VERY skinny and I'm scared

Ok..I've been noticing this one kitten is really skinny compared to the rest. The rest are really aggressive and five for a tit. But this one can't get by!! Is there a bottle I can get a kitten and mixture stuff so I can bottle feed it before it dies?

Try putting some karo syrup or sugar water on the little one's gums. Sugar is instant energy... it may help the kitten get the motivation to nurse.

If the kitten won't nurse from mom, the other kittens are pushing it away, or the mom has rejected it, call your vet about KMR (kitten milk replacement). Your vet should be able to provide information on where to find it and how to feed (via kitten-sized bottle). You can supplement what it's getting from its mom that way.

If you can encourage the little one to nurse from its mom, that is naturally the best. But if the kitten is skinny... bad sign... ask a vet. You might weigh all the kittens and give the vet their weights and ages.

I would suggest calling the vets office for KMR or kitten formula, and try supplementing. I have had better luck with a syringe (no needle!), and just drip the formula into the kitties mouth. Another thing that can help is taking the bigger, more aggressive kitties away for a few minutes to give the little guy a chance to nurse.

It may be something wrong with the kitten, unfortunately. But if it just needs a little extra to start....I had one little guy in my last litter, and supplemented him with formula twice daily. He grew up just fine! My current litter had one kitten fall behind, she has already caught up and no longer looks or feels skinny.

Best of luck with your kittens!

oh i really hope the lil one pulls through. Big huggs to you and your baby, and seding you warm thoughts.

What age are the kittens? Does the kitten show any signs of diarrhea?

I would also recommend putting Karo syrup on the gums for a jumpstart, and also you could try placing him on a teat while the others are sleeping, so that he is still getting the nutrients from Momma's milk. The other times supplement him, and weigh him daily, he should be gaining about 10 grams a day.
Is the kitten dehydrated? You can check by pulling up the skin on the scruff of the neck and see if it goes back or stays pulled up a lilttle. If he is dehydrated, you will need to either give him some pedialyte diluted with 50% water or if he is very weak, he will need sub-q fluids from your vet.
Around 3-4 weeks old is a good time to begin deworming. The store bought brands, I don't believe are very effective or safe. I recommend Strongid, you can take in a stool sample to your vet.
Good luck, we hope he begins feeling better soon.

It is 2 days old. The other ones are so big compared to this little one. I stayed up till 2 worrying about her. My mom warmed up some whole milk and got a syringe since we did not have a bottle and fade her some. (No signs of diharea) I told my mom about it and told her to call the vet and see if they had kitten bottles or something like that. She hasn't got a hold of them yet.

Originally Posted by Beckiboo

I would suggest calling the vets office for KMR or kitten formula, and try supplementing. I have had better luck with a syringe (no needle!), and just drip the formula into the kitties mouth. Another thing that can help is taking the bigger, more aggressive kitties away for a few minutes to give the little guy a chance to nurse.

It may be something wrong with the kitten, unfortunately. But if it just needs a little extra to start....I had one little guy in my last litter, and supplemented him with formula twice daily. He grew up just fine! My current litter had one kitten fall behind, she has already caught up and no longer looks or feels skinny.

Best of luck with your kittens!

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I've tried this, me and mom pulled every kitten away because they are all aggressive and wont let this one feed, Tysen is getting fat cuz hes so aggressive at feeding. Once we pulled them all away the cat has no time to feed...then we tried putting them in a seperate box and running away with it but the mom gets to anxious because she hears the screams of the kittens and I think we should go to the vet but mom's not hear. We need to go ASAP though.

But I just then knew that some cats have diffuclty digesting cow's milk so ...I'm so sad right now.

huggs, start supplimenting the lil one. I hope he pulls through.

The kitten got a bit fatter with the whole cows milk and the mother is not rejecting it btw. Just the fat cats are fiesty and the mom treats em' all the same

Feeding with a syringe sometimes works better than a bottle anyhow. At 2 days old, I don't know what the vet could do, except give fluids. I think keeping him with the litter, but pulling him out for kitten formula is the best choice. Call your local pet stores, and see if any carry kitten formula. Then you can ask your Mom to pick some up on the way home.

I have had trouble getting a weaker kitten to nurse, also. Sometimes taking one or two fat ones away to encourage the little one might help...but supplementing with a little formula lets you know for sure how much they are getting.

Do vets carry these? Well I live a few miles from petsmart I guess I should check.

Yes, vets have them, as does PetSmart. And there's a recipe for kitten glop on the boards, and it's just stuff you get at the store like gelatin and evaporated milk. But I don't think Cow's milk is all that good for them. Even Whiskas catmilk would be better than that. (BTW, my kitties loved Whiskas catmilk, but I don't think a lot of people on the board recommend it. But it's better than nothing.)

Good news I called petsmart and asked if they have formual and they have formula and bottles. I'm just scared for my kitten right now because hopefully the cows milk didn't have a really bad effect on the little one because I read it's bad for people to substitue a cats milk to cows milk. But my mom and I are going to stop by petsmart today and get a bottle and formula.

I had to formula feed one of the kittens out winters last litter. i found that the syringe works not the bottle until they are older. I only paid like 2.00 for some formula and my vet gave me a bottle and syringe for free. I hope this helps. also you can pick up some formula at a lot of depertment stores also. good luck. keep us updated on the little one.

Lisa

We bot a bottle that feeds small animals from dogs to squireels and kittens. We read the directions ..use a hot needle and let it cool and poke a hole on the latex, we poke holes and it still wouldn't give milk, the plastic syringe works way better We are using KMR and it is working great. I fed him/her at 3 so I guess I will feed the llittle on at 6 or 7

Do not feed it cow's milk. It's not just diarreah, they can't digest it well and might make them feel worse. At the end of this post I've given you a recipe for something you can give him that's better for him.

To help the kitten get used to nursing, try to rub it's nose back and forth over a nipple, that's what the kittens do to find it and that natural movement might help him catch on. Just putting him there might not be enough. They need to feel it with their nose and mouth, and I think the tiny drop of milk that might get on their lips or nose helps stimulate their appetite also.

In the meantime, do try the KMR also. You can even find a brand of kitten milk replacement at Walmart, most of them carry it in the pet supply dept. Call some of your local pharmacies (the large ones like CVS), might even find that in their pet dept (although not as likely).

Make up this mixture and give this to the kitten until you get the KMR. It is suggested you don't use the homemade version for more than 1 day so get the other as soon as you can:

INGREDIENTS:
* 12 oz can evaporated milk
* 1/2 cup water
* 1 egg yolk
* 1 tsp kayro syrup
* 1-2 drops of vitamins
(This has a very short shelf life)
If you don't have the vitamins, at least make up the rest and get the kmr as soon as possible. There are more complicated kitten glop recipes, but most people have these ingredients around the house. It's what I use to get one of my kittens nursing, and it worked, and she started to nurse, and was perfectly fine after that once she got the hang of it.

I also just learned two new things while searching for the kitten glop recipe. One, is that goats milk is a better emergency food than cow's milk (again, until you can get kmr) and also learned that sometimes a dose of antibiotics from the vet can get a kitten who won't eat to start eating. It seems it can often be caused by a digestive track infection.

If you do feed him, don't forget to burp him!

Sorry you had to type all this up lol We are using KMR, it's working alright

I'm glad it's working, but try a few times a day to get him back to nursing normally from his mother. That is best and the mother's milk has antibodies the kmr does not have.

It should be used as a supplement if you have a healthy, nursing mother, just until you can get the kitten to start nursing from Mom full time and you can stop the KMR.

If you feed it competely with KMR it will never be hungry enough to try and nurse from Mom.

Mom's milk and nursing is better for the kitten not only physically, but emotionally too.

I don't think it can find the nipple...it passes it and just drops. It's very frustrating. Even when I take all the other 5 kittens out the little one does the same. When do kittens eyes open? When the little one's eyes open then I know it will probably be able to go without the KMR. But right now I am gonna have to keep the little one on the KMR till he/she's eyes open. Or else it will starve to death.