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3 wk old kitten won't go to the bathroom

post #1 of 4
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I work as a vet tech and we've got an adorable 3 week old kitten that somebody found abandoned in their tool shed. We've already found the wee one a home, but we want him fully weened before sending him home. So I got the task of bringing him home with me and bottle feeding him (at least for this weekend). Problem is we've had him for a day and a half and he still won't go to the bathroom! I've tried stimulating him with warm water soaked cotton balls, a soft cloth, paper towels...everything. Never had too much trouble with the other babies I've bottle fed. Any tricks or advice?
post #2 of 4
I took on an orphaned litter at 20 days old. Because of the switch from mother's milk to KMR, they got a little constipated at first. They did their first poop about 2 days after we started, and that required stimulation. They started to poop on their own closer to 4 weeks old.
post #3 of 4
It also could be the stress of changing homes - it took both of mine 2 days for them to use the litter boxes, and almost the same time to eat... Hang in there!
post #4 of 4
Quote:
Originally Posted by carolinalima View Post
It also could be the stress of changing homes - it took both of mine 2 days for them to use the litter boxes, and almost the same time to eat... Hang in there!
At 3 weeks old, this little one isn't old enough to use a litter box on her own. The magic time for starting to be able to poop on their own without stimulation is somewhere between 3-1/2 and 4 weeks old, at which time you should place them in a litter box and stimulate them there so they relate the box to elimination.
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