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I have a kitten that is 12 weeks old. This kitty was born without a tail not even a stubb and it does not have any male or female parts. It has a couple of problems. First, it's urinary tract and rectum are connected inside so it does both duties out one opening, and it always has poop on his rear. My sister-in-law works for a vet so she brought it in to get checked. They said it is constipated and since it has a major birthdefect of only having one opening and that opening is small it is not fixable. They said that it is pain when it poops and that is why it cries when it goes. They also said that do to the constipation, the liquid is going around the blockage and coming out as watery poop with mucus in it. Well there recommendation was to put it down. I did not have it put down, because it does not cry at home when it is going potty and it does not seem like it is in pain, I have not noticed his rear being watery poop yes it is a bit runny but not watery. It just seemed like everything they said did not make since and the kitty does not act the way they said at home. It is a very happy, active and playful kitten all the time and it still was when it came home from the vet. I was wondering if you have ever heard of a cat having this kind of a birthdefect/problem and what you could recommend for me to try to help it soften the stools and keep them soft if it is constipated? The way the doctor talked when I went and got the kitty, she acted like it was in so much pain that it needed to be put down ASAP. Then she went on to tell me that they were not open over the weekend and with it being a holiday they would not be open until Tuesday, but if I needed to I am to call my sister-in-law and she can call one of the doctors to come in and put it down. I am sure this is a serious matter with this kitten and I can't afford to spend lots of money on medical bills for it but if there is just something that I can give it to soften the stools, please let me know.
Thank you so much for your time. DaleneOptional Information: Age: <1; Breed: mixed breedAlready Tried: wet food with dark Karo syrup, rubbing belly

Edited by Customer (name blocked for privacy) on December 28 2005 at 7:34 PM

Customer (name blocked for privacy)

Status: Closed Value: $8

Sometimes a little canned pumpkin can help with constipation and cats like the taste. Start with maybe a 1/2 teaspoon a few times a week or as needed. You can increase as she grows. It may be a challenge to manage this kitten, mostly the mess she may dribble around and keeping her back end clean (constant wetness from urine and feces can be very irritating to the skin and cause a 'diaper rash' like condition). Sometimes the pelvic canal is malformed and not wide enough to allow normal defecation. Does she have normal urinations or does that dribble too? Nerve function can be impaired to the structures also. She may have an increased incidence of urinary tract infections from back-leakage of feces into her urethra. This defect is not very common but is mostly seen with Manx-type cats and short-tailed dogs like bulldogs with no tails - things get too extreme and the vertebrae, nerves and internal structures at the end of the spine don't develop properly (sacrocaudal dysgenesis and spina bifida can occur). Have they taken any x-rays to see if there are any obvious malformations? Here is some info on spinal column problems:
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/100602.htm

Edited by harmonyvet on December 28 2005 at 10:25 PM

Holistic Wellness Care

I was told to try the pumpkin but have not done so yet. I will get some on Thursday when I go to the store. Her urination does seem to be normal and it is not mixed with her feces. I have not seen her clean herself but I clean her with baby wipes. The vet did say she had Manx in her as she has long hind legs and runs like a bunny. I do not believe that they did x-ray, but when my sister in-law called me and told me that they wanted to keep the kitten over night so another doctor with more experience could look at her and that they did figure it was a girl I asked her if they did an ultra sound and she said yes, I also asked her if the vet had seen anything like this kitty before and she said no. A doctor called her later that night and told her that they recommended to just put her to sleep.
This was basically a free office call as I did not have to pay for it, but when I went and picked up the kitten the vet wanted to talk to me because she was not understanding why I did not choose to put it to sleep, she told me she was not sure if she had a uterous. Can't that be seen in an ultrasound? The vet did not say anything about any malformations, just basically said it is not a common birth-defect, it happens mostly in Manx cats, she sees it about once a year and that the opening was too small to pass the feces that was stuck. I just didn't like all there confusing answers so I choose not to uthinize her. Thank You so much for your help. I will check out the web site that you gave me.

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