12 week old kitten ate part of a teat!

toulousekitty

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I recently rescued a newborn kitten, and am bottle feeding it. My 12 week old kitten can't control himself if he is in view of the bottle and tries to take it at any possible moment I am not looking. Five days ago he bit off about a tic tac size piece of an elongated nipple and I was unable to find it I assume he swallowed it. The next day, I fed him his dinner (which he also can't control himself around) and assumed he wouldn't notice the bottle on the shelf while I left the room for 30 seconds to get a box of tissues. When I returned he was growling with the bottle in his mouth and he had bitten off most of the elongated nipple. He most likely ate both pieces. I researched online and found that generally the nipple passes, so I decided to wait it out and closely monitor him. He still has his usual strong appetite, but has had soft stool for 3 days and diarrhea for 2 days. I know if he had a full blockage, he would be unable to pass anything and would be exhibiting more symptoms. I haven't seen anything in his stool, however they are shaped in a way that I could easily miss it. Could the kitten formula he drank along with rhe nipple possibly cause diarrhea? Any advice welcome. Thanks!

Here's the offender:
 
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Sarthur2

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I guess you've figured out by now that he needs to be put into a separate room before you bottle feed the new kitten, and that the bottle and/or nipple are a trigger for him, so he needs to not see them at all!

My concern is whether he is getting enough of his own food to eat? Is he getting 4-6 wet food meals a day, with access to kitten chow 24/7? Growing young kittens need lots of food, so his interest in the bottle may signify that he is hungry.

Pieces of latex nipples will usually pass, so his diarrhea may be due to his overall diet, or he may need treating for worms or parasites. He needs to see a vet for treatment.
 
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toulousekitty

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Yes, I have hidden all nipples away and take him to a separate room when feeding the newborn. I can't give him full access to kitten chow as he cant stop eating until it is gone no matter how much he is given (he was found alone crying next to a bulldozer at 4 1/2 weeks old and was of healthy but ate as though he was starving and still has ever since). If any type of food is left out or in your hands he tries to climb and jump to eat it. The reason I no longer attempt free feeding is because he will have much softer stool if he is overeating, and doesn't seem himself. He has once vomited and had diarrhea out of the litterbox when he was given too much wet kitten food by a family member of mine. He has also broken into the bag of dry kitten food and had diarrhea. I feed him 4 times a day instead. He is 12 weeks old and weighs 3.8 pounds, he's very active climbing shelves, jumping to bookcases and shoulders, climbs my legs and plays with dozens of toys he seems to be healthy apart from the diarrhea. I will see if changing his food And feeding times will help and call a vet if it persists.
 
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toulousekitty

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I have mainly been feeding him simply nourish dry kitten food 3-4 times a day a little less than 1/4 cup each time. After reading reviews online about simply nourish I was thinking about switching his food after we finished the bag, but I may try to switch now back to using Trader Joe's canned food which he did well with and I'll research different brands and products.
 

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He is probably hungry. He needs several wet food feedings daily in addition to the dry food. At 12 weeks the tummy is small, which is why frequent but small meals are recommended. He is very active and growing quickly, and needs more frequent feedings.
 
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toulousekitty

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I read about giving a tablespoon of full fat plain Greek yogurt once a day or once every other day and have decided to try that 3 days ago as well. The fist day he had no change, the second day he has slight improvement and today he is almost back to normal! I will take your advice on adding more wet food every day and more frequent. Thanks.
 
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toulousekitty

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Now his main concern is that he is not yet neutered and has always been on the aggressive side. He has escalated to attacking and drawing blood multiple times a day. He is really calm and loves kisses many times every day as well, but offering toys instead of hands and leaving the room just isn't seeming to help at all. I do plan to neuter him as soon as possible, but I am worried I will not be able to get his aggression under control and I have a 12 day old kitten that I intend to keep together once it is old enough. What can I do to help with his agression before and/or after his neuter? Thanks
 

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Kittens this age with no mom to teach them manners and no siblings to play with tend to bite and scratch for attention. It's actually normal as they do not know any better until taught.

You'll need to play with the kitten with a string toy several times a day to help him expend his kitten energy. Do not allow him to bite or scratch your hands or legs. Say no and hiss or growl. That's what a mother cat would do. You should also keep the tips of his claws trimmed.

Neutering will not prevent this behavior. However, it will prevent sexual hormone related behaviors such as spraying and going after females. He will eventually outgrow this biting/scratching stage.
 
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toulousekitty

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Do you think he will still be safe with the younger kitten once she is old enough to interact with him? Thanks!
 

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I would not put them together anytime soon, and even then they will need supervision until they are closer to the same size physically.
 
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toulousekitty

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Okay, that's what I thinking. My other concern is that the 12 week old kitten, Toulouse, will pee on my comforter (not my bed, only the plush comforter) on random occasion, or if he has the wrong(pine) litter not mixed at least 50/50 with clay litter. I have no problem not using pine litter, but am more concerned with him peeing on comforter he has done this since I got him at 4 weeks old. I no longer use a comforter as I was washing it so much I decided possibly when he was stray, his mother had him use something similar in texture? I thought if I stopped using it for a little while and cleaned out any smell before reintroducing it when he was using his litter box perfectly, but he is still peeing on it from time to time. He will never pee on the bed unless it is on the comforter specifically or a very fluffy pillow that is not in use on the floor. He has never peed anywhere outside the litterbox unless he pees on the comforter or the pillow. I threw out the pillow as it was not in use to begin with, and he hasn't peed on any other pillow. He seems to acknowledge his mistake when he goes to cover up the smell afterwards and gets his paws wet so he pees on the comforter much less, but he still does about once every 10 days or so. Has anyone else had this experience? Any tips or ideas to deter him from peeing on the comforter? Thanks
 
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