I have contacted the manufacturer and they assure me that their expired formula doesn’t go toxic, it just loses its potency. There is a formula on the market today that is having problems with toxicity according to what I have been able to find out-but it is NOT the same formula I am using. So perhaps my vet misunderstood what brand I was using.

Regardless, I have made my own Kitten Glop and am combining it with canned kitten food and some canned pumpkin to get whatever is inside these babies out. Without being graphic, when I am stimlating these little ones, I smell it coming before it arrives- it it that rank. If their stool were bright yellow, I would suspect coccidia, but it isn’t yellow. I gave them a cocktail of sorts yesterday of worming medicine and Albon. There were no crashes last night or this morning- so I will just keep on going and pray these babies survive. The little calico has some blood showing now, but it is not bright blood and there isn’t a lot of it. It could just be from the water as it can chaffe, so I have switched over to warmed mineral oil.

With the bloat belly, I wonder if this might be FIP- or the bloat could be from early malnutrition.

I belong to a group of wonderful people who write about cats and I posted to the list last night. I heard from vets and specialists from all over the globe and this gave me more ideas about what might be happening here.

This is me trying to get the sequences right and creating a timeline of this affliction for the vets.

Mon- 1:00 p.m. Madi crashes. She is PTS at 3:00 too far gone to save.

Tues: 2:00 a.m. Mckay crashes- rushed to the vet for tubing, supportive fluids and check up. Taken home still comatose.

1:00 p.m. McKay revives fully.

Weds 1:00 a.m. Tansy crashes. Tubed, given supportive fluids, placed in warming cage. Revived fully by 6:00 a.m. eating and drinking.

Thurs- 2:00 a.m. Quigley crashes. Core temp. 93.2- placed in warming cage,given supportive fluids. He won’t revive fully until 7:00 a.m.

9:30 a.m. all systems normals. Kittens eating, peeing, pooping and playing.

1:30-all is calm on the kitty front

10:00 p.m. Monitoring their temperature closely- calico’s temp dropped after this hour’s feeding. I have put her by herself in the warming cage because if she goes flat her brothers may hurt her. I don’t know if I will stop the attack I see coming, but I have to try. Her temp is 99.2

It is now 4:00 am and time for another feeding- I go into the room where I left 3 healthy three week old kittens four hours ago, and found yet another one flat, unable to move. Rapid heartbeat, pulse pounding in the throat. Core temperature 93.2. I have tubed Quigley, fed him, rubbed him, put him in my warming cage. He looks near death. I gave him supportive fluids and am just sitting here scratching my head. What is this thing? Where the kittens rebound, crash, rebound crash? How can I stop it? Are they in pain? Is this maybe not the formula-tossed away late this morning. Could it be something else, and if so what?

I would call my vet, but he has given me all his best options. I’ve given the reins to God and asked Him to take over. I am out of ideas. I just hope that Quigley has traveled past the point of pain and is in a place where nothing registers. I fear, I may lose him tonight.

Last night, all the kittens were in one form or another checking out. I have been up all night, on the phone with the vet all night. He suspects distemper. The little calico tortie girl at about 2:00 I was ready to put her in the ground. But it was slamming rain, so instead, I put her in my warming carrier and later when I went to check on her, she was up and alert and hungry! When I had left her last, she was barely breathing, she was dragging her back legs on the ground and she wouldn’t allow me to touch her. That is what distemper does- it scrambles the cells in the bodies, and the cells in the brain. It splits them in half and the kitten is left without having the proper mechanisms to figure out what to do. Soon, the body just starts shutting down as the invasive virus gains more of a foothold in the kitten. Vaccinating such young ones isn’t feasible. What should have happened is the tom or the queen should have been vaccinated had they been once owned or cared for. If that had happened, then these kittens would have stood a chance to grow up, be healthy and be adopted into loving homes or stay here with us. Now, they have a date with a needle, for in a few moments, I take Mike to the doctors and then will swing by and drop the kittens off at the vets.

Ironically, the one that fell over five feet seems to be doing the best. But, he is starting to show erratic behavior as well so I know he is infected.

As my favorite t.v. judge loves to say; “Stick a fork in me, I am done.” I wasnt going to do bottle babies this year. Neither was my friend Dusty and both of us got sucked into the vortex yet again. One of her recent arrivals also has died, and she and I were discussing last night how come we do this? The bottom line is we do this, or did this, because it needed to be done. Because of the experiences we have had in life, we are able to save most of them. There are happy families with loving kittens out there because of what rescuers do. The toll on our heart for the ones we have lost, the ones we cannot save is heavy and it weighs us down, but the thought of the ones that have made it- that defied the odds, that despite all the naysayers, survived- those are the ones we cherish. It is the ones who are passing or who have long passed that we never forget.

I know I am in for a tough time. I will be pelted with sob stories and tales of grief and woe. I will be made to feel guilty because a queen is pregnant and her kittens (all but one have died) I will be told time and time again that I need to go and save the universe of abandoned kittens- but, it is not a problem I created, and it is not one I care to address in the future.
UPDATE:
HALLELUJAH! The remaining three kittens have rebounded (somewhat) turns out it is NOT distemper but expired kitten formula. Who knew that a life-saving formula that has passed the date of expirtation turns into a toxic stew?

I intend on contact the manufacturer later to find out more. But the kittens were tubed after the vet was surprised that the one last night didn’t die. He started listing some things this might be and when he said expired formula (i had it out in my car) I went running out and lo and behold, although I just bought it- the powder expired late last year!

The vet gave fluids and tubed the kittens and they are now in the bedroom. Two are screaming their heads off, while the other one is still having problems. I hope he survives, I will do my best that he will. At least it is not distemper. But it is poison and I will keep you updated how the battle is going.

Also a tortise shell, Tansy is now fading. I have called the vet and he said that from everything I have described, it sounds like distemper. By the time I get to the clinic, ben said, the kitten will likely be dead. I can’t do this anymore. This is the end of the line for both Mike and myself. To see these poor beautiful creatures suffer and be powerless to do anything -something is just wrong with the universe on this one. 🙁

She passed away a few hours ago. She started fading quickly which alarmed me because of all the kittens, she is the biggest and the strongest. Sometimes, I wish I had all the answers and other times, I am glad I don’t.

There is a candle in our window for you sweet girl. I am sorry I couldn’t fly to the vet faster- but I tried my best. May heaven smile upon your cuteness and again, i am so very sorry I could not save you.

You died on another’s watch and that does not fit well with me. Your brothers are here back with me and this is where they will stay. I will not put them in harm’s way.

Quigley, the little mackeral tabby with white points and the one who was injured, seems to be doing quite well now. I had a few anxious moments there the day after the incident but he has rallied back strong.

Madigan, the large tortie/mackeral cross is the alpha of the group. If I put all four kittens together, she leads the parade of bullying Quigley. So after some experimentation, I have put Madigan and McKay together (they are the largest of the kittens) and I have matched Quiqley withTansy, the other mackeral tabby girl. The matching seems to be working although I do wish the kittens could all be in the same carrier.

I’ve added canned pumpkin to the formula and the kits are on the last doses of Albon. Their stool has firmed up nicely.

I am so tired- my friend Hailey is going to take the kittens for a few days so I can get some sleep and deal with Mike’s upcoming surgery. She wll keep the kittens until May 10th and I thank God for her kind heart. i have several articles I need to finish, a house to clean and long shifts coming up at work. She is a former vet tech.

She is slowly losing the ability to walk straight and she keeps shaking her head- not a good sign. I put the other, smaller female in with her and put the boys in their own cage as well, so everyone has company. I guess I am hoping that the current signs might be one of stress and being isolated and not as a result of the fall, but who am I kidding? She is eating okay and passing some stool and peeing but she doesn’t want me to put her down when I am holding her. I find it hard not to hang on to her. If I could take her to work with me, I would. I may do that on sunday in a pouch around my neck.

The other kittens are doing good. I just wish I weren’t so dead tired.

What happened today is entirely my fault. I could try and excuse it and offer up the reasons behind this happening, but that would be a cop-out. I was tired, I lost track of what I was doing and kitten was injured.

It was runt who somehow managed to push open the rather large door of the dog crate I am using for a kitty bed. I did not latch the door, I just propped it shut while I was feeding. I was called away and when I came back and stepped into the room, I saw Runt laying on the floor on his right side. He was not moving. The carrier door was open and he had gotten out and fell a distance of 5.5′. 🙁

I carefully scooped him up, he was cold to the touch (he fell on bare wood not carpet) He was breathing funny and there were bubbles coming from his nose and mouth. Now- I panicked. I grabbed a towel, tossed it in the microwave to warm up and called the vet. In minutes, I was on my way with Runt in my lap still wrapped in the warming towel and still not responsive.

About 10 minutes before we got to the vet. Runt began to stir and started to cry faintly. he was having problems moving, so at the next stop light, I took a small sip of my now cooled exotic coffee and transferred just a bit into his mouth. By the time we arrived to the vet, he was more responsive.

The vet said three things can happen here:
1. He can have no residual effects of the fall.
2. He could go to sleep tonight and not wake up
3. He can start to have seizures and if that happens, the vet will euthanize him.

I am supposed to keep a close eye on him for the next couple of days and call the vet if there is a problem.

I hope God will forgive me for my carelessness. I hope I can forgive me as well.

My ex husband just called me to let me know that he will have open heart surgery tomorrow morning. He will go in at 6:00 a.m. and isn’t expected to be out till after four. He will be unconscious for three days. He sounded scared and this man is never scared, at least, not the 6’5″ biker dude I once knew and yes, loved.

he said that if he doesn’t have the surgery they told him he would die, if he does have it, he may die as well. I will lift him in my prayers. He has had a hard life- growing up with a full blown alcholic mother who was married and divorced nine times. He lived hard, loved to party and now he is paying a high price for that party card.