Jaltemba Times

Dear Doc J,

We adopted a tiny kitten which was starving and being abused in Chacala.  We are nursing him back to health, but it's nearly time to go back home.  What can we do to get him healthy and what do we have to do to get him into Canada?

Thank you,
Heidi and Bill
Edmonton

Hi Heidi and Bill,

For your new kitten, the first thing to do after you pick him up is nurse him back to health.

Remove fleas manually, they are hard to crush, but they sink nicely and die in a container of soapy water.  You can then apply a SMALL dose of Revolution for cats – just a drop or 2 on a tiny kitten, don’t overdo it, the manual removal is critical.

Kitten food or canned moist food is good, don’t allow the kitten to gorge too much, or he may develop diarrhea or flatulence.   Multiple small meals are better than 2 big meals per day.  He was probably starving before you saved him, so he may have a temporary eating disorder as he tries to catch up.

The Revolution will help with parasite control, but local vets may prescribe Fenbendazole as a broad spectrum parasite remover, at a rate of 1 cc per 4 pounds of cat daily for 4 days.   So a tiny kitten would get a tiny dose, perhaps 0.1 cc for a ½ pound kitten, and less if smaller.  After 4 days of treatment stop, and allow him to stabilize.  If after 2 more days he still has diarrhea or other issues, see the vet again and perhaps get a fecal or blood sample taken and analysed to try to diagnose the problem.

Some kittens come with ringworm (a fungal disease that causes bald patches), and the treatment is Griseofulvin tablets (see a vet for dose), or Miconazole nitrate 2%.   Tropical ringworm may transfer to people, so wash well after handling the kitten intimately if he seems to have ringworm, and if you seem to be developing it, treat yourself with Miconazole nitrate 2% used 2X per day, and every time after washing it off.  Miconazole nitrate is readily available in local pharmacies, for athlete's foot and related fungal infections (think jock itch).

Our most recent kitten rescue had runny eyes and crusty junk around his eyes and nose, symptomatic of Rhinotracheitis (a bad cold).  The treatment for this is to clean him gently with mild soapy water for shampooing babies (no tears), certainly not a flea shampoo, and to put a clean sterile drop in each eye a few times a day to help flush them.  Visine or contact lens solution works well for this.  As your kitten gets stronger and better nourished, the cold should subside.

A tiny kitten will not need to be vaccinated against Rabies until 4 months of age, and should not be vaccinated against distemper and related diseases (the vaccine is called FVRCP) until he is pretty healthy, and at least 8 weeks of age.   Vaccinating a weak or malnourished kitten will suppress his immune system and could cause him to get sick.

To go home with you to a safe and happy life up North, you need to check with your airline to see if and when they will let a kitten travel.  Do this as far ahead as possible, and if you run into major hurdles contact Lin Chines to see if she can help with arrangements to have someone driving bring your kitten to your area.

The kitten will need a health certificate written within 5 days of your departure and arrival, see the local vet Dr. Eladio in La Penita, or any other vet qualified to write these.  The cost will be about $200 pesos, especially if you are sure to tell the vet that this is a rescue kitten.

After you arrive safely in the great white North, take your kitten to your Vet, and have him tested for tropical diseases if he is not improving greatly with good nutrition and love.

While you are at it, see you own doctor and tell her that you have been in the tropics, and adopted a kitten, if you develop any unusual symptoms.

Mexican kittens are often very laid back and good with other animals and people.

Good luck, and thank you for saving a tiny life.