hand rearing and weighing newborn kittens

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kimmycup1

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he just had some diarrhea so now im really worried. a few hours ago he had a tiny firm stool, then a litter bit after he had a soft but formed stool. I fed him 1.5 ml at 6-6:30, right before i feed him i always make sure he bathrooms first and he had 2-3 drops of diarrhea then afterwards he had a lot more. any advice on this? i thought things were moving in the right direction and now i feel like i did something wrong
 
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kimmycup1

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I have a 5 day old kitten who has had a rough start, his mom wasn't taking care of him and he lost all of his siblings. I am still getting the hang of feeding and I think I was overfeeding him overnight, so I started with the normal 2 ml per 2 hours earlier today(hes just under 3 ounces). He had a couple of bowel movements a few hours ago and they were okay, but just a little while ago he had diarrhea. I am very worried as I'm trying really hard to keep him alive after losing his siblings. Things were looking good for him until this. I'm hoping it's just from being overfed and now since he is being fed normally, it will resolve quickly. i know that pedialyte can help but i wouldnt know where to buy it, i live in a rural area and all stores are pretty far. If he is still having issues in the morning i can try getting him into my vet but they dont always take emergencies and any other vet is at least 40 minutes to an hour away. if anyone has any suggestions of what i can do please share, i am so worried that im going to lose him
 

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Yes, sometimes overfeeding or putting too much formula to water mixture will cause diarrhea. Just keep feeding him normal schedule and hopefully it will clear up. He is too young for de-wormer at this age anyhow. You are trying your best and time will tell if he can pull through.
 

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What are you feeding him? When I was bottle feeding foster kittens I found that they had diarrhea when I fed premixed KMR instead of reconstituted powder. Canned goat's milk also caused diarrhea.
 
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kimmycup1

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I'm feeding him powdered KMR. He had a little more diarrhea, but ate his 2 ml really well. In another two hours i'll give him another 2 ml and hopefully keeping on a schedule with the same amount will help. He was very active, when I was heating up his milk I put him on the floor on a blanket and he was crawling around. As soon as I put him back he cuddled into his bedding and fell asleep
 
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kimmycup1

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He seems to be doing better now but he's still not really gaining weight. He's 6 days old, he should have grown a lot since birth but is only maintaining. Is there anything I can do to help with that? He's eating well, still doing 2 ml every 2 hours.
 

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It’s good he’s maintaining. Try for 2.5 mL at the feedings.
 
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kimmycup1

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i will try 2.5 and watch for diarrhea. he had a very tiny bowel movement in the middle of the night, he somehow got it stuck on his tummy so i had to wipe him clean. He doesn't like that at all, doesnt like to be cleaned and doesnt like when its bathroom time even though im gentle. he fusses and cries. im still waking him up to eat, yesterday he only cried one time to tell me he was hungry. otherwise he sleeps until i start petting him
 
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kimmycup1

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I just took in a 7-8 week old semi-feral and I'm not sure which wet food would be best for her. I can't afford anything too expensive, I was looking at purina one and fancy feast as they are in my price range and the ingredients look okay. Any recommendations would be great.
 

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Fancy Feast Classics and Fancy Feast Savory Centers (similar in price) are the best in the FF line. Grain free, no fillers like peas/fruit/beans. Pretty low carb. Our cats love both of them.
 
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kimmycup1

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sivyaleah

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I like the ingredients for fancy feast but I felt purina one has a couple less, but they are very similar. I have older kittens who eat the purina one dry kitten food so the new kitten has been eating that too along with regular wet cat food but I definitely want to get canned kitten food for her. the ones I was looking at were:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JG87X5P/?tag=thecatsite

and

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QB8L7N3/?tag=thecatsite
Yea I forgot they have a kitten one also. I've never used it though I might add that to my rotation now. My little one just turned 1 but she'a a Maine Coon and they don't mature for a few years, plus she recently lost weight from an illness and needs to put on some weight. I give her other kitten food from Merrick and Whole Earth Farms but I'm sure this is a little less expensive.
 
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kimmycup1

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Both fancy feast and purina one seem to be a good choice for a lower budget. She is from a litter of 4 and I was only able to catch her so I feel I can spend a little more on food, but there is a possibility I can catch the other kittens if they come back. Mama moved them back across the street where they originally came from, I caught this one just in time before she was able to move her too.

I also was wondering about deworming. I used to use nemex 2(I think thats what it was called), but it isn't sold anymore. I want to use pyrantel pamoate because it's always worked well for my cats without any side affects. I can get a 16 oz from amazon but it's so much product, ever for me who has other cats. Is there anything else out there with pyrantel pamoate?
 

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Drontal Plus has both pyrantel pamoate and praziquantel in it but you’d need to get that from a vet as it’s prescription.
 
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kimmycup1

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Hi everyone, I'm hoping to buy wipes for my day old kittens. A cat gave birth in my garage and had some difficulties(the last one got stuck, and she also ignored the first born and pretty much sat on her for hours) I was able to get the first 3 that were born and bring them in, while the fourth is with mama, luckily doing well after finally becoming unstuck. They are all doing great, and the 3 that I have in are latching and eating plenty. I've been stimulating with toilet paper, but I want to get wipes, especially now that they are starting to have bowel movements. I can't seem to find anything that I know is 100% safe for kittens. Most wipes made for kittens have aloe vera, which I know parts can be toxic and I'm sure the wipes are safe, I just worry and want to buy something I feel safer with. I was also thinking maybe it would just be easier to use a paper towel with a bit of warm water. This is my second time with neonate kittens with no mom, I had a very similar situation last year, sadly the kittens didn't make it so I don't have much experience as I had them for less than a week. Any suggestions on what wipes to use or if using something like a damp paper towel or toilet tissue would be easier?
 

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I think paper towels would be too rough for kittens. Toilet paper is softer.. I know that there's wipes for cats. I'll see if they are safe for kittens.
 

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GNC unscented hypoallergenic wipes (I got them from PetSmart). Very, very soft. Used them when Feeby (not a kitten) was having some issues cleaning herself 'back there'.
 

Sarthur2

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A soft warm wash cloth works just as well. Is the mom cat still in the garage? I’m not sure I understand why you’ve separated the kittens if mom is in the garage?

kimmycup1 kimmycup1
 
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