Rachel- Forgive me for not remembering, but are all 3 of yours Felv+? How old is Mittens? As you probably know by now, kittens who have Felv from birth don't normally do as well as those who contract it as adults.
First, you are not an idiot by any means! However, as a shelter volunteer, I know that we (most of us anyway) do as much as we can to prevent/spot illness in the animals. Right now we have 53 adults in the "big" cat room and about 30 kittens in the smaller room. Kittens are all kept caged and only w/ littermates or other kittens they are brought in with. We sanitize between handling kittens from different cages and there is a medical report paper in each room for volunteers to note ANY injury or health problem. The staff then care for the animals. All are Felv/FIV tested and vaccinated before being released in the cat room to roam freely. They get all shots actually. Aggressive cats are in large cages to prevent fights and injury. Despite all this, it is still a shelter. URI and other "nasties" do come up. So that is why I advise anyone bringing a new pet home from anywhere to take them to a vet for a well pet checkup. But don't beat yourself up! We all know you take good care of your babies :) The Pedialyte is a good idea. It sounds like he had bad diarrhea that has just made his bottom raw. It may be a parasite or the food he is eating. Just get him to the vet and have him checked out. Keep calm and don't jump to conclusions. Miss Mouse was a tiny little sick thing when I got her- bad diarrhea, constantly treating for worms, wouldn't eat, etc. She is almost 5 now and she is healthy as can be. Those sickly runts can really be tough! Keep us updated. Jamie
