Hello my first time posting, been lurking for a while

We've got two kittens Thor and Rogue (from different litters) Everything was going great, then our youngest kitten Rogue had his second vaccination on Sunday. It was very traumatic for him, ended up with the needle coming out when he went bengal mad, he got vaccine over him so didn't have the full dose. Vet took him out into the back room to give him more vaccine plus his microchip. He was lethargic as expected Sunday and Monday, he still was on Tuesday and had slight diarrhea. Took him to the vets Wednesday, as the lethargy was continuing - he was though still eating and drinking. Vet gave us some Metacam as she couldn't find anything else obviously wrong, and thought he could possibly be in pain from the injection mess ups with bruising. I had an appointment of the Friday to see how he was. Thursday he was about the same, but still eating and drinking. Friday his diarrhea, got alot worse, food and water was pretty much coming out as it went in, he wasn't making it to the litter tray and it would pour out of him. He was ravenously hungry and thirsty, but it will all come back out again every 20 or so minutes. So back to the vets we went. After he had a diarrhea explosion on the vets table she hadn't thought he was that bad, as he was being his usual feisty self, didn't want his temperature taking, refused the medicine to try and stop the diarrhea (can't remember the name). So he was referred to an animal hospital for overnight care to go on a drip. Fast forward to now his second night at the hospital. He's still got the very watery diarrhea, though they say it isn't as watery as it was, he's been playing, and being very active in-between naps. His ravenous hunger has calmed down, last night he was even trying to eat the cat litter, plus he is a little calmer. They have got faecal samples from him but as yet due to the weekend they don't seem to have tested it - i'm going to query it in the morning. He still hadn't been put on a drip as of a few hours ago as he had been still eating and drinking lots, but as that had calmed down, and he was quieter (they hadn't wanted to put one in before expecting him to just chew it out) they may put one in tonight.

If anyone has got through that thanks - help - has anyone come across similar? Could this all be down to the vaccine, and he's had a bad reaction to it as he possibly had more than recommended, or it's put his digestive system out of sorts, and possibly given a parasite in his system the edge? I'm trying not to think the worst (we've already lost a kitten last month at 5 months old due to a growth in his abdomen). He is though charming all the staff there, with his bengal cuteness, and is very much letting them all know he's there!

I'm wondering if he has been over vaccinated, which vaccine where they giving? Was it feline leukaemia? As that's well known for making cats very poorly after and isn't actually needed for indoor cats. Also I'm wondering if cos the vet messed up the initial vaccination they gave too much the second time and now he's having an issue with his immune system, I have heard of it sending kittens immune systems into shutdown when they get vaccinated too much or too many different vaccines at once. Was he sneezing at all? Eating litter is often a sign of a lack of vitamins and anaemia or kidney problems.

I've personally never had an issue with any of my 3 being difficult at the vets they usually just sit there but I would also recommend usually a Feliway travel spray in their basket when they travel as it calms them down also I would think about finding a new vet after all this. I would get them to check the status of his immune system and see if it's struggling, also a vet will rarely admit something was their fault due to over vaccinating.

I hope the little guy pulls through all you can do really is hope he pulls through if there wasn't an issue before the vets I doubt it would be a parasite as your other kitten would be sick as well as they share a litter tray and are together grooming all the time etc. I would get them to check his kidneys and do a blood panel and I believe it's his white blood cell count for the immune system.

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- Sarah
Arya 24/04/16 - Seal Lynx Point Rosetted Bengal
Griffith 16/04/16 - Silver Seal Lynx Point Rosetted Bengal
Mina (in my avatar)- 1999-2016 - Seal Mink Spotted Bengal (Snow) - run free at rainbow bridge

Thanks for replying Seraph. Thankfully he's back home. We've been given Metronidazole and a probiotic to give, and to fed him small amounts little and often. He's just used the litter tray and it's Mr Whippy consistency, so that is a massive improvement.
We will hear back in a few days on the results from the faecal samples. Though personally i think it's all down to the vaccines, and yes he had the FeLV vaccine too. If is is the vaccines that's not going to be admitted to as each of the vets i have spoken to say how so many kittens are vaccinated each year with out any issues. I don't think we will be getting any FeLV boosters, they will be allowed outside, but only supervised time, so no prolonged exposure to unknown cats. We live in a semi rural area so don't have too many cats passing through.
So now we have to get him back to full health, as he is so skinny, he's on Nature menu kitten food but had been planning on introducing raw premade food from Natural Instinct to him, which Thor is now eating, but don't want to cause any more disruptions to his digestion. He was being fed some gastro intestinal food while at the vets which i'm assuming was Royal Canin. Any suggestions on what else might help him, are the high caloric cat pastes any good? Or just keep feeding him little and often?
Will look in to Feliway travel spray, though i think he just hates injections, have never had any other cats react the same. He doesn't like the thermometer either!
Here's a pic when he was well :)

I'm glad he's doing better, yes the feline Leukiemia injection is kinda renowned for causing issues I think sometimes the triple vaccine is just too much for them and bengals are hyper sensitive to any type of stress. My two are on Natural Instinct I switched them due to my boy always having a runny tummy and within days the raw cleared all the issues up. If you want to switch him over I recommend using the Turkey one as it's easier on tummys than chicken and it also helps with stress due to the L-Tryptophan so it may chill him out a bit as well.
http://www.naturalinstinct.com/country- ... y-cat-food

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003ZJ8AF0/ ... biotic+d-c
If he goes the opposite and gets a bit constipated which can happen on raw just add some Protexin Prokolin in his food for probiotics or get some Protexin Symbiotic D-C and sprinkle that in their food which I find works better if it's constipation.

Get some nutrical kitten it has added Taurine and really bulked up my tiny girl just mix it in with their raw once per day which is what I do with my two, you can get two tubes for £20 with free shipping here https://www.vitamingrocer.co.uk/Nutri-C ... 309857.htm it takes about 10 days to come over as from the US but it's one that really works great.

If he really hates the vets and it's a planned trip you can also try some Zylkene in his food 2 days before which calms them down it's just a milk protein similar to what their mum secretes in her milk.

I understand kittens and tummy issues I've been to hell and back with my little boy his problem got bad after his neuter when he was given antibiotics for an eye injury and it got worse from there. Ended up finding out he can't eat commercial cat food or chicken without the runs I think it's maybe due to some type of filler ingredient but on raw he's great no issues at all.

Also they're really cute little guys so happy he's doing better.

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- Sarah
Arya 24/04/16 - Seal Lynx Point Rosetted Bengal
Griffith 16/04/16 - Silver Seal Lynx Point Rosetted Bengal
Mina (in my avatar)- 1999-2016 - Seal Mink Spotted Bengal (Snow) - run free at rainbow bridge

Shoot sorry that happened. That sounds really stressful for all. It sure doesn't sound like a parasite but who knows. The only thing it seems like we can say is that he was fine before his vet visit, and now not so fine :(. Whatever the outcome, give some consideration to finding a different vet to take care of your challenging kitty. This kind of thing kind of feeds on itself and escalates. He's challenging and has a rough experience and then next time he is that much more stressed about going to the vets (and so on).

Anyhow, I know your focus is on making him better now, as it should be, but give that some thought.

Oh, and I don't think being down and out after shots for even 2 days is "to be expected". I think for my bengals it was 24hrs or so, and for my Oriental not even that much.

Hope he gets better soon

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The little monsters 3

Thanks, have ordered the nutri-cal kitten, and have the Turkey Natural Instincts thawing in the fridge :) He's very keen to get on the raw, he's been trying to get at Thor's food who is eating the venison, a lot of growling has been going on!

He's been playing for a bit this morning with Thor in a cardboard box, which has been lovely to see. He hadn't been wanting to play at all before so this is great :)

Brian - yeah well i wasn't happy with the 48 hours of lethargy to be expected after a vaccine, i've never had a similar reaction with my old moggies, but was told it was quite common, and as he had been eating well, and still feisty, until the nasty diarrhea started he hadn't seemed as dangerously ill as he was. Regarding any vet visit, i'm hoping fingercrossed we won't be going for a long time, and i'll be requesting the other vet we saw, who has had some Bengal experience. I'm so glad we have pet insurance, as the stress of Rogue being poorly was enough!

I've never had the leukaemia vaccinations, mine are all indoor cats, but I was told there was a debate as to whether bengals are are immune to leukaemia as the Asian leopard cat is immune.

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Clare
Magic (brown spotted boy born 31 March 2012)
Pearl (seal Lynx Point girl born 1 October 2015)
Bristol, UK

I am so sorry to hear about your baby! It is a fallacy that bengals are immune to Feline Leukemia. Dr. Centerwall did research on the Asian Leopard cat and discovered they did have some immunity against the disease, however, it has not carried down to the bengal cat.

I'm having an issue with why the vet did another vaccine on such a tiny kitty! I would have had my vet LEAVE IT ALONE and deal with the amount of the vaccine the cat got initially! I'm not taking kindly to your vet and would seek out another veterinarian practice! (Thankfully, I am extremely pleased with the vets 2 miles from my house).

It is true that cats can suffer a reaction from vaccinations (just like some children do). It's never pleasant and it seems to have a lasting effect of several days. Mine has never had a reaction from the three vaccines that he receives. But, your baby is still just a kitten.

I'm sure spending time at the vets was not pleasant for your kitty either. Hopefully now that you have him home, and can give him love, medication and proper care, he will improve.

This was quite an ordeal for you and your little one. I hope he continues to improve. He is so handsome.

Thanks all, he's been getting more like his normal self as the day has gone on. He's had some good long deep sleeps and cuddles, and been enjoying the small amounts of his new raw food. Litter tray contents have been good.

Very happy to hear this.

I just wanted to comment about FELV not being necessary for Bengals due to ALC being immune. This is not true at all. Not all ALC are immune and Bengals certainly are not. I would always advise having FELV shots if there is the slightest chance of escape as i've known far too many escapees get infected it isn't worth the risk to me. I do think it's more important as a breeder but i still immunise all of my kittens for FELV before they leave me!

Sorry your kitten was so unwell after vaccination. It sounds to me like a stress reaction rather than an immunisation reaction. Kittens often react to stress with diarrhoea but it can also be a sign of an underlying parasitic infection. I'd be interested to know what the results are however they may be affected if antibiotics or wormer was given up to 2 weeks before stool sample collection.

Glad to hear things have improved x

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Lollo

People either feel very strongly FOR vaccinating and others are AGAINST it due to complications and other issues they feel may occur (sarcoma for one). I've always had my cats vaccinated. I lost a cat to FeLV because a stray cat (with a very disfigured face) started hanging around my house. Since that time, I have vaccinated my cats against it. Even though Raiden has an enclosure and is walked on a harness and leash, my vet advised that he get the vaccine since Raiden could come into contact with the saliva of a cat who had been up against a shrub. The sad thing is there is NOTHING that can be done for a cat that has contracted the disease. I suppose if the cat NEVER got out, I might not want to subject my baby to another shot! But, cats do escape. What are the odds that the cat will find another cat with FeLV or FIV? I had a stray who tested positive for FIV. The infected cats are out there. But, it is a personal decision and not mandated by law that your cat be vaccinated for it.

Personally I have more of an issue with multiple vaccines at the same time than the actual vaccine themselves, I've always preferred if I'm giving FELV to give it separately and later than the other vaccines even with boosters. As if there is a reaction it will only be to that one thing. So as far as kitten vaccinations go I am pro vaccination I just prefer to stagger the process more than most people when it comes to the FELV vaccination. For adult cat vaccinations I'm more on the fence over yearly vaccinations once they get past 5 years old, I have read a lot of data that said you are better once over 5 to vaccinate every 3 years and test to see if the antibodies are there during the intervening years, if not you vaccinate if so you can leave it. As I do think at least with some vaccinations they are given more regularly than needed but I'm not someone to use holistic instead I've heard too many horror stories.

Also you can find that worming or even flea treatments around the same time can cause issues and reactions if too close to vaccinations, I do wonder if it's just bengals are so easily stressed and overstimulated it doesn't take much to upset their tummies and have a bad reaction.

I've always just seen it as a bad idea to overload the immune system although I think the issue with this kitten was probably too much vaccine given and the stress from the ordeal than the FELV vaccination itself if it had been administered properly. I also always request that vets vaccinate my animals in front of me and bring a nurse into the room if they need help instead of taking them out the back.

How is the little guy doing now? I'm hoping back to normal and being a little terror with his brother.

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- Sarah
Arya 24/04/16 - Seal Lynx Point Rosetted Bengal
Griffith 16/04/16 - Silver Seal Lynx Point Rosetted Bengal
Mina (in my avatar)- 1999-2016 - Seal Mink Spotted Bengal (Snow) - run free at rainbow bridge

This would have scared the bejeesus out of me! So glad your little guy is doing better! He looks nice and big and healthy now :)

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Matt