I picked up a nine week old kitten around 7 pm last night from a woman who was going to take the litter to the shelter in two days if they weren't adopted. When I picked out Lucius, he had somewhat "weepy" eyes, with a brown crust (kind of like eye boogies) around his eyes, and was sneezing a little bit. I took him home, took a warm, wet wash cloth to his eyes, set up the litter box, and watered down some kitten food to feed him. It's been almost 16 hours since I brought him home, and he still hasn't eaten, drank any water, or used the litter box. I put him in the litter box, make a scratching motion with his paw, and he just jumps out. He hasn't even used the OUTSIDE of the litter box! He's very playful, loving, a good weight, and has a hearty meow (which he uses often to get my attention!) I'm pretty sure he has an upper respiratory infection, which I read goes away within a few weeks with proper care, but I'm afraid he's not getting the nutrition that he needs. Anyone have any advice??
Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Purrs
9 week old not eating/drinking/using litter box
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Posted 1 year ago by MissKupkake #
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Welcome to TDK! If he has an upper respiratory infection, he will need antibiotics from a vet. He may not have the potty thing down pat yet although 9 weeks is normally old enough. I am adding a video that shows how to stimulate the kitten to go.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty36tY_9ivc&feature=related
I hope that helps a little. Never fear you will get a bunch of tips here.
WELCOME!
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I second the vet. Goopy discharge suggests he may have a bacterial infection. They can also give him fluids if he is dehydrated.
I defer to those more knowledgeable in kitten-rearing, but I would worry about dehydration in a young kitten not eating/drinking. If you pinch up the skin on his scruff, does it snap back? If it stays up, he IS dehydrated.
At least in adult cats, if they can't smell the food...they may not eat it. Suggestions include warming canned kitten food or all-meat baby food with some water to intensify the smell. You can also put him down by the bowl and smear some of it on his mouth so he licks it off to get him started.
Posted 1 year ago by Kiplings_cat #
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By no means am I as educated as some of the other TDK'ers but when I brought Roxy home she was 6 weeks old and it took her about 24 hours to poop/pee/eat or drink water. I think she was just trying to get acclimated to her new environment. However, I second the idea for the vet about the eyes. There is a huge difference between being sick and being scared of a new place. Good luck!
Posted 1 year ago by roxysmommy #
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Thanks everyone for the warm welcome :) I scheduled a vet appointment for him tomorrow, and the receptionist said it also sounded like an upper respiratory infection, so hopefully we can get him started on some antibiotics, and possibly get him up to date on is vaccines. The woman I got him from said the kittens were litter box trained, so I'm hoping you're correct in your assumption, Roxysmommy, that he's just becoming aquainted with his surroundings. I pinched the back of his neck, and it did spring back, but I'm going to get a syringe and give him some small doses of pedialyte as a preventative action. I warmed up his food, and brought him to it, to no avail, so I will try to rub some on his mouth to see if that gets a reaction out of him. Thanks again everyone for all the helpful tips and suggestions!
Posted 1 year ago by MissKupkake #
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