1 week old rescue with big belly

Andrea Oliveira

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Hey everyone,

My dad rescued a cat last Saturday. He appeared to be about one or two days old.
I have been keeping warm, feeding him formula (I know I’m suppose to feed him 2-3 hours a day, and he does during the day, but during the night he sleeps a lot and when I try to feed him he just prefers to sleep, so I end up feeding him every 4-ish hours from 12-5 am ), he has been going around 12 grams a day, pees with every feed, and poops one to two times a day. He is so energetic, everytime he wakes up he wiggles like crazy around his box, and is actually starting to try using his back legs much more.
The thing is he has what seems to me a large belly compared to the rest of his body. I’ve read articles saying it’s normal that they get big milk bellies after they eat. But every article mentions that this belly goes down before next feeding time.
The thing with little Natsu is that his belly is just always big.
I don’t have photos intended to show his belly but I’ll put some files from yesterday and today here
I’d just like to know if I’m just probably paranoid about his belly since everything else with him seems fine.
ps:you can’t really see it in the photo but when I lift him in an upright position the belly comes out the sides a little bit.
1E1E527D-66FA-41A7-A89A-AC4D20641724.jpeg
 

Sarthur2

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It sounds normal to me. He sounds very healthy and content. Lots of kittens have big bellies. Has his cord fallen off yet?
 

Talien

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It's not very likely it's from worms with him being so young, but it's possible. If his belly never gets any smaller you may want to have a vet look at him.
 
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Andrea Oliveira

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It sounds normal to me. He sounds very healthy and content. Lots of kittens have big bellies. Has his cord fallen off yet?
It fell on Thursday, so on the 5th day of being with us. But his eyes are still shut
 
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Andrea Oliveira

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It's not very likely it's from worms with him being so young, but it's possible. If his belly never gets any smaller you may want to have a vet look at him.
I’m paying very close attention to his development. In case he starts eating less or having trouble pooping I’ll def. take him to the vet. I’ve considered worms but online I’ve read we can only deworm at 2 weeks old. So I thought it’d be unlikely that it’s worms since he has been feeding on formula since approximately 2 days old
 

Sarthur2

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His eyes should open by the end of week two. It sounds like you’re doing everything right! :)
 

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You are thinking right, and he seems to do marvellous. It confirms the old truth, its usually much easier to take care of orphans, than weak sickly kittens.
The survival ratio is higher too.

OK, big belly... Are you burping him after each meal?

You can try with a drop or two of simethicone in his kmr. The same simethicone as for human babies.
 

bella.cat

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Hi.
It seems normal to me, but as StefanZ mentioned you could try burping the kitten.
Here's a guide on hand-raising kittens: Hand Raising Kittens - Tips.
I think it also has some info on how to burp a kitten.
🙂
 

Sarthur2

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Hold the kitten upright against your shoulder as you would a human infant to burp, then gently pat him on his back. :)
 
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Andrea Oliveira

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Hey everyone
I’ve been trying to burp him today but he is just so tiny I don’t even know if I’ll really feel a burp coming out of him. I’ve tried to do as instructed for every feeding for like 5 minutes and haven’t really felt anything. I wonder if it’s normal to take a long time to burp and I’m just not giving it enough time
Any tips on burping a 1 week old, 140gr boy would be much appreciated
 

Sarthur2

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It’s just what I said in Post #9. If you think he has gas, the tiny drops of simethicone in his formula, as Stefan mentioned above, will help.
 
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Andrea Oliveira

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It’s just what I said in Post #9. If you think he has gas, the tiny drops of simethicone in his formula, as Stefan mentioned above, will help.
I’ll start giving him that.
I prepare the milk at every feed, so I only make a little over what he is supposed to eat at a time. Should I put the 1-2 drops at every feed or just do it a few times a day for the first days?
 
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