I rescued a kitten and I need advice.

So I work as a Armed Security guard. On the night I was working at my job, Halloween night, I happen to be driving past some concrete rubble that has been laying in this spot, probably for years. I just so happened to stop next to it to check my phone when I heard a kitten crying out. I eventually found it under this mound of concret rubble. I saw only one kitten. I decided to leave the kitten be, thinking the mom was in process of moving her liter. Well my 9 hr shift ends and the kitten was still there. I decided to take it from that location figuring it had no chance. There was also two foxes sitting about 30 yds from where the cat was found. I assume trying to figure out where the easy meal was coming from due to the meowing.
We have foxes, bobcats, owls, and other predators at the place I work for.

So I brought the "female kitten" home with me and named her "Gea" (Jee-uh). She has been in my care along with my sister who takes care of her when I am working for about 5 days now. She appears to be about 2 weeks to just a day over 3 weeks old according to the vet. Her eyes are open. She can walk, but wobbly. She weighs 0.8 lbs.

We feed her KMR kitten formula every 3 to 3,1/2 hrs. By day 3 of her being with me she started to have diarrhea. I was concerned it might be a dehydration even though her gums and skin (skin pull check on the back of neck) checked out fine.

So to be safe, I started to mix pedialyte, no flavor, with her formula.
1 tbs of pedialyte
4 tbs of kmr kitten formula.

She is warmed up before eatting by using a blow dryer on the lowest setting and kept away at a safe distance. I do this before feeding for about 10 min. She is fed, then her back is then patted in case of hiccups. She is then held close to my chest for another 10 minutes before being put back into her bed. She has a sock that is filled with rice and it keeps the bedding warm for about 2 to 3 hrs.

Around day 5 of ownership the diarrhea has not gotten better. It's a light yellowish brown. Really runny. On day 5 I noticed she had blood in her stool after she finished going to the bathroom. Her urine is a really light yellow sometimes clear in color (this is consistently). She is "assisted" with going to the bathroom. My hands are washed before and after she goes.

After seeing the blood I decided to take her back to the vet to get her checked out thinking it was worms or parasites.

Vet takes a stool sample runs some tests and she is completely clean of worms or parasites. Even the vet says, "it's kind of rare to come across a feral kitten with this good of health".

He explained to me the blood and diarrhea might be due to stress or just a upset stomach. So he sent me home with some meds to help with a upset stomach and possible inflammation. She only cries out when it's close to feeding time. She doesn't appear to have trouble going "number 2" after being "stimulated". Other then that she seems as what the vet said, "a pretty strong and healthy kitten".

My question is, what else can I do on my part to help the stool "firm" up? I was wondering if the KMR formula was to "rich" for her. Is there something else I can give to her mixed in with her formula. A few websites suggested something of kora syrup (not sure of the name) and canned pumpkin.

Thank you to those who took the time to read this and respond.

I can not give much advise because I am in a similar situation and would like to hear the replies you get.

I just became a first time "foster-mom" to two kittens (male and female) that are about 3 weeks old.

They have diarrhea as well. I just got them yesterday and just emailed the humane society (where I got them from) with my questions so when I hear back, I will let you know what they said.

lisareneeo said:

I can not give much advise because I am in a similar situation and would like to hear the replies you get.
I just became a first time "foster-mom" to two kittens (male and female) that are about 3 weeks old.

They have diarrhea as well. I just got them yesterday and just emailed the humane society (where I got them from) with my questions so when I hear back, I will let you know what they said.

Click to expand...

I could of swore someone said they used canned pumpkin in order to get a cats stool to firm up, but I am not sure. I hope I find some kind of solution.

Sometimes when Gea is ready for her next meal she will move about in her bedding. I guess the activity causes a bowel movement because she is having these little accidents all over her fleece blanket.

The blanket is removed of course and fresh towels or another blanket is put in it's place. This is the part that is difficult for me. I can't keep washing the same bedding 2-3 times a day.

After searching around I found this website in regards to the canned pumpkin. http://www.earthclinic.com/mobile/pets/constipation/Pumpkin/

I will give it shot by adding 1 tea spoon into formula. I will report back my findings.

N ne1789

Sigh ... not all well-meaning vets are knowledgeable about tiny kittens.

What meds did the vet send you home with?

And which brand KMR are you using?

I recommend the powdered KMR by Pet Ag, Royal Canin, or GNC. I do NOT recommend Hartz or Sargeants. I have found that the latter-mentioned brands make kittens ill. I have also found that the pre-mixed liquid KMR's cause diarrhea.

A kitten's poop, while on kitten formula, should be light brown and of toothpaste consistency. There is naturally a transition from mom's milk to formula, but that should be over after 5 days.

However, I suspect your kitten has coccidia, which causes nasty diarrhea, and requires antibiotics or sulfa drugs to clear up. Coccidia does not show up in fecal tests for worms, but is a common parasite found in ferals that is passed through mom's milk. It is transmitted by rats and through feces.

Please call your vet ASAP and tell him/her that you suspect coccidia and would like the kitten treated for it. I imagine your kitten will then get well. The blood you've seen is from irritation in her intestines. If left untreated your kitten can die.

So you know, if your kitten weighs 8 ounces, she needs a minimum of 64 mL's of formula per 24-hour period. If she's fed every 4 hours, she needs 10-11 mL's at every feeding. More is always better, as a kitten should gain 6-10 grams of weight per day. The rule of thumb is 8 oz. of formula for every ounce of weight, so the amount continues to increase as she grows. Pedialyte is excellent to use to mix the formula. It is almost impossible to over feed a kitten.

Canned pumpkin helps adult cats with diarrhea, but not tiny kittens who are not yet weaned to solids.

Please let us know how your kitten is doing after you call the vet.

You've gotten great advice and you're doing a great job.  One other suggestion - it's best not to use towels for bedding for small kittens.  Their claws can't retract and can get stuck on the loops.  Something like flannel or an old shirt is better.

Post pictures if you can!

talkingpeanut said:

 
You've gotten great advice and you're doing a great job.  One other suggestion - it's best not to use towels for bedding for small kittens.  Their claws can't retract and can get stuck on the loops.  Something like flannel or an old shirt is better.

Post pictures if you can!

Click to expand...

right, fleece is goo too - as TS often uses

ne1789 said:

So I work as a Armed Security guard. On the night I was working at my job, Halloween night, I happen to be driving past some concrete rubble that has been laying in this spot, probably for years. I just so happened to stop next to it to check my phone when I heard a kitten crying out. I eventually found it under this mound of concret rubble. I saw only one kitten. I decided to leave the kitten be, thinking the mom was in process of moving her liter. Well my 9 hr shift ends and the kitten was still there. I decided to take it from that location figuring it had no chance. There was also two foxes sitting about 30 yds from where the cat was found. I assume trying to figure out where the easy meal was coming from due to the meowing.
We have foxes, bobcats, owls, and other predators at the place I work for.

So I brought the "female kitten" home with me and named her "Gea" (Jee-uh). She has been in my care along with my sister who takes care of her when I am working for about 5 days now. She appears to be about 2 weeks to just a day over 3 weeks old according to the vet. Her eyes are open. She can walk, but wobbly. She weighs 0.8 lbs.

We feed her KMR kitten formula every 3 to 3,1/2 hrs. By day 3 of her being with me she started to have diarrhea. I was concerned it might be a dehydration even though her gums and skin (skin pull check on the back of neck) checked out fine.

So to be safe, I started to mix pedialyte, no flavor, with her formula.
1 tbs of pedialyte
4 tbs of kmr kitten formula.

She is warmed up before eatting by using a blow dryer on the lowest setting and kept away at a safe distance. I do this before feeding for about 10 min. She is fed, then her back is then patted in case of hiccups. She is then held close to my chest for another 10 minutes before being put back into her bed. She has a sock that is filled with rice and it keeps the bedding warm for about 2 to 3 hrs.

Around day 5 of ownership the diarrhea has not gotten better. It's a light yellowish brown. Really runny. On day 5 I noticed she had blood in her stool after she finished going to the bathroom. Her urine is a really light yellow sometimes clear in color (this is consistently). She is "assisted" with going to the bathroom. My hands are washed before and after she goes.

After seeing the blood I decided to take her back to the vet to get her checked out thinking it was worms or parasites.

Vet takes a stool sample runs some tests and she is completely clean of worms or parasites. Even the vet says, "it's kind of rare to come across a feral kitten with this good of health".

He explained to me the blood and diarrhea might be due to stress or just a upset stomach. So he sent me home with some meds to help with a upset stomach and possible inflammation. She only cries out when it's close to feeding time. She doesn't appear to have trouble going "number 2" after being "stimulated". Other then that she seems as what the vet said, "a pretty strong and healthy kitten".

My question is, what else can I do on my part to help the stool "firm" up? I was wondering if the KMR formula was to "rich" for her. Is there something else I can give to her mixed in with her formula. A few websites suggested something of kora syrup (not sure of the name) and canned pumpkin.

Thank you to those who took the time to read this and respond.

Click to expand...

Here we have it.

You use th KMR, you said, right?   As I understand it now, you use their premade, liquid version.  Their version in POWDER, is muchmore reliable, seldom problems with diarrhea...

So switch to the PetAg KMR powder,  or some other brand SArthur mentioned - even goat milk is OK, esp if you can get it raw - fresh or frozen.

Proceed to dilute the KMR powder with pedialyte, and or give her a few drops inbetween the feedings. She doesnt seem dehydrated, but its good to replace the salts.

If she isnt wet or its very cold, this with blowing her warm is a shade to overdo it - the warm rice sock is usually enough.

Pumking is useful device, but its for older kittens and cats.  However, you can try with some probiotic, for example PetAgs  BeneBac, which is made especielly for  kittens.

I agree with SArthur, she may have Coccidia -

Im  cutting in an old response, written prob by Catwoman707:"If they still have Coccidia you need to ask your vet to have Ponazril compounded for you. It is the only medication that will kill the coccidia. Albon simply assists the body in fighting off the infection, it doesn't cure it."

tHAT WAS said, because vets tends to prescribe Albon as their first line of defence, while Ponazril is much more effective, and yet in practice harmless.

Tx for helping this little sis of ours.  You are doing nicely, I understand you had done quite some reading, and put in a lot of work, energy and love into this quest..

sarthur2 said:

N ne1789

Sigh ... not all well-meaning vets are knowledgeable about tiny kittens.

What meds did the vet send you home with?

And which brand KMR are you using?

I recommend the powdered KMR by Pet Ag, Royal Canin, or GNC. I do NOT recommend Hartz or Sargeants. I have found that the latter-mentioned brands make kittens ill. I have also found that the pre-mixed liquid KMR's cause diarrhea.

A kitten's poop, while on kitten formula, should be light brown and of toothpaste consistency. There is naturally a transition from mom's milk to formula, but that should be over after 5 days.

However, I suspect your kitten has coccidia, which causes nasty diarrhea, and requires antibiotics or sulfa drugs to clear up. Coccidia does not show up in fecal tests for worms, but is a common parasite found in ferals that is passed through mom's milk. It is transmitted by rats and through feces.

Please call your vet ASAP and tell him/her that you suspect coccidia and would like the kitten treated for it. I imagine your kitten will then get well. The blood you've seen is from irritation in her intestines. If left untreated your kitten can die.

So you know, if your kitten weighs 8 ounces, she needs a minimum of 64 mL's of formula per 24-hour period. If she's fed every 4 hours, she needs 10-11 mL's at every feeding. More is always better, as a kitten should gain 6-10 grams of weight per day. The rule of thumb is 8 oz. of formula for every ounce of weight, so the amount continues to increase as she grows. Pedialyte is excellent to use to mix the formula. It is almost impossible to over feed a kitten.

Canned pumpkin helps adult cats with diarrhea, but not tiny kittens who are not yet weaned to solids.

Please let us know how your kitten is doing after you call the vet.

Click to expand...

When I took the kitten to the vet the 2nd time for the diarrhea and bloody stool, the vet had suspected that it was cascadia as well. He wanted to test for it to be sure as well as other tests which came back negative.

The brand of formula is called PetAg. I will see if I can upload a picture from my phone.

The meds is called Albon Suspension. I know Albon is what is used to treat cascadia.

talkingpeanut said:

You've gotten great advice and you're doing a great job.  One other suggestion - it's best not to use towels for bedding for small kittens.  Their claws can't retract and can get stuck on the loops.  Something like flannel or an old shirt is better.

Post pictures if you can!

Click to expand...

I've thought about that ferret bedding for her. It looks like roof installation. I see it a lot with the
Guinea pigs and mice at the pet store.

This is Gea for anyone who wants to know whay she looks like. I am going to go out and buy the powder kmr and i will report back to everyone.

I took my fosters back to humane society and they got a dose of medicine for their diarrhea and I have to give them each a dose tomorrow and Sunday. I hope it helps! I also hope your kitty is doing better foo !!

The Albon should be helping your kitten. That combined with switching to the powdered PetAg KMR should make a big difference. If, after finishing the Albon and switching formula, the kitten still has diarrhea, I suggest asking the vet for Ponazril, as recommended by Catwoman and Stefan.

I would not use guinea pig bedding for the kitten. I think you'll be able to stop washing her blanket soon. She should begin to show improvement shortly.

Let us know how she is doing after you switch her to powdered formula.

She is just precious .

The kitten has already had 2 meals of the new powder formula by PetAG. She had a small bowel movement before I left to work. The first bit was watery, very little then out came some more stool, but it seemed thicker. Like pudding thickness. I assume or would like to believe her stool is slowly improving, but I am not positive.

Her powder formula is the following;
2 tbs of powder formula
2 tbs of bottle water.
2 tbs of pedialyte no flavor.

She is fed till she is full.

I will have to ask my sister when I see her in morning how the stool looks when I get home from work. I will continue to report back so others can know.

So far so good. I'm glad she's getting plenty to eat. Hopefully the stools will continue to improve.

ne1789 said:

The kitten has already had 2 meals of the new powder formula by PetAG. She had a small bowel movement before I left to work. The first bit was watery, very little then out came some more stool, but it seemed thicker. Like pudding thickness. I assume or would like to believe her stool is slowly improving, but I am not positive.

Her powder formula is the following;
2 tbs of powder formula
2 tbs of bottle water.
2 tbs of pedialyte no flavor.

She is fed till she is full.

I will have to ask my sister when I see her in morning how the stool looks when I get home from work. I will continue to report back so others can know.

Click to expand...

Pudding thickness isnt  bad.   The baby stool is softer then the adult stool when they eat solids.  Consistence alike toothpaste, perhaps.  So somewhat thicker than pudding, but the diff is no longer big.

Re the amount, to have some idea how much is supposed:

8ml ot every OZ a day.  so if she weigts, say  300g = 10 OZ, it will give 10x8 = 80 ml   KMR or goat milk a day.   Divided on the feeding you give.

Say you are giving every 3 hours, 8 times a day -  roughtly 10 ml at one time.

Not all manage to get all of that in, to be completely honest, but you get the idea.   

Ps.  I hope your sister  can she too look  and read into our Forum and this thread, very useful as she is the co-caretaker.

Why, she is welcome to have her own nick and participate too.

StefanZ said:

Pudding thickness isnt  bad.   The baby stool is softer then the adult stool when they eat solids.  Consistence alike toothpaste, perhaps.  So somewhat thicker than pudding, but the diff is no longer big.

Re the amount, to have some idea how much is supposed:
8ml ot every OZ a day.  so if she weigts, say  300g = 10 OZ, it will give 10x8 = 80 ml   KMR or goat milk a day.   Divided on the feeding you give.
Say you are giving every 3 hours, 8 times a day -  roughtly 10 ml at one time.

Not all manage to get all of that in, to be completely honest, but you get the idea.   


Ps.  I hope your sister  can she too look  and read into our Forum and this thread, very useful as she is the co-caretaker.
Why, she is welcome to have her own nick and participate too.

Click to expand...

Well she had had her third bowel movement as of this morning. Her stool is still soft. It's no longer a light brown, but a yellowish cream color. She still is making little "messes" here and there. I dunno if that is because she has gas or she is closer to being able to go to the bathroom by herself. She still doesn't have her teeth yet though.

You need to give it a couple of days on the new formula. The Albon may make her stool softer too, as antibiotics tend to do that. I don't think you will really know until she finishes the Albon. Most importantly, it sounds like she is not getting worse.

Hang in there and continue reporting.

sarthur2 said:

You need to give it a couple of days on the new formula. The Albon may make her stool softer too, as antibiotics tend to do that. I don't think you will really know until she finishes the Albon. Most importantly, it sounds like she is not getting worse.

Hang in there and continue reporting.

Click to expand...

Thankyou for the reply. I will continue to report back here of any "new" changes. I don't see anymore blood in her stool.

That sounds good!