2 Kittens - Sneezing and loose stool problems.
 

I need some advice.

About two and a half weeks ago I adopted two (approximately) 4 months
old cats (male and a female). Both were sneezing and tearing when I
got them. The male, Taffy, also had buildup in his left ear. Both
had been spay/neutered, had tested negative for all feline diseases
and had been vaccinated. They also had been given de-worming
medicine.

After having them a few days, Taffy, developed conjunctivitis. The
female, Spunky, developed loose stools (which haven't gone away) and
frequently vomited. Both were sneezing a lot (with the snot frequently
containing blood).

I took them to the vet on August 5th and got an ointment for Taffy's
eye and was told that they should both get better in about a week.
Spunky's stool sample came back negative for parasites. The vet
cleaned out Taffy's ear and the ear swap came back negative for mites.
When I got home from the vet Spunky threw up a few times so I starved
her for about 12 hours and then started feeding her normally. She
then threw up again on August 7th.

On August 8th I switched from giving them both a mix of Iams and
Authority brand kitten food (Chicken), to all Iams (though recently, I
started slowly mixing back in the Authority in small quantities to get
rid of it).

Well it's over a week and things haven't changed that much. Taffy
usually sounds congested and frequently has coughing fits. He also
tends to shoot out mucous (occasionally bloody) when he sneezes (he
sneezes quite often as seen by the stains on the walls and carpets).
Yesterday I opened the windows since it was nice outside and that
seemed to help with his congestion (perhaps the humidity helped?). He
eats (though I don't think he is eating enough) and drinks (again I
don't think it's enough and I had to encourage him to drink today) and
he plays normally. So other than the sneezing and coughing and
occasional bouts of lack of appetite/thirst he seems normal. His left
ear is developing scabs inside again. On the plus side, his eye looks
normal now.

Spunky is also sneezing, though not as much as Taffy, but doesn't seem
congested. She last vomited on August 7th (which is good), but she
takes a long time to use the litterbox (around 1 to 2 minutes) and all
her stools come out looking like pancakes (not watery, but not solid).
Her last stool was very large and very flat. More annoyingly she
doesn't seem to want to clean her backside after using the litterbox
(I sometimes end up wiping her to prevent stuff getting on carpetting
and furniture, especially since it isn't dry). Frequently she'll make
a short mew and make a mad dash to the litterbox (though she tends to
mew and make mad dashes everywhere she goes). She then takes her time
actually getting in the box, and many times just comes right back out
again. She seems to be peeing normally as far as I can tell. She has
a healthy appetite and drinks a lot. She also is very playful (hence
her name).

I currently have a vet appointment for Saturday August 21 to give them
booster shots.


My questions a

1. Shouldn't Taffy and Spunky have gotten over their "colds" by now.
It's been over 2 weeks. Any ideas?

2. If not mites, why is Taffy's ear getting scabs/dead skin? Can
anything be done about this?

3. I don't think Spunky's "pancake stool" is normal, but she doesn't
seem to be in pain, is using the litterbox and is no longer vomiting.
I called the shelter where I got her from and was told that she used
to eat a variety of donated food and never had a problem. Is there
anything else I can do for her?

My questions a

1. Shouldn't Taffy and Spunky have gotten over their "colds" by now.
It's been over 2 weeks. Any ideas?
I didn't see where they were on any medications for the colds. I would
highly recommend you get to the vet sooner and get them on something for it.

2. If not mites, why is Taffy's ear getting scabs/dead skin? Can
anything be done about this?
Its probably yeast. most vets recommend an antifungal med like tresiderm.
The other issue might be that since their eyes are watering so much, its
"backing up" into their ears, since all that is connected. I have a cat
with blocked tear ducts and his eyes and one ear is always covered in black
debris.

3. I don't think Spunky's "pancake stool" is normal, but she doesn't
seem to be in pain, is using the litterbox and is no longer vomiting.
I called the shelter where I got her from and was told that she used
to eat a variety of donated food and never had a problem. Is there
anything else I can do for her?

Take another stool sample into the vet. Very good chance they missed
something the first time. Feed her some yogurt and canned pumpkin. both
with help with soft stools.

My questions a

1. Shouldn't Taffy and Spunky have gotten over their "colds" by now.
It's been over 2 weeks. Any ideas?
I didn't see where they were on any medications for the colds. I would
highly recommend you get to the vet sooner and get them on something for it.

2. If not mites, why is Taffy's ear getting scabs/dead skin? Can
anything be done about this?
Its probably yeast. most vets recommend an antifungal med like tresiderm.
The other issue might be that since their eyes are watering so much, its
"backing up" into their ears, since all that is connected. I have a cat
with blocked tear ducts and his eyes and one ear is always covered in black
debris.

3. I don't think Spunky's "pancake stool" is normal, but she doesn't
seem to be in pain, is using the litterbox and is no longer vomiting.
I called the shelter where I got her from and was told that she used
to eat a variety of donated food and never had a problem. Is there
anything else I can do for her?

Take another stool sample into the vet. Very good chance they missed
something the first time. Feed her some yogurt and canned pumpkin. both
with help with soft stools.