The last month has been an education. I never know whether I should share the tough parts of fostering kitties. I’d like this site to be a celebration of the adorable kitties we foster, so I don’t usually talk about the harder parts. Plus, things like deworming kittens is not super interesting. But it might be worth sharing the struggles of the past month.
Two of our three current moms came from the same farm – and it turns out there is Giardia at that farm. Both of our moms from there had it. Hazel tested positive for it, so her kittens also had it. Mouse’s kittens were in the same room, so they got it. Black Mamba, in the other room, was from the same farm and had it also.
Giardia is a nasty intestinal protozoan that causes vomiting and diarrhea. It is pretty unpleasant, but the most scary part is that with both vomiting and diarrhea, kittens can get severely dehydrated. Hazel’s had it the worst, and we ended up with two of hers at the emergency clinic at the UW Vet School.
I learned as I went, so scared that I wouldn’t be able to learn fast enough to keep them alive. The last two weeks have been especially tough, with first Smudge and then Charlie Pie and then Puck going downhill fast. Even Farley was losing weight.
Smudge was the first sign that something serious was going on, suddenly going droopy and apathetic – and requiring vet school intervention. I learned from her and caught the others before they got that bad. Charlie Pie wouldn’t eat, however, and I couldn’t get enough food into her to maintain her weight. I syringe fed, and we gave her subcutaneous fluids – but it wasn’t enough. She ended up at the vet school also. When Puck started going down, he was a lot easier to feed by syringe, so I managed to keep him fed and hydrated enough that he didn’t reach the emergency stage.
Today Hazel’s kittens seem to have turned the corner. Most of the day they have eaten, and that was such a welcome sight! I’ve brought them food five times so far today, and each time they were hungry and tucked in. We’re not out of the woods yet. Charlie Pie still looks pretty droopy, and feels so frail and tiny, but I’m cautiously optimistic that they’re going to be ok.
In the meantime, Mamba’s kittens were sick, but never as bad as Hazel’s. With a lot of care, they seem to be fighting if off.
Mouse’s kittens have also been fighting it. Thomas has been almost unaffected, and has flown past the others in weight, as their interest in food disappeared. Harlind went from the biggest to a distinctly smaller second; he has gotten his appetite back now, but he’s still fighting diarrhea.
We have spent all our time giving medications, food, and sub-q fluids, and disinfecting everything in sight. It has been a marathon, but I’ve learned a lot. On the academic side, I learned that humans rarely get the variety of Giardia that cats get – that was good to know! There are seven types: humans get types A and B, dogs get C and D, cats get F, and other animals get the other types. Humans can get E and F, but it’s very rare.
I apologize for the length of this post (and its array of mixed metaphors!), but I’m hopeful today that we are coming to a happy ending. Or a happy beginning! As we arrive at full health, these kittens will be so ready to be adopted to loving families – they deserve it!