URGENT ideas needed - orphan kitten refusing to drink

austkitten · Jan 27, 2017

Hello - this is my first post and I am desperate for some help and ideas.

My neighbour found an abandoned feral kitten on Tuesday and I adopted it on Wednesday night. It's eyes are open but ears are flat and it can crawl around a little but is not very coordinated. Im guessing it is 2-3 weeks old. It only weighs 150 grams and has not gained or lost weight since Wednesday.

It's now Saturday here in Australia, so kitten has been at least four days without mama cat.

I cannot get baby to drink milk without forcing it down it's throat.

I got kitten formula from the vet and a bottle with a small nipple. Baby is completely disinterested in the milk. I've tried it in a shallow dish and baby just crawls straight through it, even after I push its face into the milk. I've tried with a tiny syringe and baby struggles a lot and tries to escape. I've tried with the bottle and nipple and baby struggles and shakes its head and tries to escape.

I've been force feeding it every 3-4 hours with both the syringe and bottle. But it's been days now and it's still not interested. I'm getting desperate and more worried about it not drinking enough.

I've tried putting sugar syrup on the nipple but it's still not interested. I've also tried leaving it for longer between feeds thinking it just wasn't hungry but it doesn't make a difference.

Baby whines constantly when it's awake and kneads with its claws and seems quite strong.

It toilets well when I stimulate it.

Ideas needed PLEASE to get it interested in drinking.

StefanZ · Jan 27, 2017

austkitten said:
Hello - this is my first post and I am desperate for some help and ideas.

My neighbour found an abandoned feral kitten on Tuesday and I adopted it on Wednesday night. It's eyes are open but ears are flat and it can crawl around a little but is not very coordinated. Im guessing it is 2-3 weeks old. It only weighs 150 grams and has not gained or lost weight since Wednesday.

It's now Saturday here in Australia, so kitten has been at least four days without mama cat.

I cannot get baby to drink milk without forcing it down it's throat.

I got kitten formula from the vet and a bottle with a small nipple. Baby is completely disinterested in the milk. I've tried it in a shallow dish and baby just crawls straight through it, even after I push its face into the milk. I've tried with a tiny syringe and baby struggles a lot and tries to escape. I've tried with the bottle and nipple and baby struggles and shakes its head and tries to escape.

I've been force feeding it every 3-4 hours with both the syringe and bottle. But it's been days now and it's still not interested. I'm getting desperate and more worried about it not drinking enough.

I've tried putting sugar syrup on the nipple but it's still not interested. I've also tried leaving it for longer between feeds thinking it just wasn't hungry but it doesn't make a difference.

Baby whines constantly when it's awake and kneads with its claws and seems quite strong.

It toilets well when I stimulate it.

Ideas needed PLEASE to get it interested in drinking.

Yes, its often quite difficult before baby (and rescuer) gets the idea.

Continue your tries with this small needleless syringe. Tummy down head up, raised diagonally up. In the corner of the mouth, a drop at a time. When the baby gets interested it will get quicker. You may hold in i a little towel - its easier to hold if the baby wriggles.

Be sure the flid is body warm. Do your tries every hour, a few drops is enough, but often.

You can even try with just water - as the kitten is surely dehydrated now too. And the stress on you to prepare this kitten mother milk repllacement milk is lesser... You can have a drop of this sugar syrup in the water, or a drop on honey. (glucose sugar proper is best, but where to get in in a hurry?)

Btw, goats milk is also OK. Raw goats milk is best if you can get it, but bottled or powdered full fat goats milk are OK alternatives to kmr.

It may be cheaper than this vet bought kmr. He perhaps likes the flavor better....

You know of course to keep it warm - although I understand in Australia its the summer season now.

Please continue to report!

Good luck!

StefanZ · Jan 27, 2017

fluid - kmr or water.

austkitten · Jan 27, 2017

Thank you for your speedy response!

I tried wrapping it in a towel just now and it was a big help to hold those little paws down

I'm not sure if it's possible to get goats milk easily here - I live a long way from town - I tried raw cows milk the first day as it was a public holiday here so I was unable to get the kmr and it definitely preferred cows milk, but I read it's not good for kittens.

Its urine is close to clear now (was gold/orange on the first day), so I'm hoping that's a good sign of hydration? I've adopted kittens before but none this tiny.

I'm worried I might be over feeding it? It sleeps constantly and I have to wake it up when it's time for a feed - it doesn't wake itself and start crying. Is that normal? I waited for six hours early this morning thinking maybe he wasn't hungry, but then I was worried I was leaving it too long between feeds... when I wake it it immediately starts crying and continues until it falls asleep again.

I've been getting maybe 30ml into it each day so far.

Thank you again for your help.

StefanZ · Jan 28, 2017

austkitten said:
Thank you for your speedy response!

I tried wrapping it in a towel just now and it was a big help to hold those little paws down

I'm not sure if it's possible to get goats milk easily here - I live a long way from town - I tried raw cows milk the first day as it was a public holiday here so I was unable to get the kmr and it definitely preferred cows milk, but I read it's not good for kittens.

Its urine is close to clear now (was gold/orange on the first day), so I'm hoping that's a good sign of hydration? I've adopted kittens before but none this tiny.

I'm worried I might be over feeding it? It sleeps constantly and I have to wake it up when it's time for a feed - it doesn't wake itself and start crying. Is that normal? I waited for six hours early this morning thinking maybe he wasn't hungry, but then I was worried I was leaving it too long between feeds... when I wake it it immediately starts crying and continues until it falls asleep again.

I've been getting maybe 30ml into it each day so far.

Thank you again for your help.

austkitten said:
Thank you for your speedy response!

I tried wrapping it in a towel just now and it was a big help to hold those little paws down

I'm not sure if it's possible to get goats milk easily here - I live a long way from town - I tried raw cows milk the first day as it was a public holiday here so I was unable to get the kmr and it definitely preferred cows milk, but I read it's not good for kittens.

Its urine is close to clear now (was gold/orange on the first day), so I'm hoping that's a good sign of hydration? I've adopted kittens before but none this tiny.

I'm worried I might be over feeding it? It sleeps constantly and I have to wake it up when it's time for a feed - it doesn't wake itself and start crying. Is that normal? I waited for six hours early this morning thinking maybe he wasn't hungry, but then I was worried I was leaving it too long between feeds... when I wake it it immediately starts crying and continues until it falls asleep again.

I've been getting maybe 30ml into it each day so far.

Thank you again for your help.

Correct, we dont recommend cow milk. However, raw cow milk is less bad than processed, homogonized and pasteurized cow milk. If he was OK after this first day, no visible diarreha nor constipation, he perhaps even manages it. Cow of old type are also safer than cows of the modern high producing types.

Try to get goats milk if you can, but if not, you may perhaps be forced to try again with this raw cow milk... A calculated but reasonable risk here.

Btw, sheeps milk may be OK too. I havend solid proofs, not personal and not even by hearsay, but there are some telling it should be OK.

IF you can get 30 ml a day, its not that bad. Its not enough, but its not the same alarming as it sounded.

The rule of thumb is 8ml / oz a day of kmr or goats milk. Gives for a 150g kitten 5 oz, 5x8= 40 ml.

IF he gets enough you see by weighting him daily - shall add minimum 6gram a day, preferably 10 - or even more.

As its now, I suspect he hasnt enough. He isnt sleeping because he is contend and satysified, he is sleeping to conserve his forces for survival... Try to give him more often, even if it is sometimes small portions.

Give him a stuffed animal for company. Make perhaps yourself a wrap of fleece ro remind him of a furry friend...

Continue to report!

Good luck!

Im happy the tip on wrapping him in a towel does helps you, and its a little easier now. Tx!

talkingpeanut · Jan 28, 2017

I would recommend that you feed every two hours around the clock for now. He needs to be woken up for meals. It will get easier as he gets stronger.

austkitten · Jan 28, 2017

Okay it's been a night of ups and downs.

I woke baby every three hours for a feed. So in the last 12 hours it's had 25-30ml (I'm giving 5-6ml per feed). I've given up on the bottle and am just syringing it in so that I can keep track of how much it's getting. I couldn't find much information on how much you can feed in one go. Especially as the weight to age tables I've found online don't seem to match up for this baby.

Sadly, baby had diarrhoea at two consecutive feeds in the night, which has me very worried. But no diarrhoea after the most recent feed, which was an hour ago. Hopefully it's tummy will adjust to the kmr? I diluted it a little more and added some electrolytes as suggested on the formula.

In good news - it woke itself up for its most recent feed while I was warming the milk. This feels like a victory. It's still very strong and lively and tries to escape from the towel while I feed it. I will weigh it again at its next feed.

Thank you for the help and support.

If I start feeding every two hours, talkingpeanut, how much per feed? Lots of online resources warn about overfeeding so I'm worried about that as it can't tell me when it's full...

StefanZ · Jan 29, 2017

austkitten said:
Okay it's been a night of ups and downs.

I woke baby every three hours for a feed. So in the last 12 hours it's had 25-30ml (I'm giving 5-6ml per feed). I've given up on the bottle and am just syringing it in so that I can keep track of how much it's getting. I couldn't find much information on how much you can feed in one go. Especially as the weight to age tables I've found online don't seem to match up for this baby.

Sadly, baby had diarrhoea at two consecutive feeds in the night, which has me very worried. But no diarrhoea after the most recent feed, which was an hour ago. Hopefully it's tummy will adjust to the kmr? I diluted it a little more and added some electrolytes as suggested on the formula.

In good news - it woke itself up for its most recent feed while I was warming the milk. This feels like a victory. It's still very strong and lively and tries to escape from the towel while I feed it. I will weigh it again at its next feed.

Thank you for the help and support.

If I start feeding every two hours, talkingpeanut, how much per feed? Lots of online resources warn about overfeeding so I'm worried about that as it can't tell me when it's full...

How much per feed you give from the total amount he should get?. The rule of thumb is 8ml goats milk or kmr / 30ml (="OZ") body weight a day. So you weight, get knowledge how many 30grammes (=OZ) there is, multiple them with 8, thus get your total amount of nourishing fluids during the 24 hours. And divide with the number of feedings you are actually giving... Which depends, among others if you take a break during the night. We recommend every 2 hours. May be more often in critical situations with a very weak kitten, may be every 3-4 hours during night (your sleep) or if you must do your money job. But if so, you of course compensate accordingly at the other feedings.

Its better to give slightly more than slightly less at each feeding, because he is hopefully growing. Also if you by any reason jump over one feeding...

Its difficult to overfeed. Unless you stuff into the mouth so much it literally doesnt manage to swallow fast enough. Yeah, this is a danger.

But underfeeding is a real danger for kittens. The most common trap is you give the same amount as you learned to do - ie the amount for a newborn infant. But as time goes by, and the kitten grows it needs more and more - and if it doenst gest more, it gets more and more undernourished...

claretiger · Jan 29, 2017

My suggestion is that you try a new mixture. Maybe the kitten doesn't like the taste of the milk you're giving it.

talkingpeanut · Jan 29, 2017

I agree that you should move to every two hours for now.

austkitten · Jan 30, 2017

UPDATE

Baby is doing very well now. Thank you so much for support and knowledge. You were right - I think I was underfeeding it (still not sure if it's a boy or a girl).

Baby now tries to suckle and often does for a few seconds and then seems to get tired. I'm continuing to force feed it once it loses interest in sucking to make sure it's getting plenty of feed. It's gained about 8g/day for the last two days. Things are looking up.

Thank you again. I will try to include a photo.

IMG_3002.JPG

austkitten
Jan 30, 2017

Sarthur2 · Jan 30, 2017

This is great news! Keep up the nice job!

Willowy · Jan 30, 2017

Awww! Does he/she have any little teeth poking through? If so, you can start to add a little pureed meat to the bottle, to help get the kitty ready for solids. Maybe the baby will like it better with meat flavoring. . .

You can also try offering a dish of the milk for lapping. Some older orphans take to a dish better than a bottle or syringe.

Anne · Jan 31, 2017

Just adding a few links to articles on the site you might enjoy reading in between feedings -

[article="29659"]Hand Rearing Kittens What You Need To Know To Save A Newborns Life[/article]

[article="33289"]Weighing Newborn Kittens And How This Could Save Their Lives[/article]

And we even have a quiz

[article="33354"]Are You An Expert On Newborn Kitten Rescue[/article]

mazie · Jan 31, 2017

He or she is darling. Yes, keep up the good work and please include pictures when you have the chance

jagga · Jan 31, 2017

austkitten said:
Hello - this is my first post and I am desperate for some help and ideas.

My neighbour found an abandoned feral kitten on Tuesday and I adopted it on Wednesday night. It's eyes are open but ears are flat and it can crawl around a little but is not very coordinated. Im guessing it is 2-3 weeks old. It only weighs 150 grams and has not gained or lost weight since Wednesday.

It's now Saturday here in Australia, so kitten has been at least four days without mama cat.

I cannot get baby to drink milk without forcing it down it's throat.

I got kitten formula from the vet and a bottle with a small nipple. Baby is completely disinterested in the milk. I've tried it in a shallow dish and baby just crawls straight through it, even after I push its face into the milk. I've tried with a tiny syringe and baby struggles a lot and tries to escape. I've tried with the bottle and nipple and baby struggles and shakes its head and tries to escape.

I've been force feeding it every 3-4 hours with both the syringe and bottle. But it's been days now and it's still not interested. I'm getting desperate and more worried about it not drinking enough.

I've tried putting sugar syrup on the nipple but it's still not interested. I've also tried leaving it for longer between feeds thinking it just wasn't hungry but it doesn't make a difference.

Baby whines constantly when it's awake and kneads with its claws and seems quite strong.

It toilets well when I stimulate it.

Ideas needed PLEASE to get it interested in drinking.

I wouldn't experiment with any human food like sugar, being a baby shes delicate but I think she needs a foster mum - I'd try a cat shelter adopt a mother and see how you feel adter few weeks. Its very nice of you to adopt her

zed xyzed · Jan 31, 2017

Great work!! thank you for saving this little sweetie.

talkingpeanut · Jan 31, 2017

Jagga said:
I wouldn't experiment with any human food like sugar, being a baby shes delicate but I think she needs a foster mum - I'd try a cat shelter adopt a mother and see how you feel adter few weeks. Its very nice of you to adopt her

Glucose or honey can give a kitten without energy a boost. It's not a substitute for food.

victorysmom · Jan 31, 2017

Try wet food, if you haven't yet, depending on age of kitten, maybe some milk replacer and a bottle? Or dropper? I haven't read the whole thread, so I assume you took the poor sweetie to the vet.

zed xyzed · Jan 31, 2017

I am hoping you can send us and update with a new picture of course

URGENT ideas needed - orphan kitten refusing to drink

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