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Help! I found a baby kitten
Last week I found a baby kitten at work. There were no other cats/kittens anywhere around.
He was in very rough shape, very thin, covered in fleas & ticks.
He came right to me and wouldn't leave my side.
(I work in an office. I had to stay outside for an hour, he kept trying to follow me back inside. So cute.)
I took the kitten to the vet right away. (the closest one to my work)
They estimated him to be 6-8 weeks old.
He weighed 15.2 ounces.
They bathed him and gave him a bit of flea meds.
They said that due to the amount of fleas he had, he was low on blood, so they did no blood tests.
They also told me to give him canned food.
I picked the ticks off one by one that night.
He hardly ate/drank.
He had terrible diarrhea for a few days, so I brought him to a different vet for another opinion.
(This vet has seen my parents pets for many years, we trust her very much)
She estimated him to be 4-5 weeks old.
He weighed 14 ounces.
She gave him some intravenous fluids and sent me home with electrolytes to give him.
She said that I could give canned cat food or baby food with meat only.
I chose baby food, he loved it.
She did a stool sample test, came back negative on any parasites.
He still had diarrhea, I think it actually got worse.
So, I decided to give him just kitten formula.
I feed him every 4 hours. (yes, night and day)
The diarrhea has stopped, but he only pees, no poop.
He still hasn't gained any weight :(
I am very worried about the kitten.
He is a very happy kitten. Loves to be held, purrs a lot.
I am going to just continue what I am doing, but wondered if anybody had any similar experience and maybe suggestions?
I am so scared that I could lose him, I have become so attached!
He was in very rough shape, very thin, covered in fleas & ticks.
He came right to me and wouldn't leave my side.
(I work in an office. I had to stay outside for an hour, he kept trying to follow me back inside. So cute.)
I took the kitten to the vet right away. (the closest one to my work)
They estimated him to be 6-8 weeks old.
He weighed 15.2 ounces.
They bathed him and gave him a bit of flea meds.
They said that due to the amount of fleas he had, he was low on blood, so they did no blood tests.
They also told me to give him canned food.
I picked the ticks off one by one that night.
He hardly ate/drank.
He had terrible diarrhea for a few days, so I brought him to a different vet for another opinion.
(This vet has seen my parents pets for many years, we trust her very much)
She estimated him to be 4-5 weeks old.
He weighed 14 ounces.
She gave him some intravenous fluids and sent me home with electrolytes to give him.
She said that I could give canned cat food or baby food with meat only.
I chose baby food, he loved it.
She did a stool sample test, came back negative on any parasites.
He still had diarrhea, I think it actually got worse.
So, I decided to give him just kitten formula.
I feed him every 4 hours. (yes, night and day)
The diarrhea has stopped, but he only pees, no poop.
He still hasn't gained any weight :(
I am very worried about the kitten.
He is a very happy kitten. Loves to be held, purrs a lot.
I am going to just continue what I am doing, but wondered if anybody had any similar experience and maybe suggestions?
I am so scared that I could lose him, I have become so attached!
So sad to have to post this. I had to have Giz put down last Monday. He hardly ate on Sunday. I called my vet and made an appointment for Monday morning. On Monday morning I found him lying on the floor barely able to move. I was devastated and rushed him to the vet right then. She said that there was nothing more she could do for him. She determined that he had FIP. I had never heard if that before, but I started to read up on it, and it all made sense.
I am tearing up while I type this. I can't believe what an impact that little baby made on my life. :'(
I am tearing up while I type this. I can't believe what an impact that little baby made on my life. :'(
You can also get multiple litter boxes going, sometimes cats just don't like one box for some reason or another. If you aren't cleaning it often enough (some cats want it clean immediately after they go, some don't care if it sits a couple days) then that may be irritating him and he may be avoiding it for that reason too. A second box would solve that problem for you.
I'd get 3 boxes going if I were you, one on each level or spaced throughout the house. That way if one is soiled he can move to the next etc. And try to keep them as clean as possible. Also make sure he has at least 4" of digging room in each box (I give my cat more like 6" depth of litter in there). I get the largest sized box too so it is very deep and the cat can really dig around in there and bury their stuff like they want to.
GL and hope he returns to using the boxes!
I'd get 3 boxes going if I were you, one on each level or spaced throughout the house. That way if one is soiled he can move to the next etc. And try to keep them as clean as possible. Also make sure he has at least 4" of digging room in each box (I give my cat more like 6" depth of litter in there). I get the largest sized box too so it is very deep and the cat can really dig around in there and bury their stuff like they want to.
GL and hope he returns to using the boxes!
W/ regard to him not using the box, do you take his paw and "dig" for a moment when you put him in the box where he is supposed to go? Make sure you take his paw in your hand and actually show him to dig in there. Then he will know that is where he is supposed to go.
sorry I missed your post until now....and sorry to hear Giz is having some issues again. I will give you a link with some problem solving hints hopefully some suggestions there will help. I would also suggest a Vet appt. for a URINE ANALYSIS to check for crystals &/OR infection....quite often when a cat stops using a box its b/c they are having pain and this is how they communicate it, although its not common in such a young kitty, but it sure needs to be checked out. read the site I'm sending and if nothing there helps than I really recommend a Vet check...for UTI (urinary tract infection)...let us know ok
http://catinfo.org/?link=litterbox
http://catinfo.org/?link=litterbox
Ugh . . . . so I switched back to litter. (non-clumping)
For three days, he used the box faithfully. Then suddenly, he treats the whole house like his litterbox.
He peed on the dining room floor, in my husbands slippers, pooped on the couch 3 times and even pooped in his own bed twice!
My steam cleaner is sure getting a work out lately :(
This is so frustrating. Giz is the most loving, cuddly, adorable kitten, I am just at my wits end about this. I always put the poop in the litter box and then put him in it. He goes right to work covering it. I don't see any litter, foreign objects or worms in it . . . .
On a lighter note, I have some new pictures of him but they won't load on my page here, I keep getting an error . . . .
For three days, he used the box faithfully. Then suddenly, he treats the whole house like his litterbox.
He peed on the dining room floor, in my husbands slippers, pooped on the couch 3 times and even pooped in his own bed twice!
My steam cleaner is sure getting a work out lately :(
This is so frustrating. Giz is the most loving, cuddly, adorable kitten, I am just at my wits end about this. I always put the poop in the litter box and then put him in it. He goes right to work covering it. I don't see any litter, foreign objects or worms in it . . . .
On a lighter note, I have some new pictures of him but they won't load on my page here, I keep getting an error . . . .
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