I week old kitten bloated tummy, aggressive and pooping out of litter pan

[Kasia5872]

My husband found 5 newborn kittens 9 weeks ago in our backyard and the mother was dead not too far away.  They still had their umbilical cords attached, so just a few hours old.  I have been taking care of them full time myself, but one declined and died at 8 days old, another one had a funny looking head, was the smallest, and had what seemed like seizures, and he died at 4 weeks old along with another kitten.  In the morning they were all fine, and by lunch time two were dead, so that left me with 2.  These two have been doing wonderful, but the male will not stop eating or drinking so I have to end up taking away the food from him because his tummy gets huge.  Tonight we went out to dinner and came back and he was in the kennel with all his hair sticking up, arched back, and growling and spitting and swatting at his sister, and he made 2 poops outside the litter pan.  She desperately want out of the kennel, and every time she approaches him, he arches his back and growls at her.  What is going on with my kitten?

[Mrs_Savas]

Hi,

Heather is right, they really do need to go to the vet, ASAP.  There are a number of possibilities here.  Parasites are definitely possible, also urinary infection or kidney complications (which might be caused by parasites, but not necessarily).

Sadly, as you have seen, the little ones can be delicate.  But with treatment  there's a good chance he'll be fine.  He's come this far, which indicates strength.

The confusion is likely caused by a change in how he feels.  Often a sick animal gets confused and hostile.  When he feels better, this should resolve itself.

I also think it's great that you have taken these babies in - that's always great to hear about!

Let us know how it goes at the vet, ok?  And don't hesitate to ask any other questions you might have - we'll be here! :)

[Heather5]

Have they been to the vet? I'm wondering of the over-eating could have something to do with internal parasites...and that he's compensating for the nutrition loss by eating more. That can also give the kitten a "pot-bellied" appearance sometimes. Kittens are often born with worms, so even thought they've been in your care since they were newborn, they might still have it.

As for the aggression, I'm not really sure, but I think the best thing to do is take them to the vet and have him/her take a look at them. At nine weeks they're also about ready for their first set of shots.

I think you guys did a wonderful thing by taking these kittens in and taking care of them!

Let us know how it goes!