Kitten with Constipation?

Long story short, I ended up with a kitten who's, to my best guess from the internet research I've been doing, is about four weeks old. I've been caring for him for a week now, feeding him canned cat food mixed with kitten replacement formula. He refuses to drink the formula straight, and no matter how much water I present him with, he won't drink it. I've been hoping the forumla and the water in the food has been enough for now. While he was still adjusting to the food, there was diarrhea one night, and then he had a few days where he didn't poop much and it was pretty watery when he did. He'd be squatting there for an appropriate amount of time, but just wouldn't produce much.

Then yesterday, he pooped three times, two small ones and then one big one, and it seemed to be the right consistency. It had shape, but was still wet. Then we get to today, and he pooped maybe three little "pellets", and that seemed very stressful for him, but they didn't seem especially hard or dry. Then when I took him out (I'm training him indoor/outdoor like our other cat) and he squatted for about fifteen seconds and absolutely nothing came out. He mewed a little bit like it was uncomfortable for him.

He has a very healthy appetite and he doesn't seem uncomfortable at any other time. He's very active when he's not cat-napping. I know that doesn't mean something can't be wrong (obviously, something's nothing right!), but I'm trying to give the whole picture.

I stimulated his bowel movements and urine the first two days he was with me, and then he started going on his own, and has been going on his own ever since. Should I be trying to stimulate him again to try and get things going? Or is he totally done with that?

Obviously, I don't want to wait very long to try something, and I've been reading up on home remedies, but I don't know if those things are okay to use on a kitten so young. Would it be okay to try things like pumpkin? Should I be eye-dropper-ing water into him since he won't drink it on his own? I can't really afford a vet at the moment, at least not without trying a few home remedies first.

Thank you, everyone, for any advice you can offer me. I've never dealt with a kitten this young before, so all of this is pretty new to me. I'm sort of nervous that I'm doing everything wrong!

If you're adding water/formula to his canned food, that should be plenty of water. For the constipation, try Laxatone or pumpkin, or hold his back end under warm running water (my method of stimulating small kittens to go. But if he's really backed up it won't work). Worst case scenario, you'll have to use an enema.

I agree with Willowy and his advices.   Cats eating wet food dont need drink much. If you water it out with formula, it should be more than enough.  No wonder he doenst feel any need to drink water.  

It is of course good he knows how to drink water, so do always have a bowl of fresh water standing somewhere (NOT immediate near his food bowls, nor near his litter)

but physiologically speaking, he dont need more now.

How about trying a food with a prebiotic in it?  This worked for my cat’s IBS.  He had very inconsistent poops until we put him on the grain-free Natural Balance Alpha.  It’s good for kittens through adult cats, so you might want to try something like this.  Just like prebiotics help people with intestional problems, they help animals too!

I wonder what the outcome was?  The OP asked their question 5 days ago.