Several Problems with Kitten

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mauriciomiau

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hi!
I've read this thread because I'm taking care of a 5 day old kitten. He has a lot of appetite but hasn't pooped in about 30 hours. When I try stimulating the anus, it seems to grow and the kitten starts to cry louder. I've mixed olive oil to the formula 3 hours ago.
I want to know if using glycerine suppositories is ok for a kitten so small.
 
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mauriciomiau

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For further info:
He was born on April 7th 2015. On friday 10th his weight was 80g. Today (sunday 12th) it got to 90g.
I gave him more KMR formula than recommended on the label of the PetAg product, because the kitten would wake up every hour and ask for milk. Now it is constipated and I have tried to stimulate him every time I feed him. He hasn't pooped but a tiny tiny amount and after that the anus got really big as if a bigger poop was stuck. At that moment he also cried harder than usual as if it were hurting.
The urine is completely colorless.
Please help me, I'm planning on using glycerin suppositories very carefully.
The last time he pooped he made a lot yellowish normal stools. It was like 26 to 30 hours ago, I can't remember exactly when.
I don't want to try the running water method because he has mucus and was given antibiotics by the vet despite his early age, so it doesn't sound like a great idea to get him wet right now.
Except that he doesn't seem to be suffering. He gets to sleep almost immediately after feeding and purrs a lot. I really hope to be able to raise him to adulthood.
Thanks a lot!
 

catwoman707

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For further info:
He was born on April 7th 2015. On friday 10th his weight was 80g. Today (sunday 12th) it got to 90g.
I gave him more KMR formula than recommended on the label of the PetAg product, because the kitten would wake up every hour and ask for milk. Now it is constipated and I have tried to stimulate him every time I feed him. He hasn't pooped but a tiny tiny amount and after that the anus got really big as if a bigger poop was stuck. At that moment he also cried harder than usual as if it were hurting.
The urine is completely colorless.
Please help me, I'm planning on using glycerin suppositories very carefully.
The last time he pooped he made a lot yellowish normal stools. It was like 26 to 30 hours ago, I can't remember exactly when.
I don't want to try the running water method because he has mucus and was given antibiotics by the vet despite his early age, so it doesn't sound like a great idea to get him wet right now.
Except that he doesn't seem to be suffering. He gets to sleep almost immediately after feeding and purrs a lot. I really hope to be able to raise him to adulthood.
Thanks a lot!
First of all, just so you know, he is very small. A 5 day old kitten that weighs only 90 grams/3 ounces is tiny, and it's not going to be easy to save, but NOT impossible.

Are you feeding powdered KMR or the pre-made canned?

Canned will cause constipation often.

He must gain a good amt of grams every single day without fail if he has a chance. If you have to weigh him twice a day so you know how much to feed, do that. Every 1/2 day you want to see a gain of at LEAST 4 grams, hopefully more. If not, increase the feeding amt until he does.

Better than a glycerin suppository is adding a couple drops of mineral oil to his bottles. Give it a couple days to see if that does the job. If not I will tell you how to give him an enema. (not a big thing)

If feeding powder, be sure it's the correct mixture of 1 part powder to 2 parts water. Make up some in an empty water bottle about half filled with KMR mix and store in fridge. Then each time to need to feed just pour some in to a small container and warm it up. Whatever is left in that water bottle after 2 days must be tossed out and make a new batch.

Much more convenient.

Baby's biggest needs are keep warm constantly, needs to be 97-99 degrees. Heating pad on low and covered with a towel is great. Blankets are NOT a heating source, baby will drop to room temp fast, and can die.

NEVER feed a cold baby, his organs shut down when temp drops below 94-95 degrees and organs shut down, and will not digest formula, it will grow bacteria and kill him.

NEVER feed baby on it's back like a human baby. Position should only be on tummy, with paws at the floor, slightly raising the head and using a bottle with a hole cut in the nipple a small amt, so that when turned over a drop quickly forms but doesn't drop off unless you shake the bottle.

Start small! Otherwise you will end up like me, wasting several before you get one cut right!

Is he using a bottle well yet or no?

After feeding he can be burped like a baby is, on your shoulder, then pottied.

I suspect his little butt is sore from all the stimulating, which is why I highly recommend warm water run on his butt and with your fingertip just tapping his butt, the combo makes them go! Warm water relaxes them nicely, and think they go better, rather than rubbing which causes soreness and they get tightened up.

Baby should be fed 8mls or cc's per day per ounces, on average.

This one needs some better weight gain so go for about 30 mls or cc's per day, divided by the number of times fed, if you feed say at 2:00, but it takes a half hour, you still feed again at 5:00. Feed every 3 hours, and give as close to 4 mls as possible, no less than 3 mls each time.

Be careful not to allow baby to inhale if the bottle leaks out too fast.
 
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mauriciomiau

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Hi! Thanks for replying so fast!

I'm giving him powdered KMR in the same concentration you're recommending.
Ok, I will continue feeding him as he asks for, which is more than the 24ml daily.
He is feeding very well from the bottle, I also wasted some nipples until I got the perfect size and he has learned to suck perfectly from the bottle.
I'm keeping him warm 24/7 with my own body, he seems to relax a lot.
I will try now the running water on his butt the next time he wakes up.
Thanks for the detailed instructions, i have been attending them just like that.
Sadly his little sister couldn't make it, but this one is a tough one.
Thanks a lot, i will be posting about his development.
 

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EXCELLENT!!

Just be sure to run the hot water for a while so the temp is as hot as it will get, then adjust it into a warm stream, no need for full force water, but watch how nicely he relaxes with the warmness of the water, I bet it reminds them of in utero times :)

I hold baby in left hand on his back, run the water on his butt and tap with my right hand finger. The arms and legs and head all sort of go limp :) So cute.
 
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mauriciomiau

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GREAT NEWS!
He woke up and I thought better not to make him wet, so I used the glycerin supppositories and it lasted less than a minute for him to make a HUGE stool. It was consistent. Now he is sleeping after a nice meal.
Thanks for the great help!
 

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Okay, so kitten is just a couple days under 4 weeks old.

Constipation is quite common when going from moms milk to kmr. It is important that we get him pooped asap, but it's not critical yet.

First thing I want to make sure of is you are feeding in the correct position, it is life and death with newborns, however if the nipple cut is a bit too big it can still easily happen in a young kitten as well. 

Kitten should always be fed on it's tummy with head slightly tilted upwards.

Bottle filled and turned upside down should quickly form a drop, but not come running out, maybe a very slow delayed drip is fine for this age.

Once we get the kitten pooped, you will want to set up a litterbox. Very low sided for easy access, as they will use it by 4 weeks actually.

Feed 4 times a day, not needed during the night.

I can't begin to tell you how badly the kittens should be kept in pairs.

See, as their motor skills develop, and they start getting spurts of spunkiness, they will interact with each other, which teaches them skills for the rest of their lives, how to correctly play and interact with other cats, what is too hard of a bite, and it also prevents the kitten from using your hand as a toy, biting, scratching, etc. This is how they learn the limits, what hurts, what is okay.

It will also keep them social with other cats in their future.

Poop-there are a few things you can do. First off you don't want to try too hard and make his butt sore, this is why I found that sticking his butt under warm running water and tapping his butt works beautifully.

Be sure the water temp doesn't get hotter as it runs.

Hold kitten in one hand on it's back so the tummy is exposed, using your other hand for pooping him.

You can tap with your finger or use a cloth, but keep it under the running water.

He is likely too stopped up now to go without help, so you will mix his kmr to a 50/50 mix, half kmr half water.

Add 3 drops of either olive oil, or mineral oil, last choice is veg oil, to each bottle. 

He should poop within a day or so.

If he does not, pick up some simple glycerin suppositories. It will look like bullet shaped. Obviously too big for his tiny butt so on the tapered half (save one side for holding it) you are going to use a knife and shave it down to a straw size, NOT like a Mc Donalds straw! haha, they're huge, , with the tip tapered for easy insertion.

Don't try doing this on his back, he will squirm too much. Just while holding him on your lap, or set in front of you on a table. 

Gently push it in as much as you can while still keeping a grip on it or he will pop it right back out.

Hold it there for as long as you possibly can so it melts and lubes his hard poop up well. Several minutes.

Glycerin suppositories are not harmful, so if it doesn't work within an hour or so, do it again.

He should be pooping then, and should be a good amt.

If you are unable to successfully poop him in the next few days, then he will need an enema.

I don't think I can give you that advice on here so would need a vet to do this.

Good luck!

Oh, be sure when he is pooping, to adjust his formula to the correct mix,of 2 to 1.
GREAT NEWS!
He woke up and I thought better not to make him wet, so I used the glycerin supppositories and it lasted less than a minute for him to make a HUGE stool. It was consistent. Now he is sleeping after a nice meal.
Thanks for the great help!
Here gave Catwoman some of her excellent and very illustrative tips.  To be sure, Catwoman has herself sometimes mentioned her too the use of glycerin suppositories or similiar.  I do remember it.   This is simply seldom necessary, as her other tricks, used first, works nicely.

But its good to have many "weapons" in your arsenale / tools in your tool-chest.
 
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mauriciomiau

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hi and thanks again for your help.

i'm starting to get worried because there hadn't been any trace of poop so far, not even a yellow stain on the cotton pad i use for stimulating.
so i carefully used again a suppository and a weird poop came out with little balls. their not so solid, i squeeshed them to be sure (eww). i don't know if it's normal.
this is a pic of the poop:

 

StefanZ

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hi and thanks again for your help.

i'm starting to get worried because there hadn't been any trace of poop so far, not even a yellow stain on the cotton pad i use for stimulating.
so i carefully used again a suppository and a weird poop came out with little balls. their not so solid, i squeeshed them to be sure (eww). i don't know if it's normal.
this is a pic of the poop:

 
Now, the very first days, there is not much poo, they simply hasnt produced anything yet.

But the poo as such is supposed to be of tooth-paste consistency if its ideal.   It shall not be solid.  If its something alike solid, it hints he is more or less constipated.  Which we know he was, as it was a strain for him to poop.

It may have been a slight dehydration - which may be helped by several drops of water inbetween fthe feedings.

Another trick is to dilute the kmr somewhat more than usual. 

You use the KMR in powder, which is a reliable one.  But with other kmr-brands, sometimes trying another kmr may help.  Goat milk, especielly raw goat milk, is always an alternative.

And there is the battery of tricks mentioned here in this thread, both stimulating, trying with some suitable oil, glycerine suppositories...

Better a somewaht too rare poop, as long it isnt watery diarrhea, than constipations...
 
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mauriciomiau

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Hi everyone!

I have rescued an orphan newborn kitten and he is looking very good since catwoman707 helped me solve his constipation problem. Tomorrow he will  be 7 days old (presumably since I don't know his exact birthday), so in the next days his eyes will open.

While I was feeding him just now, I noticed a tiny path of tears coming out of his eyes! I'm really excited about this. Does it mean his eyes are preparing to open?

I want to know if I should be doing something to his eyes his mother would normally do. Or will they open all by themselves?

Thanks for the help, I love this site.
 

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Hi everyone!

I have rescued an orphan newborn kitten and he is looking very good since catwoman707 helped me solve his constipation problem. Tomorrow he will  be 7 days old (presumably since I don't know his exact birthday), so in the next days his eyes will open.

While I was feeding him just now, I noticed a tiny path of tears coming out of his eyes! I'm really excited about this. Does it mean his eyes are preparing to open?

I want to know if I should be doing something to his eyes his mother would normally do. Or will they open all by themselves?

Thanks for the help, I love this site.
They will open themselves.  But if you wish, you can surely have some soft cloth somewhat wetted in warm, slightly saline water, and pull over the eyelocks, clean off so to speak.   Somewhat alike if mom was licking.    Use different for each eye, not to risk any possible infection to spread.

You were lucky he has no eye infection, its otherwise common in the outside born.
 

catwoman707

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It does appear that he was a bit consitpated which explains the rabbit pellet appearance in poop pics.

I also see a bit of red tinged mucus. This is due to something irritating his bowels/intestines, but we will address this later, there is not alot you can do at this age.

I also highly suggest tapping when you stimulate rather than rubbing, it causes a very sore butt.

As @StefanZ  mentions, yes I have used glycerin suppositories and they do work often times. Just be sure to cut it down in size into a thinner, slim piece.
 
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mauriciomiau

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He has gained some weight during the last two days:

friday 10, at night: 80g/2.82oz
saturday 11, 11am: 87g/3.07oz
saturday 11, 11pm: 87g/3.07oz
sunday 12, 11:30: 90g/3.17oz
sunday 12, 11pm: 87g/3.07oz
monday 13, 11pm: 100g/3.53oz
tuesday 14, 11am: 110g/3.88oz

He seems to have gained good weight after solving the constipation problem.
He poops now almost every time after feeding, but there are still pellets and red tinged mucus which has make him sore. I'll do as you say with the baby cream.
Should I continue adding olive oil to his meals until he starts to poop normally?
 

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@catwoman707 here is another poop question for you about this tiny orphan kitten. Poster be patient, someone in the know will answer. You are doing very good with this kitten!
 

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Thanks :)

I would continue the oil, but not go overboard too much, keep it at 2 drops per feeding.

When the pellets stop then stop the oil.

The weight gain is good to see, keep this up, you want to see this every day, as it takes some time for baby to catch up basically.

Once baby is stronger and on the road to actually thriving rather than simply surviving, we will advance to the bottle, as they MUST get the sucking out of their systems too.

Not to mention SO much easier and faster for you!!
 
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mauriciomiau

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Hi @sarthur2 and @catwoman707 thanks again for the advise.

I had been adding a lot less oil, 5 drops per 1.5oz of KMR mixture.

The kitten is still pooping pellets and small amounts of poop, but the mucu has disappeared so far.
I am now feeding him a 1:3 concentrated formula.

He has had some colic and his belly tends to swell temporarily, causing him a little pain if a massage him.
I will look for a vet specialized in newborn kittens.

And this problems aside, he is a very well eating kitten, sleeps instantly after feeding and rewards me with a lot of purring
 

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Hi @sarthur2 and @catwoman707 thanks again for the advise.

I had been adding a lot less oil, 5 drops per 1.5oz of KMR mixture.

The kitten is still pooping pellets and small amounts of poop, but the mucu has disappeared so far.
I am now feeding him a 1:3 concentrated formula.

He has had some colic and his belly tends to swell temporarily, causing him a little pain if a massage him.
I will look for a vet specialized in newborn kittens.

And this problems aside, he is a very well eating kitten, sleeps instantly after feeding and rewards me with a lot of purring <3
It's VERY difficult , nearly impossible to find a vet who is an expert with newborn kittens. Sad but so true.

I don't see any real need to find vet care at this time anyway, things are going quite well.

One thing though, I would not keep giving diluted kmr, that is taking away his much needed nutrients. I think the prior constipation was due to a bit of dehydration, but seems to have smoothed out pretty much.

Plenty of milk intake and he should not get it again.

Glad he takes the bottle so well!

Keep that weight gain coming! It's alot of work, no doubt about it, but when you get this baby through, and see how he grows and develops, well there is nothing quite like it :)
 
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