TheCatSite.com › Forums › Our Feline Companions › Pregnant Cats and Kitten Care › Urgent!! Found tiny kitten, need help!
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Urgent!! Found tiny kitten, need help!

post #1 of 200
6/13/10 at 1:57pm
Thread Starter 
My uncle found a tiny kitten stuck in the mud behind his house 2 days ago. The thing is so tiny that it fits in the palm of your hand.
Its skin and bones and seems to have something wrong with its anus. The anus looks very swollen and it screams when you touch it.
My uncle didn't know what to do, so i told him I would look after it until it gets a little bigger and is more stable.
I just got it today, he had been feeding it kitten formula every 4 hours or so.
Seeing as the kitten is so tiny and skinny, should it be eating more often??

Also, any advice on the anus?? I don't think they were stimulating it for the 2 days that they had her. She also seems to have a constant 'leak' of poo out her bottom.

Any help would be appreciated. I'm a little worried and don't know what to do. She will be going in for a checkup tomorrow night, but until then I need some help.
Reply
post #2 of 200
6/13/10 at 2:09pm
Thread Starter 
Here are some pics




Reply
post #3 of 200
6/13/10 at 2:14pm
Okay, I will give you some info and I know others will be chiming in.

Keep the baby warm. Make up a rice heating sock. Take a cotton sock and fill with uncooked rice. Tie end with twine and microwave approx 45 seconds. Do not fill too full as you want it to conform to the baby. Make sure it is not too hot. Microwaves are not alike. Just comfortably warm.

Keep up the feedings Are you using KMR? Does she lap it up or are you using a bottle? The anus deal is concerning. IMO, I would not touch her there. You may do more harm than good. She may have leaky stool due to worms. Your vet can council you better on this. Try to gently keep her clean back there. I know its hard to do.

Any guess as to how old? Eyes open, ears upright? Poor darling. I would give her all the formula she will take. I would say offer it every 3-4 hours right now.

I hope someone else chimes in. There are numerous threads under this forum regarding this.

Please keep us posted and I will help as well as I can. Nothing takes the place of a vet visit. I would try to get in a bit earlier tho. This poor dear has been untended to medically for too long. I will keep watch for you.
Reply
post #4 of 200
6/13/10 at 2:17pm
Just saw the pics. She looks maybe 4 weeks old and able to eat and drink. Can you get some wet kitten food? She looks old enough to be eating this. Mix it with some warm KMR at first to make it palatable to her.

SHe is precious and very lucky to have you and your uncle looking after her.
Reply
post #5 of 200
6/13/10 at 2:41pm
Thread Starter 
I don't think she's four weeks yet. She is so so tiny and still very uncoordinated. They said when they found her, that it looked like her eyes were still opening.
I have her on a heating pad right now set at low and covered with a towel. She has been lying on it for a while now and seems to like it.

I'm feeding her a kitten formula (bought at a pet store) it says its for kittens 0-6 weeks old. Its not KMR though.

The poor things ribs, hips, and backbone are sticking out. Its pitiful.
Reply
post #6 of 200
6/13/10 at 2:46pm
She does look to be about 4 weeks old. She should be eating some solids by now, but probably will still want a bottle. Try some canned food mixed with KMR to make a mush, and you might even want to keep a bowl of dry food available as well, she might start nibbling on that soon.

For her poopy problem, I think a bath wouldn't be a bad idea. She looks to be generally healthy, and as long as you keep her warm she'll be fine. She probably ate something nasty or has the diarrhea from worms. But being clean will make her feel better.

She's old enough that she doesn't need any help going potty. Try offering her a shallow litterbox with non-clumping litter and see if she'll use it.
Reply
post #7 of 200
6/13/10 at 2:57pm
Thread Starter 
She just tried to poo and nothing came out so I think she might be constipated.
I put some wet food in there and she's eating it right now with gusto. I dont' think she knew what it was at first. I'll have to get some kitten food tomorrow when I take her to the vet. This stuff right now is Science Diet a/d for sick cats, but I figured it would be good on her digestive system.
Reply
post #8 of 200
6/13/10 at 5:55pm
She's definitely older than my kittens and they are 3 weeks. I think you seem to be doing all the right things. She probably does have worms the poor baby. The vet can worm her and she will start to feel better.
Reply
post #9 of 200
6/14/10 at 1:38am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for all your help so far. She's eating the wet food/milk very well. So I think she'll be plump and rolly soon, but the butt issue is really bothering me. She's still 'leaking' poo everywhere and it stinks REALLLY bad. I'm thinking she might have some type of bacteria or parasite or something??
Reply
post #10 of 200
6/14/10 at 2:39am
She may have something like that, but the vet will fix her up.

Does she have a name? Cute little sweetie. She should start to bulk up now with some wet food. When you are out today, get her some kitten wet food.

You and your uncle are quality for saving this poor babe.

Let us know how vet visit goes!
Reply
post #11 of 200
6/14/10 at 7:01am
She is absolutely PRECIOUS! You and your uncle are wonderful... Sending vibes to the lil doll.
Reply
post #12 of 200
6/14/10 at 11:27am
I hope she has seen a vet by now- that swollen anus can be a symptom of some real trouble.
Reply
post #13 of 200
6/14/10 at 3:30pm
Thread Starter 
We just got back from the vets. The vet said she is so skinny that she probably wouldn't have lasted another day outside. She weighs 0.4lbs right now.
The vet also thinks the anus issue is due to worms or bacteria in the intestines, and the bum is just so swollen because its irritated.
She's on an antibiotic and anti-inflammatory as well as a de-wormer.

The vet is optimistic that she will make a full recovery, but she told me to watch out for an anal prolapse. The fecal smear came back good. No parasites. YAY!
Reply
post #14 of 200
6/14/10 at 4:24pm
That's GREAT news.

Whlle the other photo's, taken out of necessity, are less flattering in order to show the details of concern, she is a nice looking kittem the first photo; I like the markings.

Thats excellent that you're taking care of her, best wishes and I hope all goes well!
Reply
post #15 of 200
6/14/10 at 4:49pm
Glad to hear it! Now you can concentrate on getting a bit of wt on her.

It is so good of you to take this little waif on. for the babe!
Reply
post #16 of 200
6/14/10 at 4:56pm
Thread Starter 
Well I just gave her a bath, and to be honest, I have never seem an animal this skinny and still alive. All her ribs are visable, you can see the individual vertibrae in her back, her hip bones, even her brest bone is sticking out. I don't think there is an ounce of fat on her body. Its heartbreaking to see something like that. I knew she was skinny, but this is ridiculous.
How long do you guys think it will take her to bouce back??
Oh, and my uncle just told me her name is Alley. (as in alley cat, haha)
Here are some pictures
After bath



Warm and dry (she absolutely LOVES the blowdryer by the way. She was rollling all over so I could dry every part of her, haha.) BTW- the black cat in the edge of the photo is my 8 week old kitten- this shows you how small the poor thing is.
Reply
post #17 of 200
6/14/10 at 5:02pm
Holy cow! She IS small! Can't really tell from her photos alone, but your kitten looks like a giant compared to her!

I'm glad you got her to the vet and that she's expected to make a full recovery. Good for you for taking care of her! I'm sure she'll thrive under your care!
Reply
post #18 of 200
6/14/10 at 5:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gothicangel69 View Post
How long do you guys think it will take her to bouce back??
A differnt problem but when Taz found us (not the other way around) he was approx. 12 weeks of age, he had a mangled tail, an infection in his mouth and the vet said he would have been dead in another 24 hours.

He was shot full of antibiotics, the vet amptated his tail to "lynx length".

Only two days latter, he was running around like hooligan, tormenting our "Old Girls" that we had at the time. I think they can be pretty resiliant.

I think this kitten has a bit more of a challenge but with the care you're giving, I am hoping recovery will be reasonably quick.

She may have eating issues out of the experience, Kasey went through a time when she didn't get enough to eat and she's still trying to make up for it.

That's funny about the blow drying, my Mother had a long haired cat in the 1980's that liked to be vacuumed. That warm dryer blast must feel really good.
Reply
post #19 of 200
6/14/10 at 6:19pm
AWWW she is absolutely adorable!

I'm so glad the vet visit went well, and I hope the meds start working quickly, I'm sure her lil hiney hurts! She is super tiny, the bath pics make her head look so much bigger than her body, lol..

You and your uncle are wonderful, selfless people for helping this poor baby!

that she makes a fast and full recovery!

BTW, who will be keeping her, you or your uncle?
Reply
post #20 of 200
6/14/10 at 7:12pm
good health vibes for Alley. I found a kitten last summer . Not quite as skinny as your little girl. You count count every rib on her and feel her bony spine. Within a few weeks she started plumping up. My nephew's girlfriend took her.

Reply
post #21 of 200
6/14/10 at 8:57pm
If by chance her little bum is still sore, you can put a small amount of desitin OR olive oil on it. Either one would soothe her nicely, I've used both on little kitty bottoms before and had it work wonders. As for gaining weight, if she's on a good quality kitten food (honestly, I would recommend dry, even if you have to soak it down in water or the kmr a little to get her to eat it) you should notice her start packing it on. I just finished with a litter of 3, and one girl was HUGE compared to the other two, and the one was sooo skinny, no matter how often I was bottling her. Finally she started eating solids (well, soaked in the kmr/water) and with in a couple weeks, she's a little heifer!

Its amazing what just being warm and dry .. and having some regular meals will do. Also, if her smear was clean, and she continues to 'leak' and smell baaaad, you might consider getting her tested for coccidia. I've never had a cat with it, but I hear its yellowish STAAAAANK poops.

Also, if her diet isn't plumping her up well, you can add a little raw to it. I surprise my kitties every now and then with a little bit of the raw mix for the ferrets, and they love it :-D
Reply
post #22 of 200
6/15/10 at 1:40am
Thread Starter 
My uncle is going to keep her once she gets better. I have two cats right now, and do not have the room for another one.
The vet did test for coccidia, which came back clear.
Reply
post #23 of 200
6/15/10 at 4:22am
Once she starts regular feeding and good food, she will plump up quick. Her body language sounds great which is a reflection on how she is feeling.

Alley is a precious little thing. Someone or something directed your uncle to where she was. You guys are her guardian angels.
Reply
post #24 of 200
6/15/10 at 3:10pm
She is so tiny, poor thing! She is really lucky to have you. Keep doing what you are doing and keep us posted!
Reply
post #25 of 200
6/15/10 at 3:10pm
Eeeeee! She's so cute! Don't worry about her size, she'll catch up. I had a litter of malnourished kittens last year, they were soooo tiny. It was funny, because at 8 weeks they were the size of little 4-week-olds, but were doing all the big-cat things 8-week-olds do. I kept one of the boys and my brother kept the little girl, and they caught up. Even at 6 months they were small for their ages, but now they're a year old and you wouldn't know the difference.
Reply
post #26 of 200
6/16/10 at 1:37pm
Thread Starter 
Can starvation cause brain damage?? She's eating well, and getting better, but something just seems very 'off' about her.
Reply
post #27 of 200
6/16/10 at 4:48pm
Well she may still be very weak hun, where she was malnurished. She should come around, but she may have some kind of neurological disorder which the vet would be able to look into more if you notice she isn't developing.
Reply
post #28 of 200
6/16/10 at 6:03pm
Some thoughts I can offer;

It has only been barely 3 days.

I would expect she has been through quite a lot.

She is likely not up to anywhere near full strength.

She is probably not used to her surroundings, yet.


IMHO, all or at least a few of these things would impair her behaviour and response to things around her. She is probably still getting used to the major improovement in things.

I would like to think, and hope, that with the good care you have been giving her, and a little time, that she will come around once the good foods and med.'s take hold.
Reply
post #29 of 200
6/18/10 at 1:01pm
Thread Starter 
I think she's starting to get an eye infection. When I woke up this morning, her eye was a little pussy and half shut. I picked up some polysporin eye gel today, and that should hopefully fix the problem.

I let her out of the crate to play for the first time last night (for about 15 minutes). The vet wanted me to wait until Sunday, but she was looking for playful that I figured 15 minutes wouldn't really hurt that bad.
It was so cute. She was trying to run, but kept falling onto her face because her front legs were so weak. She would go flipping right over onto her back, then get right back up and do it again.
Reply
post #30 of 200
6/18/10 at 4:24pm
I am wondering if a little L-Lysine wouldn't help this sweet baby? I don't know how young you can give it? Hopefully someone else here knows the answer.

A couple of my guys have eye issues and the lysine has been a big help. I would talk to a vet about dosing given her size and weight.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Pregnant Cats and Kitten Care
TheCatSite.com › Forums › Our Feline Companions › Pregnant Cats and Kitten Care › Urgent!! Found tiny kitten, need help!