I am a first time pet owner. My mother and I found her abandoned outside our doorstep cold and hungry. Right away we took her to the vet and they said to just keep her warm and feed her kitten replacement milk. we bought the powder form. All was well for the first few days, but now I'm completely lost on what to do. For the past 10 hours she has refused to eat. I cant even get her to open her mouth. And for the past 14 hours or so she hasn't pooped after having pooped regularly for the past few days. Now she's constipated and aggravated, as am I for not knowing how to help her. I constantly massage her bum before and after feedings with warm damp cotton balls, but now all I'm getting from her is screeches and moans of pain. We are a low income family so my mother tries to convince me that it's nothing too serious for a trip back to the vet, but I'm worried. She is straining and seemingly in pain. What can I do????? Please help!
Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Cats & Kittens
only a week old and constipated!
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Posted 2 years ago by Baby Jerri #
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Hi, BJ. Welcome to TDK! There are a number of folks here who have hand-raised orphan kittens. It is a very demanding job. I have no personal experience with this, but others have said that it's very important that kittens not get dehydrated. If your kitten is not taking in fluid, she can go downhill pretty quickly. If it is possible I would take her to the vet. You might be able to call the vet who saw her and get some advice over the phone. To keep her hydrated, you can offer her unflavored Pedialyte. It is sold in the baby aisle in grocery stores. If she won't take fluids by mouth and becomes dehydrated, the vet may need to give subcutaneous fluids. Click on the "constipation" tag for this thread to see other threads on this topic.
Please keep posting and let us know how she does. :)
Posted 2 years ago by Kitten Whisperer #
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Welcome to TDK BJ. Are the kitten's eyes open? Are you using a bottle or a syringe to feed. I did this a year ago with Deuter and his brother when their mother was killed. If you can not get the kitten to eat and he is straining to go to the bathroom, you should call the vet that saw him. I had to use a bottle for Nike, but Deuter needed a syringe feeding for awhile--he took some time getting him to know what to do with a bottle. My prayers are with your litte one.
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She passed away this morning at aprox 9:15 am in my hands as we were entering the vet's office. It's uh, HARD. She was only a week old and been doing so well the prior day purring and all. After an about an hour of cries and body clenching I guess she finally decided to give up, and she stopped breathing. Jerri was my first ever pet. I can't do this again. I think Jerri as well as being my first will be my last. I guess I'm just not emotionally wired to handle her passing well enough. Well thank you all whom responded to me and I wish you all the best with your beloved kittens.
Posted 2 years ago by Baby Jerri #
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Baby Jerri, I'm so sorry this happened to you. There may have been nothing that you or any vet could have done, this baby's mama might even have abandoned it because she knew it wasn't going to make it, kittens of this age with no mums are terribly, terribly fragile and the odds are stacked against them. But you did the very best for you that you could, you took her in and fed her and kept her warm and got her medical attention and truly, there wasn't anything else you could have done to make her last hours more comfortable. She was loved, thanks to you, and bless you for that. So many poor little kittens and cats never know any love or comfort at all.
It is terribly hard to lose these babies, they crawl into your hearts and make themselves a home there. But most of us, if we're lucky, get many years of love and companionship with our pets before we have to say goodbye to them. Of course it still hurts, so badly, but we have many happy memories and good times with our beloved pets to weigh against the pain of having to let them go and we never forget them, they are snuggled against our hearts forever.
So please don't give up on the idea of having a pet just yet. Of course you need to grieve for this baby and may not feel like opening up your heart again for a long time. But you may just find that some day another little one will find a home in your heart and you won't be able to help yourself. There are so many cats and kittens and puppies and animals of all kinds that desperately need a loving person such as yourself. Kittens of 12 weeks, which is when they are usually separated from their mothers, are much, much stronger little creatures and there are also older cats and dogs, who may only be one or two but have much less of a chance of finding a home because they are no longer kittens or puppies. They are usually very healthy and sturdy and the only thing wrong with them is that they don't have someone to love them. If it's right for you, it will happen, and if it's not, it won't, but please don't give up on the possibility forever. You would be missing out on such a lot, and so would the little one who might one day become your second pet.
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Thank you so much JCAT for your kind words. I probably will decide to have a pet again, but for now I am definitely hating myself. I know you're probably right but I still cant help but feel like there was something I missed or could have done to save her. I didn't even think about resuscitation until a good five minutes after I screamed and yelled at everyone in the vets office to do something. But of course by then it was too late. She most definitely impacted me hard and left a lasting impression in my heart. Thank you again for your support and kind words.
Posted 2 years ago by Baby Jerri #
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Baby Jerri, I have only now seen your thread. I am so, so sorry for the loss of the kitten. But you must not blame yourself. In a kitten so tiny there were obviously already problems. Her mama knew it and that's why she was left alone. But what I hope that you will remember is that in that kitten's very short life, she knew love. Someone to hold her, feed her, love her and comfort her. You gave that little kitten a very precious gift. Sometimes it is just not meant to be that they grow and thrive.
I truly hope that you will find it in your heart to take in and love another little animal (hopefully a kitten) who needs love and a loving home. They can bring so much joy and comfort.
You didn't do anything wrong and you must remember that.
Posted 2 years ago by WillowandWindismom #
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Baby Jerri - The hardest thing to face (and we all have) is the loss of a dear companion. Even though you cared for her for a short time, you did care and love her, and she knew that. It is in NO WAY your fault.Deciding to help an abandoned kitten is wonderful thing to do, but many times we are unable to overcome the problems these fragile babies are born with... You did everything you could, and gave her love and a home! Take a look at this, it may help... I have two very dear cats who have gone over the Bridge, as well a a rabbit and a bird... http://rainbowsbridge.com/Poem.htm . Cats (and other animals) add so much to our lives, I hope you will try again. Perhaps with an older kitten or cat in need of a home, from your local shelter... HUGS to you and the little one!!!
Posted 2 years ago by nawlins catmom #
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