New kitten, need help. Also a new member so hey.

I got a 8-10 week old British Shorthair kitten 2 days ago. A point to keep in mind before suggesting me any particular brand of pet stuff is that I live in Abu Dhabi, UAE (Dubai) and pets arent given much importance here. Theres just a small section in the supermarket that sells pet food, kitty litter, collars, brushes and other basic stuff. There arent many vets here either. But I took him to the vet and the vet said he's ok.

So anyway, the kitten I bought: (in order of decreasing concern )

1- Hasnt pooed since he came here 2 days ago (its been about 50 hours) He's been eating, drinking, peeing but not pooing. I tried rubbing the warm moist washcloth on his butt thing and rubbing my hand on his abdomen but none of it works. And vets are closed Friday, Saturday here and todays Saturday so I cant go to the vet till tomorrow, so it would be great if I could get her to poo today.

2- He eats only boiled chicken. I tried giving him whiskas moist kitten food as well as dry (which is the only brand of cat food here and theres Purina too) but he doesnt eat either. I tried mixing some of it with boiled chicken but then he wont even eat the chicken. And I'm not sure the chicken contains everything a growing kitten needs.

3- He's not very playful. I'm not saying he's lethargic, just not very playful. He sleeps most of the day. When he's awake, he'll walk up to you and sit beside you and climb into your lap and he looks fine but he wont play. I bought him a few toys including a catnip spring thing but he just stares at it and wont play with it. Maybe this is just his unique personality?

Your kitten may still be adjusting to his new home. You said you took him to the vet when you got him 2 days ago and everything is okay right?
I would contact the person you bought your kitten from. The seller (I assume he also resides in Dubai?) can give you info on where to get the proper supplies for your cat.

It sounds like he's still adjusting, he's such a baby yet, they do tiny little poos, maybe he's doing it elsewhere? when I first got my two from a shelter they also hadn't gone to the litter box in days. Good luck.

In the long run, he'll need to eat either a prepared cat food, or raw meat, because there is an essential nutrient (taurine) that he won't get otherwise. When you check out the cat food, try to find one that has meat and meat products as the first 2 or three ingredients. You may not be able to find a good one, but you CAN order them on the internet.

If he's not eating much, it may be a while between poos, but the travel and change in home can upset kittens' digestion system, causing either diarrhea or constipation. Are you keeping him restricted so that he can easily find his litterbox? If not, keep an eye on corners, etc., where he may leave you smelly little presents.

Brits are quiet cats so its not unusual that they don't play a lot like other kittens. But it also could be the kitten is not feeling well.

If you got this kitten from a breeder - what were they feeding the cats? Usually you at least start out with feeding the same foods from where you got the kitten from.

And confine the kitten to one room for a few weeks with litter pan, food/water till they are using it 100%. Be sure to check around - he may be pooping elsewhere!

Just for your future reference, its better to adopt a kitten that is a minimum of 10-12 weeks old - ideal is 12-16 weeks (at least from a good breeder). Up to 12 weeks they should be kept with mom/siblings so they adjust to the new homes easier and learn important emotional behaviors with mom/siblings.

Yes I took him to the vet when I got him and the vet said he's ok I got him from a pet shop, theres no breeders here... most cats/kittens are imported. I guess he's still just adjusting to his new home. I'll try to get him to eat his kitten food :/
And I read that in order to relieve constipation, you can take and eyedropper filled with warm water and insert it into the kitten's anus and squirt of few drops. Gross, but I'll do it for kitty... but is it safe?

Don't do it yet. If you don't see improvement by tomorrow (Sunday there, right?), then take him to the vet.

Pet stores here don't have a good reputation, but if you're concerned, you should definitely be in touch with the shop.

He just pooed. It was light brown- goldenish. I couldnt see any worms. Isnt normal kitty poo supposed to be dark brown?

Originally Posted by Katastrophic

He just pooed. It was light brown- goldenish. I couldnt see any worms. Isnt normal kitty poo supposed to be dark brown?

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It can be different colors depending on the food. It sounds like the light brown-goldenish color you describe is fine.

If he is liking the boiled chicken, I would continue with that for now. Here is a link on how to make your own cat food:

http://http://www.catinfo.org/makingcatfood.htm

and here is another helpful link:

http://www.catinfo.org/

I just want to add congratulations on your kitten !!!
I think you are going to be a wonderful cat mommy and that is one lucky little kitty.

Please keep us posted on your progress!

Thank you for being so concerned about this baby. It takes a while for kittens' digestive systems to get fully regulated and properly populated with the right bacteria. Others here can tell you better than I what to watch for.

Thanks Shanynne ILU :3

And thanks to everyone else too

Your kitty is still really young.

When our 11 week old came into our house last month, he was a playful thing from the start, but didn't really eat for the better part of a week. He'd nibble some dry, but largely turned up his nose at wet food. Then, one day (day 7 if I recall), he started gobblying down all the wet food we would give him.

I just chalked it up to adjustment. It's pretty overwhelming for them to be plopped down in a whole new world.

BTW, my kitties didn't go for the toy on the end of the sping thing. Big yawn. They LOVE kitty fishing, which is some kind of a dangling toy hanging from an elastic band attached to a pole (so you can keep your hand safe). They will both play with that for hours.

All kitties love a paper grocery bag or a cardboard box, even better it has som crinkly tissue paper in it. They'll play "where's kitty?" hiding in and out of a box or bag for hours.

How's your baby doing Katastrophic ?? By the way what did you name your little darling??