New furmom of a 4 week old kitten getting worried

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  • #862984
    Khristina
    Participant

    Heyy! I’m a new furmom here, two weeks ago I found a kitten in our back yard after a hurricane had hit florida, I decided to take him in and not leave him in the weather, when I found him he was ice cold and soaked to the bone.

    He was guestimated to be about two weeks old at the time.

    Now fast forward two weeks later- he’s been really good up till this point he’s beginning to not want to eat. Per vets orders I started to wean him…Ive been making a slurry with about a quarter to a half a can of wet kitten food and mixing it in with two scoops of kmr and 4 tbs of water in a bottle

    He went from eating 15 ml every 4 hours to eating barley 15ml every 6 hours. When I try to feed him he just claws and scratches at the bottle…
    Ive tried putting it on a plate but he shows no interest and no matter how much I try to him to lick it off my finger he just shows no interest.

    He seems like he’s generally out up till this point. He use to eat and pee and poop then crawl around for about 15-20 minutes and go to sleep. Its still kinda the same…. But more sleeping… (He’s a big sleeper) I’ve been keeping a water bottle filled with warm water by him.

    His next vet visit is on the 27 to get some test for his first round of vaccines…. Should I call and get an earlier appointment? He’s starting to worry me… He use to e such a great appetite but now he doesn’t want to eat. 🙁

    #862987
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Hi Khristina,

    Thanks for saving the wee kit. Mama cats don’t start weaning until 7-10 weeks so weaning him now is much to early. Get him back onto this schedule:

    During the first week, feed the kitten every two hours. During the next three weeks, feed them every three hours. When the kittens are four weeks old, they can be fed every six to twelve hours depending on how much solid food they are already eating. Kittens that did not nurse on the mother for their first 48 hours did not receive the first milk or colostrum.

    Newborn kittens during their first week need to consume about 32 cc of formula per day. That is based on an average kitten weighing 120 grams. Because normal kittens range in weight at birth from 85 to 120 grams, the amount of formula they should drink is going to vary.

    KMR concentrate tends to give kits constipation and the liquid does the opposite. Cats are lactose intolerant and can’t digest cows milk. In TDKland, we recommend Goats’ milk. Goats’ milk is full of nutrients, probiotics and gentler on their tummies. This can also regulate the poop. You can find it in the dairy section or the concentrate in the baking aisle. Mix the concentrate 1:1 with water or pedylite.

    If you haven’t already, make a nest for him. Kits cannot do anything if they’re cold-digest food, eliminate, etc. He cannot regulate body temperature so he must be kept warm. I think the best way is to place a heating pad, on LOW, covered by a towel and a soft blanket. Be sure to provide a “cool” spot for him to crawl if he gets too warm. I recommend getting him a soft squishy toy and put it in his nest. Wee kits usually snuggle up to the toy. It will give him comfort and extra warmth.

    He has worms. Just about all kits have worms so he’ll need to be dewormed. He’s about the age for de-worming so have that done. He doesn’t need to start other vaccines until 8 wks. As far as the other advice the vet gave you, tell him what you told us. You’re not comfortable weaning him yet.

    Good Luck and hopefully we’ll see your wee guy as our TDK soon.

    PG

    #862988
    katzenjammer
    Participant

    Hi Khristina,

    First thank you for rescuing this baby!

    Since you are concerned you might want to call the vet, tell them what is going on with the kit and that you would like an earlier appointment and see what they say. It can’t hurt to ask.

    Hope that all goes well.

    #862994
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    Hi Khristina,
    Good advice given above. Yes, get him back on his schedule…he is WAY TO YOUNG TO BE WEANED. I wouldn’t introduce him to wet food until the 3-1/2 to 4 week mark. He sounds like he is hungry, that’s why he is clawing at the bottle.

    http://messybeast.com/handrear.htm

    Bottle Babies

    #863000
    Khristina
    Participant

    Oh there may be a slight miss underatanding here. He is 4 weeks. (Or our best guesstimate he may be slightly over)

    And I bumped up his visit to tomorrow, but the way he is with the bottle its like he’s attacking it. Any time he sees the bottle he attacks it. But I’ve finally got him to eat some.

    #863008
    katzenjammer
    Participant

    IMHO gr8 that you managed to get earlier appointment so you needn’t stress out for 2 extra days.

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