Hi,
I am looking for others experience on this and opinions if I did my best by my kitten.

I recently got a beautiful bengal kitten from a breeder local to me. When i took him home he was lively and inquisitive. However from the very first day he had very smelly diarrhoea. He always had a great appetite. I contacted his breeder after he had been home a couple days about the diarrhoea and that he had gone very quite. She said it could be from the change home (the diarrhoea) and the quietness from him settling in more. I had him booked in to see the vet, he had already been for his kitten visit, but he perked up so I cancelled. I tried boiled chicken only on advice from his breeder and then probiotics but the diarrhoea continued so I took him to the vets. The vet have him panacur incase he had giardia and told me to collect a poo sample. I told them that he was very sleepy but they didn't seem too concerned as he was eating and not dehydrated.

Sorry for the times not being exact but my head is in bits.

A few days later I was worried about him so got a quick appointment and took him in. He was limping with his front right leg and at this point he was very smelly but not just from his bum. It was like it was combing from his mouth, body odour. Again the vet didn't think he was dehydrated so gave me some hills a/do for him and then told me that his result were back and he had campylobactum, but not tf so was prescribed antibiotics for him. Enthromysin? These came in the next day as they different have liquid form for him. She thought him smelly was odd but put it down to the bacteria. She couldn't really find anything wrong with his leg.

I was told to give him this for a week along with the prokolin. He still had diarrhoea throughout. Sometimes he would cover it up which he would then get it stuck to his feet and sometimes he wouldn't. It was always very smelly. A few days later his wrist his front right leg was swollen so I phoned and asked them to X-ray it. I asked if they could do it without sedating him as he was so little anyway and I am a natural worrier. They couldn't see any changes or damage on the X-ray so gave him a painkiller injection.

His leg got better but he then limped on his other front leg for a day which then was fine. He would look lame behind as well sometimes. The vet said it could be because of the diarrhoea that he was sore behind hence looking lame.

A week later ish and his leg was swollen again so he went to the vets again and they gave him a painkiller injection again. They were reluctant to give me oral metacam for him as it could cause diarrhoea and he still had. By this point I had noticed some blood in his poo. He had started to have the body, mouth smell again. The vets had said they were going to treat for tf anyway due to him still having smelly diarrhoea.

He went back to the vet two days later for another X-ray and I asked them to take bloods. They sedated him this time for a better X-ray and they tried to drain the swelling but there was only blood that came out. They sent him home with different antibiotics to start the next day and two days worth of painkiller injections.

When he came home he was really sleepy but put that down to sedation. When he woke up from a long nap I noticed his leg was still oozing blood so phoned the vet and he told me to put a bandage on it and muttered about maybe having a clotting problem. His leg stopped bleeding after I had the bandage on for about 20 mins maybe slightly more. He was still eating and drinking. Later that evening he was really sore looking and I so wished I had phoned the vet then. However a few hours later I went to speak to him, I could see him in his bed but as he was sleeping didn't want to disturb him. He has blood coming from his nostrils and had pooed himself. He was listless and just starring. I rushed him into the vets, this was about 9pm and when the vet came he was taken in, given oxygen, body and head xrayed and given fluids and a small amount of painkillers. He was put in an oxygen box and slowly he started coming to a bit. The xrayed showed nothing abnormal his heart was strong his lungs sounded fine and the vet seemed stumped. She wondered also about a clotting issue and tired to put a line in first to his leg and then his jugular. She couldn't manage. He started being a bit more awake so she took him up of the oxygen as she said he was stable. She said to take him home and monitor him. I was unsure of this but feel that she has done the 6yrs of training and I haven't.

He was still breathing quite quickly and god how I wish I had spoken up and demanded that he stay in and on the oxygen and that she got another vet in who could actually get a line in. She struggles to get blood from my dog who is a reasonable size of a dog.

I took him home and he was still reasonably alert. He was trying to stand up but he had no coordination/ strength so I got him to lie down. I noticed he was bleeding from him bum mad shortly afterward he died. I should have phoned her again and rushed him in.

We had a postmortem done, which didn't really shed much light. His guts were very pale and he had bruising on the muscle from the front of his ribs to his diaphragm. She said it would indicate trauma but as it didn't go to his organs it was pointing toward a clotting problem. I am so upset with him dying but even more so that she suggested that he had trauma and that made me feel like I didn't look after him. As far as I am aware nothing happened to him. In his front right leg there was a blood clot that had gone into his joint and that's why it wouldn't drain. They have sent off another poo sample to check for tf again.

I have contacted his breeder to tell them and my vet has spoken to them. I got an email from the breeder saying they had spoken to the vet and the vet had 'explained everything ' which makes me think the breeder thinks it's my fault. I am waiting for the result from the lab.

The vet said that it all pointed towards him having a clotting problem but doesn't explain the 29 days of me having him the diarrhoea. It had got bloody by the end and he would dribble bits out.

I am utterly devastated, and feel worse as I feel like I should have done more. Looking back he slept so much but was told that the diarrhoea would be taking it out of him. I wish I had pushed for more tests earlier.

I wonder what you think of the vet being unable to get a line into him. Should she have got another vet in, and do you think she was right to send him home or should have kept him in?

He saw four vets in total and I feel like none of them took it seriously enough. He was 1.14kg a coupe days before he died. Is that small or about average?

I hope it all makes sense.

Please be kind if you think I did wrong by him. I am beating myself up as it is.

Thanks

I am so sorry to hear of your heartache, it sounds like you did all you can in your situation. I hooe you find some resolution and peace after all this traumatic experience.

I don't know how anyone can think YOU did something wrong. It appears your little guy was unhealthy when you got him from the breeder -- it just didn't manifest its ugly head until a few days after you got him home. You did absolutely ALL you could for him, plenty of trips to the vet, medications. You even did a postmortem to learn the cause of death. Did you not get a health certificate from the breeder with your baby? I'm sorry the breeder was not more sympathetic to your situation. The best breeders will work with you. You have my deepest sympathy. Your little guy was a trouper and gave it his best fight. Hopefully, you will try again with another bengal kitten, however, you might want to work with a different breeder. I am so very sorry for your loss. I've been there and I know how much it hurts. You did ALL you could for him. You should feel no guilt whatsoever.

Thank you for your kind replies. He was such a fighter and such a sweet gorgeous boy. I have spent the last week going over and over things. I am very unhappy with how the vets handled the whole situation. I don't think they took how ill he was seriously enough and I have lost faith in them.

I have a contract with the breeder and I believe that they are a good breeder who adores their cats and cares for them very much, but I am upset that they haven't been in contact with me since he died, but maybe they are waiting for me to be in touch with more results?

I am not sure if I mentioned it in my first post but I had asked the vet to take bloods on the second last trip to the vets when they x-rayed his leg, but they didn't take any saying because he was so small they didn't want to take any off as they didn't think he would have much to give. I think if they had they would have possibly seen he was not doing very well.

A question you might be able to answer, is it possible to get any blood from a postmortem and test it to see if he was anaemic or not. Obviously too late now but I am pretty sure they didn't do this. I will never know the exact cause and a lot is speculation and educated guesses.

Thanks again.