My 4-month kitten's leg is swollen, not eating. What should I do?

I'm sorry to hear your kitten is not doing well. Despite her size and age, I would recommend she be evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible. The swelling in her leg could be due to infection, a congenital issue, trauma or another underlying issue. She needs to be eating regularly in order to maintain adequate blood sugar levels and grow. Good luck!

It is probably an abscess. You can try soaking the foot in warm epsom salt water for 5 minutes 3 times per day. That may help draw the infection out. Honestly though, most of the time oral antibiotics are also needed to get this to heal up completely. She definitely looks like she does not feel well so if you can eventually get her to a vet that would be really great.

Hi, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The kitten needs medication, I recommend taking it to a veterinarian as it sounds like it needs antibiotics and possibly pain medication as well. Do not give any human medications as many are toxic to cats. Depending on exam findings, the vet may recommend xrays as well if they suspect significant trauma to the leg. Best of luck, I hope she recovers quickly.

Oh my. This sounds like your poor Thor may have been bitten by something in the face and is in need of immediate medical attention. Most cats will still eat even when they are a little bit ill, so when a cat decides not to eat we know they are in trouble. I would highly recommend taking Thor into your local ER vet right away for care. If you can't make it in tonight then it's best to have him seen in the morning for testing and treatment depending on what the underlying cause is. Best of luck with your fur baby I hope he feels better soon.

Poor Tommy! I would recommend returning to your vet for a follow-up. The swelling on Tommy's leg does not sound good, especially combined with the other symptoms you have reported. One possible cause of the swelling would be some kind of infection. However, since Tommy has also lost a lot of weight and has been off his food I worry more about a cancerous process such as lymphoma, or perhaps a bone mass. Your vet will be able to do bloodwork and X-rays, and likely will want to take some fine needle samples of the 'knot' to look at under the microscope. They may want to send these samples out to be looked at by a pathologist too. Treatment options can vary depending on the findings of the diagnostic tests. They could range from surgery, to oral medications, to injectable chemotherapy. I hope you are able to get to the bottom of things soon for Tommy and that he starts feeling better.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It probably is an infection affecting most of the leg. It is an emergency. Please, try and call your local emergency service if your regular vets don't have any appointments.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor baby! I am worried about the eye. I would get the kitten to a Vet to see if it needs an antibiotic. Sometimes there is a kitten or 2 that doesn't make it not matter how hard we try. If the kitten isn't taking the bottle or nursing you will have to be taught by your vet to tube feed the kitten. Sometimes we never know why some kittens don't thrive: genetic issues, trauma, infections, etc. I wish you the best