help me

Question
QUESTION: i have a 9 week old kitten about half the size he should be i got him from a friend and hes been sick since i got him it started off with an infection and now i think its fleas be when he scratches he looks like hes having a sezure im so worried for this little guy i have been in and out of the vet and i dont think hes going to make it much longer hes so small for his age (only 3oz) so im very scard to give him anything
thanx for your time
kim

ANSWER: Kim,
Your baby is severely underweight! At 9 weeks he should be approximately 2 pounds. You need to address your very serious concerns with the veterinarian, firstly to be sure that he is indeed 9 weeks old, secondly to address whether he needs a kitten weaning supplement in addition to his kitten food. Kitten weaning supplements like KMR kitten weaning formula is something that he can be given either added to his food or separately, this just adds desperately needed calories and fat. The other trick is to take KMR kitten formula (the one for orphaned kittens, and only if your vet agrees), mix it with water to the appropriate concentration, then once you have the formula mixed add chicken or lamb baby food to a soupy consistancy. If he will not eat this on his own you can try to force feed him via syringe to keep him alive until you can get him back to the vet again, his extreme condition means that he needs to be very closely monitored by your vet. The most important thing I can tell you about syringe feeding (you can use a brand new syringe made for giving babies medicine available at any drug store). Keep your baby upright on his tummy (never syringe feed any cat or kitten on their backs as they can aspirate and choke to death on your well intentioned feedings). My other tip for you is to place the syringe at the corner of his mouth just inside his lip (he may not appreciate this and it will be messy, set aside a wet facecloth for clean up of kitty and place a towel on your lap). You then want to slowly squeeze the contents of the syringe into his mouth paying attention to him to ensure that he doesn't choke. If you think that he has somehow inhaled some of this food you can place his head and neck into the palm of your hand and his body up your forearm and cup your other hand on top of his head and neck for support and gently lift him above your head and gently swing him downward. Do this 2-3 times and stop to check for improvement. I have serious concerns that your kitty is not 9 weeks, 3 oz is suggestive of a much younger kitten, I assume though that because he has been to a vet he has been relatively accurately aged. You need to try to feed him leaving kitten kibble available at all times with fresh water. In terms of the syringe feeding every 2-3 hours should be sufficient to carry him over until you can get back to the vet. He may have fleas, ear mites or other parasites that only your vet can treat at this small size. Has he been dewormed yet? This could also be a partial cause of his extreme underweight condition. He needs to see the vet again ASAP or you very well might lose him, he sounds like his condition is extremely serious!
If I have not been able to address your immediate concerns feel free to contact me again.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: he had been treated by the vet for an infection after i gave him his deworming medicin after i gave him his deworming medicine he had a high temp and was very lathargic he will drink water a goats milk only his attacks has caused him to chew his toung and when he dose eat he will only eat ground beef and he really dose not want to be left alone he sezures more when he is alone

Answer
Kim,
It sounds as though you are working hard to try to help this little one. If I were in your position I would have the vet do a couple of routine tests.
You might want to ask about testing for feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus. He may need a follow up deworming as kittens are often placed on a dewormer called Strongid T given in 3 doses 2 weeks between doses. It wouldn't be a bad idea to have his antibodies tested for distemper as many of the symptoms you describe may be attributable to him having contracted the distemper virus while he was in the womb. Has your baby been vaccinated yet? If so he could potentially be suffering from a reaction to the vaccines themselves. The other thing that could be happening if he was sick and recieved vaccines is that his system could be in total overload trying to develop antibodies and fight off some sort of illness. Is your baby coughing, sneezing, gagging along with his fever? If so that is something that you need to bring to the attention of your vet as he may need a follow up round of antibiotics. Are your little one's stools runny? Are there any off the wall symptoms that you may not think are important? Is your kitten vomiting? Does he have diarrea? How much does he eat in a day? Is he growing? It sounds like he is extremely tiny. If you purchased your dewormer from the pet store he may have unintentionally ended up with a higher dose than he needed, the dosing isn't necessarily calculated as precisely as your vet will to ensure the safety of your pet. Especially when kittens are this small it is always a good idea to have any meds you are giving them dispensed from the vet.
Are you giving your little baby anything for his temperature? Anything that comes from our medicine cabinents has the potential to be toxic or even deadly when given to cats. Advil, tylenol, aspirin are meant for humans only even when they are marketed for infants. Never give your little one any human medications unless they are recommended by your vet - your good intentions could well hurt or kill your little friend.
In terms of your feeding routine I have a few suggestions for you. You say that your little one likes ground beef, you may want to use your food processor to puree the beef or purchase commercially available baby food that is solely meat based. The puree will be easier for him to eat and digest and he may eat more for you. The goat's milk is not a safe long term food. If he enjoys his goat's milk try mixing 3 parts goat's milk, one part kitten formula for a few days, then you will want to slowly taper off with the goat's milk and increase the kitten formula until he is recieving the appropriate amount for his weight. This whole process generally takes about 10-14 days. You may find that he starts putting on more weight so a kitchen scale that measures in grams up to 2 pounds may not be a bad investment. You will better be able to track his progress this way.
Is it possible that your kitten fell or was dropped? The seizures can sometimes be caused by head trauma. Is it possible that he ingested some sort of foreign body? If you aren't sure an x-ray could help to show anything abnormal in his belly. When you leave your little one alone does he have full run of the house? If so it may be better for him if he is in a quiet room that has been kitten proofed or even in a cat carrier lined with a towel for comfort. Obviously you don't want to leave him alone in a cage without food or water for any extended period of time. The cat carrier can be an effective means to ensure that he is not going to get into things that are going to hurt him. It will also prevent him from falling and doing further damage to himself. He sounds like a fairly sick kitty to me, so he should be getting a fair amount of rest while he is in between feedings. Quiet surroundings kept dimly lit are best to prevent more sensory overload than the seizures already cause. Do not hold kitty down and try not to touch him during a seizure unless he is in immediate danger of hurting himself. I really think that you need to address the issue of seizures, fever and lethargy with your vet. It also sounds like your little one doesn't have a great appetite as he seems to eat foods that are tempting to him.
I know how worried you must be. Your vet needs to be kept in the loop so that he can help you and your kitty make choices that are best for both of you. Good luck, and don't hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance.