orphaned kitten HELP!

OK, where to begin. I have a orphaned kitten. This kitten was in the wrong hands for about 2 weeks. It was cold, malnurished and bloated. I am a squirrel rehabber, and i am very experianced with infant squirrels and hand raising them. I have a lot of gear to nurse this kitten along. I am not familiar with KMR. I know it is NOT good for squirrels, but it is good for kittens? The gal that had the kitten claims she was feeding kmr, but I do not know what it looks or smells like. She had it in a bottle, not in the can. This stuff looked off white and thick. Too think for a dehydrated infant kitten. This kitten was peeing when I got her, but it was quite yelow.. i got her peeing clear now with dilute goat milk with a bit of plain yogurt added to help her tummy. She is extremely bloated. I have done everything from soaking her in warm water and rubbing her belly, to simethicone drops, etc. I only got her to poo a tiny bit this am. It was not hard at all, but not runny either. There was a tiny bit of pink which I am sure is blood. This belly has me really worried. Where is all this gas coming from? When i soak her, I actually see the gas coming from her bum under water. This kitten is small and I thought for sure ut was way younger than the lady said. Its eyes were closed still. She insisted they were open yesterday. Well I globbed up her eyes with antibiotic cream and sure enough, pussy stuff softening up in her eye slits. I have not got them open yet though. I have antibotic eye drops on hand , when I get the eyes open.

This poor kitten is a mess! was crusted with poo when I got her as well, and cold with no heating pad. 

She is warn and at times eager to suckle. not eating all that much, i am sure because her belly hurts.

Any advice at all? Trying to save her!!!!!

I think she is too weak for dewormer, but I may have to give it. Could the worms be doing this to her belly??

Help.

Hi!   Thanks for helping this kitten! To try to go in order of your questions:

 I am not familiar with KMR. I know it is NOT good for squirrels, but it is good for kittens?

Yes. KMR is actually designed for kittens and is best for them in the absence of mom's milk or a rare and extreme reaction.  While goats milk can be used, we usually only advise this 'in a pinch' where KMR is not available.  You should be able to get KMR at any large store.  For example, if you are in the USA, Walmart and Target and many supermarkets have it.

This stuff looked off white and thick. Too think for a dehydrated infant kitten.

It is generally best to dilute KMR, yes.  A 50/50 mix with water tends to be best especially if kitten is constipated.

She is extremely bloated. I have done everything from soaking her in warm water and rubbing her belly, to simethicone drops, etc. I only got her to poo a tiny bit this am. It was not hard at all, but not runny either. There was a tiny bit of pink which I am sure is blood.

You obviously know this but generally this sounds bad.  How are you trying to get her to poop? The bloating may just be because she really has to go.  To poop a kitten you have to rub the anal area with a wet cloth.  Another tip is to run the anal area under warm (not hot) water and tap gently with one finger.  This is a good way to do it because it is less painful and irritating for the kitten.  It sounds like she has to poop badly.  Blood in the stool is generally a bad sign.  Is getting her to the vet any kind of option?

 Well I globbed up her eyes with antibiotic cream and sure enough, pussy stuff softening up in her eye slits. I have not got them open yet though. I have antibotic eye drops on hand , when I get the eyes open.

 I understand you are experienced in squirrel rescue but we generally don't recommend antibiotics without advice of a vet.  Have you tried simply placing a warm cloth over her eyes and trying to loosen the gunk that way?

I think she is too weak for dewormer, but I may have to give it. Could the worms be doing this to her belly??

It is possible but again we would generally not recommend deworming unless you've had a chance to speak to a vet about her age and what to do.I do think the lack of poop might be the key issue here.

Please let us know how she gets on and how else we can help!

Oh yes, I certainly know they need stimulation to poop. I wish i could get her to poop! When I got her yesterday, she was already bloated from the KMR. This stuff did not even smell good, but i understand some formula does not smell good anyway. I ran the kittens bum under warm water to get the crusted poo off her and she pooped a lot. Like soft clay, but it came out in a well formed " snake". Kind of a lot of poop for a little kitty. I had a little this morning, but not much, and it was softer but not watery.

I have tried to soak here eyes open, but no luck. I goop her eyes when i am done soaking them so they stay moist while she sleeps. then i wipe them with a very wet cloth later.

I sure can get the KMR. I have had great luck with goat milk in the past, as the protiens are far smaller and easier to digest than the cow milk protiens in the KMR. I was using the goat milk " in a pinch" as it looked better than what was being given and the people that has the kitten say they bought the KMR, but had no can to prove this is what it was. It actaully looked and smelled like canned evaporated milk if you ask me. Lets just say the kitten was in bad hands, No warmth, not getting fed regularly, and the family had alcohol problems, i child was doing her best with not much help from anyone else.

I have had the kitten 24 hours now. I can only get her to drink about 2 cc per feeding. Then she is done. She is peeing quite well though. her bum is soft and not crusted up or anything. I just dont get her to poop with lots of stimulation under warm water.

Okay, if she has pooped twice since yesterday, and once was a big one, I don't think this is as big of a concern as I initially did and I do think parasites are more likely to be the issue.  How old did they tell you she is/do you think she is?

How often are you feeding her?? 2cc per feeding isn't great but depending on her age and how often the feedings are it really changes how bad the situation is.  Have you been weighing her daily? I know you only got her a day or so ago but it will be easier to say how bad the situation is if it's clear whether she is at least gaining or not.

Again, thank you for helping her.

Normally I weight my babies, but this one is so bloated that I was not sure if it would be accurate or not.  This kitten was found on a cement floor of an old dairy barn. the mom was around, but the kids said she was a young cat ( about 7 months), and she was not caring for them. they were pretty much born recently when the kids found them cold and on the floor. not in a bed of any kind. The little girl says she has had " them for a few weeks". The others died. She claims this kitten had its eyes open. But they got crusty and closed again. Sounds like they are stuck shut.

Like i said i am getting lots of pee out of this kitty. But its belly is round and bloated real bad. I really do not know how old this kitten is. If the girl is correct in what she tells me,  it would be about 14 days old at least. 

I just got a weight on her. 4.5 ounces

This kitten is able to toddle around with all four legs, but is weak. I think it is extremely small for its age. i can feel all of its backbone, but it has a huge belly. 

When I dip her bum in warm water to try and rub her belly and stimulate, i see the gas bubbles coming out of her!  

I want to add, the poo consistency seems to be good.   The poo isnt hard in small kittens, if its hard =  proof of constipation...  They usually describe it as toothpaste consistency.  When you write clay and snake, it sounds proper.  

What color is it??

The water you use for her eyes, have a trifle salt in it.  

I hope now when her elimanting has come on, she will be better .     Otherwise, try with your trusted goat milk.  If you do have access to fresh goat milk, its even better than  bottled.

But you do have access to kmr of the brand KMR, and its should be good and well.   Especielly the pulver variation is reliable.

The ready soultion is the same formula the producer says, but some kittens gets diarrhea from it, experienced rescuers tells.

Good luck!

it is now 24 hours since any poop. Still big bloated belly. It was softer this am and the kitten was eager to eat from the bottle. She took about 4 cc at 6 am and now 4 more at 8am. doing lots of belly rubbing and she is peeing a lot, but not any poop.

dkirby1280 said:

 
it is now 24 hours since any poop. Still big bloated belly. It was softer this am and the kitten was eager to eat from the bottle. She took about 4 cc at 6 am and now 4 more at 8am. doing lots of belly rubbing and she is peeing a lot, but not any poop.

Click to expand...

They dont always do poop regularly each day.  Some individuals do it more scarce.

Good luck!

took the kitten to the vet today. Just sooo bloated!. They dewormed her, and when taking her temp, She began to poop. Very hard, thick poop like an adult cat. they gave her sub Q fluids, and sent me home with some eye ointment for her eyes. She is very dehydrated. Well see how it goes. I am doing the best i can.

I just wanted to add that Goat's Milk and plain yogurt are perfectly fine to feed the kitten.
I have found many kittens do better on goat's milk, for the reasons you stated...it's easier for them to digest.

I personally don't like KMR. . .all hydrogenated oils and corn syrup solids :/. Goat's milk is good, with added vitamins (egg yolk is one source if you feel safe using raw egg yolks, or use pasteurized eggs). I've also used canned evaporated cow's milk (since the evaporation cooks out the lactose) with egg yolk and corn syrup. You can also give Pedialyte (or homemade Oral Rehydration Solution, but Pedialyte has zinc which I think makes a difference) if she's dehydrated.

Does she have any little teeth nubbins coming in? If she's 3 weeks old you should be able to see some little sign of them. When they pop through you can start introducing solids. Just adding a little chicken baby food to her formula at first, then offering a shallow plate with canned food mixed with formula. I've found that orphans are frequently not satisfied with formula once they get to a certain age and they do start on solids a lot earlier than most mother-raised kittens.

I once took a litter of kittens from much the same circumstances. Except they were 5 weeks old by the time I got them, and only about 5-6 ounces . 2 didn't make it (1 died before I took them, 1 after) but 2 grew up and are big healthy kitties now! Since she's survived this long I think she's a real fighter. Best wishes getting her strong and healthy!

Thank you for all the replys!!!! I want you all to know that this kitty is doing really well.  She is on KMR now, and after getting an impaction of poop out of her, she has been feeling better, and doing very well. i have her on dilute KMR to help hydrate her so she does not get constipated again. She has double eye infections. So bad that when the vet softened and got her eyes open, puss popped out both eyes. We were very worried that her eyes would be harmed, But I soak her eyes with a cloth every 2 hours when i feed her, and put cream in them. They are looking pretty good now. I think her eyes may be ok. i will have to think of a real Survivor name for her, as she has clearly used up 8 of her nine lives in her first 3 weeks!

Congratulations to all your hard work. Raising a sick orphan is hard but its worth it, and they remember how you saved them. I found my baby girl at 7 days old, one eye open, and pneumonia. The vets didnt care and wanted to put her down but I insisted that they give her something to just give her a chance and shes a year old now. I love her more than anything, she sings with me and follows me around while I clean the house and cries when I leave. Thank you for giving this bub a chance. Can't wait to see more from you. Sending love!!!!