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Why are my foster kittens dying suddenly with seizures and vomiting?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Longhair | Male | unneutered | 2 months and 7 days old | 1.2 lbs

My mom has a litter of foster babies about 6 weeks old. In the last week 2 have died suddenly. First they get tired, then start to vomit and within 24 hours they have a seizure and die. They have been to vets, given SQ fluids, Karo syrup for blood sugar. No one can figure out what is causing it and it's hard to have closure with no answers. We are doing everything in our power to save them with no luck. 4 different vets and no diagnosis. Do you have any ideas what this could be?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Rebecca, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on September 22nd, 2017

I’m so sorry for your losses. The only way to determine what the babies have died from would be to have a necropsy or postmortem exam done. I understand with foster pets this might not be financially feasible, but it may give answers and potentially help the remaining kittens. If all from the same litter they could have a congenital Disorder causing the seizures and death, or they may have been exposed to a virus while in utero or shortly after birth. Some toxins, exposure to flea control products, or medications can cause seizure and death.
Diagnostic testing can be difficult with kittens this little but it may be worth discussing running a Health screen or viral panel on the remaining kittens to assess their health.
Otherwise, the best thing to do is make sure they are on a good plane of nutrition, use only Anti-parasite products recommended by your veterinarian, and vaccinate as they get old enough.
Thank you for taking care of these kittens, best of luck with the rest of the litter. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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