4 Day Old Kitten Making Weird Noises While Sleeping, I'm Scared, Please Help!

[Hypatiaa]

My friend saved a kitten from dogs two days ago, still had umbilical cord (dried) and eyes were closed. I am the only person close with cats so im taking care of him. We tried to find a milk-mother without a luck, area is full of stray dogs and unsafe. So i take care of him as i am searching for a milk-mother.

I feed him kitten formula every 2.5 hours, he pees after every feeding but doesnt poop every time. I fill a hot water bag and wrap it with a towel, put it under him and change it often. I have taken care of 4 week old kittens before but i am very new at infant care. I have to go to school 8 hours a day so i take care of him just before i leave. I come in lunch break too so he is alone at max 4 hours. The problem is while he is sleeping he makes weird hiccup like noises sometimes and his stomach grumbles during day. What is it that im doing wrong? At first i was scared i got formula in lungs and this caused hiccup like movement and noise but i was very careful and noise is not always happening. So i doubt its because of formula aspiration. He was kinda constipated when i first got him so i added just a little more water to formula and he poops like toothpaste now and looks healthy. I am worried, i will take him to vet in 4-5 days but i am scared something will happen before i took him. Somebody please help, whats this hiccup like growling sound? I can take him tomorrow if its something serious but i am worried about failing classes too.

(i couldnt find how to attach a video so i uploaded it to youtube.)

 

[Meowmee]

I am not sure about his breathing. I would try to get him to dvm sooner. At that age they are very fragile. You need to stimulate the bowel movements by wiping his bum with a wet warm cloth. The mom does it by licking them. If you can get a low intensity heating pad and a heart beat mimic that will help too. You need a special nipple / bottle and kitten formula, he needs to be fed every 3 hours and kept warm. Don’t force him or give him to much, let him drink on his own.

Here are links

Newborn Kitten Care

Learn essential concerns about newborn kittens including proper feeding, weight range, and carefulness and holding a newborn kitten.

pets.webmd.com

 

[Sarthur2]

It sounds to me like he is doing well. It also sounds like you are doing a fine job with him!

Are you weighing him daily? Is he gaining 6-10 grams minimum or more each day? How much does he eat at each feeding?

You can burp him after feedings by holding him upright against your shoulder and gently patting his back. You can also add 2-3 drops of infant simethicone to each feeding for gas. Much like human infants, kittens can get gas and need to burp.

I’m not a fan of diluting formula, but adding 2-3 drops of olive oil to his milk helps to keep poop soft and moving. Also, he may poop 2-3 times some days and not at all other days.

I really think things sound okay, and he is a very handsome orange kitten!

Do keep us posted and hang in there!

Hypatiaa

 

[Hypatiaa]

Thank you so much everyone. I do use bottle and special kitten formula. Sadly there's no way I can get a heating pad but hot water bag works just fine, I just change the water every 3 hours. Kinda tiring but not much. I have some experience about helping kittens pee and poop, but thanks for the video. It's always good to refresh knowledge.

I kinda panicked and sent the video to my vet, and she said he just had a hiccup. And when I thought about it, he only did this when he immediately went to sleep after feeding him and a quick bathroom session.

I'm kinda laughing at myself for panicking over a hiccup. Still I'm glad I checked on it.

 

[Hypatiaa]

Ah i forgot to mention. His dried umbilical cord dropped today, so I guess that was his fifth day.

I don't have anything to weigh him so I don't really know if he is getting weight. I will try burping, thanks! Maybe that is the reason sometimes I hear his bowel movements.

I never thought "hiccup like growling noise" was actually a hiccup I'm happy it's nothing serious

 

[StefanZ]

Ah i forgot to mention. His dried umbilical cord dropped today, so I guess that was his fifth day.

I don't have anything to weigh him so I don't really know if he is getting weight. I will try burping, thanks! Maybe that is the reason sometimes I hear his bowel movements.

I never thought "hiccup like growling noise" was actually a hiccup I'm happy it's nothing serious

If you dont have any scale, you can try and appreciate the weigh in hand. Difficult for an inexperienced, but better than nothing...

If he seems heavier, seems a little bigger, so you are sure he is healthy and growing...

Experienced rescuers do often manage without weighting; just by eye and weighing in hand.
But for all those less experienced is daily weighting the easiest and best way....

 

[Kflowers]

We raised two -- one just after birth, one a couple of weeks -- quite well using a hot water bottle for warmth. Since you're up anyway to feed them it's not a problem to refill the hot water bottle and wrap it in it's towel. Kittens grow fast, by the fifth week be sure there is a place in the nest where the kitten can move slightly away from the hot water bottle. You're doing a really good job.

So very glad the noise, which did sound odd, was just a hiccup.