Newborn Bottlefed Kitten.

[Humankittylover]

Hi all! I'm new here, but I didn't see a place for an intro, so here it is!

So I have some questions for ya, but here's the back story; October 3rd, a friends cat had kittens. The first one was dead, she ate the second one, and tried to eat the third. However she was stopped before she was able to do so. I currently have a rescued cat that has 5, 5 weeks old kittens. I took in this little baby in hopes for my mamma cat, to care for him. My mamma did wonderful, cleaning his butt, ect. The only problem is, this baby didn't know how to latch to nurse, my guess is because mamma cat doesn't have enough milk for a newborn kitten. I ran to the store and grabbed everything for him. He weighed 120g (4.2 oz)

Today, October 7th, he is growing and eating and doing awesome. He weighs 130, but did lose weight down to 115g the first night. I've been feeding him about 4cc every 2-1/2 hours, day and night. His temp is kept at 100 degrees and 96ish in the cool end. He didn't receive any milk from his mamma, therefore didn't receive any colustum. He went to the vet Oct 4th and got a Colustrum serum shot. And we did try to get his mamma to nurse his, however to no avail. As much as you can tell for a two day old kitten, the vet said he was healthy.

Currently, right now, my only concern is his poop; it's the right color, but just a little too firm, and he poops small amounts every stimulation. I added a little Pedialyte to his bottle, and it helped a little, but not enough. Next time I feed him, I'm going to dilute the formula a little to see how that helps. Any suggestions? Any tips on general would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[maggielee]

What a precious baby! I'm not the expert here, but I was told by one of the shelter people that it was OK to put a little Karo syrup in their formula when they were constipated. I'll bet someone will be along to answer you very soon. Thank you so much for taking such great care of him and the momma cat and kittens.

 

[carebearbaby1]

Are you feeding a powder formula or canned? Kittens will get constipated if there's not enough water in the formula. I like to use canned so I don't have that issue. How often are you stimulating him? Too long between times can also lead to hard stools. I always do it before and after every feeding. They don't always go, but it gives them the chance if they need too and keeps the intestines moving. I've never used Pedialyte, I'd be careful with that unless your vet recommends it. It's very easy to upset tiny tummies.

 

[Humankittylover]

Are you feeding a powder formula or canned? Kittens will get constipated if there's not enough water in the formula. I like to use canned so I don't have that issue. How often are you stimulating him? Too long between times can also lead to hard stools. I always do it before and after every feeding. They don't always go, but it gives them the chance if they need too and keeps the intestines moving. I've never used Pedialyte, I'd be careful with that unless your vet recommends it. It's very easy to upset tiny tummies.

Thank you for the reply. He gets stimulated before and after every feeding- so every 2-1/2 or so hours. It's a powdered formula... 1 part formula and 2 parts water. I've stopped the use of Pedialyte, but thanks for that info. He's had two diluted feedings, so I'll give it a few more to see if that works.

 

[carebearbaby1]

Remember when you dilute it they need to eat more to get the same amount of nutrients. Raising tiny babies can be difficult but it sounds like you're doing a great job.

 

[Humankittylover]

Here is pictures of the little dude, Incase any of you enjoy pictures as much as I do! At first, u thought he was a she, so he was named Cady from Mean Girls the movie, since he was born on Oct 3rd... But since then, he's been renamed to a proper male gender name, Damion... also from Mean Girls. I'm already IN love with this boy hahah.

 

[carebearbaby1]

Adorable!

 

[Humankittylover]

Adorable!

Thanks! I too think he's quite the cutie. His mom is long haired, so I'm hoping he'll be.

But I have great news!!! I just got done feeding him and he had a perfect poo! Not too hard, or soft and compared to what he was doing, quite a bit too.

 

[carebearbaby1]

That's great!

 

[StefanZ]

Karo or honey are good, they are used if the kitten is weak or becoming lethargic. They arent renown for usage on constipation. A couple of drops of coldpressed olive or rapeseed oil are...

What a precious baby! I'm not the expert here, but I was told by one of the shelter people that it was OK to put a little Karo syrup in their formula when they were constipated. I'll bet someone will be along to answer you very soon. Thank you so much for taking such great care of him and the momma cat and kittens.

 

[StefanZ]

Are you feeding a powder formula or canned? Kittens will get constipated if there's not enough water in the formula. I like to use canned so I don't have that issue. How often are you stimulating him? Too long between times can also lead to hard stools. I always do it before and after every feeding. They don't always go, but it gives them the chance if they need too and keeps the intestines moving. I've never used Pedialyte, I'd be careful with that unless your vet recommends it. It's very easy to upset tiny tummies.

Nay pedialtye as such is totally harmless, and useful in many situations. A properly made pedialyte is of the same glucose sugar and salt concentration as body fluids, so its impossible to overdose. If bough, a clear flavorless pedialyte for babies is best.
But I agree, some of the flavored pedialytes for fancy people, may be to overdo it.... Or Gatorade which is a sport drink but sometimes used instead of pedialyte - Im not even sure if Gatorade contains just glucose / dextrose, or if its common sugar. Anyways, the combo is wrong....

I agree with your other remarks, though. Good and wise.

 

[StefanZ]

Humankittylover kittenlover For mild constipation, you can add a drop or two of coldpressed olive or rapeseed oil into the bottle, in every meal. Almost any food oil will do, but the coldpressed ones are good nourishment in themselves.

Good job!

 

[Sarthur2]

It sounds like he is fully hydrated now and doing well. It also sounds like you are doing a terrific job with him!

 

[Humankittylover]

So tomorrow, (Oct 10th) he'll be one week old! This is absolutely crazy and it really has flown by.

So I've heard that long haired kittens will open their eyes about 14 days old, and short haired kittens will open about 7-10 days old, is this true?

Ps- Damian just didn't fit him, what so ever. So my mom named his Legacy. Legacy now fits him very well and I love the name. And Legacy isn't from Mean Girls, but that's okay.

 

[Sarthur2]

Yes, long-haired kittens tend to open their eyes later than short-haired kittens. It will be fun to see when your kitten opens its eyes!

 

[ashade1]

Yes, long-haired kittens tend to open their eyes later than short-haired kittens. It will be fun to see when your kitten opens its eyes!

Oh that is so neat! I had never heard that before! I always anxiously wait for them to show if they are going to have long hair or not when one of our mommas has kittens. I always secretly hope for long hair because those ones get adopted quicker.

 

[Humankittylover]

Hey so I have another concern;
His umbilical cord came off a couple days ago... well he's had this little bump where it was. I figured it was normal because the cord used to be there, and that it'd go away after a short time. Well today, it had very little white stuff leaking out, is this normal?? I'm freaking out ever heere and I can't find anything online about!

 

[Sarthur2]

Can you post a picture of his umbilical area? Then I can hopefully tell you if it appears normal.

Was the white stuff pus?

 

[Humankittylover]

Can you post a picture of his umbilical area? Then I can hopefully tell you if it appears normal.

Was the white stuff pus?

Yeah I can post a picture. Idk if it was pus or now. It was a small amount, like a drop, and it was thin so I don't think it was pus.

 

[Humankittylover]

Here is the best picture I can get right now. I'll try again when I feed him, but it doesn't show up on camera the best. It's not huge.