Some advice, got a sick kitten with an internal lump!

Hello there,

 New here, and glad I found this site! Well I work for a shelter and we currently have plenty of kittens, one of which had been perfectly happy and healthy till this morning. He is 5 weeks old today, I came in this morning he was very lethargic and just sickly. I took him to our vet they said he was constipated and dehydrated. He has gotten quite a few water/dish soap enema's (per the vets request) and is on SubQ fluids with all the extras. They told me he HAD to poop. Well I have gotten a few nuggets out, and when I was trying to again I felt an internal lump. It does not feel like an umbilical hernia, its a bit bigger than a peanut, and feels like I could pop it if i squeezed to hard, it almost feels like there is muscle on either side of it. The vet is now closed and we are not allowed to make after hours visits with the critters. So I am stuck here wondering if there is anything I can do, if anyone may know what this might be, and if it could be the cause of the kittens sickness. Any help or advice is greatly appreciated!

Thank You!

 Tia

I sit here writing this in tears, the poor kitten just didn't make it. I tried everything I could for him and he was just to far gone. Just wanted to give that little update.

I am so sorry the little guy didn't make it, I know how sad it is to lose one despite the fact that at this time of year there is no shortage of kittens.  I'm not sure if your vet would be amenable to do a quick post mortem on him to see what the lump was -- if so, wrap the little guy up and put him in the fridge.  There are several not uncommon things it could be, including intussusception (where one portion of the intestine slides inside the next) which can only be fixed with emergency surgery, or, at five weeks, if he has gotten into CLUMPING kitty litter and eaten some of it and it formed a clump in his intestine (we never use clumping litter around babies because they almost always eat litter before they know what else to do with it.  We use beach sand with the babies and then regular non-clumping litter.)  In a case like this, most rescues would want to know, but not if it costs a fortune.  Most vets would want to know too, however, so the vet might do the exam for free.  If there will not be a post mortem, then bury him in your garden, plant something on his grave and light a candle, sending him off with love.  BTW I am 70 now and it never stops hurting when you lose one.

I am so sorry for your loss.  If you would like, we would be honored if you posted a tribute to your little guy at http://www.thecatsite.com/f/19/crossing-the-bridge