Possible Distemper in a Barn Kitten
Answered by: Kerry Hackett
Question from: Cassie W.
Posted on: August 01, 2007

I have a young kitten about three months old. He is an acreage cat and unfortunately taking him to the vet is not an option. He has been vomiting, and has diarrhea, he is also very lethargic and mostly just sits with his head down. I have tried getting him to eat and he won’t but I do think he has been drinking. I am worried he might have distemper, as I have seen a cat with this before. I understand there might not be much I can do for him now but I would like to know what to do in the future.

Unfortunately, distemper is an all too common occurrence in barn kittens and may be nature’s way of keeping the cat population to a level that is in balance with the amount of food available in any given area. The best thing you can do is to make sure the adult cats in your area have been neutered and spade so that an overabundance of kittens does not occur. In addition, these procedures can help ensure that existing adult cats do not end up with reproductive system based cancers and live long, healthy lives

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