Swollen smelly bum on 3 week old kitten

[Pistachio]

TMI ALERT:

We got a baby kitten about 3 weeks old (her mom kind of left her and her siblings so her owners had to give them away). She’s been drinking kitten milk and eating kibble fine and is pretty well in terms of litter training too but has this disgusting smell coming from her even when we wipe her. Her bum is almost always wet, and there’s this mucusy/clear discharge that smells like hell coming from her. She’s an active kitty, doesn’t seem to be in pain, isn’t losing weight and it’s the first time we’ve ever had a pet... please help!!!!

 

[danteshuman]

Well a vet check seems in order.

in the meantime Adan of Vaseline can soothe her sore/raw bum. Also I’m not sure if she has the runs (?parasites?) but I would add baby rice cereal to her formula to help thicken up her stools, to see if that helps.

I hope she feels better soon!

 

[Pistachio]

Well a vet check seems in order.

in the meantime Adan of Vaseline can soothe her sore/raw bum. Also I’m not sure if she has the runs (?parasites?) but I would add baby rice cereal to her formula to help thicken up her stools, to see if that helps.

I hope she feels better soon!

Thank you!
I’ll take her to the vet first thing tomorrow.
Do I apply the Vaseline straight on her bum?

 

[Pistachio]

Well a vet check seems in order.

in the meantime Adan of Vaseline can soothe her sore/raw bum. Also I’m not sure if she has the runs (?parasites?) but I would add baby rice cereal to her formula to help thicken up her stools, to see if that helps.

I hope she feels better soon!

Oh and she did have the runs for like a day or two but that’s stopped since then!

 

[danteshuman]

Just run a small amount on her exit hole, once a day. A small amount of Vaseline won’t hurt her and it will soothe her if it is swollen/ irritated from the runs. I’m betting the mucus is from the runs ..... but especially with kittens so young it is better to be safe then sorry.

One litter of kittens had awful runs and required medication for it. The other litter started out constipated but never had the runs. We do our best but kmr is just not mom’s milk plus sometimes they have worms (and deworming medication can give them the runs.)

You can try probiotics when she starts eating wet food or ask your vet when/how you can safely give her probiotics. I have heard of people swearing by raw whole goats milk but if the kmr is working, I wouldn’t change it.

 

[Sarthur2]

She may have parasites or other intestinal bacterial infection and needs meds from the vet. She needs to be seen regardless. Keep her bum clean by gently wiping with a warm, damp cloth and apply vaseline or coconut oil daily.

What brand wet and dry are you feeding?

 

[Pistachio]

She may have parasites or other intestinal bacterial infection and needs meds from the vet. She needs to be seen regardless. Keep her bum clean by gently wiping with a warm, damp cloth and apply vaseline or coconut oil daily.

What brand wet and dry are you feeding?

KMR for milk & Purina for dry food! She’s not on wet foods yet

 

[Pistachio]

Just run a small amount on her exit hole, once a day. A small amount of Vaseline won’t hurt her and it will soothe her if it is swollen/ irritated from the runs. I’m betting the mucus is from the runs ..... but especially with kittens so young it is better to be safe then sorry.

One litter of kittens had awful runs and required medication for it. The other litter started out constipated but never had the runs. We do our best but kmr is just not mom’s milk plus sometimes they have worms (and deworming medication can give them the runs.)

You can try probiotics when she starts eating wet food or ask your vet when/how you can safely give her probiotics. I have heard of people swearing by raw whole goats milk but if the kmr is working, I wouldn’t change it.

She’s not on any de-worming meds but definitely might be worth a visit to the vet, you’re right.
Thank you so much!!

 

[danteshuman]

I looked it up on thekittenlady and apparently there is a parasite called coccidea (so) that can give kittens/cats smelly mucus-y diarrhea. So when you take the kitten to the vet, bring in a stool sample if you can.

If you have any questions I suggest you look up thekittenlady on YouTube because I think she covers just about everything.

 

[Sarthur2]

Yes, coccidia is a parasite and usually produces a bright yellow, smelly stool. Giardia is another parasite that causes diarrhea. This is why she needs to see a vet, though it could be diet. The vet will run tests, but not all parasites show up in a stool sample, so sometimes they treat anyway just in case.

 

[lutece]

Where is the mucusy discharge coming from? In these pictures it looks like it might be coming from her vagina rather than anus. In any case she needs to visit the vet to be examined.

 

[Pistachio]

She may have parasites or other intestinal bacterial infection and needs meds from the vet. She needs to be seen regardless. Keep her bum clean by gently wiping with a warm, damp cloth and apply vaseline or coconut oil daily.

What brand wet and dry are you feeding?

Thank you!
I took her to the vet and it was because she wasn’t reacting well to the new milk we tried and needed to be dewormed as well!

 

[danteshuman]

Good to hear she will be OK! Did the vet recommend a different formula or goats milk?

 

[Willowy]

If she's actually only 3 weeks old, her digestive system may not be ready for dry food yet, and that might be part of what's causing the runs. Try giving her only formula for a day (to clear things out) and then start her on canned food mixed with formula. It's a lot easier to digest.

How big are her teeth?