Feeding questions, 2 week old kittens

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JaySnow

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Good evening everyone! Kittens are eating well and gaining weight steadily. They're 6 weeks and a half today!

Today while I had them out their box to play, I noticed one of them was walking around and had a strand of clear yellow mucus hanging from his bum. He had a bowel movement not much earlier, and that one had good consistency and there weren't any traces of mucus or blood. Of course I cleaned him up thoroughly. Should I be worried? I'm gonna ask my vet about it too just in case.
 

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Hmm. Did you happen to get a picture of the mucus? It’s probably okay, but let us know what your vet says. What are you feeding the kittens?
 
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Hmm. Did you happen to get a picture of the mucus? It’s probably okay, but let us know what your vet says. What are you feeding the kittens?
I honestly forgot to take a picture! If it happens again I'll remember and post pics of it here. It was a pretty clear yellow, almost like pee but it was viscous. It was just a drop hanging from his bum. Neither cloudy or streaked with blood.

I've been feeding them chicken and rice mashed up and mixed with their formula, but today I ran out of chicken so I'm pouring the formula onto a plate and adding just a tiny bit of the rice. Do let me know if I should just use formula and omit the rice altogether. I know it isn't ideal because cats are obligate carnivores and should be eating animal protein for the most part, but it's what I'm doing until I can get a hold of chicken again. Was gonna ask my vet about ground beef but I've read it's too heavy for them, + more fatty than chicken is, so I'm unsure.

I haven't seen any changes in the kitten's behavior. The other two also had bowels movements but I didn't notice anything unusual with them. He loooves to nibble on stuff though, and I've catched him a couple of times biting at furniture and the outside of their cardboard box, so I'm thinking he may have gotten a stomach upset from that?

I'll let you know what my vet says and update if anything else happens. Since there was no diarrhea or blood with his stool I'm not TOO worried, but it's probably better to make sure.
 

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Stick with chicken at this tender age. I agree beef is too rich and heavy for them right now.

Your kitten sounds like he’s teething and that’s why he’s chewing on things. You can soak dry kitten chow in formula as well for meals or in between meals.

It also now sounds like that drop of mucus is nothing to worry about.
 
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JaySnow

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Stick with chicken at this tender age. I agree beef is too rich and heavy for them right now.

Your kitten sounds like he’s teething and that’s why he’s chewing on things. You can soak dry kitten chow in formula as well for meals or in between meals.

It also now sounds like that drop of mucus is nothing to worry about.
Thank you very much! I'll stick with the chicken and look out for the kitten chow. I've found that most brands of cat food available here aren't really marketed for kittens, they're more of a generic cat kibble for all ages, so I'm unsure if it fits their nutritional needs. But I think giving them it from time to time alongside their usual food wouldn't do much harm.

I'll still be on the lookout for any changes in his behavior, or see if the mucus shows up again. Either way, I'll keep you updated!
 

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Stick with chicken at this tender age. I agree beef is too rich and heavy for them right now.

Your kitten sounds like he’s teething and that’s why he’s chewing on things. You can soak dry kitten chow in formula as well for meals or in between meals.

It also now sounds like that drop of mucus is nothing to worry about.
Agreed that chicken is better at the kittens' current age, but if you absolutely must feed them some beef, you might consider boiling some leaner ground beef and skimming off the fat. That would be easier on their digestive systems.
 
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Hello everyone, hope you're all doing okay. Kittens are doing well, this Saturday they turn two months old! I've come here with a question, hopefully one of you will be able to help.

Long story short, the kitten who had mucus with his stool ended up having tapeworms. He hasn't lost weight or stopped pooping, but we're now looking for a dewormer to give to him and the other two kitties.

My mom asked a friend of hers who's had experience with animals over 30 years, who suggested giving them 1cc of albendazole (a wide-spectrum parasite remover) for 3 days and repeating the treatment two weeks later. This medicine isn't targeted specifically towards kittens, so I was unsure about it and asked the vet.

She told me that using albendazole for the first deworming session would be okay, but I would have to give them a proper kitten dewormer later to make sure all parasites are removed.

So I'm thinking that since I'm gonna have to buy the kitten dewormer either way, I should just use that instead of the albendazole from the start? I already have albendazole from the last time my small sister got parasites. Would it hurt for the kittens to wait a bit until I can get the dewormer, or should I give them the albendazole to start asap?

Advice is much appreciated.
 

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What other dewormer is your vet suggesting? Can you get a name? When do you plan to see the vet for the dewormer?

For just tapeworms, praziquantel is used. For both tapeworms and other worms (round & hook), a combination of praziquantel and pyrantel is used - often in the form of a Drontal Plus tablet, which may have a different name where you live.

For parasites and intestinal bacterial infections, metronidazole is used.

I would hold off on the albendazole if you plan to see the vet soon.
 
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What other dewormer is your vet suggesting? Can you get a name? When do you plan to see the vet for the dewormer?

For just tapeworms, praziquantel is used. For both tapeworms and other worms (round & hook), a combination of praziquantel and pyrantel is used - often in the form of a Drontal Plus tablet, which may have a different name where you live.

For parasites and intestinal bacterial infections, metronidazole is used.

I would hold off on the albendazole if you plan to see the vet soon.
I asked her for dewormer brands/product names but she said any dewormer marketed for young kittens will do. These types of products are very scarse here, she told me that she and pretty much all of the vets she works with use whatever they have available. Still I plan to search for the dewormer and send her pictures of it and its components to make sure.

It might sound awful, but most veterinary products here are sold without prescription/over the counter. There's not much control in that regard, which is why she told me to start looking for the dewormer myself. If I find the injectable kind I'll probably bring them to the vet so she can administer it, but if I find the pills or any other oral medicine I'll probably end up asking the vet for dosage and recommendations on giving it to them.

Little kitten has just tapeworms apparently, but the vet did tell me that most dewormers available here work with many other parasites as well, which means that maybe that Drontal Plus tablet (or an equivalent of it) is available here. I'll keep an eye out for it.

Thank you so much!!
 

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Can you get the Kiwof tablets? If so, adjust the dosage for kittens by breaking them up. These treat broadly. Check online.
 
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Hello everyone, I've come here with a bit of alarming news. Sorry for the lengthy post!

The kittens got dewormed last Sunday and took it wonderfully, no side effects at all. I even noticed they gained a bit more appetite, which was really good. They were gaining weight steadily up until yesterday.

Starting yesterday evening, I noticed two of them didn't eat as much as they usually did. It took a while for them to finish their food. I've been feeding them chicken/beef with rice (the beef is boiled and the fat is skimmed off, they haven't gotten any stomach upset from it so far). When I took them out to play, they weren't as playful as they usually are, they were more interested on laying down than anything. This was more obvious after eating, before their meal they seemed as animated as usual. Same thing happened at night.

Today they're a bit better, but it's still a struggle to get them to eat. The thing that worries me most is that I weighed them and two of them lost 20 grams, and one of them lost 50 which is a lot.

I'm waiting for a response from the vet but I'm gonna try and take them in to get a checkup as soon as I'm able.

Haven't seen anything unusual in their stool or pee. They seem well hydrated. Could it be caused by their diet, should I switch them to proper cat food as soon as possible? What other signs of illness should I look out for? It feels very sudden, they were gaining weight steadily on the exact same food I've been feeding them. The only thing that's changed is I add a bit more water to their food to ensure they're hydrated.

I know the vet will be the one to determine what's going on with them, but I'd really appreciate any advice to take care of them in the meanwhile.
 

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I would try adding kitten/cat food to their current diet and then reducing the current foods as you add more kitten food - it is possible that they are not getting the proper nutrients/vitamins that they need, unless you are adding a nutritional kitten/cat supplement.
 
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I would try adding kitten/cat food to their current diet and then reducing the current foods as you add more kitten food - it is possible that they are not getting the proper nutrients/vitamins that they need, unless you are adding a nutritional kitten/cat supplement.
Yes, that's what I intend to do as soon as possible. I know cats don't really take sudden changes in diet very well, so as soon as I get the cat food I'll start the transition. I haven't been able to find wet food, I'll probably buy kitten kibble and moisten it up a bit so it's easier on their teeth.

The vet told me that they might be going through a "viral process", which means that they might have caught a bug that's making them feel under the weather. Told me to monitor them and said that if their situation worsens or the lethargy doesn't resolve in a day or two, to take them into the vet asap for blood tests and the like to rule off any condition they might have.

The weight loss still concerns me though. While I look for the cat food I'm gonna try and figure out how to get them to eat more. I remember two of them really like scrambled eggs so I might try that next. Thank you!
 

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Try the eggs, try boiled chicken and white rice, and continue giving them kitten formula to drink. It’s packed with the nutrients they need. They grow quickly at this age and need those nutrients.

If they have a virus it will just need time to pass.
 
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Try the eggs, try boiled chicken and white rice, and continue giving them kitten formula to drink. It’s packed with the nutrients they need. They grow quickly at this age and need those nutrients.

If they have a virus it will just need time to pass.
Thank you! I just fed them a mix of white rice and scrambled eggs (no oil whatsoever). Domino seems to be doing the best, a bit lethargic but has a full appetite and still plays. Fluffy's appetite is still there, but she's easily distracted when eating so it takes a while for her to finish. Little Roll seems to have gotten the worst of it, it takes a long time for him to finish eating and he dozes off very very frequently 🙁 he's moving around a bit more than he did this morning but he's not as energetic as he usually is. I actually had to add a tiny bit of boiled beef to his food because otherwise he wouldn't really touch it. He ate until full though.

Tomorrow I'm going to buy enough chicken to last them for a few days while I'm searching for kitten food. Thank you for mentioning the formula! I had stopped making it for them for a while to see how they did and they were gaining weight steadily, but it's probably a good idea to supplement their feedings with it while they recover.

If their condition stays the same or worsen by tomorrow I'm definitely getting some blood tests taken. It's just very worrying how sudden it all was! Hoping for the best for these little ones.
 
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Quick update! Kittens are doing better today, there's still some drowsiness but they're way more active than they were the past few days. And I think it did end up being a virus or a bug causing all this. Fluffy was the first one to get like this and she's had the symptoms for the longest, and now she's the first to be getting noticeably better. The other two probably caught it later on from her and that's why it's taking them a bit longer to recover.

Sarthur2, thank you so much for mentioning adding the formula to their food. It was really difficult to get them to finish their food but now I add a couple of tablespoons of formula to their food and they eat the same amount they did before getting sick. I'll keep doing it for a while!

I've noticed that their stool lately has been a bit on the harder side. They can still poop but they definitely strain while doing so, so adding formula might help them hydrate a bit more.

I'll keep you updated if anything else happens!
 
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Hello everyone... Kittens aren't doing so well today. They ate a bit less than usual but the lethargy has been the same. They strain really hard to poop and what comes out is very hard and dry. They seem to be very gassy also, I feel they're blocked up and that's contributing to their sickness. Two of them vomited a bit of their food. I'm going to take them asap to the emergency vet because it's very worrying.

I'm thinking that in the meanwhile I should switch their food to all kitten formula to ensure hydration. I want to try and add pedialyte to it too, to help with electrolytes? Would that be alright? Should I syringe feed them if they're not eating on their own?

I really really want to take them to the vet asap but I need to gather up the money first. My aunt mentioned she would help me cover the costs so I'm hoping to get them tomorrow to the emergency vet. I feel terrible for letting it get this bad 🙁
 

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Yes, mix the formula with pedialyte instead of water and syringe it to them every couple of hours.

Poor babies! I hope they pull through.
 
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An animal care group in my city recommended feeding them plain mashed potatoes or boiled carrots to help with fiber intake. Is that wise? Or should I stick to the formula and Pedialyte?

I poured some of it into bowls and offered it to them to see how they did with it. Two of them lapped all of it up, the weakest one ate for a bit then stopped. I'm sterilizing a syringe right now to syringe feed him if he lets me.

How much should I feed them and how often? Since they're constipated I don't wanna risk overfilling their digestive track, they might vomit.

I'm talking to a nearby vet clinic and they'll let me know if I can bring them in as an emergency. Fingers crossed...
 

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I think your kittens may have panleukopenia. The only cure is supportive care (constant fluids like pedialyte) and time.

Here is a helpful link:

Feline panleukopenia
 
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