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My newborn kitten wont eat anymore, what should I do?
I found this kitten a few days ago, from what I can tell it is about 7 days old. She still voids regularly and doesnt have loose stools but she is losing her interest in eating. I am not sure what to do. Any tips? She only weighs 2.7 ounces.
Are you feeding her kitten milk replacer? Have you spoken to a vet?
4 Comments
One thing done in the pedigreed cat world a lot is to try to find a nursing mother cat to put an orphaned kitten with. Maybe the vet could help you find one.
I should also ask, are you stimulating her bottom with a damp cotton ball to get her to poop? Kittens don't do it naturally if they are that young, they need to be 'licked.'
Are you still needing help with this? You can email me back at ***@****. I am not a vet but I a a proud cat momma for many years.
I can help you ... For the best care consult with a trusted vet. However, if you are wanting to do this you should know that this can be a lot of work. You must be committed. There are no short cuts to be taken. If you truly want to do all you can then read on.
Dedication:
Taking care of a new born baby kitten or puppy, is just like taking care of a new born human baby. Just with a little modifications. If you have momma kitty or dog and for some reason they are not feeding the baby or babies, this baby will need to stay body warm at all times. That means you will need to put it in your shirt next to your skin with a small towel. You will be taking this baby everywhere with you! Yes to work, school, dr office, weddings, EVERYWHERE! Pack a baby bag too, with powdered kitten milk, baby wipes, bottle water, and a small baby brush. Plus an extra towel or two and some plastic bags to put the icky wipes in.
You are now going to become the momma kitty and do EVERYTHING that she would do. So if you can watch how they take care of their babies. Use the Internet. Thank goodness there are a few changes for us human mommies when it comes to the potty department. LOL.
FYI:
Kittens need their bottoms stimulated to make them pee and poo. Their momma did this by licking their bottoms. You will need to do this with a warm, wet cloth or cotton ball. You can use baby wipes but you will need to make it warm by placing it next to your body. Lol. This will need to be done BEFORE and AFTER they eat. Maybe even a little in between. I will explain more about how to do that later.
SUPPLIES:
You will need a pet bottle with nipple. You should be able to get it for less than $2.00 at Walmart. I found that having 2 bottles was better than only having one. You need to make a hole or homes in the nipple before you feed.
Don't get the milk there. Dont get the Hertz brand either. Some people, including me, have reported that after using it their baby had siezers, and some died.
Go to a feed store, where people get hay and baby chics and stuff.
There ask for goat collerstrom. Should be in a power. May only be in one size. Get the smallest one.
Next get powdered replacement milk for kittens. You can get the bottles there too.
Baby wipes no sent, generic cheap ones. I got mine from a dollar store.
Extras that helped me:
See if you can find a small baby soft brush, like for new born human babies and a nose sucker tube.
1 lb raw rice and old clean sock.
Small stuffed toy
Basket
Baby blanket
These are items that I have found very useful. You will see St the end of this post.
FEEDING:
Follow the instructions for the replacement milk. And goat collerstrom. You can make it in a small jar and keep it in the fridge, as you go. No more than what you will use in two days. For a young kitten like yours probably only one whole bottle. The bottles may have numbers on it. The bottle is 2. Ounces. You can make one bottle, but the baby may not drink it all. Maybe only 0.1 oz if you are lucky. But don't throw it away. Put in frig.
Make sure you put a hole in the new bottle nipple. Not to big not to small. I actually put a X in mine. Temperature is the same as a human baby it needs to be warm not hot. Test on your chest or neck. When you feed the baby do not lay it on it's back. This is not good as this can cause some of the milk to run into it's lungs. It can cause upper respiratory issues. Hold baby so it's head is facing you. Hold it's head in your hand so that you can gently open it's mouth and stick the nipple in. When you get comfortable, you will be able to hold the entire baby in one hand and feed with the other. Remember the baby needs to be laying on it's belly or standing on it's legs. You can help stimulate it to suckel by gently rubbing your finger on the side of it's mouth. Make sure that the nipple is not hot or cold. This sometimes can determine if they will drink or not. Don't be too alarmed if it doesn't eat much. The collestrom is what it will need for the first two weeks. I only did every other feeding with it. As it can cause constipation. You will need to feed at least every 2 hrs. If it is not eating much then you may have to try every hour or adjust to every 3 hours. Don't go longer than 4 hrs. Once they and you get the hang of bottle feeding , the baby should start feeding with less struggles. Soon they will eat at least to the first mark on the bottle. Yeah.
Yes baby kittens need to be burped too. Gently tap on their back, with your fingers. Much the same way you would for a human baby. I did it on my chest too. You can try to continue to feed, or if it is done now you will need to make it go potty.
Routine:
Very important!
Make or heat milk for bottle, Warm-up wipes,
Gently stroke baby to wake it up
lay baby on it's back
gently rub it's bottom, to stimulate pee and or poo.
Gently with brush, brush over face mouth, eyes, ears.
Put baby on belly and feed, burp,
return baby to it's back and stimulate to pee or poo.
Let baby sleep.
Put leftovers in frig. Repeat.
Stimulating potty:
Using a warm wet cloth cotton ball gently stroke over bottom. Making the strokes short and going forward, towards their head. Sometimes you can do small circles over pee area, for poo you may need to stimulate the anus with a small pinching or milking motion. If their tummies are hard before you feed or if they have not good at least once during the day, then you need to take your clothes and make short firm strokes from the anus up on the right side of the stomach to the ribs then down again on the left side. These should be like a circle. Imagine lightly moving the contents of the intestines do that it can poo. If you are still having trouble, meaning belly is still hard after one day and no point gas happened. Then you may have to treat for constipation.
Constipation Tricks: try one at a time. (not in any specific order)
Add 1/2 of a eye dropper of karo syurp to bottle feeding.
Hold babies bottom under a med stream of warm water from sink faucet. You want the water to directly hit the private area. You must dry the baby right away so they don't get sick. You can use s hair dryer use care as you don't want to have the heat too hot use low heat and low blow. Use the brush to help dry the fur.
If you still are having a problem. Call a vet.
Rice & sock:
I took and made several rice socks. Different sizes. Take rice and out into long sock and tied the end.
To heat the rice socks, place in microwave, depending on size, 1 minute. (Lg sock for adult humans, max 3 minutes)If really small use 20 second increments. (When heating a baby bottle, remove nipple, heat 10 second increments.) Be sure to shake it up to distbute hot spots.
Make this so that the baby can crawl on it, over it and lay comfortably on it. These babies need to be able to lay on something warm especially after they eat to help with their digestion. That is why you will see them crawling over their moms and sleeping on top of each other.
You can make a basket for your baby if you need to. Make it soft yet roomy. Have a rice socks in it too. I should have a handle on it so you can drape a blanket over it to keep it dark and cozy.
This is not everything. I am sure I may have missed something. I am not perfect. And this by no means is to take the place of going to the vet. These instructions may not work for you. And please know that you could do all this and even take your baby to a vet and it still can be possible that your baby will just not thrive and pass away. It has happened to me several times. Sometimes there is just nothing more that can be done. So don't beat yourself up or lay blame.
Best of luck to you and your very special baby. I would love to know how it goes.
Dedication:
Taking care of a new born baby kitten or puppy, is just like taking care of a new born human baby. Just with a little modifications. If you have momma kitty or dog and for some reason they are not feeding the baby or babies, this baby will need to stay body warm at all times. That means you will need to put it in your shirt next to your skin with a small towel. You will be taking this baby everywhere with you! Yes to work, school, dr office, weddings, EVERYWHERE! Pack a baby bag too, with powdered kitten milk, baby wipes, bottle water, and a small baby brush. Plus an extra towel or two and some plastic bags to put the icky wipes in.
You are now going to become the momma kitty and do EVERYTHING that she would do. So if you can watch how they take care of their babies. Use the Internet. Thank goodness there are a few changes for us human mommies when it comes to the potty department. LOL.
FYI:
Kittens need their bottoms stimulated to make them pee and poo. Their momma did this by licking their bottoms. You will need to do this with a warm, wet cloth or cotton ball. You can use baby wipes but you will need to make it warm by placing it next to your body. Lol. This will need to be done BEFORE and AFTER they eat. Maybe even a little in between. I will explain more about how to do that later.
SUPPLIES:
You will need a pet bottle with nipple. You should be able to get it for less than $2.00 at Walmart. I found that having 2 bottles was better than only having one. You need to make a hole or homes in the nipple before you feed.
Don't get the milk there. Dont get the Hertz brand either. Some people, including me, have reported that after using it their baby had siezers, and some died.
Go to a feed store, where people get hay and baby chics and stuff.
There ask for goat collerstrom. Should be in a power. May only be in one size. Get the smallest one.
Next get powdered replacement milk for kittens. You can get the bottles there too.
Baby wipes no sent, generic cheap ones. I got mine from a dollar store.
Extras that helped me:
See if you can find a small baby soft brush, like for new born human babies and a nose sucker tube.
1 lb raw rice and old clean sock.
Small stuffed toy
Basket
Baby blanket
These are items that I have found very useful. You will see St the end of this post.
FEEDING:
Follow the instructions for the replacement milk. And goat collerstrom. You can make it in a small jar and keep it in the fridge, as you go. No more than what you will use in two days. For a young kitten like yours probably only one whole bottle. The bottles may have numbers on it. The bottle is 2. Ounces. You can make one bottle, but the baby may not drink it all. Maybe only 0.1 oz if you are lucky. But don't throw it away. Put in frig.
Make sure you put a hole in the new bottle nipple. Not to big not to small. I actually put a X in mine. Temperature is the same as a human baby it needs to be warm not hot. Test on your chest or neck. When you feed the baby do not lay it on it's back. This is not good as this can cause some of the milk to run into it's lungs. It can cause upper respiratory issues. Hold baby so it's head is facing you. Hold it's head in your hand so that you can gently open it's mouth and stick the nipple in. When you get comfortable, you will be able to hold the entire baby in one hand and feed with the other. Remember the baby needs to be laying on it's belly or standing on it's legs. You can help stimulate it to suckel by gently rubbing your finger on the side of it's mouth. Make sure that the nipple is not hot or cold. This sometimes can determine if they will drink or not. Don't be too alarmed if it doesn't eat much. The collestrom is what it will need for the first two weeks. I only did every other feeding with it. As it can cause constipation. You will need to feed at least every 2 hrs. If it is not eating much then you may have to try every hour or adjust to every 3 hours. Don't go longer than 4 hrs. Once they and you get the hang of bottle feeding , the baby should start feeding with less struggles. Soon they will eat at least to the first mark on the bottle. Yeah.
Yes baby kittens need to be burped too. Gently tap on their back, with your fingers. Much the same way you would for a human baby. I did it on my chest too. You can try to continue to feed, or if it is done now you will need to make it go potty.
Routine:
Very important!
Make or heat milk for bottle, Warm-up wipes,
Gently stroke baby to wake it up
lay baby on it's back
gently rub it's bottom, to stimulate pee and or poo.
Gently with brush, brush over face mouth, eyes, ears.
Put baby on belly and feed, burp,
return baby to it's back and stimulate to pee or poo.
Let baby sleep.
Put leftovers in frig. Repeat.
Stimulating potty:
Using a warm wet cloth cotton ball gently stroke over bottom. Making the strokes short and going forward, towards their head. Sometimes you can do small circles over pee area, for poo you may need to stimulate the anus with a small pinching or milking motion. If their tummies are hard before you feed or if they have not good at least once during the day, then you need to take your clothes and make short firm strokes from the anus up on the right side of the stomach to the ribs then down again on the left side. These should be like a circle. Imagine lightly moving the contents of the intestines do that it can poo. If you are still having trouble, meaning belly is still hard after one day and no point gas happened. Then you may have to treat for constipation.
Constipation Tricks: try one at a time. (not in any specific order)
Add 1/2 of a eye dropper of karo syurp to bottle feeding.
Hold babies bottom under a med stream of warm water from sink faucet. You want the water to directly hit the private area. You must dry the baby right away so they don't get sick. You can use s hair dryer use care as you don't want to have the heat too hot use low heat and low blow. Use the brush to help dry the fur.
If you still are having a problem. Call a vet.
Rice & sock:
I took and made several rice socks. Different sizes. Take rice and out into long sock and tied the end.
To heat the rice socks, place in microwave, depending on size, 1 minute. (Lg sock for adult humans, max 3 minutes)If really small use 20 second increments. (When heating a baby bottle, remove nipple, heat 10 second increments.) Be sure to shake it up to distbute hot spots.
Make this so that the baby can crawl on it, over it and lay comfortably on it. These babies need to be able to lay on something warm especially after they eat to help with their digestion. That is why you will see them crawling over their moms and sleeping on top of each other.
You can make a basket for your baby if you need to. Make it soft yet roomy. Have a rice socks in it too. I should have a handle on it so you can drape a blanket over it to keep it dark and cozy.
This is not everything. I am sure I may have missed something. I am not perfect. And this by no means is to take the place of going to the vet. These instructions may not work for you. And please know that you could do all this and even take your baby to a vet and it still can be possible that your baby will just not thrive and pass away. It has happened to me several times. Sometimes there is just nothing more that can be done. So don't beat yourself up or lay blame.
Best of luck to you and your very special baby. I would love to know how it goes.
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