I've Had To Wash Kitten 3 Days In A Row - Please Help!

[Miss Meow Meow]

Hi. So I got a 4 week old kitten on August 24th. I have been very fearful because I don't feel like she is eating enough, but then again she has been pooing once every night since she got here, and I have noticed her pee at least once but possibly 2 or 3 times total. First of all, the fact that she has pood three times (about once per night) is a good sign that she is eating enough, right? Everyone tells me she eats a little because she is small so she has a very small tummy but I can't help but feel worried as I care very much about her and want her to be healthy.
However, when she does poo, it is a little bit runny, kind of like a paste, and it is yellowy brownish and some of it (the past 2 times, all of it) ends up sticking on her leg and tail. It doesn't help that she is very fluffy. I try to wipe her with a baby wipe but it is very obvious that it won't come off so for the past 3 nights I have been giving her a bath per night. I give her a bath on the sink and use Dawn soap, focusing mostly on washing the poo away and then I wrap her in a towel or blanket and I hold her until she is dry.
But I don't like the idea of having to give her a bath. Especially 3 baths in 3 consecutive nights. Partly because she is a baby and it can't be good to be bathed so often. But also because the water here in Las Vegas is "harsh" (high in calcium) and I feel it can be a bit irritating. I really don't want to have to give her a 4th bath. Are all these baths bad for her?
And if they are (which is most likely the case), can anyone suggest any alternatives or preventive measures? I must admit, I have only been giving her kitten milk, no water, until yesterday that my mom adviced me to give her water. I put some in a small container but she doesn't drink it, she only drinks from her bottle but so far I haven't tried to give her the water in the bottle. Do you think that will help her poo be more solid so it doesn't stick to her? And if it DOES stick to her, is it okay to only wipe as much as I can with a baby wipe, even if she is still soiled? Or would it be better to give her another bath? What is the lesser of two evils?
Please help, I don't want my kitten to get sick as a side effect from so many baths but I also don't want her to get an infection if she gets dirty from the poo.

 

[Miss Meow Meow]

 

[maggiedemi]

What is she eating for food?

 

[Miss Meow Meow]

Kitten KMR

 

[Miss Meow Meow]

What is she eating for food?

Kitten KMR

 

[talkingpeanut]

Where did you get your kitten?

 

[Sarthur2]

What brand KMR are you using? Is it powdered or pre-mixed?

Formula poop is usually a light yellowish brown and should be the consistency of soft-serve ice cream.

Had she been with her mom until you took her?

It can take a few days for a kitten's tummy to adjust from mother's milk to formula.

Your kitten should be getting enough water with her formula and not need extra right now.

How much and how often are you feeding her? How much does she weigh?

You can clean her back end and legs by dipping a wash cloth in warm water without giving her a full bath. You are right that she does not need anymore full baths right now.

She's adorable!

 

[Miss Meow Meow]

What brand KMR are you using? Is it powdered or pre-mixed?

Formula poop is usually a light yellowish brown and should be the consistency of soft-serve ice cream.

Had she been with her mom until you took her?

It can take a few days for a kitten's tummy to adjust from mother's milk to formula.

Your kitten should be getting enough water with her formula and not need extra right now.

How much and how often are you feeding her? How much does she weigh?

You can clean her back end and legs by dipping a wash cloth in warm water without giving her a full bath. You are right that she does not need anymore full baths right now.

She's adorable!

Her KMR is liquid/pre-mixed. I have no idea how much she weighs, I d not have a scale.
Are there any other indicators of her being healthy? Or if she is eating enough? Needless to say, it is hard to tell how much she eats not only due to the odd large measurements of bottles but that a lot of it spills out since she still licks rather than suckles on her bottle. But, she has pood 3 days in a row, that should be a good sign of health and proper eating, right?

Her poop is of similar consistency to soft serve ice cream, yes. Is it bad that it has been a bit dark? It is yellow but on the brownish side.

And thank you very much for your answer and time Sarthur2. If I may ask, what if she soils herself again and I cannot get it all off? Is it still better to clean as much as I can than to bathe her, even if she still has some poop in her fur?

 

[Miss Meow Meow]

Your kitten should be getting enough water with her formula and not need extra right now.

Oh, I don't know if it makes a difference but I failed to mention that I live in Las Vegas, NV. I am new here. I helped bottle raise kittens in the past on two different occasions and we never gave them water while they were still bottle feeding. The reason my mom advice me to was because here in LV, NV it gets really hot. Granted the kitten is inside and occasionally (though not too often, especially since I am currently sick) we turn on the fan or AC when it gets really hot inside. But my mom suggested she might be getting dehydrated which may be causing her poo to stick to her and why she may need extra water. It could also be the position in which she has been pooing as she is a baby and doesn't quite know when and how or where to go, it seems to catch her by surprise when she goes.

 

[ashade1]

If you are worried about her getting dehydrated you can mix some pedialyte with the formula. I think it is usually recommended here to get the powder KMR and mix it yourself because many have dfound the premixed formula gives them diarrhea. It sounds like her poops are pretty normal for a formula fed kitten though! I would just use a warm wet wash cloth like had been said earlier in stead of fully bathing her. She is a cutie!

 

[Miss Meow Meow]

If you are worried about her getting dehydrated you can mix some pedialyte with the formula. I think it is usually recommended here to get the powder KMR and mix it yourself because many have dfound the premixed formula gives them diarrhea. It sounds like her poops are pretty normal for a formula fed kitten though! I would just use a warm wet wash cloth like had been said earlier in stead of fully bathing her. She is a cutie!

Thank you sooooo much!!! (: You have put my mind at ease, I will use a warm cloth. You have no idea how grateful I am for your (and Sarthur2's) reply! And thank you for the compliment to my kitten! (:

 

[ashade1]

How is she doing now?

 

[StefanZ]

If you wonder if she eats enough, the easiest is to weigh her every day. If she adds, say 10+ gram a day, good, if less, not so good and shall get more.

You can trim the hairs down there some, so they dont get soiled. But if they get pronounced soiled, it hints some sort of diarreatish...

I saw mentioned earlier, pedialyte is good, esp when there is diarrhea. Either instead of water in mixing out the KMR, or possibly, (also) some drops in between the meals.

 

[StefanZ]

Another alternative is goats milk. If you can get raw goats milk, its good, but bottled / cartonned is usually OK too. No fancy low fat diet variations, though.

As earlier mentioned, powdered KMR to mix out yourself is more reliable than the premixed liquid. It works for some, but many must change.