Sick baby kittens please help

I just got 3 baby kittens about 4 weeks old. The women who was caring for them was not or didn't know what she was doing. When I got them they were loaded with fleas, had fecal matter matted in their fur and around thier puts that I actually had to shave some of it off. They are also extreamly underweight tho seem to have gained some in the 24 hours Ive had them.

They also have very watery diah and the one is pooping out this pastey white looking stuff. She was only feeding them twice a day on the bottle and said they were eating regular food but they arnt they looked at it with no intrest.

What I'm doing I brought them home and bathed them in baby shampoo so they are now defleaed. I've been feeding them formula every two hours and trying to see if they will eat some wet food (they do have teeth) I want them to get the nutrients they are prob lacking due to the women not feeding them enough. Im also giving them some nutracal for extra calories. They are using a litter box and active.

Question I have is how do I get the diah to stop. I've deluted the formula. The diah is liquid and it was tinged with a little blood but now its more watery with mucus. The one that was pooping the white the last stool was just watery. I had them to the vet and he said they are too little to give anything to and to just keep an eye on them. It could just be from changing foods or the formula was too rich.

Is there anything else I should be doing?

They are all grey one shorthair and two long hair all are males. Names are Einstien, Graham, and Franklin

Thanks in advance

sheltieluver said:

They also have very watery diah and the one is pooping out this pastey white looking stuff. 

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From the Kitten Care Handbook: http://www.kittenrescue.org/index.php/cat-care/kitten-care-handbook/


Guide to the Rainbow of Poop
and Urine Colors (The Scoop on Poop):


Honestly, I'd be inclined to get another opinion from a different vet.

They need to be treated and I highly recommend going to a vet who is open to giving them dewormers/treatment since without intervention they could end up not making it. They should be able to get Albon at four weeks for coccidia (which they could very likely have and could KILL them if left untreated), Panacur Suspension for giardia, and they definitely should have at least been given strongid although they can even get Drontal by four weeks depending on how below weight they are. It could be from diet, but I have never had a kitten have blood tinged and severe yellow liquid diarrhea from a diet change solely- I have seen it many times in kittens with parasite/protazoa issues or viral infections.

I think you need to get a fecal done on them ASAP. Sometimes Coccidia and Giardia will not show up on a fecal (especially giardia), so if the fecal is negative most vets will still start prescribing dewormers and go from one dewormer to the next until the diarrhea is gone. Strongid (roundworm) and Drontal are standard dewormers that most kittens always get. Albon and Baycox are used for Coccidiosis and then Panacur as well as Flagyl are used for Giardia manytimes (although panacur also covers other things that Drontal covers as well.)  I've seen a lot of vets who have kittens with diarrhea and a fecal that comes back negative will put the kitten on Albon to cover coccidiosis and then add Flagyl to help the GI tract while also combatting Giardia so that there is a "two prong approach."

My point being, get them to a vet asap and I do think that the vet should do more than this other vet did IMO..but I am also not a vet so I think the best thing is to take them to another vet for a second opinion.

In the mean time they are at risk of dehydration- continue feeding every 2 hours and you can give them pedialyte with a syringe to keep their fluids up. There are pedialyte recipes that you should be able to find by searching "pedialyte" or "home made electrolyte solution" in the forums. Also, what formula are you using? And are they eating well with the wet food and formula? As far as the yellowish very light stools I have had kittens poop out very odd things due to awful and inappropriate diets being fed before they came here, but at this point I would be more concerned about parasites. 

IF after being treated with the appropriate dewormers the kittens still had diarrhea I would then be more concerned about more "serioius" issues that are harder to manage/fix. 

Also it is very important that you weigh them every day- do you have a food or postal scale on hand by any chance?

Also, I would be very inclined to think Coccidiosis first which means they need treatment asap. It is curable but without medication they can very easily not make it.

I really am pretty disappointed that this vet didn't even collect a fecal sample with with them already having yellow and mucousy blood-tinged diarrhea:-/

I should have mentioned that he did worm them with strongit(sp). I'm feeding them KMR powder formula. I will stop and get some pedialite tomorrow for them. I'm also going to drop a fecal off at the vet anyway just to make sure nothing else is going on. I've been raising bottle kittens for a while now and tho some had diah during the weening stage I've never had any with blood.

I do have a food scale and they did gain which is good. I'm more worried about the runt he was the thinnest of the three and isn't as active as the other two. They eat the formula well the one will nibble at kibble but won't touch any wet food. Ive tried everything from the best brand foods to the crappier end foods. I've tried adding some formula to the wet food. I will put it on my finger and they will smell it and if  I put it in thier mouths they just spit it out..

I'm going to get some baby food chicken/ turkey and see if they will eat that.

I did see the one lap some water. They are peeing.

Strongid only covers round worms and it sounds like these guys have something more serious going on it seems. Even if the fecal is negative its pretty obvious something is going on and something needs to be done ASAP so I would still push for them to give Albon for seven to ten days and then if that doesn't help then panacur for seven days. I would not expect and have never seen kittens with the poop you are describing from food change alone . glad they are eating well and starting to drink water. Hopefully something will show up on the fecal but if not still do not rule out parasite. And I would insist they get results tomorrow since it is urgent and if they won't they I'd bring it somewhere else if at all possible. Hopefully they will do it same day with no problem for you.
Good luck with them

Good new today though still diah it was thicker and brown no blood. I'm still going to take a sample in tho. They are more active and the runt who is so much smaller than the others was alot more allert and active this morning. I think because his brothers are more active and beat him up he stays by himself. He was batting a ball around and he loves to be cuddled he was purring and rubbing on me. I think they are under devoloped and behind schedule because the woman who had them really didn't do anything with them. They were so lethargic when I got them I really thought they wern't going to make it. They gained more weight.

How long should I do the formula for I would have had them almost weened by now still supplementing with a bottle but mostly wet kitten food but since they arnt eating the kitten food because they never were introduced to it they rely on the bottle plus I was afraid since this woman wasnt feeding them enough formula they didn't get the nutrients they needed.

So I am livid at the vet I took him too he was doing better this morning but by this afternoon he was lethargic not eating very much and still had runny poo. Yet again he said I just need to give him time to adjust. I said there is nothing you can give him he said he didn't think it was parasites because they were too little. Whatever I was just getting more annoyed with him so I just said ok and left and called another vet.

The new vet was so nice she said the kitten was severly dehydrated and yes they can have parisites this young(Duh) She gave him some iv fluids, checked his blood sugar to make sure it wasnt low, gave all 3 kittens Albon to go home with. She told me to continue giving him the nutrical and try feeding him every 3-4 hours that maybe he isn't hungry since he ate pretty well this morning but I feed him every two hours so he just might be getting to much. She told me to watch for vomiting and/or gagging. and any problems give them a call and they will fit him in. They actually were booked but saw me as an emergency because they didn't think he should go til tomorrow.

I'm hoping this little guy hangs in hes had such a tough start in life I'm really trying to do the best I can for him. If you can send good mojo his way it would be very much appricated.

Thank god you saw the other (good vet). I cannot believe the other vet did nothing to a kitten who would obviously die without treatment.

Anyway, so glad she gave them fluids and started them on Albon. I feel so much better knowing you saw the other vet.

Anyway, keep us updated and hopefully the little guy will pull through. Keep monitoring for dehydration as that will take him down very easily. You can syringe feed him the pedialyte or eletrolyte solution I mentioned earlier two or three times a day I would think to help keep those fluid levels from dropping too low.

I've been syringing him some water also and will take him back to get more fluids if needed. I also think maybe the electrolites wouldn't hurt either. He was a little more perky this evening. He even ate a little Fancy Feast kitten food warmed up off my finger. Not the best food I know but at this point I'm just trying to get him to eat anything. Will keep you posted. Thanks for your help.

Glad to hear he ate some wet! Fancy feast is okay at least he is getting some protein from meat in him.

So Einstien still wasn't eating this morning and still kind of lethargic. Ive been syringing him every 2 hours over night and thru out the day of formula and water about 2cc each feeding. This afternoon he ate a little A/D canned warmed in the microwave off my finger about a teaspoon. I gave him some more iv fluids also. Now hes perky running around , playing and ate some more a/d and drank some formula on his own, Hoping this is a good sign.

Yes if he perked up a lot after the IV fluids he was probably really dehydrated. If you can do them on your own I would do them once a day to twice a day depending on the amount he gets each time ( you can ask the vet too about amounts to give him and how much)
How are their stools? Not always, but a lot of times if they do have coccidiosis you will start to see improvement on albon after four days. That being said it does take longer sometimes too. The stools will slowly start to become more formed and less mucousy. If he is still having bad diarrhea you may want to tell the vet as she may want to put him on Flagyl/ metronidazole as well to help control the diarrhea while you try to find the problem and treat it. He is small to be on it but we have used it in emergencies on young kittens who would have died without it. Did they get a fecal on this guy to be sure he does have coccidiosis?
Just keep her updated incase she thinks anything needs to be changed.
The more wet he can get the better even if that means mixing a little wet with his formula when you syringe feed him. A/D is good at being mixed if I'm not mistaken. Formula is good to but I think he will get his strength from getting some meat protein in his system.
Keep up the good work and hopefully the little guy will keep doing well today!

Yes they did a stool sample. They said they would call if there was any parasites so far I havent gotten a call. Franklin pooped normal today totally solid, Graham and Einstein still have loose stools but not like water and mucus like before its a light tan and just thick. I've had bottle kittens whos poos were like this on the formula so I'm not as worried hopefully they will start to clear up soon. Hes still perky and I gave him more fluids today hes getting 4cc as per the vet. He ate wet Fancy feast today on his own about 1/4 of a can and also had the bottle I offer him the wet first then the bottle because I want him to have more protien but I worry he didn't get enough nutrients from the forumula since the woman was only feeding them twice a day.

I really am thinking of keeping Graham hes a long hair grey and I just love the long hairs but I have 5 of my own so not sure if I would want 6. He is so stinkin cute tho!!!

I love the name Graham I just adopted out my foster kitty graham a few days ago he was the color of a graham cracker hence the name lol

See if they'll come to tuna. My cat smells it from the other room.

Thanks for the suggestion but I don't give any of my cats or kittens fish at all. Fish actually isn't good for cats.

Einstien is doing well today playing and running around. I moved them from thier carrier now that hes better and put them in a playpen area so they can run arond( until they figure out how to climb the gate). They have thier two litter boxes in there, a bed, water, toys and a cat tunnel which they love to chase each other thru.

Einstien still has diah so does Graham so I'm going to call the vet tomorrow to see if she thinks we need to put them on something else with the Albon. Tho they are better I don't want Einstien to get dehydrated again. He has been eating on his own. I have to get him started on the wet food off my finger then he will eat it from the plate of course making a big mess standing in it. Its hard to see how much he is actually getting because he gets more on himself then I think he eats. Im also still giving him a bottle after he eats if he is still acting hungry. Hes the only one I do this for every meal. The others get a bottle in the morning and in the late evening and wet food the other two times I'm trying to ween them off the bottle. They eat about every 4 hours now. The other two eat wet  alot better than einstien. I'm still amazed that the women who had them said they were eating on thier own.

Happy update!!! Einstien is doing great its been a little over a week since our trip to the vet and him being very sick. Hes now doing great. Eating and drinking on his own. gaining weight, playing and today he figured out how to climb up his playpen.The others are doing great as well and Graham will be staying with me. This will be cat number 6 for me. The other two will be going next week to be adopted out.

I lost my new baby kitty last night from this because he was given to me very young with this and was severly malnourished and dehydrated. If your kitty gets this I would definitely advise you to go to the vet ASAP! I took him 4 days ago and they were not concerned but gave him medication to fix the sickness.. But he continued to not eat or drink without me forcing it. I tried to fix it myself with syringes of fluids and formula substitutions but waited to late to go back to the vet. He basically was 11% dehydrated and extremely dehydrated. Always look at the kittens eye sockets you should not see the eyes sunken in at all. I was educated on this last night. He was given a lot of meds but the vet couldn't get a iv yet bc he was that dehydrated. We thought maybe he could fight it and make it but it was to late. I now have a knew baby on the way over right now that a friend is giving me. Does anyone know anything about how I need to clean or disinfect before I get the new kitty here?

nursekbl said:

I I tried to fix it myself with syringes of fluids and formula substitutions but waited to late to go back to the vet. ...... Does anyone know anything about how I need to clean or disinfect before I get the new kitty here?

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It is not sure a new vet visit would help.  Many vets arent experienced with helping weak kittens.

they are usually good treating visible problems, but not weak kittens...  so for example, it seems quite a many vets dont know how to feed by tube.  Which is dangerous and difficult for a newbe, but very useful for a rescuer who often must rescue weak or premature kittens.

And few vets take in such weak kittens and treat hem several days in the clinic (if they do, they often take horrendous payment).

Im a little astonished vets didnt gave her fluids subcutan with a syringe.   vets can do it and often do.   You dont meniton this them doing...

So, in such cases - DO contact your vet  He may come with good advices. He may even be one of these who is really good with weak kittens. Or may perhaps recommend a collegue nearby.

But the rescuer must be prepared to do 99% of the work herself, and in practice the best help is often from a good forum, like ours... Or even better, a good friend who has herself rescuer or breeder experiences.

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Wash off as much as possible with hot fluid soap... All clothes, towels etc in so hot water you can, preferably 95 celsius (=almost boiling water).

  If you think it was something contagious, there are antibacterial and antiviral preparates to wash off your place and furnitures....   Looks in shops for horses, they have plenty of  such, and its probably cheapest there.

You yourself can have handcleaning alco-gel, and change clothes and shoes in between the sick bay, and rest of the flat with your residents.

Best you start a new, own thread for your new, own protegé.

Good luck!