Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Purrs

1. 

   My formerly 3-week-olds: bara, paco and michi, finally came home today.
   Their mom died when they are not even 3 weeks old. I tried hand-rearing them but failed miserably (*sigh*). Put them under the care of the vet when they were 4 weeks old. Now they are 5 weeks old, and home!

   They are now on Hills c/d. The vet didn't recommend me giving anything but hill's c/d, because she said their digestive system is still very sensitive (the main reason they had to stay for a week at the vet's is because of severe diarrhea). Is there any recommendations about what other foods may be suitable for them? Because hill's i/d is just too expensive for me. I'm open to all suggestions. How bout boiled chicken? And how can I maintain the kitten's appetite?

   How to maintain the kitten's poop? Their poop is OK now, but I'm afraid that under my care, it will start to get runny again :(

   The vet also suggested that I put lightbulb when they're caged at night. But I don't have a lightbulb, or even a spare socket to plug it in. But indonesia is hot, and I put extra blankets for them. Do you think this is enough?

   How do I clean the kittens properly after feeding and pooping? They are squirmish, making it hard to wipe them clean, even when using warm water. And not to mention the wailing when being cleaned! Their fur is now matted and even bald in several places. How bad can matted fur be? And how long will the bald patches grow back?

   When will kittens start to eat properly and tidy?

   Thank you for reading. Any advices will be most appreciated! :)

   Posted 2 years ago by dionnewb #

2. 

   *bump*

   Posted 2 years ago by Shelley #

3. 

   We fed our 7 week old kitten Nutro Max Kitten food. No problems there. However perhaps since they are barely at weaning age and recovery perhaps you should feed them the Hill food your vet recommended for a week or two (get the smallest bag) and then transition them onto a cheaper kitten food.

   For cleaning, cats clean themselves. For the mats, you can try brushing them out. Also, as they recover, their bald spots should go away. Did the vet say anything about ringworm? That might be causing the bald patches.

   Posted 2 years ago by ladysky61 #

4. 

   Also, matted fur is really common. For warmth, a hot water bottle might do the trick. Also, my kitten sleeps with us at night and we're plenty warm.

   Posted 2 years ago by ladysky61 #

5. 

   The vet said that they're worm-free. The bald patches came from matted meat that stuck to their fur.
   And they're on canned hill's i/d, which is to expensive :( because they eat one and a half can a day...
   They don't clean themselves too good either. I succeeded in cleaning them after meal this morning, and I let them out to sit under the sun. But all through mealtime, I kept asking the same question again and again and again: when will they start to eat unsloppily? :p

   All in all, I really, really hope that they'll be healthy always..

   Posted 2 years ago by dionnewb #

6. 

   Is there any food there that doesn't have corn, wheat, or soy?

   Boiled chicken or egg would be good for a while though you'd need to supplement lots back in (as cooking kills lots of the nutrients). I know feeding raw meat for you is possibly dangerous with the chemicals and I know a few places that have recipes for a healthy cooked diet (which is still a million times better than commercial as you control ingrediants).

   Posted 2 years ago by furryfriends50 #

7. 

   kittens will eat sloppily for a coupla weeks once they start on their own...nothing much u can do about it except be patient. but once they get the hang of it, u'll never have to bother again.
   My advice is to try and somehow stick to Hill's a/d diet (i know it can be expensive) but you can perhaps use smaller amounts and mix them with egg (yolk and all) or turkey gruel? are they taking kitty milk? if so, kitty milk is a good supplement to give in addition to their diet. a dose of Pedialyte and vitamin mix (u can get it fr ur vet) n u're almost good.

   Posted 2 years ago by Khom #

8. 

   They used to take kitty milk, but not anymore, because the reason they had to stay at the vet's for a week is diarrhea. They might not take the kitty milk quite well. Or perhaps I should switch brands? What I have now is Beaphar's Kitty Milk. The only other option available in my country is Royal Canin Kitten Milk.

   One of the kitten started having runny poo again tonight *sigh*, and they've been home for only a day. I don't know what went wrong, perhaps it was the honey that I gave them today? Does honey cause diarrhea? I also mixed a little amount of mushed royal canin babycat food (dry) to their hill's i/d this afternoon. Could it be the cause? And is there anything I can do about it?

   And yes, I've been planning to feed the kittens a little bit of chicken. I hope they'll take it well. None of them bite yet. When they eat, they suckle, eventhough it's from a plate. Is this common for young kittens?

   I'm just soooo worried about them... I'm sorry for them because they don't have a mom, and I really really want them to grow big and healthy...

   Thanks for the replies :)

   Posted 2 years ago by dionnewb #

9. 

   Never get dry food wet as it can cause exponential bacteria growth. If you do make sure it is eaten within a half hour.

   Posted 2 years ago by furryfriends50 #

10. 

    I'm sorry to hear these kittens are having such a hard time. I only have my own experience with my sick kitten. He had very bad runny poo but was throwing up as well. I fed them actual baby food and it was in a very small amount, like a teaspoon, but frequently. I also added water to it to make sure they were getting enough fluid. Once they were keeping it down and their poo got better I started gradually increasing and mixing with the wet cat food I wanted to feed them. This may not be the best way but it worked. I just wanted to get some food to stay down and keep them hydrated.

    My Ulysses lost a lot of hair through his issues. When I got him he had poo and food CAKED on him. It was horrible. He was missing hair on his belly, legs, bum, tail, & face. He looked pathetic. He didn't groom at all either. He was 6 weeks at the time. As he got healthier, he started grooming and he got what the baths couldn't get. His hair grew back rather quickly. It's as if it appeared over night. Now he's a fluff ball.

    Everyone kept telling me to make sure they stay hydrated.

    I wish you luck with your kittens.

    Posted 2 years ago by wolcar #

11. 

    After a few cases of runny poo, thankfully, the litter box looked OK tonight... I really hope it stays this way :)

    However there is a concern. The little girl, michi, is I think slightly dehydrated. I pinched the back of her neck, and it was kind of stiff. It eventually went back to the original position though. I just don't understand what may be the cause. The other 2 are fine, and they are treated the same way in terms of food, drink and cleaning.
    Well, she formerly had diarrhea, but so did the others. Could it be because of the hot water bottle I put in their cage? I noticed she likes to sleep on top of the bottle, but then moves away (probably because she's hot enough)
    Pls give me advice.. Thank you :)

    Posted 2 years ago by dionnewb #

12. 

    sometimes with kittens so thin. the 'tenting' method to see if they're dehydrated can be a poor indication. i usually check their gums. u can try lightly pressing their gums till u see it turn pale n then release. the pink of the gums should return almost immediately.
    I agree with FF50 about feeding moistened wet food. U'd be better off sticking to chicken puree, eggs n vitamin supplements. Have you checked with your vet about pedialyte? it really helps with diarrhea.
    Scruffy (who was also hand-raised from age 2 weeks on Beaphar's Kitty Milk)used to suckle on her food even from a bowl too. I think sometimes kittens tht hv been separated fr their mothers at too young an age tend to do this. Or they are only now getting the hang of lapping food from a plate.

    My vet once told me that hot water bags are good for emergencies but a light bulb (placed in the corners of a large box so that kitties can move away if it gets too warm) would be better as water bags tend to absorb heat from the kitties once the water in them chills and so you should always check to see if the water is still warm.

    What's the latest?

    Posted 2 years ago by Khom #

13. 

    Thank you, khom... It comforts me to know that someone has been through quite the same thing :) I mean, in terms of suckling from plate, and the kitty milk.
    When do you think these kittens can be fed the kitty milk again?
    They are now, hopefully, healthy.
    They have a good appetite, are using the litter box, and playful. But I noticed (I hope I'm only being paranoid), the little girl is slightly pale. Not exactly pale though, but compared to her brothers, her tongue and feet are not as pink. I hope this is not too serious. She still has a big appetite, and an ear-shattering wail when hungry.
    And up til now, they're still on the prescription canned food, except on this one time when I ran out of food, and the pest store was closed, I had to use the royal canin babycat food. But I used it before 30 minutes of soaking.

    One of the boys is addicted to plain water! He demands more and more, but I usually stop at 3ml. I don't want to get hiss little tummy too full. Do you think I should let him drink as much as he wants? They're still syringe-fed for water.

    I will post more updates when there is anything interesting :)

    I haven't use the gum-method for dehydration-testing yet. They're sleeping tight right now...

    Posted 2 years ago by dionnewb #

14. 

    Well, if they're about 4-5 weeks of age, u can start them on solids and give them kitty milk as a supplement between meals. but my guess is, once they're on solids, they won't even wnt to go near kitty milk.

    Can they lap milk from a saucer? if they can, why not stop the syringe-feeding? they should be old enough to lap on their own. You can teach them to lap by dipping ur fingers in milk and letting them lick it off, slowly leading them to the shallow saucer. I always let my kitties take as much water as they like, drinking water is good! of course, if he's drinking excessively then u should get it checked. ur vet should be able to tell you how much is too much based on ur kittens' age and size..

    glad to hear they are all doing well and eating even better :) i can imagine the protest they put up when their breakfast is late. lol. I wouldn't worry about the girl's pale disposition to much. kittens tend to be a bit pale especially if they're recovering from an episode. so long as she's eating, drinking, pooping and peeing well, she should be just fine.

    Posted 2 years ago by Khom #

15. 

    Hi, thanks for the reply. Yes ther are doing fine. The girl is doing fine too. I'm just confused that sometimes she looks pale, other times she looks pink.
    The poops are fine too. There has been some runny ones every now and then, but then corrected itself afterwards *confused too*
    I don't give them milk anymore, because I'm afraid that they will get diarrhea again... But I would like to start again, because the food they're taking right now is over my budget. I figured if I can give them milk once a day, it will help me save some of their food.
    But do you think it will be a good idea to start them on kitty milk again? What are the chances that they'll get diarrhea again?
    Oh, and they are now 6 weeks old.., just turned 6 on sunday! :)

    I tried making them lap water from a bowl, but they still can't. They tend to suckle it and sneeze into the water :(

    How old is your kitty khom?

    Posted 2 years ago by dionnewb #

16. 

    Scruffy's 3 mths now n Little Ant's 2 yrs old. I think the occasional runny poo is just their tummy's still adjusting and recovering from the battering they took. Try syringing a teaspoon of yoghurt, unsweetened with live cultures (especially acidophilus)2-3 times a week. It sometimes helps.

    I don't think it's a good idea to start them on kitty milk at this age again. They should be getting proper kitten food that meets their nutritional demand. No dry food at this point, of course. Your best bet would be to slowly change their diet from hill's i/d to a reputable wet food (royal canine?)brand. On the side, you can make ur own puree of kitty food. U can blend steamed turkey/chicken meat, tuna, a little bone-meal powder, egg, 1-2 tsp olive oil and whip it up into a puree. Freeze them in ice-cube trays (wrapped in a clean ziplock bag) and thaw as much as you need only. Be sure to warm it up before u give it to them. You can discard the unused portions after 3 or 4 days. Besides this, ask ur vet for supplements (vitamins, calcium, fatty acids such as omega 3 n amino acids such as taurine-these are critical to a kitten's development. Ask about pedialyte too). U can go on these for about a week or two and by then they should be able to handle commercially produced wet kitty food. Or you have the option of feeding them raw but I'd wait till they're a bit older to do that.

    Posted 2 years ago by Khom #

17. 

    Thank you. I saved the recipe of puree kitty food. It doesn't look that hard to make :) only 1 problem though, I'm not sure if I can get the bone-meal powder. It is for the calcium, isn't it? Is there another alternative? I read somewhere in the web that someone's using eggshell for cat's calcium? Or what about pediatric calcium tablets?

    As for the commercial-brand kitten food, royal canin wet is not available in my country (indonesia). There are not many brands of cat foods availabe here, much less kitten food :( the only ones available are whiskas and friskies only, and only a few flavors. There are more options for adult foods, though.. But not the better-quality ones.. :(
    I guess the best choice is just to give them i/d, and I would, if I have enough money... Because right now, I'm also dealing with my other cat, Joe, who has a very bad UTI (suspected a kidney disease), and he is also on prescription foods :(

    But you know, just this morning, I steamed some chicken breast and chicken liver for them, and the boys LOVED it! (The girl was curious, but I don't think she ate any. Will try again tomorrow) I only gave them a little bit though... Is this OK for them to eat? As a treat only, though :)

    I'm going to the vet tomorrow to get more of the prescription foods, I'll make sure to ask her about supplements!

    Thank you! :) I'll keep posting updates on my kitties.

    Posted 2 years ago by dionnewb #

18. 

    yes, pediatric calcium should be fine but i'm not sure just how much to supplement their food with. too much calcium can lead to stones. when u see the vet, can u ask her hw much?

    chicken and liver is good but maybe u can add a bit of olive oil and raw veg to the puree? or pumpkins instead of veg (for fibre)? and a vitamin shot to replace all that is lost during the steaming process. hang on there for a nother 2 weeks or so. once u are sure that their tummies are doing great (did u try the yoghurt?), u can switch to the commercially available kitty food.

    keep us posted..

    Posted 2 years ago by Khom #

19. 

    Dionnewb, when my Milo was 6 weeks old, he developed pretty bad diarrhea. The vet recommended giving him rice with his food and it really helped. I would mix it with the wet food and pretty soon there was no more runny poop. Putting that with the wet food is also a nice way to make the wet food last longer and rice is nice and inexpensive.
    Best of luck with the little ones!

    Posted 2 years ago by GreatDane #

20. 

    I went to the vet today, and she recommended me something called the "nutri-plus gel". It is a little beyond my budget, will have to save some before I'll be able to get it. Hopefully, I will next week :)

    Yes I tried the yogurt. Didn't see any results yet, only got to try it once :) will keep posting about it

    And thanks for the rice suggestion. Yes, I will def try it. Maybe just a little bit at first and increase after? :)

    Thanks for all the help...

    Oh and just for infos... I'm not satisfied with their weight... :(
    My girl is only 270 grams. The biggest one is 410, and the other boy is 360.
    They don't look thin though, just very, very small...

    Posted 2 years ago by dionnewb #

21. 

    here's a recipe, copy/pasted from the other thread:

    Kaffe's Cream of Chicken Soup
    (for the debilated or recuperating kitty and ideal for syringe or assisted feeding)

    500 grams Chicken breast, meat only****
    1 Cup Chicken broth
    1/2 -2/3 Cup KMR Kitten Milk Replacer by PetAg
    7.5 oz (or 3 x 2.5 oz jars) Beechnut Butternut Squash Baby food
    1/2 tsp Eggshell, finely ground to powder, or 900mg calcium citrate or
    carbonate (NOT optional)
    500- 1000mg Taurine (NOT optional - you may use only 500mg if giving a multivit,
    1000mg if not)
    8 - 10 tabs Nu-Cat Senior (Multi-vitamin and mineral tablets), finely
    crushed (optional if not feeding for more than 1-2 weeks - also, you
    may use any appropriate kitty multi-vit-min of your choice)

    Method:
    1. In a pot, cook the chicken breast in enough water to cover the meaty parts.* Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 45 mins to an hour to make chicken broth and to tenderize the breast. When done, allow to cool before removing all the skin and finely shreding the chicken breast meat in prepation for the blender. The meat has to be finely shreded in order for the mixture to become creamy in the blender.
    2. The water in the pot is the chicken broth. Set aside at least 1 cup to mix in the blender.
    3. In a bowl mix together the crushed multi-vitamins, eggshell powder, taurine, babyfood squash and KMR milk replacer.
    4. Pour and blend all ingedients in a blender or food processor. To get the right creamy consistency, you will have to do this in at least 3 lots; then using a large mixing bowl, combine and mix all the lots together.

    * You may want to MICROWAVE the chicken meat for 2 minutes becuase according to an article from the Cancer Institute, microwaving meats for 2 minutes BEFORE cooking actually lowers the levels of carcinogenic Heterocyclic Amines (HCA) produced when cooking meats at high temperatures.

    **Finished product should look and smell just like cream of chicken soup for humans!

    !!!I'd up the amount of taurine added as rice can kill the taurine in food.

    Posted 2 years ago by furryfriends50 #

22. 

    FF50, thanks for the recipe. i'm saving this one!

    Posted 2 years ago by Khom #

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