Familiarize yourself with common illnesses in foster care and learn about beginner-friendly ways to care for sick kittens while they’re in your home.
Disclaimer: Any information included below is solely based on my hands-on experience with cat and kitten care. It’s important that you’re aware of these common illnesses on a really basic level, but please contact your veterinarian for all health concerns.
Common Illnesses in Foster Care
- Feline Conjunctivitis
- This is the cat version of human pink-eye. It’s very easily passed between cats but is also very treatable. Signs include colored eye discharge, squinting, glassy eyes, and redness/inflammation.
- Feline herpes virus
- Also known as FHV. Many cats are exposed to and contract this virus and may never show any symptoms. Others have occasional flare-ups that can be brought on by stress. Signs include symptoms of feline conjunctivitis and upper respiratory congestion.
- Upper respiratory infection
- Also known as URI. These infections present with sneezing, eye discharge, nose discharge, and inflammation.
- Diarrhea
- Depending on the age of the kittens, I usually label a stool concern as true diarrhea when there’s really loose stool for over 24 hours. Probiotics can help treat and prevent diarrhea, but please have your vet test a stool sample.
- Giardia
- This is a parasite that causes diarrhea. Vets can prescribe an antibiotic to clear this up. Just make sure you keep your kitten’s space clean to prevent re-exposure.
- Coccidia
- This is another parasite that causes diarrhea that is treated with an antimicrobial.
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Any contribution is greatly appreciated!
– $6.00 allows us to buy a bag of litter
– $25 helps us buy 12 cans of cat food
– $100+ allows us to fund general medical procedures for any felines that we foster on our own
Thank you so much for considering a donation! 🙂
Any contribution is greatly appreciated!
– $6.00 allows us to buy a bag of litter
– $25 helps us buy 12 cans of cat food
– $100+ allows us to fund general medical procedures for any felines that we foster on our own
Thank you so much for considering a donation! 🙂
Any contribution is greatly appreciated!
– $6.00 allows us to buy a bag of litter
– $25 helps us buy 12 cans of cat food
– $100+ allows us to fund general medical procedures for any felines that we foster on our own
Thank you so much for considering a donation! 🙂
It Doesn’t Have to be Scary
Helping young kitties heal through an illness can be stressful. In most cases, you’ll put your mind at ease by:
- Monitoring the kitten’s weight at least once a day to make sure they’re not losing weight.
- Mixing a vet-directed amount of probiotics in their food once a day. If the kitten is on an antibiotic, only give the probiotic 2 hours before or after the antibiotic.
- Keeping stress low and hydration high. Create a calm, quiet space and provide wet food. You can even add a bit of water to the wet food for a hydration boost.
- Reaching out when you’re in doubt! Don’t stress over whether or not you’re being overly cautious. It’s better to be safe than sorry when considering whether or not to contact your vet with a concern. Something as little as a behavior change can indicate a bigger health issue.
Giving medicine to your foster kittens will likely be a key part of helping them through an illness, but it doesn’t have to be unpleasant for you or the kittens! The most common medication that I’ve used while fostering is oral liquids, and the worst that it gets for my little friends is that they may gag and pout after their dose. I recommend facing the kitten away from you, gently holding their cheeks, and bringing the oral syringe to the side of their mouths. This way, they don’t see this scary object coming straight at them and there’s less anticipation.
Finally, make sure the kitten is on a vaccine schedule. Talk to your veterinarian about getting these vaccines at the correct times to prevent infection:
- Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis
- Calicivirus
- Feline Panleukopenia
- Rabies
- Feline Leukemia
Lavender’s Story
Aside from her unique bulldog attributes, Lavender is the most medically involved kitten I’ve fostered so far. She didn’t leave foster care with any significant health concerns, but her journey to health was a long one.
After arriving from Kansas, she and her foster mate both had upper respiratory infections (URIs). I quickly learned that URIs can be treated with oral antibiotics, but that it can sometimes take a long time for the infection to completely leave a kitten’s little body.
Lavender had to go through several rounds of antibiotics (balanced with probiotics) before her infection cleared up. In the meantime, there were moments where she could barely breathe through her nose. I would even find blood around the foster room in places she’d been sneezing.
I remember being so worried about her that I moved my favorite bedroom humidifier to the foster room. Lavender would sometimes put her front paws on top of the humidifier and hold her nose above the mist as if she knew it was helping.
During this time, Lavender needed a couple rounds of antibiotic eye ointment. Her eyes became repeatedly irritated and inflamed, probably from the combination of the URI and stress.
After days and days of sneezing and lots of eye funk, Lavender developed another health issue. When she finally reached a healthy weight, we found giardia in her system.
Ugh. Another round of antibiotics.
Unfortunately, even when we got rid of the giardia, Lavender had chronic diarrhea. Repeated series of antibiotics can wreak havoc on a little kitten’s digestive system. Lavender needed to be prescribed a special gastrointestinal (GI) diet that had easily digestible ingredients. She ended up being adopted into her forever home with the same temporary GI diet and the same name. Now she has no more tummy issues!
Happy tails, Lavender! 🙂
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