Update on orphaned kitten w/ pics :)

Well the little kitten is doing pretty well. I have been calling him Little He weighed in at a wopping 11.1 grams today! His 3 week birthday is tomorrow. Here are some pics with his brand new peepers!

http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...09-09_1655.jpg
http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...09-09_1656.jpg

This one was too cute not to post!
http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...09-09_1706.jpg

He still has horrible diarrhea. He stayed with someone from work over the weekend so I could catch up on some rest and I got him back today. His little butt is so raw it is raised and when you try to stimulate him to potty he screams Any tips for dealing with this? I was putting entederm ointment on twice daily but I don't know if it got done over the weekend as it looks really bad. I started the entederm again tonight but doc says only twice daily and that doesn't seem like enough. The other problem is his little tush is constantly covered in diarrhea. I clean him up and and an hour later it is covered in poo again. I have been rinsing his hind end off with a stream of warm water from the faucet instead of cleaning it off with a towel or tissue to lessen irritation, but a bath once an hour seems pretty excessive.

Sorry for the rambling. His little butt just looks so painful..any suggestions are welcome thanks..

I used diaper rash cream on Lucky. Do youo know what is causing the diarrhea? Lucky's was caused from a change in formula. The local vet ran out of what I was using and had to change to a different brand.

What type of diaper rash creme? That's exactly what I was wondering about..is it safe to use several times a day?

I don't know what is causing the diarrhea. He seems to have loose stool on the canned KMR, then when we switched to powdered he got constipated, then when I switched back to canned he got diarrhea again. It very well could be a parasite or something as well, I wonder if we shouldn't send out a fecal on him.

When I was bottle feeding my orphans one had a constant problem with diarrhea. I switched to the "Just Born" brand of kitten replacement and it was MUCH gentler on the digestive system.
http://www.farnampet.com/product.php...=&key=pet&cat=

Another problem to consider is that the intestinal bacteria may be out of sorts now.

Over feeding KMR is known to cause diarrhea. Maybe feed more often and smaller amounts at a time.

Have you asked about changing brands (not powder or liquid) other than KMR? Especially that he is not doing well on KMR. I think most vets ONLY know about KMR like Science Diet, that's what they sell.

The half powder and half liquid would seem to be worth a try.

Has the vet offered antibiotic for the diarrhea? There is one that will help the bacterial flora. They gave mine an antibiotic injection.

The diarrhea causes dehydration so, diluting occasionally with clear unflavored pedialyte is good. I had to do this as well.

Squeezing a gel vitamin E then lightly rubbing area may help heal and sooth the redness.

The vet I was using at the time had little interest in orphaned kittens and would do very little to treat these same type problems you are having. I contacted a rescuer that had experience and she helped save one of mine's life. As you know, diarrhea is something that can be fatal to a kitten that young.

I hope you find some relief for him soon.

There is a product called Bene-bac, which contains the gut bacteria. It's designed specifically for bottle fed babies. I'm not sure if KMR has it already but I've used it with much success. I got mine in little squeeze tubes, one time use, at PetSmart.

You might also consider that he might have coxidia or guardia - these infections aren't uncommon in foundlings. A trip to the vet with a stool sample should answer that.

The important thing is - is he hydrated? He looks fine but keep your eye on that. The runs can really hurt them quickly at this age - not to mention his poor sore butt!

I'm not going to be of any help, since I have never dealt with cat diarrhea.

But I just have to say he is a little face!

Poooooooooooor baby!! when I bottle feed I use the bene bac, you can get it at most pet stores it has the good bacteria that the gut needs.Also I would keep vaseline on the babies bum to keep the air from drying it more plus peee and stuff getting in the raw area and infecting it.Good luck and bless you for taking care of this little kitten ( also has the kitten been tested for cocidia and giardia(sp)? if not I would have that done...my last litter all had the cocidia and they had really bad watery stool and were put on a medicine to treat the symptoms!

Originally Posted by TaraRose

What type of diaper rash creme? That's exactly what I was wondering about..is it safe to use several times a day?

I don't know what is causing the diarrhea. He seems to have loose stool on the canned KMR, then when we switched to powdered he got constipated, then when I switched back to canned he got diarrhea again. It very well could be a parasite or something as well, I wonder if we shouldn't send out a fecal on him.

Click to expand...

I used a zinc cream. It really help Lucky . I would try using half canned half powdered. Poor baby

What a doll! I can't wait until I get my summer bottle babies!

Well his bum looks much better even just from one day of proper cleaning and medication. Much less raw..still pretty sore looking but better. I was thinking about sending a fecal out on the little guy, I will try to get enough poo for that tomorrow. No telling what mom had as far as parasites. We did test her for felv/fiv but nothing besides that.

He is also starting to play, and getting rough...biting and bunny kicking. What is the best way to discourage this type of rough play?? It is really adorable now but I have a feeling it won't be nearly so cute in about 6 weeks or so...lol

Originally Posted by TaraRose

Well his bum looks much better even just from one day of proper cleaning and medication. Much less raw..still pretty sore looking but better. I was thinking about sending a fecal out on the little guy, I will try to get enough poo for that tomorrow. No telling what mom had as far as parasites. We did test her for felv/fiv but nothing besides that.

He is also starting to play, and getting rough...biting and bunny kicking. What is the best way to discourage this type of rough play?? It is really adorable now but I have a feeling it won't be nearly so cute in about 6 weeks or so...lol

Click to expand...

Rough play - best NOT to encourage him to use your hands as toys... try transferring his playful energy to a small stuffed toy of some sort - like a surrogate sibling.

Originally Posted by AddieBee

Rough play - best NOT to encourage him to use your hands as toys... try transferring his playful energy to a small stuffed toy of some sort - like a surrogate sibling.

Click to expand...

ABSOLUTELY agree.

We have followed the same pttern with our cats.

It may be tough to resist with a small kitten like that but when they get rough, we take our hands away, i.e. no attention (reward) for being rough, as far as hand contact goes; we also redirect them to a toy as you recommend.

It works very well and makes for a nicer adult cat.

Taz, our 19 pound (not fat, just BIG), neutered ginger tom was raised that way. It is a good thing something his size and strength was not raised to fight with people's hands

Great suggestion on redirecting to a stuffed animal. I imagine learning to play like that is an important part of a developing kitty psyche but I would prefer if he learned how on something other than people He has a little kitten beanie baby he's been snuggling with that would work perfectly, it is just about exactly his size

I wish I were more help, I just wanted to say what a beautiful little fellow he is and I hope things work out for him. He looks like a precious little