1 week old (ish) orphaned kitten questions

kaitie09

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Hi,

I picked this guy up about 6 days ago after his mom (after someone discovered her nest) took her other kitten and left him in a (dry) well for 6+hours. I've been feeding every 2-3 hours, the first few days using an eyedropper and now a bottle with a miracle nipple. He's had a great suckle from the very beginning but is only 118 g (as of last night at 6pm). I've been weighing him daily (finally had my scale delivered) for the past 3 days and he's gaining 8-10g per day. I'm wondering if he was maybe just on the small side when born? I don't know how old he was when I got him, but he still had a dried umbilical cord that fell off in about a day. His eyes are just now starting to loosen up in the corners. I'm wondering if that weight seems okay since he is steadily gaining and that maybe he was just the runt and I'm worrying too much?

Additionally, I'm wondering about nighttime feeding. He doesn't seem to like it. During the day he'll consistently eat 5-7 ml each at each feeding, but the 12am and 3am feeding he'll barely eat 2-3ml, and that's with me waiting a few minutes and try to push him to eat more, but not forcing him. Over a 24hr period, he's eating anywhere from 45-50 ml. I'm wondering if I should push his nighttime feedings to 4 hours or just continue with the 3hr times?

He has a covered heating pad in half his box, and a stuffed animal with a heartbeat to keep him comfy. He's always plump, warm, and pink. Burps after each feeding and poops at least once a day.

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Sarthur2

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You can definitely push his nighttime feedings to every 4 hours. He is getting plenty of food throughout the 24-hour period, and though he’s a few days behind in his weight, I think he will catch up soon enough if he continues at this rate.

Umbilical cords fall off around Day 5, so he was probably about 4 days old when you took him. Now, at 10 days old, he weighs just over 4 ounces, which is not bad for his situation. The goal is to gain about 4 ounces (113 grams) each week, or close to it, but he sounds like he eats like a champ and is very healthy!

Keep up the nice job, and thank you for saving him! :)
 
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kaitie09

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Update: Kevin is now weighing in at 185g and eyes are fully opened. The problem is now she (looking like a she now) hasn't pooped in 2 days.

I'm using powdered KMR at a 1:2.5 ratio. She's drinking about 60ml a day on average. She had a big bm Saturday night (that was twice that day) and another Sunday morning, but nothing since. I've been doing belly massages and can hear/feel gurgling, so I know her system is working. While I'm massaging, she's purring and kneading away, and half falling asleep. She's burping after feeding fine, and peeing (pale yellow/clear) without a problem. I did leave a message with my vet, but wanted to see how worried I really should be. Before that, she would go at least once every 24-30 hours.
 

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Sarthur2

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Give it 24 hours. It sounds like she cleaned her system out, and sometimes they skip a day. In the meantime, add 2-3 drops of olive oil to her formula. It helps to move things along. :)
 
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kaitie09

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Give it 24 hours. It sounds like she cleaned her system out, and sometimes they skip a day. In the meantime, add 2-3 drops of olive oil to her formula. It helps to move things along. :)
Thanks. I have a vet tech appt. for tomorrow evening if she doesn't go by then (that would be day 3 1/2). Vet didn't seem too concerned, just thinking I'm not stimulating her right/long enough(I've tried every which way though). This isn't my first bottle baby, and I had a littler of 4 about her same age before. This is the first time I've come across this problem though. I did add some olive oil to her bottle today as well.
 
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kaitie09

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So he is officially a she. Apparently, her bladder was very full, which was causing constipation. Once her bladder was expressed, she had no problem going, and it was almost 3 inches long.

I guess I'm a little confused what I could be doing wrong. I've been stimulating her after every feeding with a warm wash cloth until she stops peeing completely.
 

happykitty

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You can stimulate before and after feeding. You can use soft dry toilet paper and then it's easier to see if she is finished urinating.
 
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kaitie09

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Kevin will be 3 weeks old tomorrow. She's weighing in at 340-ish grams. After another 4 days of constipation and a very hard stool, I had to switch her over to the liquid KMR. I got a perfect bm yesterday but today she's been having some diarrhea which I'm sure is due to the new formula.

Has anyone tried mixing the liquid and powdered kmr, or should I try someone different entirely? It seems like the powdered was way too rich and was causing constipation, but I'm worried the liquid might keep causing her diarrhea. I do have unflavored Pedialyte on hand (maybe a mix of all three somehow??).

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Sarthur2

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The powdered is superior to the liquid. Have you continued to add olive oil to her feedings? That should keep her from getting constipated on the powdered.
 
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kaitie09

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The powdered is superior to the liquid. Have you continued to add olive oil to her feedings? That should keep her from getting constipated on the powdered.
I added olive oil every day, and tried watering it down to an almost 3 to 1 ratio at one point. She only has a week or so until I can start introducing her to wet food, so I'm not too concerned about the quality right now, I'm more worried about her bowels working properly and her not being in pain every time I stimulate her. I might try adding the powdered back into the wet food when the time comes, but eating just the powdered version was not working for her.
 
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kaitie09

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So I'm trying a mix of liquid and powdered KMR today. 1/2 liquid, 1/2 powdered (1:2 ratio mixed with Pedialyte). Hopefully the powdered will firm up her stool, but the liquid will keep her from becoming constipated again, and the Pedialyte will help with any dehydration, although her tent tests are fine.
 
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kaitie09

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For anyone running into this problem in the future, I just want to say that the mix seems to be working. She's easily been pooping and it's the right consistency now. She'll be 4 weeks old on Thursday.

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