something we would deliberately do. It is curious that the boy  has had some burps...?? It is really unusual for a kitten to burp once it stops nursing. When they are nursing on mom they can swallow air and burp once in a while. But they should not be doing it after that. If he is sensitive to the Purina cat chow it could cause him to do that, so you might want to do a gradual change to another brand of food. Don't make any sudden changes as that will upset him more than the food. I would recommend a food with less grains in it as he might be allergic to the grains. If you go to a specialty store that only sells pet food they can help you choose a good kibble for him.
BUT< the kibble is not the problem with your sick kitten because she is being syringe fed at the vets so they won't be giving her Purina. I think your vet is being really reasonable with the charges  so that is good as I would hate to see you go deep into debt over vet fees . If she continues to fill with gas I would think the vet might want to withhold food from her for a while to see if that helps at all. unfortunately if she is being syringe fed that can introduce a lot of gas also. ... or maybe she could be tube fed if you are going to leave her at the vet. I wouldn't recommend you do this but the vet could and it might help ease some of the gas ... or just leave her on intravenous fluids that can give her nutrition but won't give her gas.Are they able to get the gas out of her?? ie by massaging and movement or sucking it out?? does it go through her intestines so that she can pass it out that way? (farts?) or is it not moving through her intestines? (blockage?/twisting?)  
Is she able to stand and move around?
Is she having bowel movements? I have so many questions I would like to ask. If she is not having bowel movements she may be blocked and they have not found it yet?? Kittens are notorious for eating the wrong things... those shiny foil balls are deadly and should be banned from pet stores! I have seen several removed surgically from kittens!
anyways, good luck with your next visit with her.. and feel free to print out our letters and take them in.. I would never say I know more or even close to what a vet does but years and years of kittens does give you a different perspective on things and sometimes a fresh set of eyes or ideas might give your vet an idea for a  different direction to go....
Teresa