5 Week old kitten - Explosive Diarrhea

[cybott]

I just got a kitten, who was a rescue of sorts... In short, we only know that she was raised on mac and cheese for an extended period of time.

That said, I've had her for a little over a week, took her to the vet asap and got her checked out and de-wormed.

She is a very picky eater, and underweight, so we recently started her on nutrical along with wet canned food, and watered down kibble when she'll actually eat that. She's 5 weeks, and not yet 1 pound. As I've never raised a kitten so young, I need a little help. She's had explosive diarrhea since last night, and her butt is very very pink and irritated. I've been using soft cotton swaps with witchhazle to help her with the irritation, but otherwise she isn't phased. She also has been drinking a lot of water, which I observe to make sure she doesn't get dehydration.

Could this diarrhea be from change in diet? Macaroni to actual cat food? She didn't have it a few days ago, but she has been on canned food for the last week and a half. We just started nutrical two days ago, which is when this got really bad.

Any help would be very appreciated. If this continues as it is, she'll likely be taken to the vet.

* Note, the vet said she didn't need any formula so she hasn't had any since I've had her. 

 

[kungpaokitten]

Why was she eating mac and cheese prior to your adopting her?

Rufus my kitten had the same issue with diarrhea two weeks ago. His stemmed from either bacterial parasites or inflammatory bowel disease. I couldn't tell you which but the doctor did have him on two different medications for the parasites and also placed him on bland diet food. The vet also had me sprinkle probiotics from these small packets Directly on the food every time I fed him.

Whatever you do from this moment on you need to switch your kitten to canned foods. Canned foods are 90% water and keeps your feline friend hydrated. My Vet told me any wet food is better than the best brand of dry kibbles. I had my cats on the grain free, gluten free organic dry goods and now I've switched them to natural whole canned foods.

Try switching the kitten to canned food and give it a few days to acclimate. If the problem persists, you should take her back to the vet.

 

[mservant]

It could easily be the change in diet for your little kitten as even a slight change in diet can trigger poop problems.   If it started with the Nutrical my first thought would be to stop that element of the feeding routine and if you thnk she does need an extra boost add in kitten formula (but remember your vet said they didn't think it was necessary).  The diet being too rich might be causing her troubles.

Can you phone your vet for advice rather than always have to take your little one in?   Given the circumstances they might be willing for you to check in with them for questions before deciding if it's necessary to get her down to the surgery.  

Wet canned food with high protein content, preferably kitten ones, are best for your kitten but if she won't eat them then feed her anything she will take for now.  If she will take dried kibble soaked in water then yes, go for that but don't leave it down for more than 20 or 30 minutes as it risks any bacteria which has been on the dry food starting to grow. What she needs is appropriate cat nutrition so that she will grow and put on weight.  Meat, poulty and fish, not dairy or foods full of carbohydrates (which is what the macaroni cheese was).  

Is your little one playful or is she quieter than you would expect and needing a lot of sleep?

 

[StefanZ]

Im writing in hurry, but with much diarehea pedialyte is necessary.  Say flavorless bably pedialyte.  Or some nice homemade,  say, bottled minerale water with some added glucose sugar source... blend be sure the gas is out,,,

A must.

 
I just got a kitten, who was a rescue of sorts... In short, we only know that she was raised on mac and cheese for an extended period of time.

That said, I've had her for a little over a week, took her to the vet asap and got her checked out and de-wormed.

She is a very picky eater, and underweight, so we recently started her on nutrical along with wet canned food, and watered down kibble when she'll actually eat that. She's 5 weeks, and not yet 1 pound. As I've never raised a kitten so young, I need a little help. She's had explosive diarrhea since last night, and her butt is very very pink and irritated. I've been using soft cotton swaps with witchhazle to help her with the irritation, but otherwise she isn't phased. She also has been drinking a lot of water, which I observe to make sure she doesn't get dehydration.

Could this diarrhea be from change in diet? Macaroni to actual cat food? She didn't have it a few days ago, but she has been on canned food for the last week and a half. We just started nutrical two days ago, which is when this got really bad.

Any help would be very appreciated. If this continues as it is, she'll likely be taken to the vet.

* Note, the vet said she didn't need any formula so she hasn't had any since I've had her. 

 

[StefanZ]

 
I just got a kitten, who was a rescue of sorts... In short, we only know that she was raised on mac and cheese for an extended period of time.

That said, I've had her for a little over a week, took her to the vet asap and got her checked out and de-wormed.

She is a very picky eater, and underweight, so we recently started her on nutrical along with wet canned food, and watered down kibble when she'll actually eat that. She's 5 weeks, and not yet 1 pound. As I've never raised a kitten so young, I need a little help. She's had explosive diarrhea since last night, and her butt is very very pink and irritated. I've been using soft cotton swaps with witchhazle to help her with the irritation, but otherwise she isn't phased. She also has been drinking a lot of water, which I observe to make sure she doesn't get dehydration.

Could this diarrhea be from change in diet? Macaroni to actual cat food? She didn't have it a few days ago, but she has been on canned food for the last week and a half. We just started nutrical two days ago, which is when this got really bad.

Any help would be very appreciated. If this continues as it is, she'll likely be taken to the vet.

* Note, the vet said she didn't need any formula so she hasn't had any since I've had her. 

When in diarreha more than occasionally, they lose lotsa of salts.  So its not enough with extra water, they must get extra salts too.  That is why pedialyte is a must.

Here comes my essay on it:  

Pedialyte:

Re homemade pedialyte, Im reusing a couple of my older posts.  If it seems lenghy, the most important recipe is at the end.

Pedialyte:

Now, as the sugar source, I use always glucose sugar (dextrose  / dextropur ) Its easy to get in Sweden, most well equipped food shops do carry the powder.    There are also flavored sweeties, heavily used by students and  wanna be sportsmen,  made of glucose sugar.   

So for me its no big deal to use the proper ingredient, instead of using emergency replacements.

For american forumites whom have difficulties to find glucose sugar proper, there is always white caro syrup, or even honey - honey does contain some glucose, and white caro syrup contains much glucose sugar.  In some brands its perhaps even essentially liquid glucose sugar.

Common sugar works too, but much slower, as it must be digested..  While glucose doesnt need to be digested, it goes into blood directly from the stomach, yes, even from the lips and mouth.

These whom tried both, are astonished how quickly glucose works, practically instantly.

As salt source, I use  minerale salt.  Also common in shops here in Sweden.  This salt contains  several different minerales, not just the NaCl in the usual kitchen salt. Including this potassium K salt.

A nice base for salt sources is simple a bottle of good minerale water.   These do typically contain a lotsa of different salts, in suitable concentration. Look at the label!

Let the gas out, add the glucose sugar source, and voilá!  you got a terrific home made pedialyte...

Common kitchen salt is OK if you dont have anything else, but its too "poverty"  if you use the pedialyte more than occasionally.

A third recipe is,  you use water from well cooked rice.   In practice its heavily over cooked.

And add  salt to it, preferably  such a minerale salt mentioned above...

This rice water contains lotsa of glucose sugar.   This variation of  pedialyte probably extra useful in some types of diarrhea, as water from overcooked rice is in itself  one of the remedies against diarrhea.  At least, the emergency doc gave us the recipe when I was a child and sick in diarrhea...  

A nice combination should be,  a  homemade pedialyte on such an overboilded rice, in water of mineral water.

Here we get both natural glucose sugar, lotsa of good mineral salts, and the rests from rice whom are good when having a diarrhea.  After all, such rice water is a classical home remedy for humans with diarrhea...

There is of course bought pedialyte, which can be used too.  Some of the brands have too much funny ingredients, though.  But if desperate, can be used.

My recommendation for bough pedialyte is, flavorless pedialyte for babies.   This is OK for cats.

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

Changing any cat/kitten's food needs to be done gradually. Mix a portion of the new food with two portions of the old food. Then increase the new and decrease the old over a period of time. A sudden change in diet can cause diarrhea.