(Barely) 3 week old kitten ate the tip of a rubber nipple

[oneCatAtATime]

My kitten who barely just entered 3 weeks of age just swallowed about a 1-2cm long and 1 cm wide (V shaped) tip of a rubber baby bottle nipple

What do I do? He has been only drinking baby solution since the day we got him and I don't have a vet nearby so I would have to take him to a long ride

Inducing vomiting at home isn't a thing I believe I can do and I am afraid the V shape might end him in a bad situation

He was already straining to poop as he's learning to poop on his own newly and pooping relatively wet-watery poops near diarrhea, before he swallowed the nipple

What do I do? Any way to know when he's blocked? And if he is blocked What then? Since I believe he's too small for a vet to even operate on him

This is about how much he swallowed, he didn't choke on it and instead just swallowed it while drinking with a big gulp

 

[Shawna87]

Oh no poor kitty! I raise one of mine from 3 weeks old so I know how delicate they can be. Personally I’d call your vet and tell them the situation and see what they recommend.

 

[Sarthur2]

No worries — it will pass in his stool, but this means he is likely cutting his baby teeth. I would switch to feeding him through a 5mL syringe with no nipple. He can chew/bite on that all he wants and it will not break off. He’ll still be able to suckle plenty of formula and it can be refilled.

O oneCatAtATime

 

[oneCatAtATime]

Oh no poor kitty! I raise one of mine from 3 weeks old so I know how delicate they can be. Personally I’d call your vet and tell them the situation and see what they recommend.

I did ask my vet after posting this, and he told me that the nipple would be of no worry, he told me to feed him a drop of olive oil if all else failed, well since the day I've posted he has pooped many a different kinds from liquid to solid but considering he poops at least twice a day there is a good chance that it passed or is sitting somewhere in his stomach that doesn't bother him, It was so worrying but all seems to be good now! He plays and eats like an adult cat and sleeps like my 90y/o grandpa

 

[oneCatAtATime]

I did ask my vet after posting this, and he told me that the nipple would be of no worry, he told me to feed him a drop of olive oil if all else failed, well since the day I've posted he has pooped many a different kinds from liquid to solid but considering he poops at least twice a day there is a good chance that it passed or is sitting somewhere in his stomach that doesn't bother him, It was so worrying but all seems to be good now! He plays and eats like an adult cat and sleeps like my 90y/o grandpa

The syringe idea rocks and it's what I should've been doing since the beginning, I've got him from a shelter while he was 2.5 weeks so probably there was no real need of a baby bottle, if anyone reads this post that would be my definite suggestion to them, it will definitely save them so much worry to just get something the kitten can't possibly eat through

 

[heatherwillard0614]

If there becomes a block there could be signs of distress not eating or drinking, vomiting, not bein

The syringe idea rocks and it's what I should've been doing since the beginning, I've got him from a shelter while he was 2.5 weeks so probably there was no real need of a baby bottle, if anyone reads this post that would be my definite suggestion to them, it will definitely save them so much worry to just get something the kitten can't possibly eat through

I am so shocked that the shelter let a 2.5 week old kitten be adopted.. here they won't let them go until they are at least 8 weeks old.. if something happened and no momma then they go to a rescue until they are of age..
Anyway I am glad little one is doing well!!!! Pictures are always welcome!!! Lol they are like presents hahaha

 

[oneCatAtATime]

If there becomes a block there could be signs of distress not eating or drinking, vomiting, not bein
I am so shocked that the shelter let a 2.5 week old kitten be adopted.. here they won't let them go until they are at least 8 weeks old.. if something happened and no momma then they go to a rescue until they are of age..
Anyway I am glad little one is doing well!!!! Pictures are always welcome!!! Lol they are like presents hahaha

Oh the shelter had MUCH smaller kittens, one laying on the floor was the size of my palm with no baby kitten fuzz, only smooth hair like fur looking like a penguin if anything, the shelter I was in was admittedly not a normal shelter, it was more of old/disabled cats/orphan kittens and there was only about 10 cats in there, many of them limping, with broken or paralyzed limbs and one with some huge amount of blueish green medicine cream, it was a government run shelter and, sadly taking pictures or recording was strictly forbidden in there, hardly allowed me to bring my phone inside

For the kitten I adopted he was an orphan which was covered in fleas when we first got him, they only gave him treatment while I was taking him away, thankfully the fleas did die off very soon but I was just slightly concerned about the cats left behind

They also provide free chipping/neutering services to street animals and the ones adopted from that shelter which I found to be very kind of them

And since you said you liked pictures here is 2 pictures of Atom the little kitten whom in one picture I am having a hard time pulling him away from his first wet food meal and the second one is a picture I've taken of him a week or 4 days ago where he locked me in spot by making sure I wouldn't disturb his cuteness

 

[oneCatAtATime]

Hello, I have an approx. 3 week old kitten who was taken from a shelter and isn't looking like he's growing much muscle even though he's eating like a full grown cat

Besides slightly losing appetite in the last 2 days (still fights me for his food just doesn't meow the moment he's hungry like he used to and prefers sleeping more) and not growing much fat or muscle in his body he doesn't have any other symptoms as he poops often and doesn't make them watery/weird colored

I haven't gotten him tested even though I suspect him to have the start of feline panfluk and I don't want to exactly bring him out to a vet because I fear that bringing him into one may just cause him to get it

The purpose of the post is asking when can I get him vaccinated? The sooner the better so I can stop worrying about this, he's about 3 weeks old and moving into his 4th, I really really am worried as I got him from a shelter which wasn't the most sanitary area, he was covered in fleas which can just show that they weren't taking the best care of him

I Google this but there are sources that say starting at 4 weeks, starting at 6 weeks and even starting at 8

I know that time is of the essence when working with pan because showing symptoms will usually mean that a kitten will die, And I sadly had to witness it happen before, I really don't want him to have the same fate, so when to vaccinate? 4 weeks? 6? 8?

 

[Sarthur2]

No kitten should be vaccinated until they weigh at least 2 pounds, which is usually at 8 weeks. Some vaccines make kittens sick or lethargic for a few days.

Here is an article on panleukopenia:

Feline panleukopenia

Kittens can survive it with proper supportive care, including meds and fluids.

 

[oneCatAtATime]

Kittens can survive it with proper supportive care, including meds and fluids.

My kitten that had passed away due to the sickness was diagnosed way too late, we brought him to a vet after he begun puking non stop and he died the same day, And I've learned about how heavy of a care a kitten needs in order to survive such a disease, I don't know how I could even treat my kitten if he was tested and came positive because I dont have the expirience for it, neither is the medicine available in a short distance

I was just hoping I can get the vaccine as soon as possible and dodge the risk

I still won't get him tested just because i don't feel the vet is sanitary enough (it's a small shop like vet and they very usually take care of strays)




Living in the middle of nowhere sucks when the city is so far away man..
Only good thing left to do is hope and pray the 1 symptom goes nowhere and is just me being paranoid

 

[FeebysOwner]

Aside from the sage advice above, keep this in mind: "...kitten vaccination schedule for FVRCP (which includes panleuk) can begin as early as 6 weeks of age. Kittens are vaccinated once every 3-4 weeks until they reach 16 weeks of age or older. However, to avoid over-vaccination, most veterinarians will recommend starting the vaccine at 8 weeks of age, followed by boosters at 12 weeks and 16 weeks old."
Kitten Vaccination Schedule and Costs | PetMD

I know you are worried, but from the sounds of it, your kitten doesn't seem to have panleuk - the likelihood is that you would be seeing more signs that what you have described. You could push for an earlier start time at 6 weeks, but then you would be facing an additional vaccination.

Keep the faith...

 

[oneCatAtATime]

I know you are worried, but from the sounds of it, your kitten doesn't seem to have panleuk - the likelihood is that you would be seeing more signs that what you have described. You could push for an earlier start time at 6 weeks, but then you would be facing an additional vaccination.

I have a big amount of worry because I did not quarantine my house after the last kitten passed away, I had no clue about how infectious it was as the kitten himself was very sick in general, I thought it was normal that he passed away because he was starved, sick, abandoned, and had a really bad lower respiratory infection

Not only did I not quarantine I was using the same poop scooper I did for the last kitten because I had no clue that sickness was SO SO resistant, it hasn't been 1 year since then but probably has been 3-4 months, it sure sucks learning now, of course the shelter also could be the reason why he could've gotten it and just didn't show it but it kills me that myself could be another factor, fed him just now again and he ate with happiness, it just will be horrible waiting for the 8 weeks and I'll be waiting with held breath

 

[oneCatAtATime]

TW: sadly my kitten didn't live it through, and I explained how things turned for knowledge sake, thank you for all the good wishes from before
And also I can understand if mods eventually remove this post due to the nature of it



I was not going to write anything for the sake of not scaring away people planning to adopt a kitten from the streets/adoption centers but this is the reality

My kitty has passed away not due to panleuk, or the bottle nipple, but some another virus that the vet couldn't name as for her words "there are so many viruses with different names that do this exact thing to kill kittens"

This happened about 3 days after i stopped posting to this thread, he in total only lived 8 days with us, at the morning I realized he just couldn't stand up anymore, it was me awaking and seeing him laying on his side, but when I tried to get him up to check on him like I always did in the mornings before (usually he would spring up for food instantly) he just couldn't balance himself this time

He was pulling with his paws to stand up, his tail spinning to aid him orient himself but nothing worked, I took him to a vet without as much as changing my clothes, I only wrapped him in clothes (his body was freezing) and got myself to the vet while people stared at the stranger running around with what was obviously comfy sleeping clothes

I had no explanation for why he would suddenly be in dire condition, but the vet understood what was happening, she explained that it was a type of virus that just sits inside kittens (usually in the intestine) and waits until the kitten is a certain size to act up

They injected something to warm him up and hydrate him and placed him inside one of those warming boxes, which he passed away in, vet explained that before he passed away he had a horrible diarrhea which came with blood, his intestines were destroyed, and presumably he died due to organ failure

This is not the first time I took a kitten from the streets and them dying to a sickness of some kind, the place where I live has these cat viruses rampant it seems, it is a very warm environment with cats constantly multiplying every year

For proof that the kitten had proper vet care during all of this, here is one of the last pictures I took of him, inside the warming chamber, he was alive at the moment of the picture but not awake from the overwhelming fight he was having

 

[Sarthur2]

Thank you for this update. At least he passed in a warm, safe environment, and loved and cared for by you, rather than alone outside. You did everything in your power, and you are to be commended for your brave efforts.

Rest in peace, sweet kitten!

 

[fionasmom]

I am so sorry for the loss of your kitten. It was very kind of you to take the time to update. As was said, you absolutely worked very hard to save him despite the complications which he faced.

Nothing will be deleted from your thread. For as sad as it is, the information here may help someone else who faces a similar circumstance. This kitten knew that he had someone who cared.

When a cat or kitten passes away, we lock the thread out of respect. If you would like to post a tribute or reflections on this kitten, you are welcome to do so in our Crossing the Bridge forum.