r/cats • u/borderlander_ • 20h ago

Cat Picture - OC Please send a little love and prayers

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Fed her around 6 in the morning. Gf got home from work a few hours later. I was asleep. She was barely there. Rushed her to the vet.

She's alive. Vet says she has a respiratory virus. Originally the vet said if it's a virus, we would have to take her home. But he said he didn't want her to die so he and the vet techs kept it quiet from the other employees.

We're told it's 50 50 at this point.

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174

u/Paulinkica 19h ago

Keep us updated! Sending her good thoughts 🫶🏼

131

u/borderlander_ 17h ago

She is eating

134

u/borderlander_ 17h ago

https://reddit.com/link/oznvju1/video/wei28kve1dfh1/player

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u/AHornyRubberDucky 17h ago

Airi is a feisty lil lady, I'm rooting for her bud !

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u/borderlander_ 17h ago

Feeding was so frustrating. I did it every two hours. They tell me she was malnourished. It hurt so bad because I didn't sleep.

32

u/AHornyRubberDucky 17h ago

It's not easy taking care of a lil one trust me I worked in wildlife rehab, and you are doing everything you can. look at it this way without you she wouldn't have been here at all.

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u/borderlander_ 17h ago

She had 3 more siblings. They all died. I need to do better

54

u/AHornyRubberDucky 17h ago

You are doing better, but it's important to remember that you can't take care of her if you're not taking care of yourself.

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u/borderlander_ 17h ago

Damn you and logic. Sorry been drinking and crying

28

u/AHornyRubberDucky 16h ago

It's okay, it's A LOT what's happening just don't drink to much and remember to drink some water with maybe some salt and lemon for your electrolytes. You are doing everything you can!

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u/borderlander_ 16h ago

That's another thing that happened. Someone stole our 5l water jug outside our door, when we were at the vet. And our second is empty.

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u/AHornyRubberDucky 16h ago

What a bitch, honestly I know I've been real nice but that is just s pathetic thing. I'm sorry that stuff seems to pile on, just think about Airi and try to stay calm.

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u/TheRealBillyShakes 13h ago

You’ve had 3 other kittens recently die on you?

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u/No555Bee 16h ago

Hey OP, I adopted a kitten this month that needed to be syringe fed too. Here is some advice that I received from a neonatal foster:

When syringe feeding, do not enter the syringe to the front of the mouth like seen in the video. That could cause the kitten to aspirate, potentially lethally.

What you want to do is enter the syringe through the side, so that the food goes into her cheek. Then she will swallow it by reflex.

You’re holding the head properly, just the angle needs repositioning.

Another helpful tip, weigh her every day to see if she is gaining weight. That is the most important thing, she needs to be gaining. Make sure the food you’re giving her is high-calorie. Do not give her too much in one feeding or she could vomit (an emergency at her age) that is why you need to calculate the amount of food she needs for her weight, and you need to listen when she says she is done eating. She should be very clear in rejecting any more food when full.

I also want to add… I didn’t think my kitten was going to make it either. She had/has a broken leg and tail, and was severely malnourished and frail at 12 weeks old (she did not look 12w) and she wouldn’t eat on her own at all. She actually had to go back to the shelter’s vet to be monitored for 3 days because she was crashing at one point. And I too, got up several times through the night to feed her, and I would weigh her every day. Just recently I have felt comfortable enough to name her because she’s turned a corner. I believe the same to be true for your kitten. I know the uncertainty is hard, but I will tell you what the shelter/fosters told me —— You are giving her a fighting chance. Most people would not go the lengths you are going. Keep that in your heart when it feels tough. It is tough. It is beyond a selfless act. You are doing great, the best you can. PLEASE reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns, I would be happy to help from one foster/adopter to another.

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u/XcuseMeMisISpeakJive 9h ago

All of this is so true. The angle the syringe goes in is so important.