In need of bottle baby advice

gibs3444

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Hello! I'm currently fostering a singleton bottle baby. She was dropped off at my local shelter as a stray. They estimated that she was about a week old. I've had her for a week now, and as my first bottle baby I'm full of wonders.

Her name is Finley. She just recently opened her eyes a few days ago. When I got her last week, she weighed only 4 oz. Today, she still only weighs 5 oz. I'm surprised she's not gaining weight quickly with as much as she eats... is it typical for a kitten to be that small at that age? She actually gets around pretty well. She can pick herself up and walk, despite how tiny she is. I feed her regularly, about every 3-4 hours. I stimulate her and she poo's and pee's almost every time. Her poop was pretty runny, so the shelter gave me some FortiFlora to add to her KMR formula. I also notice that if I don't stimulate her for a few hours she will poo in her nest. I was a bit surprised that she was able to go without stimulation. 

I've read just about every cat forum out there and still have questions. It seems like nothing about her is typical... her weight is that of a newborn, her eyes are open like a two week old, she walks like a three week old... I can't figure her out! I'm just hoping she's okay and will gain some weight. Despite all of this, she seems happy and healthy. Anyone have any experience similar to mine?
 

mani

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OMG I think I may have just died of cuteness overload..


I really can't help but I just moved this from another forum and am hoping those who know their kittens will be along shortly.
 

jaxtabby

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So cute I could hardly stand it!

Get all the food you can into this little cat and he/she will grow quickly.
 

jennyr

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Hi and welcome. It is fantastic that you have taken this little one in. The first thing I would say is that he needs feeding more often - every two hours, day and night, is usual for a week-old baby. What kind of KMR are you giving him? Do you have anyone who can help you with the feeding? Here is an article that may help you. You are certainly doing everything else right - stimulating him to poop, weighing him and keeping him warm. He may also get comfort from a stuffed toy to cuddle against, and a ticking clock . which mimics the mother's heartbeat. If he is comfortable and stress-free, he will thrive better.

[article="29659"][/article]
 
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gibs3444

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I was feeding her ever couple of hours more so during her first week. I could switch back to that if you think it would help. I believe the KMR is petag brand, which I've heard causes constipation but she's having the opposite troubles [emoji]128580[/emoji] I don't have anyone helping, which is why I started feeding her less often. Could it be possible that she was premature? That's the only explanation I can think of for why she's still so small at her age.

She does seem very comfortable. She purrs any time I feed her. One other weird thing is that I have to wake her for every feeding. She has never once woken up crying asking for food! Once awake, she goes potty, eats, and is lively. I just find it weird that she doesn't ask for food more often. I guess that's another reason I feed her every four hours, she never asks sooner!
 
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gibs3444

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One other question- I feed her with a small kitten bottle. Since she is so small, its recommended to only feed her about 6cc for every feeding. I use a syringe to measure this out then put it in her bottle. It's such a small amount that it's hard for her to suckle it. Is it okay to make the KMR in the morning and let it sit out all day to make feeding prep go a little quicker? That would also make it so I could fill her bottle up and she would be able to suckle better. I just get a little worried about bacteria and wasn't sure if the pre mixed solution can sit out. If it can't sit out- can I hear an entire bottle, refrigerate it after she eats, then heat it again?

Sorry for so many questions. I just want to make sure I'm doing the best I can for her!
 

jaxtabby

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Agree on the syringe thing.  Every few hours is what Mom would have provided so like I said as much and as often as you can.
 

jennyr

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It is actually almost impossible to feed a baby kitten too much. If she was throwing it all up again then you might have to cut back, but if she is keeping it down and sleeping in between feeds, that is good. Give her as much as she will take. I would wake her up for feeds though, in her natural state she would wake up often as her siblings moved around her.
 

Sarthur2

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gibs3444 gibs3444

You need to switch to PetAg powdered formula. The pre-mixed always seems to cause diarrhea. I think you will see an end to the diarrhea as soon as you switch. And when the diarrhea stops, she will gain weight more easily. Also, the powdered PetAg contains probiotics in it already.

You've been given excellent advice regarding feeding her every 2 hours, and to wake her when it's time to eat until she has doubled her weight. This is very important.

What size hole have you put in the nipple that she has trouble drinking from? You can offer her a full bottle of formula, and she can have as much as she wants. Leftovers can be refrigerated, and warmed later in a cup of hot water - never use a microwave. Do not leave the formula sitting out though.

Kittens sleep a lot. It sounds like she does not have a very demanding personality.

Is she warm enough? Does she have a stuffed toy in her nest to cuddle?

Thank you for caring for her! Continue with your questions and updates on this thread. [emoji]128522[/emoji]
 
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gibs3444

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Oops, I should have proof read my post last night. It was the middle of the night during a feeding so I was still half asleep 
 I do already use the powdered PetAg formula. I mix what I will need for the day in the morning, which is why I said premixed. I typically mix it, keep it in a tupperware in the fridge, and only heat enough for each feeding. I'd like to just keep it all in the bottle and not have to worry about her not getting enough to fill her. I just wasn't sure if it was okay to keep re-heating the same formula. 

I'll start feeding every couple hours. Hopefully that will help with weight gain. I cut an x in her nipple, when tipped over it forms a droplet that will fall if I squeeze or shake, so I'm sure she's able to suckle it easily. I also have a heating pad I put under a half of her bed, so she can choose to sleep on that or on the other side when she gets too warm. She has a stuffed kitty in her cage but doesn't seem to interested in it. 

I started her on the probiotics a couple days ago. Before that, her poop was greenish and chunky- it looked like the formula was just going right through her. Now on the probiotics the poop is just a little softer consistency than toothpaste and is red-orange in color. The probiotics have little red colored beads in it which I think cause this color- at least I'm hoping it's that and not blood. 
 

Sarthur2

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I think that your kitten may have intestinal bacteria and need an antibiotic like clavamox. Can you look into that?
 
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gibs3444

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Absolutely- I'll bring her into the shelter vet tomorrow if her stools are still not normal. They wanted me to wait a couple days to see if the probiotics work. 
 

catwoman707

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You have received some great advice here so far!

I just want to add something.

She is right about 2 weeks according to her picture, and is clearly under weight, so rather than her telling you how much she will eat, if you can get her weight in ounces, use this.

She will need 8 mls of kmr per ounce of weight. So if she is 5 ounces, hopefully more now, nut at 5 oz, 5x8=40 mls, she must take in at least 40 mls per day.

You should see a good daily weight gain of approx 8 grams or better every day.

She could not possibly be any cuter by the way, crazy cute!!
 
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gibs3444

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She is so adorable! I'd agree that she is at the two week mark. I would say I was feeding her about 32-35 a day, by what the shelter recommended. However I typically gave her a bit more because she never acted full when I fed the shelters recommended amount. So I'd guess she has been getting about 40mls per day... I'll be sure to make sure she's getting at least that now. I filled her bottle up to 60mls to let her drink from today, however I do believe the bottle is off and is probably less that what it claims. At least that's how it appears when I measure with the syringe. I've just been letting her drink what she can every couple hours today. Would you say I need to make sure she ONLY gets 40mls or is it okay if she gets more than that? 

The shelter says not to overfeed, however I can't imagine mom would know to stop right at 40mls in the wild... so wouldn't it be best to let her eat what she can every two hours regardless of if it goes over 40mls?
 

Sarthur2

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Yes, let her drink as much as she wants. It's almost impossible to overfeed a growing kitten. 40 mLs is the minimum she needs to grow, and that amount should increase as her weight increases.
 
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gibs3444

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That's good to know... maybe I was just feeding enough to keep her living but not enough to make her grow. Could how often she poop have anything to do with the low weight gain? She poops every couple hours... I like to think that just tells me her organs are working but I'm not sure how normal it is to have so much poop! 

Thank you so much for answering my questions, and so quickly! It's nice to get some advice and reassurance on how I'm taking care of her. As my first bottle baby, I want to make sure i'm doing everything right!
 
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gibs3444

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Right now it's a reddish orange color- but that's most likely because of the probiotics I was giving her. They turn her formula a pink color. 

Her poops were a green color and had white chunks in it- it looked like formula wasn't being digested. I watered down the KMR a bit because I read that could cause chunks from being too strong. That's also why the shelter decided to start her on the probiotics. I just started those Saturday. Poop changed color right after I started using them. The consistency is pretty mushy. Not complete liquid but definitely not solid. 
 
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