Hi Sors,
Congratulations on adopting your new baby and taking her away from an unpleasant situation.
I’m no expert but I’ve hand raised three kittens [1 was 7 days old and the other 2 were 3 weeks old].
All are now happy and healthy cats whom I love more then anything.
Here’s my suggestion for kitten formula and toilet habits.
First you must remember that kittens as young as three weeks will usually defecate [poo] every 24 hours so try not to worry if she doesn’t poo every time you stimulate her but remember to help her urinate and burp her after every feed. She must be stimulated to wee after every feed however the defecation is less often.
A friend who has raised countless kittens [new borns and 3/4/5 week olds] told me the following advice which truly helped my kittens when they wouldn’t defecate.
Replace kitten formula with goats milk! I actually continued to add kitten formula mixed in with the goats milk and added a small amount of water for extra hydration.
The magic trick though [you will think I’m crazy but it works] is to add one or two drops of Linseed Oil [also known as flaxseed Oil] into the formula.
I was hesitant at first but it worked wonders for my kittens.
Linseed Oil is full of fibre and helps the gut move food/milk along their tiny guts and I was continuously rewarded with healthy stools.
Perfect consistency and the right colour too. FYI: Remember also that the sensation of her mothers tongue might feel different to your finger or soaked towel so do allow her to get used to the change.
This is your choice though so you have to be comfortable with what you feed your kitten but it worked very well for me.
The one thing I would definitely say you should do is give her goats milk as it’s full of probiotics and gives them the natural calcium they need too.
Best of luck!! Please let us know you get on 😀