Any Veterinarians Out There? I Need Help.
NOT FOR U IF YOU GET SQUEEMISH!
Ok I need some advice....
Yesterday I found a kitten. I stopped my car thinking she was dead, gonna move her out of the road. She kicked her legs and popped her head up. She hadn't been hit! But I knew there was something severely wrong with her. I picked her up and brought her home with me. First, she had a collar that was way too tight so I removed it, it had been clawed at and frayed to peices anyway. I noticed a hole in her neck, looked closely and realized there were maggots in it. I shaved it and removed the maggots and there was also a HUGE one in there (think it was a "warble") and my husband and I removed it as well. We rinsed the hole with peroxide and have been keeping a check every 2 hrs for anymore maggots to surface - there have been none. I've also put neosporin on it twice. I gave her a flea bath and then later last night, I noticed another 2 holes. One in her leg and one in the fold between her leg and abdomen area. I had to manually remove maggots from them as well, rinsed with peroxide, then put neosporin. Those two holes are closed today. The one is her neck was pretty big, but it is healing quite well evenhough it isn't closed yet. I've tried looking her over for more holes, but haven't found any. She doesn't want me to lift her tail though. She growls and twitches when I do it. It stays very wet around her vaginal/anal area. There were 2 maggots under her tail I can't find any wounds. I did pour peroxide and it bubbles like crazy all over under there.
She maybe weighs a pound soaking wet. She has no muscles and her head is fixed in a sideways position, probably due to the warble/maggots. Her balance is off and she is very weak. She has fallen in her food bowl trying to eat. She looks terrible. I have no doubt in my mind that when she laid down before I found her, she would've never gotten back up.
Since she hasn't wanted to drink anything at all, I got a kitten bottle and some kitten formula and have been bottle feeding her. This should keep her hydrated along with giving her some much needed nutrients.
I know all of this sounds really REALLY bad, but I don't want to give up on her. If there is a vet or a vet tech that can give me some advice, I would more than appreciate it. I've recently spent a ton of money on vet bills with another cat. I absolutely cannot afford anymore vet bills. My local shelter will just put her down. I don't have the heart to do that.
Bright side:
She has been eating like crazy today. Yesterday she wouldn't do it. She has also walked around (just a little bitty bit). And, she PURRRED today! I was holding her and bottle feeding her and she kept purring in between swallows. It made me feel great. At least if she dies, she won't die alone. She knows she has someone there that cares and wants to help her make it :) Though it makes me cry to think about her not making it. I'm already attached. Sounds kinda pathetic, but I am such a weenie. I fall in love with animals, and it would break my heart if she didn't pull through.
What I need help with:
1) will the holes heal or close if there are maggots in there? I can't imagine the holes closing on top of them, so hopefully they are gone. I am almost certain that I got them all out, but I can't ever know for sure. I don't want to re-open the holes to check. And if there are some still in there, what harm could they do? They are supposed to vacate the body when they are finished feeding. Some websites say it takes up to 72 hrs.
2) Her paws and ears are cold. I am keeping her wrapped up with "HotHands". Not directly on her skin, of course, but i have them placed around her blanket. Does this mean her temp is below normal or is this a big issue for her to be so cold? She does shiver, but she may be nervous. I have 3 cats. They aren't bothering her but I can tell she is uneasy around them. This may be why she shivers. Or because she doesn't know me very well.
3) Is there anything else that I can be doing for her (that I can afford)? Please don't ridicule me about not being able to take her to a vet. I'm still on my payment plan from my cat with asthma.
4) I have an antibiotic (amoxicillan) that the vet perscribed me for one of my cats when he had a sinus infection. It is not expired. Will this help her fight off any infection? The dropper for my full grown cat was 1.0 so what dosage, if any, should I give the warble kitty? Keep in mind she is weak, small, and young.
If you all can help me, I will forever be in debt to u! I really want to save this kitty.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Dave G on -
I used Science Diet for my cat, her weight and energy levels improved a lot.
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Permalink Reply by Jo on -
Cats eat grass and catnip, which does make them omnivorous. Also, dry food has grains in it.
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Permalink Reply by Heath Bond on -
See above post under Chris G's comment.
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Permalink Reply by Chris G on -
My ferrel cat, Missy hunts grasshoppers and other insects. My comment about omnivore was indeed about grass, and the dry food that has grain and vegetables in it.
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Permalink Reply by Heath Bond on
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Obligate carnivores
Obligate or true carnivores depend solely on the nutrients found in animal flesh for their survival. While they may consume small amounts of plant material, they lack the physiology required for the efficient digestion of vegetable matter and, in fact, some carnivorous mammals eat vegetation specifically as an emetic. The domestic cat is a prime example of an obligate carnivore, as are all of the other felids. The ability to produce synthetic forms of nutrients such as taurine in the lab has allowed feed manufacturers to formulate foods for carnivores (zoo animals and pets) with varying amounts of plant material.
The diet of a hypercarnivore consists of more than 70% meat, that of a mesocarnivore 50-70%, and that of a hypocarnivore less than 30%, with the balance consisting of non-animal foods, which may include fungi, fruits, and other plant material.
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Permalink Reply by scLovely on -
Hi! thanks for the love and support! It gets tough sometimes. Next time I'm running errands I will get some liver. Will it be the same if I just get liver catfood? That'd be easier, and I have to mush it all up where it can easily slide down her throat or she won't eat it. Smell doesn't seem to affect her much for some reason. I have to let her taste her food for her to know it is there (which wasn't the case at first).
Oh!!! and I never watch the news but I've had a few ppl at work tell me that a few weeks ago some kids that looked to be about 10 or 12 were throwing kittens from the back of a white truck! It was only about 2 miles from where I found her. I don't know the specifics on the dates that they were doing this, but it is very likely that Maggie could've been one of the victims. Those children's parents should be punished along with the children. At work they said all of the kittens died. Don't know anymore about the story :(
Maggie hasn't pooped today. If it is still the same, I will email Kimberly's Kittens or try to contact her somehow. Thanks for the tip.
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Permalink Reply by Jean Clelland-Morin on -
I'm 73. The first horrible animal-story I heard was about the son of my mother's doctor. The victim was a cat. What do parents do to make such monsters? We need to know. We need to ask the question. Love to you Becky and Bisous à Maggie.
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Permalink Reply by Cynthia Armistead on -
I don't think the liver cat food would be quite the same. There are a lot of fillers in any sort of cat food, unfortunately. Chicken livers are really cheap - in many areas they're used mailing for fish bait.
Head injuries can cause damage to her sense of smell, and for most cats, if something doesn't smell like food, it isn't food. She may always be difficult to entice into eating, if she doesn't have much of a sense of smell. That was an issue with Shelley, because her sense of smell was definitely affected as she aged.
Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by Chris G on
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Antibiotics change gut bacteria which can change stool color and can cause constipation. Here's a link that might be helpful.
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Permalink Reply by Reg The Fronkey Farmer on -
My cat could be getting religious on me. Nope she could not be bothered with it. Glad Maggie is getting better.
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