Found very young kitten - need help

[jefferd18]

I got it to the vet. Kitten was really constipated so the vet tech had to probe the bottom. Finally it pooped and it was brownish/yellow and soft. The vet checked it over and said it looked good. He thinks it's a girl from from the distance of it's stuff and there appears to be a slit like a girl. I need to feed her again soon and was thinking of adding pureed pumpkin to the milk. I'm not sure how much to add though. I have been adding drops of olive oil since Saturday. Yes, I do have pics and videos.
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Thank you for the pics! What did the vet suggest for you to add to his food? And what did he say about keeping the kitten warm?

 

[catminionjess]

The tech showed me how to stimulate for pooping. I didn't know the cloth HAD to be warm and damp. I had read that it just needed to be soft. They didn't say anything about adding anything to the milk. The tech suggested microwaving a water bottle and put that in with the kitten.

 

[Sarthur2]

Hold off on the pumpkin. She’s too young yet. Glad you had her checked!

 

[catminionjess]

Turns out the 2 pouches were expired anyway. I remember now why I stopped shopping at Petco. I'm going to have to take them back and get a refund.

She hasn't pooped again since the vet visit yesterday afternoon. I tried to stimulate her with a warm wet cotton ball and still only pee came out. Her belly still seems kind of bloated. I added a 1/2 tablespoon of water plus a few drops of olive oil to the regular mix for the bottle this morning. What can I give her to ease the constipation?

 

[Sarthur2]

Try the glycerin suppository.

You can also add 2-3 drops of infant simethicone to each bottle for gas.

 

[catminionjess]

What age limit (adult/kids/baby) do you use for glycerin suppository? Checking out websites for stores near me (Walgreens, Target, Wal-Mart) and the ones for children that I'm seeing have applicators that I don't think you can cut up. You're supposed to cut one into fourths right? I read that somewhere earlier today.

 

[Sarthur2]

No applicator needed! Just buy a jar of infant suppositories in the baby aisle. These are smaller but you’ll still need to shave off a sliver that is kitten-sized to insert. Glycerin is soft and will not hurt. Use your fingers to insert it. It usually works in a few minutes.

 

[catminionjess]

The packaging looks like the baby ones have an attached applicator. We don't want that right?

 

[Sarthur2]

You can buy it with an applicator if there are no jars without it, but you do not use the applicator to insert the shaved off tiny piece.

 

[mazie]

Those "self heating pads" are just a gimmick, please do not put stock in the idea that those pads advertised as "self heating" project any heat because they do not. If you do not have a heating pad that plugs in, please use the old fashioned "sock filled with dry rice" and placed into the microwave to keep your kitten warm .

 

[jefferd18]

How's kitty doing?

 

[jefferd18]

The tech showed me how to stimulate for pooping. I didn't know the cloth HAD to be warm and damp. I had read that it just needed to be soft. They didn't say anything about adding anything to the milk. The tech suggested microwaving a water bottle and put that in with the kitten.

Yes, the whole purpose behind those wet cloths is to mimic the mother cat's tongue.

 

[catminionjess]

Last night I picked up pedialyte and infant gas-ex at Walgreens. I didn't find suppositories in the baby stuff, not even the ones with applicator like I saw on their website. I used the pedialyte instead of water with the suggested amount of kmr powder on the tin with a few drops of the gas-ex. The gas-ex maybe made her actually burp, but still no poop. She was 217 g on Tuesday up from 202 on Sunday. I need to weigh her again tonight. Her appetite is good, like she wants to eat more than the 1 tbs per feeding. Is it okay to let her keep drinking if it's over the 1 tbs at a time? She pees a lot on her own and with stimulation. I just can't get her to poop again since the vet on Monday.
I keep reading that the powder causes constipation and premixed canned causes diarrhea, but goat milk causes neither. Should I try that? Or keep with the powder and pedialyte? I'm getting really frustrated with the constipation issue, like a failure because I can't get her to poop.

 

[Sarthur2]

She’s gaining well! Definitely give her as much to drink as she wants. Growing kitten means drinking more.

Stick with the powdered KMR and pedialyte for now. Please buy adult suppositories. Ask the pharmacist where they are. It doesn’t matter the size or the applicator because you are going to shave off a tiny sliver and not use the applicator. I’m not understanding the difficulty in purchasing glycerin suppositories.

 

[Sarthur2]

Here is a picture of infant suppositories.

 

[catminionjess]

It wasn't my usual store, but it was on my way from work to pick her up from my parents'. I didn't check the adult section. It was really busy and they were restocking a bunch of other aisles blocking pathways so I just got what I could. I can check my regular store tomorrow.

 

[Sarthur2]

The sooner the better because the glycerin will help her poop. Your mom must be getting attached to her too!

 

[catminionjess]

I'm sure she is. Her boy cat will be happy when the big box stops coming over. He's nicer about it that my girl and boy are though.

 

[Sarthur2]

You’re doing a great job with her so far!

 

[amethyst]

Those "self heating pads" are just a gimmick, please do not put stock in the idea that those pads advertised as "self heating" project any heat because they do not. If you do not have a heating pad that plugs in, please use the old fashioned "sock filled with dry rice" and placed into the microwave to keep your kitten warm .

I wouldn't say they are a gimmick, they work by reflecting the animal's own body heat back to it, so they are "self heating", as in the animal heats it themselves with their own body heat . They have the same reflective foil material inside them as an emergency/rescue blanket. They don't produce any heat themselves, but do work well for adult cats and kittens that are big/old enough to produce heat to be reflected back to them. My adult cats and 10 week old litter of kittens love them, but I do agree they aren't going to help for a tiny kitten. They might work in combonation with a heat source like a microwaved sock filled with rice or one of those microwave disks though.