Please Help, Baby Kitten Always Hungry.

[CatsFan4Life]

I don't mind waiting if someone can help him, it's just a bit upsetting hearing him crying for food so much and knowing I can only give him so much without him popping. He's still so big. I'll try giving him a couple mils of goat's milk mixed with a bit of Pedialyte to tide him over again for now. I'll see if the corn syrup on his gums makes any difference.

 

[FeebysOwner]

It might help to settle his stomach - the corn syrup on the gums is the fastest way to reach his system.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Maybe apply a little heat to his belly - what is it - a warmed rice filled sock?

 

[CatsFan4Life]

I have a heating pad on low under blankets on only half of his box. He usually likes to sleep on the warmest spot. If he's too warm he likes crawling up on the flat furry toy I have in there.

 

[CatsFan4Life]

Him sleeping a few night ago.

 

[FeebysOwner]

 

[Jcatbird]

So sorry I wasn’t on site earlier. I had to be out for a couple of hours. I am not an expert but I have had a lot of kittens, including abandoned and sick ones. I’ll try to help.
Are you stimulating him to poop and pee? A warm soft cloth or cotton , very gently used to wipe down the tummy from mid belly towards behind, and also wipe up his behind to the tail , the way a Mom would lick him could get him to pass air or anything else. Mom would lick him after every feeding and periodically in between feedings. The feeding is also a comfort to the kitten. It is a bonding thing and this baby needs the touch of a living creature. A lot of touch! It’s like a baby wanting a pacifier. They do want and need to eat often. I frequently carry babies inside my shirt near my heart to calm them. You have to be gentle and make sure they are not caught up in the fabric but it really helps. Make sure it can breathe okay and isn’t getting mashed and it may quiet some of the crying. Worms can cause discomfort. Getting rid of them may have stimulated the appetite and the medicine can cause some upset tummy or has for a bit. Worming may need to be done more than once but I’d like a vet to guide you. Make sure the eyes don’t get matted shut. A warm damp cloth to get them open if they do. Keep them clean. If they get matted you may need a prescription for that. The ointments work very well.
If the kitten does not improve you can ask the vet to check for illness. Girardia is common and so is Coccidia. The Coccidia usually causes runny stool. We cannot take the place of a certified vet ,only share what we have learned but hoping the baby will improve with what you have already been doing and some more snuggling.
Pure canned pumpkin can help runny stool but Coccidia will require a prescription.
If the behind gets red or irritated , post back, also if you need to increase hydration. I’ll keep checking in as I can. You can send a private message to us too if needed. I think catsknowme is tied up with some kittens herself right now. The link to that kitten rescue site that FeebysOwner gave you has some very helpful information.
I hope something here is useful to you. Thank you for being so great to kittens! I applaud you for what you are doing to care for this baby!

 

[Jcatbird]

I just saw the photos! Awwww! He is beautiful! @Kflowers Thanks for bringing me here to see this darling little ginger baby!

 

[FeebysOwner]

I am glad at least another member piped in! Just some more morale support that we want you to feel you've got with us. I am here if you just want to vent, and anything else to help you feel you are not entirely alone.

 

[StefanZ]

You are doing nicely and you have got good advices.

I agree part of the whining may be a need for contact... massage and touch much...

Comtinue with the dewormer the full range - 5 days?

You can add a couple of drops of simethicone - same as for human babies. It could help with his big belly and belly uneasiness.

Raw egg yolk too to make the goats milk more nourishing.
Btw exactly what brand of goats do uou use? Full fat?

Hope you dont have problems with salomonella in eggs at your place.

 

[CatsFan4Life]

I do appreciate everyone's help so far, I understand this is a bit of an odd situation. Kittens acting like they're starving when they're probably overfed isn't exactly the norm.

Yes, I always stimulate him to go to the bathroom and burp him too. After feeding I always spend time with him until he settles down then I put him back into his box to sleep. I've had to be very careful about contamination and getting him all over me because I have 2 eight week old unvaccinated kittens I've been raising as well and I haven't wanted him to get them sick too.

In an earlier post I mentioned our vets ineptitude with baby kittens, so a vet's help isn't likely. Unfortunately she's the best in our small area, so I can't take it anywhere else. Unless it's something glaringly obvious she won't be of any help. The dewormer she gave the older kittens actually made them sick, which is why I tried the fenbendazole with this little one.

The fenbendazole is given 3 days for worms and 5 for giardia. Wasn't sure which was causing his yellow diarrhea before (which is better/gone now.) He was very gassy before, but haven't had him fart for over a day now. Only burps occasionally when burped. Is more likely constipated now. Gave him a few drops of mineral oil at his last feeding.

I feed him whole pasteurized goat's milk found in the dairy section of our grocery store. All my recent bottle babies have done well with it. I have been adding a bit of Pedialyte the last couple days to prevent dehydration because he WAS pooping every feeding. Salmonella is a concern here, so I can't add raw eggs.

Only been an hour and a half since his last feeding, and he's already crying again. Sorry FeebysOwner the corn syrup didn't make a difference (this time at least.) His belly is still huge and he wants food again. Can't handle his crying anymore, but he's definitely overeating. Don't know what to do.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I know you said he hasn't been gassy like he was, but could he still use some of the simethicone that StefanZ mentioned? I am just getting the feeling that it isn't hunger so much as the upset stomach and perhaps a whole lot of gas on his system. Why he would not be passing gas or burping more is a bit of a puzzle. But, if constipation is in the equation, it could be harder for him to fart. I hope the mineral oil helps.

I am so sorry you are overwhelmed with this on top of taking care of two 8 week old kittens. But, I hope they are doing well - at 8 weeks the good thing is that most of their care now is feeding them and making sure their area is cleaned up adequately (and, of course socialization). I have recently been involved in the care of 6 kittens that are just now about 11 weeks old, and for the past several weeks, all they do is play, eat, poop/pee, and sleep (mostly play)!

I am taking a gamble here, but it would seem to me that roundworms are the issue that you are treating, not giardia or coccidia - I can find nothing that tells me belly swelling is a symptom of the latter two. That being the case, you could theoretically stop the fenbendazole after the 3rd treatment??

 

[Jcatbird]

FeebysOwner You are absolutely right! They are not alone!

I am going to try and contact someone else from this site directly. Hang in there!

I just saw your post about the crying and the other info you provided.
A kitten may not poop after every feeding but if 24 hours have passed then I would be worried. How long since a poop? A mustard color is about right.
I have used a drop or two of vegetable oil in formula to help constipation but be sure that is the issue. I do understand that your vet is not satisfactory to you about the kitties. I wish I was a vet and could advise you that way but since I am not then I will do all else I can to help. You can contact the kitten rescue link directly that was provided by feedysowner. They will want your daily regimen.

You can help the tummy by using a circular motion on his tummy or even putting him under a low gentle flow of slightly warm water. Be sure the water is just warm and will not chill him or be too hot! This can help him to go. After getting him wet you must wrap him up and keep him warm until he is totally dry.
You can add a little water to his formula. Do not make his formula so thin that he chokes on it. You will need to have him swallow slowly and make the flow slow. Drops at a time in the side of his cheek.

I am going to try to send you a private message.

 

[CatsFan4Life]

I'll give him the last dose of dewormer tonight and see how that goes. I haven't seen any obvious side effects, but it could be causing the constipation and/or gas.

Unfortunately the soonest I can buy anti-gas medicine for him is Tues/Wed as I can't drive and live pretty far outside the nearest town. I need to get a ride in with someone else and that's the soonest they're going in.

Checked my journal and he last pooped at 8:30am. I've already tried gently rubbing his belly (each feeding) and stimulating him under warm running water (last night.) I'm worried about getting him wet too often as he's probably still fragile. I have given plain warm water enemas to kittens before that helped a lot with constipation, but never to one this small. I'm unsure how much is safe and so haven't tried it.

I've tried adding Pedialyte to the goat's milk and giving the milk straight, there doesn't seem to be any difference in how long before he starts crying again. His stomach doesn't empty any faster either way. He doesn't like the bottle, but prefers a syringe. He sucks on it so hard he moves it on his own sometimes. I keep him more horizontal so he won't aspirate anything in his frenzy.

I can handle the crying and feeding him every hour and a half during the day, but not all night too. I'm honestly exhausted. I just don't understand why he's so fussy now, when he was lower maintenance when he was sick. It doesn't make any sense to me.

 

[Jcatbird]

Another person is coming. He was probably fussing less before because he was weaker then and younger. Help is coming.

 

[CatsFan4Life]

Thank you. I appreciate everything everyone's been doing to try helping us.

 

[catsknowme]

i just read that you cannot access the simethecone drops do you have any dried dill or red raspberry leaf on hand?
the stool color of yellow, according to my vet, is fine in a kitten so young. it can vary from pumpkin color to mustard color to orangey brown. (yes, the same color that we humans get with giardia, which I have had recurrences, many years ago). when it is very pale to white, the milk is not being digested and is a sign of overfeeding. when it is greenish, it is from bile and I am to switch to the pedialyte & karo protocol. Also, my vet said that the 2 main concerns are warmth and hydration - she said that my kitten could go 2-3 days on just 50/50 pedialyte and karo syrup on the gums. She warned against feeding formula on a very weak kitten; your little guy sounds healthy enough to stay on formula. Also, my vet's opinion is that it is okay to go 2 or 3 days without a b.m. because neonates are using most of their formula and they dont have all the gut flora established yet. She recommended FortiFlora but we are in a small town so she said to add an acidophilus capsule to the formula (i am using the recipe from kitten-rescue, with powdered goat milk base); I got Bene-bac Plus and am satisfied using that.
I also give my tiny both a heated rice sock and a heated corn grits sock to climb on.
......I just had a thought, though....how does his poop smell? lots of clues in that. if it is really rank, it might be time for antibiotics.

 

[CatsFan4Life]

Sorry, no dill or red raspberry leaf.

He WAS having really loose, mustard yellow stool every feeding a couple days ago. It alternated between having tiny white chunks and greenish/brownish ones. The smell was bad and he was really gassy. That slowed then stopped after the first dewormer dose. His last bm was this morning and had a tiny bit of yellow liquid with a semi-solid brown poop. Was less smelly. (Sorry if tmi for anyone.) I've read that goat's milk already has beneficial bacteria for their stomach's in it?

I was originally diluting the milk with 1/3 clean water because I was concerned it would be too rich when he was clearly unused to eating much. (Based on being nothing but bones.) Then I switched to Pedialyte when the diarrhea got worse. I've been slowly cutting out the Pedialyte since the diarrhea stopped.

I normally wouldn't be worried about the lack of bm, but his belly is HUGE and barely goes down since he wants to be fed every hour and a half or won't stop crying. He either has been eating too much, has gas, or really needs to poop. Or the dying worms are causing a complication...

 

[catsknowme]

this is a sample of poop that my vet said was okay

 

[CatsFan4Life]

His has been more yellow with more solids in it. He had an almost formed stool this morning.