Have no idea what could be wrong with my kitten.

tocahontas · Apr 29, 2014

I adopted a stray kitten a few weeks ago who I approximated to be about 5 weeks old. He's now around 8 weeks old now and he's been having some issues going to the bathroom. His stool is the proper shape, color, and firmness but his butt protrudes before he goes to the bathroom and instantly goes down after he poops. There is nothing sticking out so I know it's not a prolapse and anal gland issues don't seem to fit the bill. I've been feeding him strictly Wellness wet food since I got him. I've been thinking it might be constipation so I'm sure to mix lots of extra water into it for even more moisture and he seems to drink from his water bowl every now and then but this issue keeps occurring. I decided to buy some canned pumpkin to see if that helps him at all. Any thoughts on what it could be?

stephenq · Apr 30, 2014

Ho @tocahontas

If his stools are normal and they sound normal, i'm not sure what the issue is? What do you mean by "his butt protrudes" and "instantly goes down"? can you clarify?

A cat will bend his body so the rear and is pointing down when he poops, this is normal. Are you describing something specific with the anus itself?

Thanks

tocahontas · Apr 30, 2014

I'm not really sure how to explain it. His anus gets swollen and pokes out then as soon as he poops it instantly returns to a normal flat butt.

StephenQ said:
Ho @tocahontas

If his stools are normal and they sound normal, i'm not sure what the issue is? What do you mean by "his butt protrudes" and "instantly goes down"? can you clarify?

A cat will bend his body so the rear and is pointing down when he poops, this is normal. Are you describing something specific with the anus itself?

Thanks

I'm not really sure how to explain it. His anus gets swollen and pokes out then as soon as he poops it instantly returns to a normal flat butt. Also when it pokes out it's a little pink and raw looking. The pink is part of his anus and not something sticking out as far as I can tell, so I don't think it's a prolapse. He cries a bit when he's going and seem to struggle sometimes which is why I'm trying to treat him with pumpkin. He gets lots of exercise, has put on healthy weight, he's worm and bug free, and other than this in perfectly good health and happy.

stephenq · Apr 30, 2014

Hi and in my last post I meant "Hi" not "Ho" sorry!

Most of that sounds pretty normal except the crying. So perhaps his stool is a tad on the fir, side so i understand adding the pumpkin, or alternatively you could sprinkle a 1/4 to a1/2 teaspoon of miralax powder in his food with a vet's OK.

tocahontas · Apr 30, 2014

StephenQ said:
Hi and in my last post I meant "Hi" not "Ho" sorry!

Most of that sounds pretty normal except the crying. So perhaps his stool is a tad on the fir, side so i understand adding the pumpkin, or alternatively you could sprinkle a 1/4 to a1/2 teaspoon of miralax powder in his food with a vet's OK.

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to see if the added fiber makes any difference.

I saw that his butt was swelling up again so I wiped it with a warm wet cotton ball, and shortly after he went poop. Not sure if the two were related or if he just had to go. His stool seemed nice and soft and he only cried once when he was digging his hole beforehand and it wasn't a painful cry so I think he was just announcing he was going to the bathroom.

andrya · Apr 30, 2014

l caught a tiny feral kitten years ago who had this issue too, it looked bulging and raw. l had him vetted and the vet at the time thought it was a bad case of worms (although l'm sure any irritation back there would cause a similar look). The kitten was dewormed twice and his backside went back to normal.

peaches08 · Apr 30, 2014

tocahontas said:
Thanks for the advice. I'm going to see if the added fiber makes any difference.

I saw that his butt was swelling up again so I wiped it with a warm wet cotton ball, and shortly after he went poop. Not sure if the two were related or if he just had to go. His stool seemed nice and soft and he only cried once when he was digging his hole beforehand and it wasn't a painful cry so I think he was just announcing he was going to the bathroom.

I'd be careful adding fiber. It can make constipation worse. I'd go with the Miralax like StephenQ mentioned instead. Miralax is an osmotic laxative that draws water back into the colon to soften feces. Also, what's his drinking situation? If you're feeding canned food, I wonder if adding some water to it would help?

tocahontas · Apr 30, 2014

Andrya said:
l caught a tiny feral kitten years ago who had this issue too, it looked bulging and raw. l had him vetted and the vet at the time thought it was a bad case of worms (although l'm sure any irritation back there would cause a similar look). The kitten was dewormed twice and his backside went back to normal.

I thought of that too but I haven't seen any in his poop. If he had them I could see them in there right?

tocahontas · Apr 30, 2014

peaches08 said:
I'd be careful adding fiber. It can make constipation worse. I'd go with the Miralax like StephenQ mentioned instead. Miralax is an osmotic laxative that draws water back into the colon to soften feces. Also, what's his drinking situation? If you're feeding canned food, I wonder if adding some water to it would help?

Yes I read that as well. I'm only adding about a teaspoon for one meal a day and so far it's going well. If it doesn't work I'll try miralax. He always has fresh water available which I change once or twice a day. He drinks a little but not much. Also I'm already adding water to all his meals. Probably about an extra two tablespoons per meal.

stephenq · Apr 30, 2014

tocahontas said:
Thanks for the advice. I'm going to see if the added fiber makes any difference.

I saw that his butt was swelling up again so I wiped it with a warm wet cotton ball, and shortly after he went poop. Not sure if the two were related or if he just had to go. His stool seemed nice and soft and he only cried once when he was digging his hole beforehand and it wasn't a painful cry so I think he was just announcing he was going to the bathroom.

Ah yes many cats announce that they are going to go, or that they have just gone, so he sounds quite normal really and if the stools are soft you may want to hold off on adding anything and if you continue to sense a problem or things change, then I would consult a vet before starting treatment.

Good luck and stay in touch!

tocahontas · May 1, 2014

StephenQ said:
Ah yes many cats announce that they are going to go, or that they have just gone, so he sounds quite normal really and if the stools are soft you may want to hold off on adding anything and if you continue to sense a problem or things change, then I would consult a vet before starting treatment.

Good luck and stay in touch!

He's doing so much better today and there's was barely and he only had one small bout of swelling today.

catwoman707 · May 1, 2014

@tocahontas no, you will not see worms in his poop.

They are hanging out in virtually ALL kittens tummies/intestines. They grow and grow, capable of wreaking havoc in his little body.

He most definitely needs deworming. He also is due for his fvrcp vaccine.

My advice is sort of the opposite. With all due respect

Adding pumpkin, fiber, mirilax, etc are adding more for his system to handle. I would agree with helping an adult's system a bit occasionally when they are irregular, but not when it's an 8 week old kitten who cries a bit while pooping, and his pooper pushes itself out when he goes. I've seen this plenty.

What he needs is a vet visit. He needs a fecal float done, deworming, fvrcp vaccine.

He needs to be removed from his regular food and put on a very bland, easily processed/digested diet for a bit, to allow his lower tract to settle down.

I am not one who runs to the vet for everything, by no means. Having a cat rescue group means learning early on all about cats, kittens and neonatal care and medical issues.

This particular thing with your kitten I have seen and wouldn't hesitate having him seen and examined. You can't begin to imagine how this is capable of progressing. He is so small and growing at an incredible rate now, and can get permanent trauma done to his system, so please get him seen asap.

Good luck, please let us know.

stephenq · May 2, 2014

catwoman707 said:
@tocahontas no, you will not see worms in his poop.

They are hanging out in virtually ALL kittens tummies/intestines. They grow and grow, capable of wreaking havoc in his little body.

He most definitely needs deworming. He also is due for his fvrcp vaccine.

My advice is sort of the opposite. With all due respect

Adding pumpkin, fiber, mirilax, etc are adding more for his system to handle. I would agree with helping an adult's system a bit occasionally when they are irregular, but not when it's an 8 week old kitten who cries a bit while pooping, and his pooper pushes itself out when he goes. I've seen this plenty.

What he needs is a vet visit. He needs a fecal float done, deworming, fvrcp vaccine.

He needs to be removed from his regular food and put on a very bland, easily processed/digested diet for a bit, to allow his lower tract to settle down.

I am not one who runs to the vet for everything, by no means. Having a cat rescue group means learning early on all about cats, kittens and neonatal care and medical issues.

This particular thing with your kitten I have seen and wouldn't hesitate having him seen and examined. You can't begin to imagine how this is capable of progressing. He is so small and growing at an incredible rate now, and can get permanent trauma done to his system, so please get him seen asap.

Good luck, please let us know.

I have to retract my post and completely agree with @catwoman707 100%! I somehow miss read the age of the cat, and didn't see that she is a 8+/- week old kitten! I must be blind like my blind cat Jenny! I apologize for leading you astray in my previous posts.

Yes the kitten needs deworming, testing for FIV/FeLV (if not already done) and vaccinating as Catwoman707 said.

riley1 · Jul 11, 2014

catwoman707 said:
@tocahontas no, you will not see worms in his poop.

They are hanging out in virtually ALL kittens tummies/intestines. They grow and grow, capable of wreaking havoc in his little body.

He most definitely needs deworming. He also is due for his fvrcp vaccine.

My advice is sort of the opposite. With all due respect

Adding pumpkin, fiber, mirilax, etc are adding more for his system to handle. I would agree with helping an adult's system a bit occasionally when they are irregular, but not when it's an 8 week old kitten who cries a bit while pooping, and his pooper pushes itself out when he goes. I've seen this plenty.

What he needs is a vet visit. He needs a fecal float done, deworming, fvrcp vaccine.

He needs to be removed from his regular food and put on a very bland, easily processed/digested diet for a bit, to allow his lower tract to settle down.

I am not one who runs to the vet for everything, by no means. Having a cat rescue group means learning early on all about cats, kittens and neonatal care and medical issues.

This particular thing with your kitten I have seen and wouldn't hesitate having him seen and examined. You can't begin to imagine how this is capable of progressing. He is so small and growing at an incredible rate now, and can get permanent trauma done to his system, so please get him seen asap.

Good luck, please let us know.

I am with you on this one. I do not feel that crying before going is normal and adding a bunch of stuff to his diet is only going to make things worse. Go to the vet! My cat has IBD and was crying before pooping before he was treated. This kitten is a bit young for this but could still have a sore tummy.

Have no idea what could be wrong with my kitten.

tocahontas

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