Urgent!! Found tiny kitten, need help!

[gothicangel69]

My uncle found a tiny kitten stuck in the mud behind his house 2 days ago. The thing is so tiny that it fits in the palm of your hand.
Its skin and bones and seems to have something wrong with its anus. The anus looks very swollen and it screams when you touch it.
My uncle didn't know what to do, so i told him I would look after it until it gets a little bigger and is more stable.
I just got it today, he had been feeding it kitten formula every 4 hours or so.
Seeing as the kitten is so tiny and skinny, should it be eating more often??

Also, any advice on the anus?? I don't think they were stimulating it for the 2 days that they had her. She also seems to have a constant 'leak' of poo out her bottom.

Any help would be appreciated. I'm a little worried and don't know what to do. She will be going in for a checkup tomorrow night, but until then I need some help.

 

[gothicangel69]

Here are some pics

 

[farleyv]

Okay, I will give you some info and I know others will be chiming in.

Keep the baby warm. Make up a rice heating sock. Take a cotton sock and fill with uncooked rice. Tie end with twine and microwave approx 45 seconds. Do not fill too full as you want it to conform to the baby. Make sure it is not too hot. Microwaves are not alike. Just comfortably warm.

Keep up the feedings Are you using KMR? Does she lap it up or are you using a bottle? The anus deal is concerning. IMO, I would not touch her there. You may do more harm than good. She may have leaky stool due to worms. Your vet can council you better on this. Try to gently keep her clean back there. I know its hard to do.

Any guess as to how old? Eyes open, ears upright? Poor darling. I would give her all the formula she will take. I would say offer it every 3-4 hours right now.

I hope someone else chimes in. There are numerous threads under this forum regarding this.

Please keep us posted and I will help as well as I can. Nothing takes the place of a vet visit. I would try to get in a bit earlier tho. This poor dear has been untended to medically for too long. I will keep watch for you.

 

[farleyv]

Just saw the pics. She looks maybe 4 weeks old and able to eat and drink. Can you get some wet kitten food? She looks old enough to be eating this. Mix it with some warm KMR at first to make it palatable to her.

SHe is precious and very lucky to have you and your uncle looking after her.

 

[gothicangel69]

I don't think she's four weeks yet. She is so so tiny and still very uncoordinated. They said when they found her, that it looked like her eyes were still opening.
I have her on a heating pad right now set at low and covered with a towel. She has been lying on it for a while now and seems to like it.

I'm feeding her a kitten formula (bought at a pet store) it says its for kittens 0-6 weeks old. Its not KMR though.

The poor things ribs, hips, and backbone are sticking out. Its pitiful.

 

[Willowy]

She does look to be about 4 weeks old. She should be eating some solids by now, but probably will still want a bottle. Try some canned food mixed with KMR to make a mush, and you might even want to keep a bowl of dry food available as well, she might start nibbling on that soon.

For her poopy problem, I think a bath wouldn't be a bad idea. She looks to be generally healthy, and as long as you keep her warm she'll be fine. She probably ate something nasty or has the diarrhea from worms. But being clean will make her feel better.

She's old enough that she doesn't need any help going potty. Try offering her a shallow litterbox with non-clumping litter and see if she'll use it.

 

[gothicangel69]

She just tried to poo and nothing came out so I think she might be constipated.
I put some wet food in there and she's eating it right now with gusto. I dont' think she knew what it was at first. I'll have to get some kitten food tomorrow when I take her to the vet. This stuff right now is Science Diet a/d for sick cats, but I figured it would be good on her digestive system.

 

[carlysmom]

She's definitely older than my kittens and they are 3 weeks. I think you seem to be doing all the right things. She probably does have worms the poor baby.

The vet can worm her and she will start to feel better.

 

[gothicangel69]

Thanks for all your help so far. She's eating the wet food/milk very well. So I think she'll be plump and rolly soon, but the butt issue is really bothering me. She's still 'leaking' poo everywhere and it stinks REALLLY bad. I'm thinking she might have some type of bacteria or parasite or something??

 

[farleyv]

She may have something like that, but the vet will fix her up.

Does she have a name? Cute little sweetie. She should start to bulk up now with some wet food. When you are out today, get her some kitten wet food.

You and your uncle are quality for saving this poor babe.

Let us know how vet visit goes!

 

[kailie]

She is absolutely PRECIOUS!

You and your uncle are wonderful...

Sending vibes to the lil doll.

 

[hissy]

I hope she has seen a vet by now- that swollen anus can be a symptom of some real trouble.

 

[gothicangel69]

We just got back from the vets. The vet said she is so skinny that she probably wouldn't have lasted another day outside. She weighs 0.4lbs right now.
The vet also thinks the anus issue is due to worms or bacteria in the intestines, and the bum is just so swollen because its irritated.
She's on an antibiotic and anti-inflammatory as well as a de-wormer.

The vet is optimistic that she will make a full recovery, but she told me to watch out for an anal prolapse. The fecal smear came back good. No parasites. YAY!

 

[claydust]

That's GREAT news.

Whlle the other photo's, taken out of necessity, are less flattering in order to show the details of concern, she is a nice looking kittem the first photo; I like the markings.

Thats excellent that you're taking care of her, best wishes and I hope all goes well!

 

[farleyv]

Glad to hear it! Now you can concentrate on getting a bit of wt on her.

It is so good of you to take this little waif on. for the babe!

 

[gothicangel69]

Well I just gave her a bath, and to be honest, I have never seem an animal this skinny and still alive. All her ribs are visable, you can see the individual vertibrae in her back, her hip bones, even her brest bone is sticking out. I don't think there is an ounce of fat on her body. Its heartbreaking to see something like that. I knew she was skinny, but this is ridiculous.
How long do you guys think it will take her to bouce back??
Oh, and my uncle just told me her name is Alley. (as in alley cat, haha)
Here are some pictures
After bath



Warm and dry (she absolutely LOVES the blowdryer by the way. She was rollling all over so I could dry every part of her, haha.) BTW- the black cat in the edge of the photo is my 8 week old kitten- this shows you how small the poor thing is.

 

[zoeysmom]

Holy cow! She IS small! Can't really tell from her photos alone, but your kitten looks like a giant compared to her!

I'm glad you got her to the vet and that she's expected to make a full recovery. Good for you for taking care of her! I'm sure she'll thrive under your care!

 

[claydust]

Originally Posted by gothicangel69

How long do you guys think it will take her to bouce back??

A differnt problem but when Taz found us (not the other way around) he was approx. 12 weeks of age, he had a mangled tail, an infection in his mouth and the vet said he would have been dead in another 24 hours.

He was shot full of antibiotics, the vet amptated his tail to "lynx length".

Only two days latter, he was running around like hooligan, tormenting our "Old Girls" that we had at the time. I think they can be pretty resiliant.

I think this kitten has a bit more of a challenge but with the care you're giving, I am hoping recovery will be reasonably quick.

She may have eating issues out of the experience, Kasey went through a time when she didn't get enough to eat and she's still trying to make up for it.

That's funny about the blow drying, my Mother had a long haired cat in the 1980's that liked to be vacuumed. That warm dryer blast must feel really good.

 

[kittyl0ve4]

AWWW she is absolutely adorable!

I'm so glad the vet visit went well, and I hope the meds start working quickly, I'm sure her lil hiney hurts! She is super tiny, the bath pics make her head look so much bigger than her body, lol..

You and your uncle are wonderful, selfless people for helping this poor baby!

that she makes a fast and full recovery!

BTW, who will be keeping her, you or your uncle?

 

[mbjerkness]

good health vibes for Alley. I found a kitten last summer . Not quite as skinny as your little girl. You count count every rib on her and feel her bony spine. Within a few weeks she started plumping up. My nephew's girlfriend took her.