Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Purrs

1. 

   Hello. We got a new kitten yesterday. When I woke up this morning, we found out that it was having diarrhea during the night. But it looks healthy, its climbing trees and running around. We are feeding it. But I'm concered about the diarrhea on its tail. It kinda dried up a bit and the kitten seems to be not licking it off. What do I do? What will I clean it with? How will I teach the kitten to clean itself. The diarrhea is also on it's legs as well. But it is healthy though. Just messy.

   His name is Cid by the way.

   Posted 2 years ago by Fergus #

2. 

   I posted this in the Cats + Kittens section to get more traffic and replies. You can close this or delete it or whatever.

   Posted 2 years ago by Fergus #

3. 

   Hi Fergus, it's almost Sunday morning in the US (I'm in NZ) so traffic is kind of slow right now but hopefully more TDKers will jump on soon. In the meantime, I would suggest a wee bathing of your little one's bottom in luke warm water with maybe a bit of very gentle pure soap to help clean him, in the sink, but be sure to towel him off very quickly (though gently) and very well, as above all you don't want him to get chilled.

   If the diarrhoea doesn't resolve very quickly, you should get him checked out at the vet too. Diarrhoea doesn't sound much but if the kitten stops drinking or isn't getting enough moisture in his wet food, he can dehydrate very quickly and that's really bad news for kittens. So keep a close eye on him, all the better if you can get him to drink, and if the diarrhoea keeps up, phone your vet for advice. Hope to see some pix of your new baby soon and hear all about him! Welcome to TDK!

   Posted 2 years ago by jcat #

4. 

   He won't drink. I put out water for him. He is outside most of the time. He doesn't really seem to clean himself. I see him attempt to and then he just stops. I go see if he will drink now. We can't bring him into the house because mum is afraid he will poo inside. Diarrhea is normal for kittens moving into new areas? Because of new diet and water straight away?

   Posted 2 years ago by Fergus #

5. 

   How old is he? Where did you get him from? If you only just got him, I don't think it's sensible to keep him outside, he will probably just run away. It takes at least a few days and shelters usually advise two weeks of keeping kitten inside so that he can get to know his new home. Put him in a small room (the bathroom, or your room) with his food, water, a comfy bed (a towel in a cardboard box will do) and a litter tray (not too close to the food) and put him on the litter tray after meals and he will soon get the idea. Let him live in one room for now and then if he accidentally makes a mess (especially if he is living in the bathroom or kitchen), it is not too much of a disaster. Remember, he is just a baby and, like human babies, kittens sometimes have accidents or don't make it to their box in time.

   If he is very young, his mum may not have had a chance to teach him how to clean himself properly. I don't know if you can get kitty wipes in pet stores in Ireland but you can certainly help to keep him clean with a warm washcloth.

   Do you know what he was eating before or is he only just weaned. A bit of diarrhoea is probably all right but if it keeps up, take him to the vet. It is a good idea to do that with a new animal anyway, to make sure he is all right (unless he has come vaccinated and vet checked from the shelter).

   He is too new to be spending most of his time outside. You run a very real risk of losing him -- if you only just got him, he doesn't know he lives with you yet!

   Posted 2 years ago by jcat #

6. 

   My neighbour found him somewhere and left him with us. I'm not sure how old he is but I would say about 6-9 months or something. Not sure. I try to talk mum into letting him stay in the house but she's very strict on it. He's not too young though. I say he wasn't just weaned. Maybe a few months after he was?

   Posted 2 years ago by Fergus #

7. 

   Hhmmm. Well, maybe you have a garage or a shed where you could set up a cosy nest for him. If you keep feeding him, he may decide to stay and perhaps Mum will relent in time, once she gets to know him. If he is over five months old though, he needs to be neutered, and a vet check is a good idea as he probably won't have had any of his shots. Is your neighbour sure he doesn't belong to anybody? A vet could tell you how old he is as well as checking him over and giving him his shots.

   Posted 2 years ago by jcat #

8. 

   I just made a cosy spot for him in a shed and he seems to accpet it.

   Posted 2 years ago by Fergus #

9. 

   He won't drink the water. Maybe he doesn't know he can drink it. I tried dipping my finger in it and putting it to his mouth to show he can drink it. He needs to be hydrated. He starting to look a bit weak.

   Posted 2 years ago by Fergus #

10. 

    Feed him wet (canned) food, and mix a little water in with it. Don't feed him any dry food - it will make him more dehydrated, and quickly. If he won't eat the wet, get a baby syringe from a pharmacy, and syringe a half ml of water into the back of his mouth at a time. He will swallow it involuntarily, and he will feel better, so he won't mind you giving him more. Give him 4 or 5 mls over the course of an hour or so. If his diarrhea is still there, you could give him some pedalyte in water the same way. If the diarrhea is not gone by tomorrow, I'd think about bringing him to the vet. He may have worms or another parasite; they can cause diarrhea.

    Posted 2 years ago by eleniki #

11. 

    Fergus, I just saw that you're Irish!! I think I may have been the only Irish TDKer up til this moment! Welcome! I'm in Dublin. It being Sunday, depending on where you are, there may not be a pharmacy open, but you can try another way to make your kitty get water into him. And pedalyte is dioralyte here - it's a rehydration pack of salts that helps fluid stay in the system, but you can only get it in a pharmacy.

    Posted 2 years ago by eleniki #

12. 

    Feed him that dyoralite with a syringe as soon as possible and get him to the vet first thng in the morning! Diarrhea can cause dehydration and death in kittens if not treated rapidly, I've seen it happen :(
    Please take the kitten to the vet asap.

    Posted 2 years ago by kittenkat #

13. 

    Bump. Any news on your kitten, Fergus?

    Posted 2 years ago by jcat #

14. 

    Yes, how is the little fella Fergus?

    Posted 2 years ago by eleniki #

15. 

    He still has the diarrhea. I made a spot for him in the shed. I asked Mum about taking him to the vet but she just said that it will pass. How long does diarrhea usually last? We do feed him with wet food and I put loads of water mixed with a little bit of milk just to make him drink it. He is eating fine but I don't see him drinking much. Is there anything I can mix together for him to drink?

    I have another dog and 2 cats. But he got on well with them almost instantly. So there's no problems with fighting or anything.

    Posted 2 years ago by Fergus #

16. 

    It's ok that Cid's not drinking water if he's eating wet food with some water in it. You needn't put too much water in the food, as wet food has a good high moisture content anyway, which is why cats don't drink a lot when they are on a wet diet. Don't feed him dry food at all though, even when he's better - it's not good for cats, except maybe as a small treat. Don't put milk in his food either - cats should not be given cows' milk, not even kittens - it gives them diarrhea, as their digestions are not made to process it. A small amount of water in with his wet food is fine for him - that's probably enough fluid for him. Keep an eye on the diarrhea. If it is not gone by tomorrow, I'd be concerned. It could be the milk, or it could be worms. Maybe you could just call in to your vet sometime, and buy a single worming tablet. Tell them his age. Then you can either pop it in the back of his mouth if he'll let you, or cut it into quarters and hide it in his food.

    If you cut out the milk, stick with the wet food plus a little water, and see about a worming pill, he should be fine. I hope you've found a blanket or sweatshirt or something nice and warm for him to sleep on in the shed. It sounds like you're taking good care of him. Where in Ireland do you live?

    Posted 2 years ago by eleniki #

17. 

    I live in Louth.

    I'm just concered though about the kitten, he is a bit of a mess now. His behind is covered in poo and he looks a bit weak. In this climate where it rains a lot, I'm a bit more concerned. Would sudocream help the sore behind? Mum is definate no on him coming into the house as he has dirrahea and when he didn't, he peed on the bed and the couch. I'm not even sure if he had taken the shots or anything. I try and talk mum into taking him to the vet but it's expensive where we live to get a check up so we are kinda leaving that as a last resort. But he doesn't look like he needs it anyway? He has a shed to go in out of the rain.

    Ok I just put a little bit of water in with the wet food. I haven't fed him milk though. I just put a little drop of it into the water just to make it more appealing to Cid.

    He shares the shed with 2 other cats and a dog. Would there be any problems coming from that?

    Posted 2 years ago by Fergus #

18. 

    Oh yeah. I went out to look at him. And he seems happy enough. There was a little bit of poo in the shed but it was solid so thats good news right?

    He was enjoying my attention, he was jumping onto me and standing on hind legs and everything. And the mess around his behind is starting to clear up. It just that his anus is a bit raw red.

    Should I put sudocream on that?

    Posted 2 years ago by Fergus #

19. 

    Well that's good news Fergus, about the solid poo, if it's Cid's, but it could be from one of the other cats, no? Don't put sudocream on his butt, as he will lick it off, and it's not good for cats (or anyone) to ingest. Put a little vaseline on it, at least that's safe and non-toxic. You could do that a few times a day. Part of the problem is that Cid is licking his anus, because it's sore with the diarrhea, and his tongue is rough, so it's making the soreness worse. Hopefully his symptoms will ease over the next 2 days. The diarrhea could be so many things. It could even be that he was used to eating a particular type of food, and now the change has affected his digestion this way, as you only just got him. What food are you giving him?

    Posted 2 years ago by eleniki #

20. 

    Eleniki has given you great advice, I'm going to add to her concern and say don't let it get bad enough so that when you take him to the vet there's not much to do :(
    Diarrhea does not just go away, the poop could be from your other pets.
    Don't let his sunny disposition fool you either, kittens are playful and strong like that.
    I'm going to venture into deep water here, but go online and search for over the counter vet remedies for diarrhea. Here they have Sulfatrim which is trimetroprim and sulfametoxasol, so look for those components.
    It's cheap, safe and it works. I've used it with my kittens before.
    Keep him hydrated at all times.

    Posted 2 years ago by kittenkat #

21. 

    I feed him the canned food called Supercat.

    Ok I will put vaseline onto the anus. He still sick even if the diarrhea goes away?

    I'm pretty sure that the poo is Cids. It was where he was sleeping.

    I mix the supercat food with a bit of water.

    I do think the diarrhea is gone completely as he isn't messy anymore.

    Posted 2 years ago by Fergus #

22. 

    Ok we are gonna get tablets for him. Mum is gonna ask the vet about what on to do.

    Posted 2 years ago by Fergus #

23. 

    If the diarrhea goes away, it's a really good sign, Fergus. But it would do him no harm and probably some good to worm him, so asking the vet about a pill is a good idea. I'm glad to hear that it seems that the firm poo is Cid's.
    Keep posting!

    Posted 2 years ago by eleniki #

24. 

    Yeah and he seems to really adjust to outside now and he gets on really well with the other pets. Hell, the dog even helped to clean him. We are getting some tablets for him.

    Posted 2 years ago by Fergus #

25. 

    Great!

    Posted 2 years ago by eleniki #

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