Update on Jaego & food dilema??

Rebecca · **Joined:** Thu Jul 30, 2015 3:12 pm **Posts:** 87

Hi All,

Would like to offer an update on Jaego and also ask some advice, it is diet based so I understand we all have different opinions but would appreciate your input.

As some of you will be aware I posted under discussions and the topic "name suggestions" when I was expecting our little bundle and updated a few times, my last updates were once we had our newbie and I was a little concerned about his weight during the first few days settling in. He has now settled in amazingly well and I am overjoyed at the welcoming response that my existing cats have given him. Chester our 16 month old has taken it upon himself to show him the ropes (he is a naughty boy so I wonder to think what he will teach him!!) and Meili my 5 and half year old is now accepting of him and even allows him to snuggle next to her on occasions although he does generally opt to be completely enveloped in his new found big bro!
Anyhow as he appears quite settled I decided that he could handle the upheaval of a vet visit just so I could introduce him to our vets and get peace of mind (he is still scrawny and quite a fussy eater -my other cats past & present bengals & moggies have all been on the chunky side and I have never previously experienced a lean kitten before). Thankfully he appears all good. I have a 5 day course of wormer (although he was wormed by breeder 3 weeks ago this is just in case there are any left?) I am also giving him a probiotic paste for a few days to help his tummy settle as he still does not have proper stools (sorry guys!) am also feeding him steamed white fish for these few days to help tummy. He has gained weight but think the upset tummy has prevented him getting all the nourishment from his food so possibly not gained as much as could have been expected but not worries at the moment. My vet advises he is lean but NOT underweight, his eyes, coat and general well being are great and he is typically full to the brim with life! My vet has suggested that after these few days of feeding white fish, to wean him off the fish and introduce kitten food again as if for the first time so as not to shock his tummy. My dilemma here is what to feed? The breeder fed raw (Natural Instincts weaning paste) which I had never previously fed but had looked into and was/are quite willing to feed, however he does not get excited about this food at all. My other cats have a diet of dried food and wet pouches (Felix and Whiskas) so I had also tried him on some kitten pouches again, he eat the first readily then lost interest thereafter. I think the mixture of different foods had overloaded his tummy so will be sticking to the white fish for 3 days or so to ensure his tummy settles properly before attempting to introduce anything new. By the way he literally gobbles the white fish up as if he is starving and even does the nom, nom, nom noise while eating (I have a video if I can ever work out how to upload - is really funny!)
So my question to you guys is what do you feed?
I have experience of dry food and wet 'commercial' and virtually no experience of raw. I only want to do what his best for little Jaego and I did think raw was far better but if he is not liking it I would rather him eat (and enjoy) a commercial cat food.
Please help!!.... I will upload a few pics later _ Can you also advise how I get the video on or if even possible as I am sure it will bring a few giggles !!
Thanks in advance xx

brianj12 · **Posted:** Wed Sep 02, 2015 6:13 pm

I agree with your vet... I'd knock off the fish for now. Most of the articles I've read say that fish is not as good for cats and can frequently trigger allergies and such. So if you are trying to work through digestive issues, that would be the first change that I'd make. Stick to fowl if you can (chicken, turkey, duck). Then come back to fish if you want, once you've sorted out the digestive issues.

re: raw, that is certainly a good choice if you are willing to do it. Some authors assert that raw is not ideal for the real young kittens because cats of that age don't have fully formed immune systems, and that could be bad when ingesting uncooked meat. But obviously a lot of people do it, so you have to make that call.

I think what most people do regarding feeding their kittens is to feed a combination of dry food (free-fed) and then meals of canned or raw food. The young kittens need to eat around 6 meals a day, so unless you are around to feed all those meals, leaving some dry food out will "tide them over" until the main meals.

One thing to watch out for is that many times the digestive issues of kittens turn out to be parasites, some of which aren't taken care of by the general "wormer" medicine. Sometimes that can be passed along to other cats as well, so keep an eye out for that, especially if your other cats start showing symptoms, or your kittens digestive issues persist.

Sherry · **Joined:** Thu May 23, 2013 2:21 pm **Posts:** 9217

A food designed for kittens is a must! They need extra nutrients as they are growing so you will not be able to feed him the same food you are feeding the others. Raiden doesn't like any seafood, so I don't have a problem with fish for him.

Know that it can take weeks for a new kitty to settle completely in. You may think he's settled, but really, it takes a while for his body to get used to everything. Happy that your other pets have accepted him.

You are doing the right thing in keeping up with his weight and once he gets settled, he should start gaining. Your kitty now has a vet and a medical history and rely on your vet for information. Jaego is going to have to eat frequently and separately away from your other kitties since you don't want them to eat his food and you need to monitor and see how much Jaego is eating.

Hang in there, Rebecca. You're doing all the right things. The first month is always the hardest!

Rebecca · **Joined:** Thu Jul 30, 2015 3:12 pm **Posts:** 87

Thanks for the info, I have changed the cooked fish to cooked chicken breast, at this stage this is all he is being given. I always stay with him when he feeds and our other two cats are fed up high where (at the moment he cannot reach!) He gobbles the chicken up just as he did the fish and is currently eating breakfast, dinner, tea and supper with a few small offerings (of more chicken) in between, so he is having several small meals a day all of which are pure cooked chicken breast. I intend to introduce a few kitten biscuits over the weekend and providing this goes well I will wena in some kitten food but for now I am keeping him off the raw in case his digestive system is not ready for it as has been suggested on here. His energy levels are high, drinking & weeing normally and generally only pooping once a day and it is firming up so fingers crossed.
Thanks again for your suggestions & help, whilst he is by no means my first kitten or my first Bengal other opinions are always welcomed and your always learning so I do appreciate it xx
Will update soon, hopefully with news of good progress xx

Rebecca · **Joined:** Thu Jul 30, 2015 3:12 pm **Posts:** 87

Hi everyone,

I've not posted any updates for a while as we have had real problems with Jaego.
A few of you have followed his story offering advice and valued opinions so will be aware that from day one I had my concerns. However, he was fed on a raw diet which I had never fed before so I put a lot down to him settling in and this diet , then after sickness & diarrhoea kicked in the vet recommended we change to a bland chicken/fish and rice diet, so once again I put the first few days down to this but had the constant nagging worry that there was something more so made a nuisance of myself a little going back and fourth to the vets as I had this underlying feeling that something was not right and so took him back again last Monday morning and he was admitted.
I was prepared at this stage to request blood tests, however I did not need to ask. He was put on drip, given antibiotics (and probiotics to help his tummy) tempted with food every few hours (which he refused) He did not respond/improve initially as expected, however did not worsen but as the improvements did not happen they did not want to waste further time (he was already skinny by my standards and had lost weight and was now the weight that he was recorded at by breeders vet back on 10.8.15 -1.6kg) therefore as soon as he had produced one a poo sample was sent off, X-rays and scans were being discussed as to check for blockages or abnormalities however this posed a dilemma as they would need to sedate him and this would most likely put him back further and make him even less likely to eat, so this was put on the back burner while they continued trying to tempt him with food and thankfully last Wednesday morning I was advised he had picked up enough to consider bringing him home. He was eating and appeared very alert and 'vocal' this improvement continued massively throughout the day, so much so I was advised I could take him home that evening if I was prepared to do so as they advised he would most likely improve quicker and better in home surroundings than at the hospital but any deterioration I was to call immediately. He came home with 2 lots of meds twice daily by mouth and his probiotic paste to help his tummy and a few pouches of the wet sensitive diet food that he had been eating at the vets. I was told to only feed him 2 teaspoons four times a day whilst his tummy recovered as to overload him now would put him back again, so whilst he was continuously hungry I stuck to it although I felt like crying every time when I couldn’t fill his empty dish the guilt was horrible but I knew it was for the best and to see his improvement so far was amazing, he was back to the cheeky little chappie we knew so briefly before although he was a much skinnier weaker version of him, the next few days were spent feeding him as directed, loving the whiskers off him and seeing him connect again with our other two cats who had missed him especially our other boy Chester. We gradually increased the quantity of food as his tummy improved and Friday morning it finally came …. A normal poo!! The first since I had brought him home nearly a month ago, boy did I celebrate I even sent a message to the breeder (who was equally as excited) I just didn’t want to do anything to risk his improvement I felt so grateful that he was improving yet initially I was worried that it wouldn’t last. His follow up with the vet Friday evening went well and all staff (vets, nurses receptionists alike came to see him - he had stole a few hearts there!) the poo sample results still weren’t back but they are pretty sure that it is infection as he is responding and recovering as they would expect it just took a little longer for him to begin to respond but they think that was due to him being quite weak.
Over the weekend he has continued to come on leaps and bounds and is now charging around then house like he owns it and it is truly a joy to see, I still await the poo sample results yet we are now expecting they will confirm a common infection which is how he has been treated, should here be anything different we will cross that bridge when we come to it.
I am sorry this has been such a long post but a few of you offered support and advice and I felt quite guilty just coming off here with no follow up but I was so preoccupied with him and couldn’t have told you much it would have just been me worrying myself silly in each post shared with you, however, I have waited until now to share his awful but hopefully happy ended story. I will update and post regularly again and hope to be posting more normal things on here like “what new toy can I get my furries” or “does your furry do this too?”
Thanks again guys for listening and offering that help and advice in the early stages, will soon post you a pic of the terrible trio lol!!

Tabitha · **Joined:** Sun Feb 02, 2014 8:11 pm **Posts:** 1196

Sometimes you have to go with your gut feel - so glad he is on the mend. Keep us informed how he goes on. x

spitspot · **Joined:** Mon Jan 12, 2015 2:26 pm **Posts:** 734

So glad you are over the worst. Would love to see pictures of your brood of four! :lol:

cranberry · **Joined:** Wed Aug 28, 2013 7:42 pm **Posts:** 641

Rebecca,

I went through similar problems with Babbage when I first got him - vomiting and diarrhoea and it was a very stressful time. I'm so glad to hear that you and Jaego have turned the corner and are heading in the right direction.

Sherry · **Joined:** Thu May 23, 2013 2:21 pm **Posts:** 9217

My gosh, Rebecca, and you Jaego have been through the mill. While we all know it's common for a kitten to not eat and get diarrhea when first brought home, once it goes on beyond a few days, then it could really be something serious. Thankfully, this has a happy ending as Jaego is back to normal again. The hard part is when the kitty does not want to eat any food. 48 hours is the most they can go before the liver starts to want to compensate for the lack of fat in the diet so I am always concerned if Raiden doesn't eat in 48 hours. Now I have the syringes and the food to feed him if that happens again. Any little bit of food is better than nothing. Just happy things are okay now. I know you were super worried about him. Let us know what the test results show.

Rebecca · **Joined:** Thu Jul 30, 2015 3:12 pm **Posts:** 87

Hi! Its been a while I know but I am hopeful when I say we are making progress but itsbeen a long and difficult journey!!

To try to summarize:
Jaego’s poo sample tested positive for Tritrichomonas, which I have since got myself educated on! It is very contagious and a pain in the neck to get rid of, in itself it’s not particularly nasty but side effects like sickness & diarrhoea causing dehydration etc are the issue and as it is easily spread it is a worry for us being a household of 3 cats!

When the result came back the vets had already got Jaego on a course of antibiotics which he was well into and responding well from, however, I was advised by Jaego’s breeder (and vet confirmed) that the current antibiotics would not clear it, they would only supress it and when the course was completed it would most likely come back. Apparently it requires a specific drug (Ronidazole) which the vets would only prescribe once the current course of antibiotics had finished and if the illness came back. You guessed it ! It came back and as it came back, Chester our other (relatively young 18 month old) began suffering diarrhoea.

The vets agreed to order Ronidazole for Jaego which we are currently on day 6 of 14 days treatment. We are also giving probiotics on food which appears to be helping. Jaego’s poo is now normal and in himself he is perfectly fine (in fact he is quite the character – the craziest cat I have ever had the pleasure of to be honest!)

My main worry was that Chester would finish the antibiotics (that didn’t work for Jeago) and we would have the same situation with him, however the vets will not prescribe Ronidazole without a positive result and Chester did not provide a poo sample (they only prescribed the antibiotics for him as it was too suspicious not to be the same problem based on how contagious it is, how close they are and time scales/symptoms etc). Therefore they decided to prescribe the same initial antibiotics for Chester to try and nip it in the bud and as he is an older cat they were hopeful his immune system being that much more developed than Jaego’s will fight it off. Well, so far so good, he finished the antibiotics a while ago and runny poo has not returned so I am hopeful. (It would have been pointless at this stage testing a sample of Chester’s poo as it needed to be runny to get a positive test and whilst it was soft and abnormal for him I didn’t wait for it to get to that same runny state that Jaego’s was as I was aware of what I thought was happening).

So, the current situation is that Jaego is nearly half way through his meds that will clear it and Chester looks as though he is clearing it through the previous antibiotics and his own immune system with a little help from probiotic powder on his food. Fingers crossed it all works out.

As far as the food goes the vets wanted them on a gastro intestinal diet which they would not touch (they will however eat the biscuit variety) so they are having these biscuits left down 24/7 and being fed 3-4 meals a day of wet Felix pouches doused with probiotic powder. I have an older (five and half year old) girl who is more distant to the young boys and thankfully she has shown no signs – I am advised that it is likely being the older cat she will shrug this off as we would a common cold, the younger cats have only needed help as their immune system was not developed enough to fight it off first instance – apparently the cat can clear itself if left untreated with no long term health issues but this can take up to 2 years to be free from, as we are a multi-cat household this was not an option and as Jaego was so young it was certainly not an option for him.

Once again I apologise for the long winded update but hope that has made some sort of sense and provided reassurance that we now seem to be on the mend.

On a lighter note Jaego is a nutter!! He is gaining healthy weight now and growing into a beauty (he has mesmerising eyes – a golden amber glowing out of a black coat)! Chester loves him and appears to be showing him all his naughty ways! It’s like watching two naughty little school boys, wherever one is you will find the other whether in sleep or play. Meili is more distant but has curled up around Jaego on the bed and often plays with him and cleans him so the bond is growing but he boys are the closest. I will post some photos of all three soon (when they all stay still for long enough!)

Donna741 · **Joined:** Wed Feb 05, 2014 9:03 pm **Posts:** 1048

Yay! I'm so glad to hear he's feeling so much better. That's great news!

Rebecca · **Joined:** Thu Jul 30, 2015 3:12 pm **Posts:** 87

Whilst they are not the most recent here are a few pics of the terrific trio ....
cat tree1.JPG
cat tree.JPG
cat tree2.JPG
cat tree3.JPG
boys1.JPG
boys2.JPG
boys3.JPG
boys4.JPG
boys5.JPG

Rebecca · **Joined:** Thu Jul 30, 2015 3:12 pm **Posts:** 87

and all together .... including our daughter Kennedy (not sure who's worn out who!!)
There is actually 2 cats, one kitten, one 11 year old and half my mums leg here!!

all asleep.JPG

Donna741 · **Joined:** Wed Feb 05, 2014 9:03 pm **Posts:** 1048

Adorable!

Sherry · **Joined:** Thu May 23, 2013 2:21 pm **Posts:** 9217

Beautiful kitties, Rebecca. I'm so sorry to hear about the TF diagnosis. It's not a fun thing to get rid of and you do not want your other kitties getting it. I truly hate it when someone has opened their home and heart to a new bengal kitten and then have to go through this. It is heart wrenching and expensive after putting out money for the kitty. Just know that once everything has cleared up, things should be better for all concerned. Hang in there ......

Update on Jaego & food dilema??

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