I need help with a 9-day-old kitten!

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  • #53262
    kaja94
    Participant

    My orphaned kitten doesn’t like the milk replacement, but I have to force feed him or he will starve(that’s what the vet told me today). Apparently, he is a lot smaller then he should be by this time, and the vet told me he is clearly hungry, but it doesn’t meow AT ALL, except when I have to make him eat, and he does it pretty silently. He hasn’t pooped for 2 days now, and day before yesterday he pooped like 4 or 5 times. I’m stimulating him and everything, but nothing is happening. Plus, he doesn’t seem to sleep much. Every time I check on him, his in a different position, i don’t know if he’s been sleeping at all. I am really freaking out, he means a lot to me. I had his mom for a long time, and she died cause of some complications. Is there any way I can make this milk tastier and how serious is this pooping thing? Thank you all.

    #752913
    Jeankit
    Participant
    #752914
    kaja94
    Participant

    Thank you, I hope I’ll find something of use.

    #752915
    jcat
    Participant

    Hi, Kaja 4, pooping every other day is fine for a kitten on milk and if he’s not eating much, he won’t be pooping much either. If he doesn’t like the milk replacement formula (and some kittens don’t), you can also try canned goats’ milk, which you can bring him up on (in the baking aisle at stores like Walmart) or you can try kitten glop — this thread has several recipes and links to another site full of recipes; most of them use condensed or evaporated milk as a base (or, again, goats milk): http://www.dailykitten.com/chat/topic/31099

    Best of luck!

    #752916
    CatLadi23
    Participant

    Sounds like you are doing everything right. I know how stressful it can be, especially when they don’t want to eat. Lucky is my little girl, she turned 3 weeks old Monday and was 3 days old when I brought her home. When I first brought her home, I had to force feed her too because she would NOT eat. She was so scrawny, and is still small for her age, but she’s finally gaining weight at a good pace. What brand of formula are you using? I started out with Hartz and am in the process of gradually switching to KMR and have found that she likes the taste of KMR much better, and is a lot more willing to eat it. She also has put up a huge fight because she is teething, and was refusing to eat too much for a couple of days last week. There are lots of different things people recommend if he still hasn’t pooped after a couple days. Some people stimulate manually with their finger under running warm water & say that is more effective than a cotton ball or cloth, some people have tried inserting an infant thermometer with vaseline to stimulate them to go, or even putting a few drops of vegetable oil in his bottle. I found a solution to Lucky’s constipation accidentally, I bought her this supplement called Nutri-Cal Kitten, it’s a high calorie gel with vitamins and nutrients, and gave her some of that since she wasn’t the best eater, and that made her poop a lot! I wouldn’t be too concerned about the lack of poop yet, if he’s not eating a lot then it totally makes sense why he isn’t pooping much.

    As for the sleeping thing, I think it is normal that they change positions a lot when they’re sleeping. Lucky does the same thing, every time I look at her she is in a new position!

    Oh and one more thing…are you feeding him from a bottle? I have found that Lucky absolutely HATES drinking from her bottle & refuses it, to the point where I have scratches on me. She is 3 weeks old and still drinking from a medicine dropper. If he is refusing the bottle, try the dropper? He may like that better. It really is a matter of trial and error, keep trying things until you figure out what works for you guys! I really hope your little guy starts eating more & doing great! Keep us updated and we would love to see pics if you have any! ๐Ÿ™‚

    #752917
    kaja94
    Participant

    JCat, thank you, I will try that glop thing. ๐Ÿ™‚ Chelsea, I still have the feeling I’m doing something wrong. Last night, my mom was feeding him and she may have squeezed the syringe too much cause it sounds like the milk is in his nose. Vet told me to hold him upside down for some time, and the bubbles are coming out, but he isn’t as active as before. His mouth is open, and he’s meowing silently. He doesn’t use his front legs while moving now, and that’s freaking me out the most. He can move them, but it’s like he doesn’t want to. I’m using Royal Canin, that’s the best thing I can find here. I tried mixing it with some canned food, but he still doesn’t like it. As for the pooping, I think he should have pooped by now cause the vet gave him infusion(if that’s how you say it in english). Isn’t he too young for the water stimulation thing? :/ I think I’ll take him to the vet, and I hope I’m just freaking out too much.

    #752918
    CatLadi23
    Participant

    Yes, if the milk comes out too fast it will come out their noses. They are basically inhaling the formula when that happens & you definitely have to hold him upside down right when it happens. It happened with me a few times when Lucky was his age, thats why I switched to the dropper. I didn’t like syringes because I felt like I had less control of the milk flow. The droppers worked better for Lucky because it was easy for her to suck the formula out and I didn’t even have to squeeze it for her to drink it, but it still didn’t come out too fast. I would definitely take him to the vet as soon as you possibly can, I’m not sure why he wouldn’t be using his front legs but that definitely sounds like reason for concern! I know how hard it is & constantly feeling like you’re doing something wrong, but practice really does make perfect! I really hope everything is okay with your little guy! ๐Ÿ™‚ Let us know how he’s doing!!

    #752919
    kaja94
    Participant

    Little guy passed away few hours ago. I was just about to take him to the vet, cause he kept pushing his head in the towel he was lying on… I really thought the worst has passed, guess I was wrong. I think that force feeding made it hard for him to breathe, he was breathing through his mouth. But it was either that or starvation, that’s what the vet told me. I know it was a long shot, but I really thought he was gonna make it. I’m so sorry he suffered that much… Still, thank you for all the advice, I’m glad there are people you can count on in these situations.

    #752920
    jcat
    Participant

    I’m so, so sorry, Kaja94. These little ones find it very hard to make it without their mums, it’s sad but true that up to 40% of orphaned and abandoned kittens don’t make it, and all of us who try to help them have had them die on us. I know how devastating it is. But you gave him so much love and warmth and comfort and the best veterinary care — you gave him the best possible chance he could have had. It was a tragically short life but he was loved and cherished for every moment of it, so many kittens never know that. {{{HUGS}}}

    #752921
    kaja94
    Participant

    Thank you Jcat, those words really made me feel better. ๐Ÿ™‚

    #752922
    CatLadi23
    Participant

    Oh Kaja, I am so sorry! I am in tears reading this! I really hoped and prayed that your little guy would make it! It is so hard taking care of abandoned babies.. and sometimes no matter what we do they don’t end up making it. I couldn’t have said what JCat said any better. Although his life was cut short, he was loved and cared for so much and he never would have had that if it weren’t for you!

    #752923
    Charger
    Participant

    Tearing up when I read this post thread. Do not blame yourself or your mum’s feeding Kaja; even I had a few mishaps like that when I 1st got Charger. I did not know what or how to feed him and had some close calls with the syringe while feeding him. Got formula into his lungs a couple of times even with the dropper as he was suckling so hard. You did the best you could given the circumstances. Heartfelt thanks and hugs from one abandoned kitten owner to another for doing all you could.

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