Hi,

We got a four month old kitten today - she appears happy and lively and has a good appetite. However, over the last hour or so, we have noticed that she passes a lot of mucus, her back end is soaking wet and the mucus is literally dripping off her. There is no blood or foul smell. I will take her to the vet tomorrow but was wondering whether anyone has any answers for me in the meantime. Many thanks!! Nadyeshda

koriani

Hello,

Could she have gotten into any thing such as cooking oil? We once had a cat drink a bunch of french fry oil. The clear oil was just dripping uncontrollably out the poor cat's back end.

Has there been a diet change? Switching food cold turkey can cause intestinal upsets like gas, diarrhea, constipation and more.

Have you seen a stool from this kitten? Cats that are constipated will drip uncontrollably as well. If this is the case, getting a 3ml syringe (no needle, of course) and giving an enema using dish soap and water could help her pass the hard stool.

Certainly have the stool tested as soon as possible. Make sure they test for Giardia which can be hard to find. Worms could be the culprit as well and are easy to get rid of.

My recommendation is that you switch this kitten to a high quality adult food such as Iams Hairball. Iams Hairball is the food of choice for cats with intestinal difficulties and sometimes kitten food can be too rich.

I hope your kitten gets over this problem quickly! Keep us updated as to what you find.

Regards,

Nadyeshda

Hi Michelle,

Thanks for your reply. The kitten hadn't gotten into anything she shouldn't have and we hadn't changed her diet - I couldn't think of any possible reason - which was so worrying. Anyway, we made it through the night and the vet diagnosed inflamed intestines - apparently this sort of infection is not unusual in kittens. She was given an injection, medication and dry kitten food and we'll go back to the vet on Saturday. She has already got a little better - so fingers crossed!!

Nadyeshda

koriani

Hello Nadyeshda,

Ah, the ever elusive inflamed intestines. It's sometimes not clear why (maybe some undefined viral/bacterial infection), but this does happen quite a lot.

It's like IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) in people. Treating symptomatically is the best way to go. We normally give a double punch of antibiotics like Flagyl (metronidazole) and Baytril along with a probiotic such as Culturelle or others which contain Lactobacillus. Probiotics help add beneficial bacteria back into the intestinal tract.

If your vet has not prescribed this, you may want to ask about adding it to your kitten's regimen. It certainly won't interfer with the antibiotics and is very safe. It may even speed the healing process.

Glad to hear things are under control. Thanks for keeping us informed!

Regards,

tiger_3leg

Baytril can cause blindness in cats. If I remember right, the risk is higher with high, long-term doses of it, though. You may want to ask about this and keep a close eye on the kitty if they do prescibe it.
I had a kitten that had bloody, mucousy stool for months. Her fecal tests were negative, she was on good food, etc., so the vets weren't too worried about it. I gave some canned pumpkin for a few days and it seemed to help settle the stomach a bit, but it was really just something she had to grow out of.

koriani

Tiger_3leg

I'd never heard about Baytril causing blindness in cats. I've worked at a cat only clinic for over 11 years now and Baytril is one of our core antibiotics.

Most of cases of blindness in cats that we see (which is only about 5% of our patients) are either caused by injury or hypertention.

We've never seen a correlation between Baytril and blindness. Our Doctor is one of the best feline vets in the country...I'll have to ask if she's ever heard of this.

Regards,

tiger_3leg

I had a cat that was really sick for a while, and they put him on Baytril for a bit. All 5 vets at the clinic where I worked then warned of the risks of blindness with that antibiotic, and gave me a vet journal article to read about it - it's been so many years now, though, that I don't remember much of it, but I have heard and seen the warnings. My cat was fine on it, and I've never seen a cat have any eyesight problems on it, but do know that there is that risk.

tiger_3leg

Since moving, I keep in touch with one of the vets that I worked for. I asked him if about our debate about Baytril causing blindness in cats. He wrote back:
"Yes, at well described doses at varied time lengths, optic neuritis is
a
well described side effect. Plumbs veterinary formulary is a good
reference."
I know it's vague, but it does confirm what I've said. Again, use some caution, consult your vet if they do prescribe it, and keep a close eye on your kitty.

koriani

Tiger_leg3,

I hope you don't think I was pooh-poohing your facts. I'm certainly not saying it is impossible for Baytril to cause blindness. I'm sure there are cats predisposed to things like that just as there are cats who have vaccine reactions while others don't.

I just wonder if the threat of blindness due to unspecified high doses for a vague long-term time period is worth mentioning to (and possibly scaring) a new kitten owner who's kitten is only going to be on the medication for a week or so at regular doses.

If a cat/kitten was going to be on high doses for a long time, then I would certainly tell them the risks involved. I'm sure just about every antibiotic (Primor, Flagyl, Clavamox, etc) has some kind of side effect if given for a long time. In fact, Clavamox can cause diarrhea almost immediately.

It comes down to weighing options. Is the immediate threat of the current problem greater than a small chance that any given antibiotic may cause issues down the road?

Something to think about at any rate.

In my opinion, Baytril is a superb, safe antibiotic and I wouldn't hesitate to use it on my own cats. In fact, I always keep some on hand in case of problems.

I'd be more worried about the long term usage of Prednisone or Ovaban, both of which can cause diabetes in cats, although we've not seen much of that either. We have several cats on low, long-term doses of prednisone but the owners are willing to take the risk.

Thanks for a stimulating conversation. I'm glad you brough this up!

Regards,

tiger_3leg

I don't mean to scare the owner, but I feel it is necessary to make her aware of the serious side-effect that Baytril can have. As I said, too, I can't remember the exact doses and length of time the effected cats were on Baytril....
You mentioned vaccine reactions - true that most cats don't have a problem, but we always mention the reation signs to owners so they can monitor their pets when they get home. It's important for them to know what can happen worst case.
I, too, love Baytril, and have no problem using it in my cats. But, I also appreciate knowing the side-effects and what to keep an eye out for (no pun intended).
Of course it's not just Baytril. As you said, prednisone, etc - any medications - can cause problems. Owners should have an idea of possible side-effects just to keep in mind. I can't count the number of times an owner calls, worried because her pet has had diarrhea since starting an antibiotic, or similar cases.
I'm sure there are people who prefer not knowing what kind of side-effects some drugs have, but I personally like to be educated and have an idea of what to watch for if a problem were to arise.