Hello all,
I am fostering 4 newborns + the mom, they will be one week old tomorrow and still have not pooped. Mom had a serious case of the flu when she gave birth and other than feeding them she is completely ignoring them. So I am stimulating and stimulating and stimulating (tried everything, warm cotton ball, terry cloth, tissue) and all they do is pee and get hysterical. The SPCA has no vet until Monday so please, any advice? Anything I can give them that would help? They are well fed, but have now all developed the flu. They saw a vet on thursday.
Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Cats & Kittens
Can't get newborns to poop
(7 posts)-
Posted 1 year ago by catattack101 #
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Hi, Cat Attack! Welcome to the Daily Kitten. It's a little slow on weekends, but you've come to the right place. Pooping is a regular (!) topic here. :)
I haven't personally tackled caring for newborn kittens, but many here have. I'll add pink tags at the top of this thread where you will find much discussion of this topic. Check out the "triangle method" first to see a video of a vet demonstrating how to stimulate kittens to poop. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufFWLmpIu08
Good luck and please let us know how they do.
If they seem congested from their flu, take them in the bathroom and run a steamy bath or shower so they can breathe moist air.
Posted 1 year ago by Kitten Whisperer #
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Are you sure mama cat's not taking care of it? If she is feeding them, she is not completely ignoring them and I think it's possible she is taking care of the other end too. I am not sure you would notice whether she was or not, with newborns, or whether they were voiding into their bedding. I would be reluctant to give anything to such tiny kittens and think the vet is the best idea. Keep a close eye on them, and have the number and address of your nearest emergency vet close by, just in case something happens.
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Thanks for the feedback. Mom is definitely not taking care of her kittens. Got one to poop today, but they are all in pretty bad condition with their flu and constipation and all. 3 refused to feed on momma today, I fed them a little replacement milk but most of didn't want to have any of it and wouldn't even swallow, so I gave up for fear of choking them. I'm pretty sure I will lose some of them, needless to say I will be at the vet first thing tomorrow morning, I just hope they make it through the night.
Posted 1 year ago by catattack101 #
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That's bad news CatAttack. Make sure you keep them warm and comfy, since kittens can't regulate their own body temperatures, and keep smearing a little Karo (light-coloured) corn syrup across their gums, no big blobs, nothing they could choke on. The worry is that either they will get dehydrated or their body sugar levels will crash, either of which could be fatal. I'll give you the tags for the dehydration test -- if they get dehydrated, try to get a little pedialyte down them (you can make it at home, I'll give you that tag too) and the messybeast website has great information. So basically, keep them warm, keep their fluids up and keep their blood sugar up until you can get them to the vet.
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Here's the tent test and home-made pedialyte:
The tent test is to test for dehydration:
Tent test: pick up a good pinch of kitten's skin at the neck and let go.If it snaps back immediately, she's hydrated okay. If it takes a little time to go back down, or, worse, it stays up in a 'tent' shape, she needs fluids, such as pedialyte (from the supermarket, children's aisle) or home-made pedialyte below.
Note, in the United Kingdom, pedialyte is called Dioralyte. Also known as rehydration salts.
Home-made pedialyte:
Pedialyte:* Pedialyte formula (from World Health Organization)...no preservatives so short life-span
* 1 cup water (boiled then cooled)
* 2 tsp sugar
* 1/8 tsp salt
* 1/8 tsp baking soda
* (this Pedialyte formula gives needed electrolytes & some sugar for energy)Combine all ingredients and warm slightly.
Make new after 24 hours. -
The Messybeast site: http://messybeast.com/handrear.htm
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