3-4 week old kitten constipated

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  • 20 July, 2017 at 5:53 pm #861190
    Shaye
    Participant

    Hi, I’m new to TDK and I’m looking for help with a little girl I took in about a week ago.

    I brought Sadie into my house on Saturday after I noticed she was constantly being kept away from nursing by her much larger littermates, she was born to one of my barn cats and I’m estimating she was around 3 weeks old at the time because she was starting to walk unsteadily and her baby teeth are just starting to come in.

    She took to KMR (powder mixed with pedialyte and water) quickly and has been taking about 10-12ccs of the milk each feeding, but she’s been having constipation issues for as long as I’ve had her. I’m aware that the powdered KMR can cause constipation but I’ve tried diluting it 1:3 instead of 1:2 and I’ve tried adding a couple drops of vegetable oil to her bottle because that’s what I’ve done for previous foster kittens who had trouble adjusting to KMR, but unfortunately none of that has helped. In fact the only change after the vegetable oil was her throwing up that feeding and continuing to be sick for the next several hours, which prompted a very panicked vet trip. This vet trip was tuesday, the 3rd day of having her with no poops, and the vet used a rectal thermometer on her with vaseline which I think loosened her bum up enough because she had a BM in her carrier on the drive back home, and it was huge and very solid. She hasn’t had another BM since, which was 2 full days ago now, and although the vet sent me home with a laxative it hasn’t helped so far and I’m getting worried.

    However, her energy level is still good, and she’s still getting hungry. Probably too hungry, actually, because she starts screaming for food every 3 hours or so which is a little excessive for a kitten coming up on a month old. I’ve been trying to get her lapping formula from a dish with minimal success, she only gets down a few ccs before she gets tired of it. She gets a little too aggressive when she wants to play or when she gets angry, which I wouldn’t have a problem with just training her out of it but it makes it very very difficult to try massaging her belly and stimulating her anal area. It’s basically impossible to hold her still. She’s peeing fine though and she doesn’t need to be stimilulated for that.

    Does anyone here have any suggestions? Am I just being too paranoid about a few days with no BM? I’m trying to be calm about it but I’ve never had a foster who didn’t work out their constipation issues within a couple days. Hoping someone on here has experience with this sort of thing.

    20 July, 2017 at 8:39 pm #861193
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    I would start her on a litter box, she’s probably old enough to start. Use plain clay unscented non clumping litter to start with since kittens tend to taste everything and the clumping isn’t good for their insides. After feeding her, place her in the litter and take her paw and scratch in the litter.

    You might try adding some wet food to her formula, the pate style with juices. This is sometimes enough to get the poop going and the digestive system moving. Add about 1/4 teaspoon to her bottle, shake it up really good and then open up the nipple so the gruel will flow through. Still add a few drops of oil too. Once she starts going, she will probably become more regular, especially if she knows she can get in and out of the litterbox herself and go.

    Hope this helps–keep us posted!

    Bottle Babies

    20 July, 2017 at 9:16 pm #861194
    Shaye
    Participant

    She’s been using the litterbox with non-clumping litter consistently for the past 5 days. Actually, when she pooped in her carrier after the vet trip was the only time she’s messed outside of the litterbox. She hasn’t quite figured out to walk there on her own yet so I take her over to the box before and after each feeding. But at this point I think I’d be happy with her pooping outside the litter just so long as she does it at all.

    She’s been very playful today and she’s been licking at her own bum in addition to eating like a pig, so I’ve got my fingers crossed for a BM today. I’ll definitely start mixing some pate kitten food into her formula to try and get her going, thanks! (although I’m a little hesistant to try the oil again after she threw up last time I added it, so if the pate doesn’t help I’ll try adding the oil tomorrow)

    20 July, 2017 at 11:42 pm #861204
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Hi Shaye,

    Please use a bit of mineral or olive oil. Don’t use vegetable oil because many kits don’t care for it. If you want to try something else, get some gel hairball formula and put it on her lips.

    21 July, 2017 at 12:02 am #861206
    Shaye
    Participant

    Thanks, pussigato! I didn’t know that about vegetable oil, and all the olive oil I have on hand is flavoured for cooking and I don’t think Sadie would take too kindly to it. I’ll definitely be investing in some mineral oil tomorrow.

    21 July, 2017 at 9:49 am #861213
    Shaye
    Participant

    Update: she pooped! It was huge, again, and pretty hard considering she’s been on a laxative and pedialyte, and she strained pretty hard to get it out, but it happened!

    Also, she goes absolutely crazy for the wet food mixed into her formula! I offered her a bit of the wet chow on my finger to try and get her interested in it to start and she nearly took the whole finger off trying to devour it. Here’s hoping the tiny bit of solids in her meals now helps keep that tummy moving along!

    I’m still planning on picking up mineral oil today just in case this constipation becomes a chronic thing (fingers crossed it won’t) but its 4:30am here and I’m just finishing up Sadie’s feeding before trying to catch a few more hours of sleep.

    I do have one more question now that the more pressing constipation issue is kinda out of the way: does anyone know of a good remedy or pet-store treatment for goopy eyes? Sadie’s can’t seem to stay clear and so far I’ve just been clearing the gunk away gently with a warm cloth, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to clear up on its own.
    I would prefer not to have to make another vet visit for this, I live in a very rural area with only one vet around so they get away with charging outrageous rates for examinations. Plus they’re more used to dealing with livestock than tiny kitties. Any ideas on this would be super appreciated!

    21 July, 2017 at 2:05 pm #861216
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    Congratulations on poop!!

    Usually if the kitten has goopy eyes, it’s a symptom of a bigger problem, namely a upper respiratory infection. Your kitten should be vet checked and then they can prescribe either drops or an antibiotic ointment to help clear the eyes. If it’s bad enough they will prescribe an overall antibiotic. I’m surprised they didn’t address the issue when you had her in there for the constipation. But this is why it’s important for cats to get their immunizations–to prevent the deadly infectious upper respiratory ailments that cats outdoors can pass around to each other.

    Keep wiping her eyes with a warm damp cloth in the meantime to keep the goop and crust off.

    21 July, 2017 at 2:33 pm #861218
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Concats Sadie! WooHoo-we get excited about poop! 😀

    21 July, 2017 at 4:43 pm #861223
    Shaye
    Participant

    The vet did an examination when I took her in on Tuesday and said her lungs and nose were fine, but didn’t say anything about her eyes at all. But then, I’ve already expressed my general dissatisfaction with my area vet. I’m just very reluctant to take Sadie on the 3-hour round trip to a vet in the closest city because she was very anxious on just the 15 minute ride to the local vet.

    The eye goop is pretty common in the kittens born in my barns but I’ve never seen it last past infancy, it’s always cleared up by the time the kittens are about 2 months old. Do you think that would still mean it’s upper respiratory infection related or could it just be from being born in a dirty cattle barn?

    21 July, 2017 at 10:57 pm #861234
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    Well, I live in a rural area too and most kittens born in barns (if there are cats coming and going) have the gooey eyes. You never know what they have been exposed to with cats coming from other places and of course other lovely people who think you might as well take their cast offs because you have a barn and they’ve seen other cats around your place. Most likely it’s a URI, and not a severe one, but I have seen kittens lose an eye because I couldn’t get it cleared up. Just call them and run in and get the Triple Antibiotic Eye Ointment (Neomycin, Polymixin B, Bacitracin) or you can order it online. It should do the trick.

    22 July, 2017 at 2:16 am #861236
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    This would be a good time to take Sadie for a cruise. Not long trips but around the n’hood or pick up mail. Kits are better travelers if you start with them young.

    I don’t know where in Canada you live but here are some links to mobile vets. in various areas. You can also search “Mobile Vets. in ????” to find them in your area.

    http://www.ruralareavet.org/about_FAQ.php

    Home


    http://vetsonwheelscalgary.ca

    PG

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