Medical Concerns

When you bring your little babies home, whether they are with mama or not, they will need to be given an initial medical evaluation, ideally at a vet's office. Take their weight, check for fleas, given them deworming medications, check their breathing sounds, etc. 

Deworming

Deworming should be done with any new foster regardless of whether or not you know they have worms. Assume they do. Neonatal kittens can be given dewormer starting at two weeks old. You'll need to get a bottle Pyrantel Pamoate 50mg/ml, either from your foster care coordinator, the vet, or online. Follow the dosing information and follow up with a second round of treatment in two weeks. 

Fleas

Fleas are a huge problem for young kittens. They suck away blood, weakening the kittens, and can transfer diseases. Many times you can see fleas with just a visual check of the kitten, but if you're not sure take a flea comb and comb through the kitten's fur. If you see small black flecks in the comb this is the flea dust, and you have fleas. 

Never use a topical flea medication for neonatal kittens. They are too young and small and using topical medications can be lethal. If your kitten has fleas you'll need to take the following steps. 

• Give the kitten a bath with a mild soap, preferably something fragrance free and gentle, like a baby bath wash or dawn dish soap. 
• Make sure the water is warm, but not hot. 
• Make a ring around the kitten's neck with the soap and wash from the neck down avoiding the head. 
• Wash and rinse the body of the kitten, then, using a soapy small sponge or dish rag carefully wash the kitten's head. Avoid getting water or soap into the kitten's eyes, nose, or ears. 
• Thoroughly rinse the kitten's fur and wrap them in a warm towel. 

Luigi was found in a field when he was
only a few days old and was covered in fleas

Try to keep the bath short and make sure to get the kitten's warm and dry immediately after. After the bath, brush through the kitten's fur with the flea comb. You can use your hands or tweezers's to pick off any remaining fleas. 

You may need to do more than one bath to get all the fleas. Once the kittens' are dry, you can also use food grade Diatomaceous Earth (which can be purchased online or through health food specialty stores). Carefully brush the powder onto the kitten, avoiding their face. It's ok if the kittens (or mama) lick the Diatomaceous Earth off. It'll help them shed any internal parasites as well. It'll dry their skin out, so avoid doing more than one treatment of Diatomaceous Earth back-to-back. 

Upper Respiratory Infection

Upper respiratory infections (URI) are common in shelter cats, and kittens are particularly vulnerable. The kitten may have mucus or drainage from their eyes or nose, or may have difficulty breathing. Many kittens, because their noses can become stuffed up, and may stop eating if they have a URI. URI's are treated with antibiotics obtained through your vet. Be particularly diligent about sanitizing the area and/or quarantining sick kittens. 

Panleukopenia

Panleuk is a viral infection that most commonly affects kittens and young cats. If left untreated, it is almost always fatal. It is a highly transmissible infection that can be transmitted through saliva, vomit, or feces, and can survive in the environment for up to a year. Sanitizing and quarantining are especially important in cases of panleukopenia. Use a bleach solution to sanitize all exposed surfaces. Symptoms of panleuk include vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and lethargy. 

Ringworm

Guapo came into rescue with
a serious case of ringworm

One of the fastest ways to invoke fear in a foster's eyes is to simply mention ringworm. Ringworm in cats is the same ringworm that infects humans and dogs. It can live in the soil and environment up to 18 months after the initial infection. It is a fungal infection that is fairly easily treated in humans with a topical anti-fungal cream. In adult cats there is an oral medication that can be given over the course of a 6-week treatment to cure the ringworm, but this is not well tolerated in kittens. 

To treat ringworm in kittens there are a couple of options, the first, and preferred, is to make a bath of a sulphur lime dip that has antimicrobial and antiparasitic properties. The kittens will need to be bathed in this nasty smelling concoction once a week, and allowed to air dry to give the bath time to work. There are also Chlorhexidine wipes and shampoos that can be used to spot treat ringworm spots between sulphur lime baths, or, in mild cases, used on their own.  

Ringworm is hard to spot under fur, but can usually be spotted around the eyes and ears when it progresses. It will also flouresce under black light and will help you spot where it is and when it has cleared.  

Coccidia and Giardia

These two parasites are very common among community cats, and are passed from the mother to the babies. These protozoa are transmitted through the feces, and are notoriously hard to eradicate in kittens. Both parasites will give the kittens diarrhea, and have a noxious odor. The preferred method of treatment for Coccidia is Albon syrup, and is the only method approved by the FDA, however, and I say this not as a veterinarian so it is best to consult with the vet treating your animals before making a decision on treatment, Albon syrup sheds the parasite from the lining of the kittens intestines, but is still present in their feces. Therefore if a single kitten walks through their feces, which is likely given that they have diarrhea, they will reinfect themselves when they clean themselves. Therefore I do not recommend using Albon syrup, and instead ask the vet to prescribe you Pontrazuril. It tastes much worse than the Albon syrup, and kittens will be very against taking it, but you can cure the Coccidia in three days instead of the weeks involved in treating it with Albon syrup. 

Giardia is easier to cure with a round of antibiotics (usually Metronidazole) for 5 to 7 days. With both conditions it is very important to sanitize and keep the area, and the kittens, clean to prevent transmitting to other cats in the household, and to keep the kittens from reinfecting each other. Swap out food and water often, and clean the entire area daily with a bleach solution. 

Keeping it Clean

We can't talk about medical issues without needing to talk also about cleaning. Cleaning and sanitizing will be a vital part of fostering, not only for the health and safety of the fosters, but also the health and safety of your animals and you. Most diseases that affect cats do not affect humans, but can affect other animals in your household. Additionally, you want to make sure that the foster area is well cleaned and sanitized between litters so transmission of any diseases. 

Maddie's Fund wrote this incredible guide on cleaning for fosters.