Kitten wont eat

[Jmanvanatta]

I know this isnt about chickens but i dont know where else to go! My one week old kitten isnt eating alot and is sniffling. shes remained 5.5 oz for like two days. she is still active but hasn't pooed in a while. please help im in panic mode!

 

[spalding17]

Is she an orphan? How long have you had her? What is she eating? How often? How much?

 

[Jmanvanatta]

she is an orphan, ive had her for a week tomorrow. She and her sister are eating kitten replacer. I have been stimulating bowel movements. she usually would eat about two ozs of milk a day. but lately shes only taking around one to one and a fourth.She used to feed every two hours, but now we try to feed her every hour. we actually just had a great feeding with her! But im still worried.

 

[spalding17]

If you just switched her to formula sometimes that is a shock to their system and they won't poop for a day or 2. She should be urinating every time you feed her and the urine should be clear or just a little yellow. If urine is yellow she is dehydrated, you need to dilute the formula and feed more often. Are you using a bottle, syringe, a dropper or something else. She may have aspirated some milk and might need antibiotics and you should take her to the vet. Do you have her on a heating pad?

 

[Jmanvanatta]

shes been drinking the formula for the whole week ive had her (shes only a week old she was one day old when i got her.) she is going to the vet on wednesday. she has constant heating pads, her pee is yellow. and yes im using a bottle. (thanks for the help)

 

[spalding17]

Good luck with her!

 

[rides2far]

If she's sniffling, she might have a little cold. It sounds like you're doing everything right. I hope your kitty is fine. If she gets worse, maybe they can get you in earlier. My cat had an abcess & the vet appt was for the next day. It burst, so I just loaded her up & went to the vet without an appt. They saw her right away - she actually needed surgery. Sometimes you need to be a little pushy when it comes to your kids or your pets. Good luck.

 

[jhoffLVT]

If a cat is having issues breathing through their nose, they tend to have a decreased appetite. I hope everything checks out with kitten. Any possibility of kitten aspirating formula at any point? Any of the other litter mates showing symptoms?

 

[Jmanvanatta]

No her sister, Lilo is fine, in fact she eats a huge amount every time, and is not sniffling. Stitch (The one im worried about) just ate a lot so thats good, but she still has not pooped. I was wondering if a decreased appetite was a symptom of constipation. if so how can i soften the stool?

 

[spalding17]

Does her belly feel really tight hard? A little gentle belly massage seems to help mine. I wouldn't add anything to the milk, that usually just causes more problems. I would dilute her milk down a little bit especially if she has yellow urine. If she is dehydrated the body will pull moisture from where it can including her gut which might make her stool harder.