6week old orphan kitten

Hey,
I found a 5-6 week old black kitten. She is definitly mal-nurished. She has eaten hard and canned food, and has drank a little milk. While i was gone getting a litter box and what not my friend gave her milk. I can not get her to go to the bathroom. I have tried to massage her abdomen and her openings, but she wont go. Its been about 4 hours since she started eating (which she has eaten A LOT) and she hasn't gone. Any suggestions? I can't get her to a vet for 3 or 4 days.

Originally Posted by angemalata

Hey,
I found a 5-6 week old black kitten. She is definitly mal-nurished. She has eaten hard and canned food, and has drank a little milk. While i was gone getting a litter box and what not my friend gave her milk. I can not get her to go to the bathroom. I have tried to massage her abdomen and her openings, but she wont go. Its been about 4 hours since she started eating (which she has eaten A LOT) and she hasn't gone. Any suggestions? I can't get her to a vet for 3 or 4 days.

Click to expand...

Stimulating The Kitten
Very young kittens cannot eliminate without help and the mother-cat licks the kitten's abdomen and anal area to stimulate elimination. You need to mimic this action after every feeding. You can even do it a bit before each feeding as well.

Prepare a bowl of warm water and some cotton balls, tissues, gauze or a soft cloth. Dip the cotton ball into the water, squeeze out the excess and, using a gentle circular motion, massage your kitten's abdomen and anal area. His natural response is to eliminate urine and stool. Don't worry if he doesn't pass a stool after every feeding or even every day. Keep stimulating until he stops eliminating, though it's important to know when to stop, because stimulating your kitten for too long can make his delicate skin sore and raw.

Another method is to stimulate the kitten over a sink. Put a bowl in the sink to catch the waste and start a steady trickle of warm water at the faucet, keeping the faucet away from the kitten. Run the water over the cotton ball, squeeze out the excess water and stimulate him as above.

Or, you can simply place the rear end of your kitten into the gentle trickle of warm water (make sure it is not too hot!) and then start stimulating the abdomen and anal area. He should let loose and eliminate quickly. Then wrap him up in a warm towel and keep him close until he is fully dried.

The consistency of the kitten's stools will give you an idea as to whether you are feeding him the right amount and strength of formula. Normal stools have a toothpaste consistency and are a yellow, mustard color. If the kitten develops diarrhea, you may be overfeeding or the formula may be too rich for his digestive system. Try diluting the formula.

http://www.kitten-rescue.com/

If you still cannot get this kitten to go...you may have to take it to an emergency vet clinic.

Katie

It's also not a good idea to give to give the kitten cow's milk - it can cause diarhea (sp?). There is a kitten milk you can buy at the pet store.

Actually I wouldn't worry if she doesnt poop for a day or two. Maybe her body needs every bit of the food. She should be drinking and peeing the first day, though.

oh poor little sweetheart - how wonderful you took her in. Are you going to keep her?

I would most certainly get her to the vet as soon as you can, but until then Katie has given you the link to a great website - have a read of that and it should help you alot

GOOD LUCK!!! keep us updated!

There is no need to worry yet. She should pee sometime today, but she might not poop for a couple of days. Her digestive system may be completely empty from not having enough food.

As long as she is eating, drinking, interested in her surroundings, and playful, you can relax. A kitten who is old enough to eat on his own no longer needs to be stimulated to go to the bathroom so you can just give him a litterbox and keep an eye on things.

It is still important to schedule a vet appointment as soon as possible for a health check, deworming, and her first vaccines. Also, it is wise to find out the phone number and location of the nearest 24 hour emergency vet clinic ASAP - pretty much every medium sized or larger city has at least one. Hopefully you won't ever need it but it's still a very good piece of information to have ahead of time.

Thank you very much everyone. We made it through the night! She has gone potty, although this litter box concept hasn't sunk in yet. She's still very weak but i think she will get stronger with time. Thanks so much!