New Kitten- Stray that Won’t Eat

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  • #53384
    melissaerindavis
    Participant

    My maintenance guy in my apartment complex found a litter of kittens in a garage a couple days ago. The kitten I have is about 5 or 6 weeks old, and is an absolute delight! BUT! I first had trouble getting her to use the bathroom and then she went every couple days or so and I have read that is normal so I wasn’t worried. Then today I sat her in the litter box and she pooped this really runny yellow smelly poop. She seems to be acting normally but that was very strange.

    The other thing is, this kitten should be eating solid food by now and she refuses. I mixed wet cat food and solid kitten chow today to see if she would go for it, and she just tries to suckle on it and wont eat it. I tried putting some on the roof of her mouth to see if she would swallow but she spits it right out. Im frustrated from feeding her every 4 hours and I haven’t had a full nights sleep in what seems like forever. I need her to eat solid food and poop normal!

    Any ideas?

    #754251
    Chaos
    Participant

    Well, unfortunately only she can decide when she is ready to eat solid food. You can try just letting her suckle on wet food so she gets the taste in her mouth. I know a lot of my kittens suckle on their food before actually eating it. The smelly poop is probably caused by an upset tummy from being switched to different food. Are you feeding her formula, or hand feeding her food? If it is formula, I would mix some into her wet food. If she hasn’t taken to the new food in a day or two, I would get some canned formula and a bottle and see if she will eat it. This way, even if she has to be bottle fed, it will give you a chance to catch up on some sleep because she will be getting enough calories during the day (:

    #754252
    MalkiandSarai
    Participant

    You need probably need to de-worm her. Ask a vet. Look for local shelters or veterinary clinics that will assist in caring for rescue kittens. Or take your kitty to a regular vet appointment. You can get over the county de-wormer medication but it would be best to consult a professional about dosages. It goes more by weight than by age since they can vary in weight drastically. Sometimes there will be organizations that will help with cost for care of rescue animals. Basically all kittens have parasites from their mothers milk- some worse than others. But it is standard practice to get them de-wormed, as well as vaccinated.

    Also, is there any chance the kitten is dehydrated?

    #754253
    melissaerindavis
    Participant

    I have been bottle feeding her Hartz milk replacement for the whole week, so I don’t think she is dehydrated?

    #754254
    AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew
    Participant

    http://www.messybeast.com/handrear.htm should have info that you can use also.

    #754255
    Chaos
    Participant

    Hartz is really full of sugar, which can cause the smelly runny poop. I would mix her formula with plain unflavored yogurt and 2 egg yolks so she can get some good nutrients in her. If she is eating 20-35mL in each sitting, you can let her go 6-7 hours at night without feeding. This might also help coax her to try solid foods. If she knows she is getting formula no matter what she might be reluctant to let that go. I would stretch the feedings to 6 hours leaving some pate in with her inbetween. It’s ok to let her get a little hungry, as long as she is hydrated. I would also put some formula into a saucer so she can walk in it and lick it off and start lapping it up.

    #754256
    MalkiandSarai
    Participant

    KMR brand is best.

    #754257
    kitikat
    Participant

    Hey everyone. I have a question concerning cats’ diet. I’ve looked through many reviews (http://www.pissedconsumer.com/consumer-reviews/veterinary.html) about taking care of cats, but still have some doubts. What are the best foods to include into cat’s diet?

    #754258
    Chaos
    Participant

    KitiKat, cats are carnivore and don’t thrive on diets full of corn or other fillers, so always try to look for food where the first 3 ingredients are meat related. If you would like more in depth help, you can post your own topic on the board where more members can see it and give you suggestions (:

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