My husband and I found a kitten chowing down on some old pizza some one threw out by our apartment. We caught it, and the poor thing hasn't had a bowel movement in the 24 hours we've had him. He strains to, but the poor guy just has no luck. I think he's maybe 5 or 6 weeks old (he's smaller than that, but he was eating solid food on his own...). I've given him milk and water, rubbed his tummy and his backside with a moist towel, all to no avail. My next step is to try animal laxatives, but I'm nervous because he's so small. Any other suggestions? The poor thing seems so uncomfortable :-(
Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Cats & Kittens
New kitten is constipated
(18 posts)-
Posted 5 months ago by feather71387 #
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I'm so glad you brought this little baby in! Poor thing - but it sounds like he has found good people.
Before you try a laxative on him, take him to a vet. Please! If he's little and undernourished, the correct dosage for any medication could be tricky. A vet will give him a look over to make sure there isn't some very serious problem, and then can give the little guy something to help get "things" going.
Posted 5 months ago by scaredicat #
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Hi, Feather, what kind of milk are you giving him? Cows milk he won't be able to digest but kitten replacement milk or wet kitten food should be fine. If you click on the pink tags, poop and constipation, in the top right hand corner, you will find lots of good advice on this topic (and even a video on how to stimulate a constipated kitten). Try a few drops of olive oil, or other vegetable oil, in his wet food. Please don't give him any laxatives, he is very tiny and kittens don't need to poop every day, although if he is straining, it does sound like he might be having some trouble. A vet visit is important anyway, to check him out in general, and see about having his shots etc. So check out the threads, try a little olive oil, and make a vet's appointment, and good luck! You're a star for rescuing him!
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Thanks for your advice! I found a good vet nearby, and he's finally had a movement! It's small, and he's still having some trouble, but at least things are starting to get better :-) Thanks again!
Posted 5 months ago by feather71387 #
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Yay for poop!! We celebrate poop happening here on a regular basis. :)
Welcome to TDK, Feather. If you get the chance, please post a photo of your new kitten. Thank you for taking her in where she can be safe, warm and well cared for. She is a lucky little girl!
I am owned by three cats, Digit, Furl and Boots. Please click on my avatar to see photos of them on Catster.com. Please keep posting. We love to here how kittens and cats are getting along as they overcome health problems. :)
Posted 5 months ago by Kitten Whisperer #
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Well, he has been having more movements, and the consistency is getting much much softer! Yay kitty!
He is playing a lot more now (and has terrorized our 65 lb coonhound into submission lol)!
I'm afraid we still need some help with the name... he's a tuxedo cat, and he has a white number three on his belly, so we were thinking something to do with a 3... our current options (that I'm not entirely happy with) include Three, Tres, and 3CPO (which actually is a play off of both the star wars movie and the fact that when we found him, he was eating a 3 Cheese Pizza with Olives our neighbor threw out in the bushes lol)... any help is appreciated :-)
Posted 5 months ago by feather71387 #
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How about calling him Cheese Pizza?, You could call him either Cheese or Pizza for short. Of course, if he turns out to be a her (and even vets can get confused when they are really young and small) you could change her name to Olive.
Posted 5 months ago by CheetahBoysmommy #
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Trio, Triangle, Troika, Triplet, Shamrock, Tripod, Triskelion (Trisky for short, don't ask me what it means, this is my trusty thesaurus....) Trilogy... Toru is Maori for three.
I like people names for cats -- Sam, Milo, Max, etc etc...
So glad he's so much better, Yay Kitty, you go little boy!
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Well we have decided on the name Treble (meaning to have three of something, high pitched, and harsh... all of which match him and his crying anytime he feels we aren't petting him sufficiently lol)
Unfortunately we are going back to the vets :-( He has bowel movements several times, but is getting bloated :-( And he kind of walks funny... like his hind legs are permanently in a crouch, even when he runs. He is still eating, drinking, playing and running all day, so I have hope that it isn't too serious, but with everything else the poor guy has gone through, i didn't want to take any chances
Wish us luck!
Posted 5 months ago by feather71387 #
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Good luck with Treble, Feather! I hope the vet is able to help him and figure out what is going on with his hind legs. Does he have balance problems?
Posted 5 months ago by Kitten Whisperer #
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Well, Treble has gone from not pooping to not peeing! His poor little tummy was all full of urine :-( They want to catheter him and keep him for 2 days (which adds up to $1000!). However, the vet suggested we try massaging his stomach to see if we can't encourage him to do things himself. We've actually had a lot of success with that. His bloating is all gone. The only problem is he won't do it by himself, he will only relieve himself if we are massaging his tummy. But at least he doesn't need an invasive procedure when he's still so little. The vet said this might clear up on its own, so we are holding out for that for a few more days.
As for his hindlegs, the second the vet saw him, she said he stands like a frog (which is a perfect depiction of it, too lol) She wasn't too worried about it because he is running and playing just fine, but she's going to keep an eye on things as he grows.
BLAH! Poor little guy has me worried left and right... keep your fingers crossed for us, hopefully Treble will kick this yet!
Posted 5 months ago by feather71387 #
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I hope he just needs a little more time to develop and that he'll then be able to eliminate normally.
I wonder if he just didn't get good enough nutrition as a wee one to let his legs grow normally. He sounds very cute.
Posted 5 months ago by CheetahBoysmommy #
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That's what we were thinking too (about his legs). The bloating is gone, but he still isn't peeing on his own. We're leave him alone with it for a day or so to see if he'll do it himself. His urine went back to a normal color yesterday and tday (it was reddish before), so hopefully the problem is gone too... the vet thought it could be a kidney stone he was passing or genetic.
He is starting to run more normally, so his legs seem to be strengthening. One baby step at a time, I guess!
Posted 5 months ago by feather71387 #
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Hi Feather...how's Treble and his legs? I should think he's eliminating on his own by now.. My Scruffy didn't start to go on her own till she was about 6 weeks of age. I was worried sick too. I was hand-raising her so I don't know if I was not doing something right. But she's all fine and dandy now. Some fellas just bloom late, I suppose. :)
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Feather, did the vet give you any antibiotics? Usually if kitties have trouble peeing its because they have some sort of uti, which needs antibiotics. ($1000??? thats a lot of money!!)For two days in the hospital? Maybe I should stay in SA. Seems you get a lot more bang for your buck here. . .
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Well, after a month of being worried sick, Treble is doing great! he still walks a tad funny, but he jumps and plays ALL day, so I don't think it's hurting him any. He is going to the litter box just fine on his own, but he has a hard time... ahem... wiping? lol... i think it's because he is so little. My mom took a look at him, and she thinks he is just now 8 weeks old! So he was 3 or 4 weeks when we found him... Our dog has warmed up to him... sort of. He actually let Treble cuddle with him today (it's a tad chilly). I'll post pictures soon :-)
Posted 3 months ago by feather71387 #
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