I dont know if anyone remembers my post about finding 6 kittens in my shed. Well, so far 5 of them are doing great, they are growing and eating like champs. One of them, sadly, is not eating well and is less than half the size of the other ones. I try everything I can to get him to take the bottle and sometimes he will for a few seconds, but not enough to really feed him. I fear he is going to die if he dont start eating soon. Does anyone have any advice about what to do with this kitten? I would hate to see him die but if he dont start eating soon, I fear the worst. Do you think there is something wrong with him (physically) and thats why he isnt eating. I wonder if he would have done any better with the mama cat if she were around? I know some kittens just die even if they have a mama cat, do you think he is just one of them that would die either way? I guess I am asking if anyone knows any tricks that I can try with this kitten to get it to eat. I have tried a bottle, a syringe, and two different kinds of kitten formula and he still barely eats. Any suggestions appreciated.
How old are the kittens? Have they been wormed? Pull up on his skin on his back, does it stay? If so he could be dehydrated. If you do a light puff of air in his face when you feed him he will swallow.
Yep, deworming is a must! One of our cats is the runt of the litter and what we did was get a baby bottle and kitten milk from the store (they can't digest cows milk apparently, though you could try goats milk perhaps?) and feed him. Still today he goes nuts if he sees a baby bottle. That will be fun when the baby comes...
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a310/1979-bmw/Rambo21.jpg Here is a pic of my kitty when we hand raised her.
If I were to guess, I would say they are around 10 days to two weeks old. The reason I say this is because they all have their eyes open now. I heard that happens around 10 days old. I dont know if thats true or not. No I have not wormed them yet. I was not sure when to do some of this stuff. I was going to take them to the vet for shots at about 3-4 weeks, hoping she would tell me when to do what. As for the worming, does the vet need to do it or do you give them that OTC stuff? I will try the puff of air in his face. I really do hope it works. I am at a loss with this little guy.
You worm them at about 6 weeks. They open their eyes at about 10-14 days. Some wont take to the bottle like others, you just have to be very diligent. Squeeze a little into his mouth making sure he does not aspirate and just keep at it. **Did you do the skin test? **Are you cleaning their booties with a warm cloth to stimulate them to relieve themselves? Has he gone both #'s? The formula can cause constipation and also diarrhea. What color is his #2?
Forgot to mention, take the kittens temp to make sure he is not running a fever. Here is how to do it and what temp it should be. A fever could mean an infection which is common and treatable in orphaned kittens. Lemme know what it is! http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=0&cat=1276&articleid=1082
I have got to go buy a thermomether. We dont have that kind in the house anymore every since my son bit one in half while I was taking his temp. He was having a coughing fit and somehow bit down on the thermometer and it broke in half! I freaked and have only had ear thermometers every since. When dh gets home with the car I will go buy one. I tried blowing in the kittys face, no such luck he still "screams" when I put the bottle in his mouth and refuses to suck on it. I will keep trying.
poor little guy hope he does get well. As for us, we now have 8 kittens. Just found out Mama cats daughter had kittens.
Since the kittens temp is so low be sure he is staying warm. Wrap him in a blanket and snuggle him. I would call the vet because a low temp is not good and find out what to do. The low temp is probably the reason he is not eating and crying. Let me know how he is doing. (((( ))))
I called the vet and she basically told me the same thing you told me, to warm him up and see if he would then eat something. It worked! I stuck him in a towel and up against me for a while and then tried to feed him. He ate, a lot more than he has in days. Maybe he will make it now. I did not know they would not eat if they were not warm enough. His brothers and sisters eat fine but I guess I need to pay special attention to the little one. I will try to keep him warmer and step up the feedings and hopefully he will pull out of it. I never thought he would be too cold. Its rather warm in here on most days because the window AC dont do the best job in cooling it down. I guess I have learned something.
If you have a heating pad you can put it under the kennel to keep them warm. He is having issues staying warm due to his size, like a premie baby has issues staying warm. When his little innerds warm up he can feel better. Are you warming his formula too? Are you feeding them every 2 hours-24/7? You want to be sure he is fed probably every hour so that he gets his strength back. Also if you form a little bed so they feel like they are still inside their mommy, that will also give them comfort. If you dont have a heating pad you can wet a dish cloth and put it in a zip lock bag, microwave it opened , then close it and put it under the kitties blankets. Be sure they don't get too warm because they can overheat, but that is another way of warming him. Lemme know how he is doing. I am soooooo glad he is doing better! (((( ))))
Thanks so much. I have a heating pad around here somewhere, we have not used it in so long I forget where its at, but I will find it today and put it under his bed. I am warming the formula but I will double check to make sure its warm enough. Who would have thought that anything could get too cold in this house? Its already too warm in here lol. I bet your right, he probably is having trouble maintaining his body heat because he is so much smaller than the other kittens. I have been feeding them roughly every two hours but usually they let me know when they are hungery with a lot of meowing. I will step up the feedings for the little kitten and see if that helps him any. Thanks so much for your posts. I have learned a lot about taking care of kittens.
You are so very welcome. Glad to help one of God's little blessings. You can cut back on his feedings when he gains some weight. I took my little Princess to the post office daily and the postmaster would weigh her. We have a nice postmaster! Then I invested in a postal scale, $15.00 and did the weighing at home. Keep me updated of his progress. Even if he is asleep, wake him up every 2 hours to feed him to keep up his strength for now and of course feed him when he cries. Try and go every hour if you can for now.
