Advice needed for 11wk foster recovering from a hypoglycemia crash. Exhausted my rescue options.

Question

Hi everyone, I am desperate for some guidance and reassurance right now. I have been fostering an 11-week-old kitten, Shamu, for about 3 weeks. He has ringworm, so he’s been quarantined and getting regular sulfur lime dips. The dips made his little legs raw (partially from him using the litter box right after, but I’ve fixed this by switching entirely to puppy pads).

Yesterday, I had a bad gut feeling and checked his camera. I found him face-down in his litter box. He was cold, completely out of it, and wobbly. It looked exactly like a severe hypoglycemic crash.

I called our shelter immediately. Because it was Sunday, they told me no vet was on duty and if I brought him in, they would euthanize him. That was absolutely not an option for me—he has too much life left in him. My personal vet was closed, and our rescue contract strictly prohibits external vets, so I had to handle it myself.

I spent hours warming him up, rubbed honey on his gums every 5ish minutes until he started perking up, and added some to his water. I think this was my mistake? Google told me Fancy Feast Petites were kitten-safe, but I just learned they aren't fully formulated for a growing kitten's caloric needs. I immediately switched him to Purina Pro Plan Kitten wet food last night, which he ate willingly and again this morning on his own.

He’s had a few bouts of diarrhea (assuming his body is processing the emergency honey), but it looks like it's starting to solidify. He spent the night safely in a warm 80°F environment, and today he is in my warm bathroom with a heater pointed near him. He drank water, looked around, and meowed this morning.

Since about 9:30 AM today, he has been fast asleep (it’s 4:00 PM now). I know his body is exhausted and catching up on healing, but I am so paranoid and sick with worry that I can’t think straight. I just sit here watching him breathe. I have Breeder's Edge kitten milk, Pedialyte, and a syringe arriving today so I can safely supplement his calories and hydration.

Can anyone tell me what else I should be doing right now? Please go easy on me, I exhausted every resource I had yesterday to keep him alive, and I just want to do right by him this is the first time a kitten has crashed on me like this and it has also been a few years since I've had an 11wk old.

Posted Jul 6, 2026, 9:04 PM UTC

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