How I Saved My Cat From Parvo (Feline Panleukopenia Home Care)

Milo skipped his food Tuesday night. Red flag instantly coz he usually screams the second he hears a tin opener. 

At 2 AM I find him sitting by his water bowl. Not drinking at all, just hovering his nose right over the rim for twenty min straight. Then he threw up yellow foam on my bath mat.

Put him in the carrier by 4 AM and sprinted to the ER vet. 

Fecal test came back positive for panleukopenia (cat parvo). His white blood cell count was basically crashed. Clinic quoted around $2000 for 3 days ICU. I literally had $280 in my account so I sat on the floor crying my eyes out.

The vet felt bad n gave him a Cerenia shot to stop vomiting, handed me some small syringes without needles, and told me how to do home care.

Basically lived in my bathroom for three days. Dragged my mattress onto the tile because tile is the only floor you can scrub with bleach. Regular Lysol wipes dont kill this virus.

Real struggle was keeping fluids in him without making him puke. Every 30 min, used a dropper to put 2 or 3 drops of unflavored Pedialyte on his tongue. 4 drops made him gag. 

His body temp kept dropping, paws felt like ice. Kept him wrapped in an old fleece towel over a heating pad on low.

Thursday night bloody diarrhea started. Heavy metallic smell filling the whole room. He was so limp I was wiping bile off his face at 3 AM totally sure he wouldnt make it till morning.

Then Friday afternoon came. I smeared a tiny bit of plain chicken baby food on my index finger n held it out. He sniffed it for a second, took one tiny lick, and then weakly raised his front paw to try and clean his face. 

If your cat is fighting parvo right now, please don't lose hope. Go get that anti-nausea shot from a vet as fast as you can, keep them warm with blankets, drip fluids into them constantly, and just hold on till their body starts making new blood cells again.