(ForewarnedMetal) wrote in message ...
Hello friends,

I'm having a problem with a female kitten roughly 12 weeks old. She has been
hand fed from a bottle KMR since the very day she was born as she was abandoned
by her mother with the semi-dry placenta still attached. She was weaned from
the bottle late at around 8 weeks old and moved to dry IAMS kitten food on her
own. About 3 days ago we noticed that she was urinating very frequently and in
a very small amount and that there was blood in it giving it a pink color. She
also urinates just about everywhere, including her box which she had once used
exclusively. She doesn't seem to be straining but who knows if she's straining
or not. She is housed indoors and is alone only when my girlfriend and I
leaving for roughly 6 hours at the most to attend school 3 days a week. We are
at a loss to explain why a kitten, who incidentally shows no outward signs of
being ill, would have such a problem. At first we figured it was a UTI of some
sort but have come across articles about a build up of crystals due to a diet
lacking in acid.

This is why we are turning to you. Clearly we should take her to a vet but at
the present time that is not possible due to not being able to afford it. I am
curious as to what you think is causing our kitten's problem and what we can do
about it. Is there a special food to buy? Are antibiotics in order and which
ones would be best? Thank you for all your help in advance.

DJP

I hope you can resolve the kitty's immediate problem quickly. You've
done a wonderful thing in rescuing the kitten. But, once you get
beyond this crisis, I urge you to think about your situation. You
have to assume that you are going to incur medical expenses if you
decide to care for a cat. If nothing else, they require periodic
checkups to see that nothing is wrong. If your financial situation is
temporary and you anticipate being able to pay for future care, then
no worries. But if you have doubts about being able to do so soon
(and there's nothing unusual about being a "poor student", most
everyone goes through that stage), the best thing for the kitty would
be to find someone who can handle that financial burden. Maybe a
relative or someone you know who will allow you to remain in contact
with the kitty or even just take care of it until you get out of
school. As you have discovered, you just don't know what can crop up
with a cat's health. You may have already gone through this thought
process, since you have only had the kitty for a short while. Good
luck.