Abandoned 4-5 week old kitten

[mev13]

My cat, Bella, had kittens awhile back, and it was pretty hard to litter train her and the kittens. I don't know if you have tried this, but what I did was take the kitten into the place where the litter box was, and then kind of "paw/dig" at the litter while he was watching. The litter box was new and clean, so no worries lol. Then I set him in the box, and while he was in there, I "pawed" at it again. He might not get it the first few times, it took awhile for my kittens to figure it out. Also, when you find a mess he made outside the box, pick him and the mess up, and put the mess in the box. Make sure he sees you doing that, and maybe show him that it's in there. And when he finally goes in the box, make sure you reward him in some way. 

He sounds like such a nice kitten, thanks for being so kind and careing to him. Unfortunately there are many who would have passed him by.

Good Luck with everything!

 

[anju]

My cat, Bella, had kittens awhile back, and it was pretty hard to litter train her and the kittens. I don't know if you have tried this, but what I did was take the kitten into the place where the litter box was, and then kind of "paw/dig" at the litter while he was watching. The litter box was new and clean, so no worries lol. Then I set him in the box, and while he was in there, I "pawed" at it again. He might not get it the first few times, it took awhile for my kittens to figure it out. Also, when you find a mess he made outside the box, pick him and the mess up, and put the mess in the box. Make sure he sees you doing that, and maybe show him that it's in there. And when he finally goes in the box, make sure you reward him in some way. 

He sounds like such a nice kitten, thanks for being so kind and careing to him. Unfortunately there are many who would have passed him by.

Good Luck with everything!

Thanks Mev13. I'll try the litter thing; we did try to put him in the tray and move his paws in the scratching motion, with no luck. Maybe if I do the pawing thing, he'll catch on.

It breaks my heart every time I think of what would have happened if we hadn't found him, it's been pouring with rain all this week. He was so sick and so hungry, poor little thing. Now you wouldn't recognize him, he's so fluffy and frisky and bright-eyed!

 

[anju]

Sorry I took so long to post, it has been a crazy week. I took him to the vet on Monday, and again, they weren't too concerned. They prescribed anti-flatulence medicine and an antibiotic for his diarrhoea - they thought his tummy bloating might be due to gas.

His stool has firmed up to the consistency of toothpaste (and when he goes, it does look like toothpaste being squeezed out of a tube, sorry for the grossness).

We are giving him pumpkin and yoghurt everyday, plus the antibiotic that the vet prescribed, for the past 3 days, but have not really seen a difference because of this.

His tummy is still very bloated (especially since the rest of him is so thin), and he tested clear for parasites this week at the vet, so not sure what is causing the bloating. The anti-flatulence medicine is not seeming to help either. I have read horror stories of FIP, but also stories of malnutritioned kittens with diarrhoea and bloating, so I've decided not to panic just yet. He has another deworming next week just to be sure.

The anus protruding has become much less pronounced (almost gone now!). Funnily he has no fur around his bottom, it's just pink and soft skin. I wonder if it will grow in?

His coat is soft now, though not yet shiny, but overall he is eating, playing and sleeping very well indeed. He drinks sufficient water, and enjoys the KMR once a day now.

Yesterday for the first time, he went into the bathroom where their trays are, and went by himself hurrah! Unfortunately, he went on the bathroom floor next to the tray, but it's still a big improvement. He did scratch at a corner today, but when we called his name, he turned and ran into the bathroom again. It was almost as if he suddenly remembered where to go - and today he got into the tray and went there all by himself! We reward him with 5 pellets of dry food (which he devours) every time he goes in the bathroom, but we don't want to give him dry food if we can help it.

Thank you all for all your advice and support!

 

[ondine]

Sounds like great progress!

 

[mev13]

Your welcome! Yes, It does sound like progress! Hopefully his bloating goes down, best wishes to the both of you!

 

[anju]

I just wanted to post an update on the little rescue kitty (whom we have named Firenze because he's a golden orange boy, but call him Bunny for ease). Toilet training successfully completed, hurrah! Stool is brown and firm, and no evidence of parasites.

He's growing up, and has gained a lot of weight over the past one month, from 250 gms when he first got here to almost 1 kilo now. The funny thing is, he's growing longer and bigger, but not fatter, so he still looks thin. He is NEVER still when awake, literally always jumping about, playing with the other cats, and if they are asleep, and we are busy, a paper ball and a furry mouse will keep him stalking, pouncing and running about for hours.

Also, he has very sparse fur, and new fur is growing in very slowly, especially around his neck, where he has only the lightest of down - I think this contributes to his looking skinny.

His tummy is MUCH better, the bloating has dramatically gone down - it is still a little swollen in comparison with his limbs, but hopefully that will get better.

Our big boy Zazi and he are the best of friends now, although it is very funny to see them bite and play because of the difference in sizes - Bunny just never backs down, no matter how many knocks or bites he gets (of course no serious ones, Zazi's very careful). Zoe, the girl, is still quite standoffish and does not like Bunny intruding on her personal space, but then she's like that with everyone.

Thanks everyone, again - once Bunny gets a little fatter and a more healthy-looking coat, I will post some pics. Cheers!

 

[ondine]

Thanks for the good news.

 

[jcat]

That's a great update! We're looking forward to photos and more progress reports.