4-5 week old kitten advice

Hi! I got a kitten about 6 days ago named Luna from a guy on craigslist who said she was 8 weeks and eating hard food, we got her, took her to the vet and turns out she's actually 4-5 weeks old, not eating hard food, and barely weaned. We tried to give her hard kitten food the first day and she didn't eat it, so I wet it a little and she still didn't eat it, the next morning it had sat all night and turned into like a pate texture and she ate it, she didn't poop for 2 days and I was extremely worried but we started giving her moist food + KMR and took her temperature through her anus and she pooped a few hours later and started pooping twice a day. Then yesterday morning around 4am she vomited all of her food up in her litter box, pooped and peed while i was asleep, I woke up to her in my face meowing so I thought she was hungry so I tried to give her some moist food and she wasn't interested so I gave her some water + KMR in a syringe because I didn't know why else she would be meowing at 4am, about 5 minutes later she puked again more liquidy with a few chunks of food, I freaked out and looked in her litter box and the rest of the vomit was there. She started dry heaving and throwing up white foam about 5 more times throughout the day until I got so worried I convinced my parents to take her to the vet. She puked last at around 12:45pm, and we were at the vet by 2:30pm. We went and got told she was 12 ounces and likely 4-5 weeks old. They said she was slightly dehydrated from the puking and they gave her fluids through her back, they also took her felv/fiv test and that came back negative.

They didn't really answer why she was vomiting or what I could do to prevent that from happening again but they prescribed Clavamox for me to give her orally twice a day. She slept basically all of yesterday and didn't eat anything but the little bits of water I was giving her, her face looked so sad and sick and she was screaming everytime before she would puke. That night she started to perk up ever so slightly but was still sleeping a lot, but this morning she seemed completely normal, she was playing with a shoe string and biting my arms and hands like she likes to do, she's peed probably 5-6 times today. We took her off the moist food completely and will do that for a few days to give her stomach a break from whatever happened so she's only drinking milk which might explain why she's peeing so much, but she hasn't pooped since yesterday at 4am, is this normal? She's eating a ton and her stomach is really full and slightly hard but I don't know if it's from how much she's drinking or if something is wrong again.

Her tummy keeps making weird noises too, it's either her burping or there's air moving around in her or she's having gas I really can't tell but there's little noises that I hear. Also she tends to meow more when she's near me, is this normal? When she's playing with my other family members she doesn't meow really at all but when she gets close to me she stars meowing a lot, is this because I feed her and she cries to get more food or am I doing something wrong? Does she not like me? She doesn't try to get away from me exactly but not much cooperation can be expected from a tiny kitten.

I know I'm going on and on but I just really want her to be okay. I am so stressed out to the point I can't even eat because I'm so worried about her, I wake up in the middle of the night to make sure she's still breathing and I check on her so much it's making me sick. I'm doing all I can to try and help her it's driving me insane. She's eaten probably about 2 55mL bottles since 8am, it's 10pm now, is this too much? I'm only feeding her when she goes to the bottle or starts crying near me and I'm only letting her drink until she turns her head away or walks off. Should i limit her to a certain amount a day or just let her eat however much she wants when she wants?
I just feel nervous especially because she was eating quite a decent amount of moist food a day and now she's only eating liquids so I don't want her to be hungry. Anyway, let me know your thoughts! Again I apologise for going on and on.
Basically I just want to know how much she should be eating, is she okay with only drinking her milk? should I worry about her not pooping since yesterday? and any other tips anyone might have for me and her. Thank you so much

I see it's been about 10  hours since you posted - how is your kitten now? 

We have some experts in kitten care who can help you but unfortunately I'm not one of them so I'm going to ask that your post be moved over to the Pregnant Cats and Kitten forum.   In the meantime, you might want to check it out yourself.  http://www.thecatsite.com/f/36/pregnant-cats-and-kitten-care Up at the top of the page are some articles that will help you with some of your concerns.  This one in particular should be helpful:  http://www.thecatsite.com/a/i-found-abandoned-kittens-what-should-i-do  Your kitten is not abandoned but she is very young, too young to be away from her mother, and she needs different care than an older kitten. 

Unfortunately, people giving away kittens are not always the most truthful when it comes to their ages and how weaned they are.  Considering that they lied to you about her age, it's impossible to know what she's really been eating.  At four weeks, she should be fully weaned though so you should be able to give her some mashed up canned food with a bit of water added, if she's not drinking well.  One of the reasons she may have thrown up is because her little tummy was suddenly switched from one food to another - giving her KMR for now and gradually mixing in the moist food might help with the transition a bit better.

Two things I do know - kittens should be fed as much as they will eat and the fact that she meows when she gets near to you means she wants something from you and she sees you as her "person" not that she doesn't like you.  

For now, try to relax a little bit which is much easier said than done.  Cats can pick up on our moods very easily.  If we are anxious, it rubs off on them.  It would be good for both of you to just cuddle a bit rather than worrying about the food.  She sounds like after a tough beginning, things are calming down. 

We would love to see a picture of this little sweetie!

Margd said:

I see it's been about 10  hours since you posted - how is your kitten now? 

We have some experts in kitten care who can help you but unfortunately I'm not one of them so I'm going to ask that your post be moved over to the Pregnant Cats and Kitten forum.   In the meantime, you might want to check it out yourself.  http://www.thecatsite.com/f/36/pregnant-cats-and-kitten-care Up at the top of the page are some articles that will help you with some of your concerns.  This one in particular should be helpful:  http://www.thecatsite.com/a/i-found-abandoned-kittens-what-should-i-do  Your kitten is not abandoned but she is very young, too young to be away from her mother, and she needs different care than an older kitten. 

Unfortunately, people giving away kittens are not always the most truthful when it comes to their ages and how weaned they are.  Considering that they lied to you about her age, it's impossible to know what she's really been eating.  At four weeks, she should be fully weaned though so you should be able to give her some mashed up canned food with a bit of water added, if she's not drinking well.  One of the reasons she may have thrown up is because her little tummy was suddenly switched from one food to another - giving her KMR for now and gradually mixing in the moist food might help with the transition a bit better.

Two things I do know - kittens should be fed as much as they will eat and the fact that she meows when she gets near to you means she wants something from you and she sees you as her "person" not that she doesn't like you.  

For now, try to relax a little bit which is much easier said than done.  Cats can pick up on our moods very easily.  If we are anxious, it rubs off on them.  It would be good for both of you to just cuddle a bit rather than worrying about the food.  She sounds like after a tough beginning, things are calming down. 

We would love to see a picture of this little sweetie!

Click to expand...

Hi! She still hasn't pooped but is acting pretty normal still. Still playful and eating a lot, i'm just worried about her not pooping now.

Here's a pic of the little bug!

What a darling little girl.  I want to reach through the screen and kiss that sweet little face.   

It's not unusual for adult cats to only poop every other day but I'm not sure if that extends to kittens as well.   When they are very young, they actually can't poop on their own and when hand reared, their human has to imitate a mother cat's tongue by rubbing a damp cotton ball on their anus.  You might try that - it certainly won't hurt.  You can also try giving her a dab of canned pumpkin (no spices).  Pumpkin is great for helping constipated cats go and for helping cats with diarrhea stop.    The dose for an adult cat is 1 - 3 tsp a day so you'd have to use less - I wish I knew the amount for such a young kitten.  Olive oil is another one that helps - just add a drop or two to her food and see if that starts things going.

BTW:  this little mite does have a name, doesn't she? 

I'll look into that definitely. Her name is Luna

     Now I see her name right in your first sentence.  Luna is a perfect name for her. 

She is adorable! [emoji]128149[/emoji]

Poor baby - all that food switching around made her sick. Keep her on the kitten formula for now. Use powdered KMR and mix it with clear pedialyte instead of water. You can add a drop or two of olive oil to the mixture to help her poop.

As mentioned, rub her bottom with a warm, damp cloth before and after meals to help her poop. It's okay if she isn't pooping much right now while she's on formula only.

I would add Gerber turkey or chicken baby food to her diet next. It's protein rich, smells good, is easy to eat and digest, and will help to fill her up.

Keep her on kitten formula and baby food until she has finished her clavamox and gained some weight. A normal 4-week-old kitten should weigh one pound.

Does she have her baby teeth yet?

I think she's older than 4 weeks, 5 or 6 more likely. 4-week-olds still have little stubby ears, and aren't very good at showing their claws yet (or I should say, they aren't very good at pulling them in, and it looks like she can do both). But they lose their baby blue eyes around 7 weeks so she's younger than that. Anyway, what a cutie!

How big are her teeth now? They start to come out around 3 weeks.

Try some meat baby food (make sure it doesn't have onion or garlic added. Gerber and Beechnut are fine). It's easy for her to lick, and is high in protein, but is still easy to digest. That along with the KMR should be enough for now. When she's feeling better, try Fancy Feast kitten food, turkey flavor. I've had a lot of success with that. Even better would be Royal Canin Babycat food, but it's not as easy to find, because it's not available at Walmart/grocery stores. But most pet shops should have it.

If you have a way to get ahold of the previous owner, ask them what she was eating. Maybe they lied and she's not really weaned, but maybe they just fed a different food and she's having a hard time adjusting.

I would just give her a little bit of pumpkin or squash. Baby food is good for this, too, if you don't want to buy a big can of pumpkin. Not much, maybe 1/4 teaspoon to start, or 1/2 tsp if that doesn't work. That should get things moving.

I know she has her top little row of teeth and the sharp ones next to them, and her bottom row is like that too, the back of her mouth has some teeth too but i don't really know how much. They weighed her at the vet yesterday and she was 0.75lbs (12 ounces) so I know she's super tiny.

Some cats just don't get very big. The vet told me Indy is pretty much full sized now and she's about half Kabby's size. That being said Kabby is a big boy with Oriental genes.

Kabby in back Indy in front. Kabby is actually longer when stretched out

Here are some more pics.. the last one was taken yesterday in the midst of all of her dry heaving, she slept sitting up most of the day and she hasn't done that before.

Here are some I just took! I got her a week ago exactly so she has grown into her little face quite a bit more I think, but maybe I just am getting used to her smallness.

I will attach a few photos from the day I got her under this.

Apologies for blowing up the thread!! Lol here is a size comparison to try and give you all an idea of how big she is, there's a regular toilet paper roll, and a regular sized hanger.

Luna looks so much more alert and healthy in her current pictures than in the earlier ones.  You can tell that she's feeling much better now.  I just love the little pink jelly beans on the bottom of her paws - so cute!  She's such a dear little sprite it's making me want to run out and get a kitten.  Alas, it's not possible but oh, what a sweetie.  So innocent and curious.   She's going to be a beauty when she grows up.    

Edit - I hit send on this before your last pictures came in.  She certainly is tiny!  Also, don't worry about posting too many pictures.  It's your thread and we love photos here, I'm not sure you could post too many!

emme123 said:

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• emme123
• Mar 22, 2017

Here's a pic of the little bug!

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so precious!

Margd said:

Luna looks so much more alert and healthy in her current pictures than in the earlier ones.  You can tell that she's feeling much better now.  I just love the little pink jelly beans on the bottom of her paws - so cute!  She's such a dear little sprite it's making me want to run out and get a kitten.  Alas, it's not possible but oh, what a sweetie.  So innocent and curious.   She's going to be a beauty when she grows up.  :nod:  

Edit - I hit send on this before your last pictures came in.  She certainly is tiny!  Also, don't worry about posting too many pictures.  It's your thread and we love photos here, I'm not sure you could post too many!

Click to expand...

She definitely is a small little baby! Hopefully not too small for her own good. I'm going to be investing in a kitchen scale for her soon so I can keep a hold of her weight without spending $200 at the vet! Lol

It sounds like she has a bit of constipation with colic/bloat thrown in. Both are pretty common when switching foods, especially when young. They normally end up working themselves out though without treatment.

Canned pumpkin. 1 tsp a day with two drops of mineral oil works well for constipation and 0.1cc of simethicone with every other feeding(infants gas relief with no alcohol or dyes) works wonders for bloat.

A kitchen scale is a great idea!  In fact, when you have a tiny girl like Luna, it's almost a necessity.