Please help!!! Constipated Kittens!!

Please help me!! I have 2 newborn kittens, I would say no older than 5 days, if that.
They have been feeding well but have not deficated in around 36 hours! I am rally concerned for them. I have flaxseed oil here and ofcourse human laxatives but am not sure what is safest to give them?
Could someone please help me to help these poor little babies?
Thankyou! Di.

I am not sure what to give them , but do a search on google for Dr foster and Smith pet education. Are they drinking plenty of water? Wet food? I usually hear cats with the opposite problem. Sorry I couldn't be more help. Go to the sight I recommended they have tons of info on everything.

Thankyou so much for getting back to. I canot believe I actually found a website like this.
The babies are between 4-7 days of age, a little girl and a little boy. They are suckling really well and look pretty good really, considering what they have been through.
I went to the grain store to get food for my other 4 cats, they had just had a delivery of straw from one of the farms and low and behold there were the babies, in the straw. I have a girlfriend that is in the process of befriending a stray queen who recently had a litter, they didn't survive but I am hoping that she is still lactating and happy to take on two new bubbies.
Thankyou again for getting back to me, it's nice to know that there are others out there who love these gorgous animals as much as I do. Di and the babies.

I was thinking maybe 5 -6 wks. I don't know if this is right, but if I remember you can get a cotton ball wet it with warm water and wash their behinds with it, this might help. I am not sure. I remember tthis for something but not sure what. Hope you find the help you need. Good luck!

Rub their little bottoms with a warm, wet cottonball. Sometimes you have to massage around their "areas" if they're constipated. Also, what really worked for me when I was raising Sui is to run some warm water into a deep bowl and soak their hindquarters in it for a while and rub with a cottonball.

Originally Posted by dianne1601

Please help me!! I have 2 newborn kittens, I would say no older than 5 days, if that.
They have been feeding well but have not deficated in around 36 hours! I am rally concerned for them. I have flaxseed oil here and ofcourse human laxatives but am not sure what is safest to give them?
Could someone please help me to help these poor little babies?
Thankyou! Di.

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I would not give them human laxatives. Check out Cat S.O.S. forum on this site.

Kittens that little can't defecate on their own yet - Mamacat helps them with that process by licking their anus until they go. As the surrogate Mamacat, that is now your job - but you can use a piece of soft warm moist cotton - not your tongue so don't worry:-). Occasionally, with little ones that young, it may still be difficult to get them to go. Contact your vet - they may need to have an enema and the vet should do that - until such times as he shows you how to do it. Don't give them any type of laxative or anything made for humans - that could prove fatal.

If you can find an adoptive mothercat who can nurse them, that would be the absolute best! If your friend's cat is still able to provide milk, you can try and see if she will accept them. If there is a way to make the kittens smell like she does, she will be more likely to accept them. I am not sure if Hissy's vanilla trick is the best for this or not - I am sure she will post if it is - but if you can get a towel of something that the mother cat has been lying on or using and has her scent on it to rub over the kittens before they are introduced to her, that might work. I have had several adult cats willingly take on some of the mothering duties of new kittens even though they could't nurse, and in barns and stables, mother cats will often share nursing responsibilities of each other's kittens, so it is certainly feasible.

Good luck. The other important thing to remember with them at this age is it is imperative that they stay warm - warmer than you are comfortable at - so often some additional heat source in a small box, padded to protect them from too much heat, is a requirement.

Kathryn

Please do not give such young ones laxatives- as already stated they need stimulation in order to produce stool and to pee-

www.kitten-rescue.com will guide you as to how to do this properly-

Thankyou darlin,
I have been using cotton wool, it does work well. I have spoken to Tania from Kitten Rescue and she gave me some advice and also told me that it is not that uncommon for this to happen when they have gone without food for a while. I feel like I can relax a little now.
I checked out that website you told me about. It has some great information on it! Thank you for that. And thank you for caring!! I'll let you know how they go. Take care, Di and the babies.