Underweight / Weak Kitten

Eloise613

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Hello!! It’s that time of year again - kitten season.

I got a call from the shelter about 2 underweight sick orphaned kittens With URIs so I’m fostering them. They are around 4 weeks old and just learned to potty in the litter box. When they came home with me, they were filthy and riddled with fleas.

The little girl is doing well and eats out of a dish and plays, runs around, etc. She is at a decent weight (500g) and I have faith she’ll be ok. The little boy was in rough shape. When I opened the crate to take a peek at them I thought he had already passed. He was severely underweight and I could feel every bone in his body. He couldn’t even lift his head up. I gave them baths and was up every 2 hours syringe feeding him Breeder’s Edge and A/D food. Every time I opened his crate and found him alive I breathed a sigh of relief.

That was 4 days ago. He now eats the gruel out of a dish (very slowly) and has put on a bit of weight He went from 268g to 315g yesterday. But he still has no energy. He will walk to the food bowl and eat(he now refuses the syringe so I have to keep leading him back to the food dish so he can keep eating). But he won’t play like his sister. He spends most of his time sitting and looking around.

i know it’ll take time to come back from whatever he’s fighting but I’m still so worried.

- Is there anything more I can do or is it just a patience thing now? I’m feeding warm gruel with breeders edge and A/D food every 3 hours. He has a heating pad. I put him back in his playpen after every meal so he can rest and conserve energy. I don’t want to change up his diet much or overwhelm him.
- is this “normal” / common behavior for kittens who are recovering from starvation / the brink of death or should I have seen more improvement by now?
- Should I still force the syringe after he eats from the dish? He really doesn’t want it but I also want to make sure I know he’s getting enough.

He is such a sweet boy. my husband says I get too invested and he hates that I foster because he hates seeing me so desperate and anxious when a kitten is sick 🙄 But I can’t help it. It calls my heart. I also have a newborn human baby and a toddler. I’m getting up with these kittens more than with my human baby 🤣 But it’s worth it to see them recovering.

I am going to weigh them at their afternoon feeding and I’m so anxious!! I really hope I see progress.
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Sarthur2

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Poor little guy. Thankfully he has you in his corner. It can definitely take some time to bounce back from the brink of starvation. I would think at least a couple of weeks.

How much of the gruel does he eat and how often?
Are they still on antibiotics?

Will he take a bottle? If so, I think some kitten formula every couple of hours might help, or even through a syringe. Kittens at 4 weeks would still be nursing mom, and most love sucking and enjoy formula. You can also mix the formula with part water and part unflavored pedialyte for extra electrolytes. If he won’t take either, maybe he would lap it from a dish as a supplement to his gruel.
 

StefanZ

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Yes pedialyte is good, it gives also some extra calories for free.
Alternatively add a little karo to give some extra quick calories.

If you can get raw goats milk is good.

Feeding time more often even if it will be smaller portions each time. Yes it will be more work, so do so when you are awake and around...

You are on good way with him!

Pa make sure he has it warm. Heating pad?
 
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Eloise613

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Thank you for your replies!!

They are on antibiotics (doxycycline) and teramycin for their eyes He absolutely refuses the bottle. I had luck with the syringe but not anymore. He wants to eat out of the dish like a big boy! I don’t know an exact way to measure it but I’d say about a tablespoon or a little over a tablespoon every 3 hours. He eats very slow and I have to keep steering him back to the dish but he does i I mix warm water with Breeders Edge KMR and then mix that with the A/D food to make a lumpy gruel. They like it oatmeal consistency

I will pick up some pedialyte tomorrow! I was going to try the raw goats milk but everyone around me always has different opinions and tells me it gives them diarrhea and isn’t as good as KMR. But then other people tell me it’s a life saver! I’ve seen the goats milk in the aisle with the condensed milk I think.

He has a snuggle disc and he and his sissy love laying on it! She sleeps with her arm around him 😭😭😭

Yesterday he was 316g and today he was 330g!
Thank you all for your help and I will continue updating 💜
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Betty

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Archie
 

StefanZ

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sounds very good, considering his extremely bad start. Very promising, not least the good weigh increase.

He isnt out of the woods as yet. Its not uncommon these whom were extremely emaciated, extremely fatigued, do collapse when it seemes they are saved... But its just to pray and continue to work on. It looks good for now. :)


Yet, every 3 hours could be a little more often. I understand it takes effort and time, because he is eating so slowly... Yet, that is the next to try.

Did I wrote you can try and massage him? Using your forefinger or a tooth brush? Reminds of mommas tongue licking.


The kmr Breeders Edge, I haven heard about this earlier. Looking on it, it seems good. So I will look more on it. Who knows, it may be my recommendation in the future, aside of goats milk, pedialyte and warmth for the sick and weak. :)
 
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Eloise613

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Right...I’m not going to get complacent I know we aren’t out of the woods. I do feel more meat when I pick him up though and he runs out of his playpen when I bring the gruel, so I just pray he keeps getting better. He’s fought so hard I hope he grows bigger and stronger every day!

I do every 3 hours because he doesn’t seem interested much when I do every 2 hours so I feel like I’m wasting food.

I do massage him to try to mimic mama! I use my finger but I’ll try the toothbrush that’s a great idea!

I like breeders edge because it doesn’t give them diarrhea like the Pet AG KMR. And it smells yummy! It’s on amazon. It’s a shame I can’t find it anywhere else.

today he weighed 350 g so I will update!! Thank you all ❤
 

Furballsmom

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wow, look at the difference in his eyes from the first photo to the next, and she looks brighter! Hang in there, you're doing an AWESOME job!! I'm sending every ounce of love, hugs and :vibes::crossfingers::redheartpump:
 

StefanZ

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I like breeders edge because it doesn’t give them diarrhea like the Pet AG KMR. And it smells yummy! It’s on amazon. It’s a shame I can’t find it anywhere else.
How did you found this Breeders Edge? How did you know its supposed to be a good kmr?

What Pet Ag KMR do you use? The powder version is supposed to be good and reliable. While the ready made liquid is known to be less reliable. Its good to have 1 can for emergencies, because its cheap as it comes in small cans. But its less good than their powder KMR.
 
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Eloise613

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I found out about it because it’s what our shelter that I foster with uses. I’d never heard of it either but found it on amazon! It smells yummy like vanilla and cotton candy and supposedly it doesn’t have any milk products so it doesn’t give kittens diarrhea as easily.
Little Archie lost weight yesterday but today hes 360g! Slowly but surely getting there. They also tried dry food for the first time. They are 5 weeks old today.
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