I have only had my baby a few days. I was told she was in excellent health and ready to go. I brought her home on Saturday. She is super tiny for her age and also underweight. She had diarrhea as soon as I got her in the house. She does not drink any water at all and does not even appear as if she has ever drank anything from a bowl or know how to drink from a bowl. She eats well so I stir some water into her canned food.
The diarrhea got much worse on Sunday to the point that I feared for her life. She would also strain in the litterbox at times as if she was constipated even though it was puddles of liquid coming out, and she was very vocal as if this was quite painful. She had no control over her bowels and had explosive bouts of diarrhea not always making it to the box.
I rushed her to the emergency vet and they gave her fluids and 2 prescriptions for parasites. they tested for parvo even though I don't think that is it and they tested for another parasite which I forget the name but it starts with a T and they said she likely has it but they can not treat for it until they know for sure because the meds can be dangerous and she barely weighs over a pound and a half at nearly 11 weeks old.
Yesterday she seemed a bit better after being on meds but developed what seems to be a respiratory infection. We went back to the vet and now have a prescription for that too,
She was still dehydrated so got fluids again.
When we got home she had diarrhea again but it has not been that bad today.
I still can not get her to drink. I can not keep going to the vet every 2 days to have fluids. I don't think she has ever learned to drink. I have tried cold water, warm water, room temperature water and water with tuna juice in it to attract her to the bowl. I have touched her lips with my damp finger and she runs away and gets her hackles up like they do if they are being threatened by a predator. The only water I am getting into her is the water I stir into her food
Any advice on getting kittens to drink is appreciated and please do not tell me I should get a refund because I lover her and just want her to be ok.

So sorry to hear about this... On the drinking front, have you got a fountain or can you try a tap slightly open? Could not see in your text but I know mine don't drink from a bowl, only running water... If she has wet food, that also contains water.

I don't have a fountain and the way she freaks out if anything slightly damp touches her (I had to wipe her off with a damp washcloth after a bout of diarrhea) I don't think that the tap would work but I am going to try it and see if she is interested. Thank you for the suggestion.

Sorry to hear what you are going through. I'm glad that you posted here, because a week ago you were worried that you might be dealing with a backyard breeder. Well.... ok, no need to say much more, we all get the picture.

The thing is, cats don't normally drink that much water. They get most of their fluids through their food. I've never had any luck getting mine to drink on demand either. In fact just this morning I saw Serafina messing around on the sink, and realized that she might be thirsty as I had put their water dishes in the washing machine and needed to refill them. So I refilled them with cold, purified water, two big bowls, put that out for them. Serafina walked up to it, sniffed, then walked away. Grrrr.

Anyhow, I think the tact that I'd take in your situation, is to try to feed already very moist canned food (like weruva), and add some water to it. Say, double the water content. Or maybe take a can of tuna (make sure it's packed in water not oil) and pour the water into a dish, and add back some of the tuna into it. Something like that.

Anyhow, I think you're doing the right thing, getting her help and trying to weather the storm. Read up on TF:
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=3876

I think there's a really good chance that this is what you're dealing with. Oh, and btw, I'd never suggest to someone that the solution to having a sick kitten is to get their money back. That's just a copout. The kitten is not like an ill-fitted sweater that you return on a whim. So good for you for taking this seriously and stepping up as her guardian now in her time of need.

_________________
The little monsters 3

brianj12 Thank you so much! Yes TF is the parasite they tested for because they said the med can be dangerous and effect their brains. she said if the test is positive she has to be weighed every day to get the exact correct dose of med.
The reason I said about the refund is because the vet was very cold and uncaring and asked me how attached I was to her and said I should try to get a refund. It really upset me. She is my baby who is in distress not a pair of shoes that don't fit.
Can parasites be the reason that she is so ravenously hungry but still underweight? She has an appetite bigger than a full grown cat.
We have a follow up appointment tomorrow to check if she needs fluids again and our test results should be in.

Also I found out something in a roundabout way that I was not told up front. My baby was born in November and her mother had just gave birth to another litter only 5 months before. From what I have been reading on this site that is way too soon and queens should not be bred that often. She would have been pregnant with my baby when the babies she already had were barely 12 weeks old.

Where did your get your baby? First, she was let go too early from the breeder. I am so sorry you're going through this, but it is even worse for your baby. TF has only one medication that works for it. If your baby has this parasite, she got it from the cattery. It is highly contagious. That means others in the litter probably have it, too. Know the regimen to take care of TF is pretty long.

Hopefully, these visits to the vet will help. I'm guessing your breeder did not offer pet insurance (many do for 30 days). I'm guessing the breeder did not offer a health guarantee -- many good breeders do.

That being said, you probably are not going to get any support from your breeder. Most breeders have their queens give two litters a year, but I have breeders in my database who have four -- the queen is pregnant immediately after weaning the litter. This is BAD for the queen and the health of the litters.

But, what's done is done. I'm sure you love this little gal and want to get her healthy. Once that is accomplished, she will want to drink water. Know that wet food is mostly water so she is getting water in her diet. If you think she needs more, you can syringe water in her mouth. However, know that having these issues is difficult on your kitty. She is not well, so let's get her well and feeling better and she should gain weight and become a normal bengal.

I hope you will keep us posted on her condition.

_________________
The little monsters 3

Thank you Sherry and I will update after our test results come in. The 'health Guarantee" in my contract does not offer any type of insurance or payment towards these huge vet bills we are wracking up. It basically says that I need to take her to a vet within a few days and if she is found to have an incurable illness I can return her (which I don't want to do) not for a refund but to get a new kitten within 6 months . I did speak to the breeder when the vet said this could be parvo and she says no way it is because none of her cats are sick and that if it is parvo she will give me a refund, but again I just want the kitten to be ok. Also she tried to discourage me from taking her to an emergency vet on Sunday she said it did not sound like an emergency to her and that she thought it would be fine to wait for our regularly scheduled appointment. when I told her she was yowling in the litterbox and scooting her butt she told me "they can be very dramatic" The cattery was Askari Bengals

brianj12 I do not like this vet at all and I already have an appointment for her at another animal hospital which has really good reviews and was very nice to me on the phone. I am only going back tonight for her test results and in case she needs fluids. They were very cold and uncaring.
If they tell me she needs another follow up appointment I will tell them I just want to follow up with her regular vet. I have already called them and told them we have had to go to the emergency hospital and asked them if they can get get records from there. They said they will. We have an appointment on Saturday at the regular vet,

I have many of their bengals in my database and I can find nothing negative about them or Karen. Know that something like this can crop up in a cattery. This has happened to other members of this forum. I think it is important to wait for the results of the tests and proceed from there. I'm sure your baby can be treated and become the healthy and happy bengal baby she needs to be. I know you are upset and disappointed as you expected to purchase a perfectly healthy cat. But, this is not the kitties fault and a human has to deal with the situation. We are here to support you. Finding a vet you are completely comfortable with is necessary. Don't give up on your little gal. We are here to support you.

I am so angry but I do have good news. She does not have parvo but apparently they have known this all along at the ER VET and just not told me! I was led to believe the test had to be sent out with her TF test but it was performed in house and they have known for days that she does not have parvo. So that is a relief but what kind of vet leaves you waiting like that?
I am glad you don't think I chose a bad breeder. The breeder seems to love all her animals very much and her house was very clean. all the cats looked well cared for and were very friendly and used to people treating them kindly and showed no fear of me.
They do not have the TF results yet. first I was told it had to go to a lab but now I am told it was mailed to a veterinarian school and results should be today. But she also said that because her diarrhea is so liquidy they may not be able to find the TF eggs even if she has them. I have let the breeder know it is not parvo and will let her know when we get TF results
She did have to get fluids again because of dehydration. They said her belly is a bit distended and that can be parasites or just plain gi tract irritation from something else. She still has diarrhea today but it is not severe. she only went once after her breakfast and she did not yowl while she did it so I do not think it was painful. The diarrhea had improved before we started the amoxicillin for the respiratory infection so maybe that contributes to her diarrhea. I am bringing her to her own vet tomorrow for follow up. we are not going back to the emergency vet.
Also a last bit of good news, she is starting to gain weight and has put on 3 ounces in 2 days.

This is very good news, indeed. You both will survive this. I'm hoping they do not find TF. I'm sure if your baby had contracted this, the siblings would have it and the breeder would have several sick kitties and unhappy owners.

Know, too, that the stress of moving to a new environment, especially early, can have an affect of diarrhea or constipation. Usually vomiting will accompany parasites and the cat will not have any appetite, so I am hoping, they find nothing. An upper respiratory infection is easily taken care of with medication and clears fairly quickly.

Note, emergency veterinarians are extremely expensive and you would not generally go to one unless you had an emergency or a need for a specialist. A regular vet can care for your kitty just fine and should be cheaper.

I noticed Karen had two litters due in October -- one born October 20 and one due on Halloween which may have come in November. Both litters are F8 generation kittens. Same father Gideon (F11), but mothers are Xena and Whisper which are F7's.

I pray things continue to improve for you and your baby. What is her name?

_________________
The little monsters 3