The Chronicles of Samson: Olympic Diver

[Imp]

Just for fun, here are the last kittens I raised. Blimp (center) and bros, about 7 weeks old, just after a bath.

Sorry for the quality- scanned old school foto:

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

He is adorable! I hope you are able to keep him.

 

[ChicknThief]

I thinking the change in food upset his digestion. That part is normal and common (any change in diet). And to an extent kittens have softer poop. Should clear up quickly, but get him back on the purchased formula. If the diarrhea doesn't stop, a vet visit is in order.
You can then start transitioning him to solid food. Mix solid food into the formula and encourage him to lap at it. Gradually make it more and more solid. Just like you are doing.
Sounds like you can stop the stimulation. He's got it handled now. But watch, just in case.
I've never had to teach a kitten to use the litter box, just put one in the kitten area with a little litter in it. At first they will play in it, getting litter everywhere, then they'll start using it and continue playing in it.

Imp

I hope so Imp!

His poop wasn't just softer though. It was just barely more dense than water, and greenish brown. Quite alarming actually. Last night I tried stimulating him over the litterbox. I was somewhat less than successful. He would start to go, but the minute I stopped rubbing him, he would stop going. I am really, REALLY hoping he figures it out today and isn't just going all over the bathroom....
Jamison gets home before I do and if there is poo everywhere I am really gonna catch it

I am also super worried about him eating while I'm gone. Like I said, I left him some food, but he is pretty much on his own right now to figure out how to eat it. He did slurp up some of the home-made formula I poured over it, but once that's gone it's just wet cat food. I am worried he will either not eat it and be super hungry, or eat it and be sicker from it. I really messed up leaving him home I think. But I don't think I can get away with bringing a litter box to work. And I can't very well just let him go wherever five days a week, and expect him to use the litter box the other two. Ugh

He is adorable! I hope you are able to keep him.

Thank you! He really is a little love bug. I am really hoping that Jamison will take a deep breath and feel better about it by tonight. Assuming he doesn't open that bathroom door before I get home lol. Otherwise all bets are off haha.

 

[ChicknThief]

It was probably a change of formula. If you can get the old kind, he will most likely go back to normal. As for litter training, I would always stimulate the kittens over top of a litter box. Once they started going, I would place them in the box, after they were done, I would take their paw and make them bury their pee. They eventually got the hang of going in the box.

Yes I did try that. How long did it take yours to figure it out?



BTW Imp, Blimp and his brothers are adorable! Hard to believe that little kitty grew to be so hugenormous! I think Samson is gonna be pretty big too. Get a load of his paws in relation to the rest of his body!

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

Thank you! He really is a little love bug. I am really hoping that Jamison will take a deep breath and feel better about it by tonight. Assuming he doesn't open that bathroom door before I get home lol. Otherwise all bets are off haha.

Fingers crossed for you!

 

[Kaitie09]

Yes I did try that. How long did it take yours to figure it out?



BTW Imp, Blimp and his brothers are adorable! Hard to believe that little kitty grew to be so hugenormous! I think Samson is gonna be pretty big too. Get a load of his paws in relation to the rest of his body!

It did not take very long, maybe a couple days before they were all using it. I think because one figured it all out, they rest followed. Since you only have one, maybe try to leave some of the urine in there for him to smell. Cats naturally want to bury their waste, so you never really have to train them, just help them figure out what they are doing. You could probably take a small litter box to work with you. Its not like he'll be using it a ton and stinking the place up. Even a cardboard shoe box would work for now.

Word of warning, one he starts to really move around, start checking under furniture for poo. For some reason, when mine were kittens, they would crawl under the entertainment system and bookcase and poo there.

 

[leadwolf1]

I hope your husband chills. This is a baby we are talking about. Just like a human baby needs time to potty train, so does this little guy. It isn't his fault that he was sick Get his regular formula and he should be just fine. I can't even imagine having to give him up...he is so adorable...

 

[ChicknThief]

Ok, so now I am even more worried than before.

He didn't potty all over the bathroom. Because he didn't potty at all. And when I stimulated him, there was nothing. He did eat some, but not enough I don't think. I did go get some KMR step 2 and mixed it with wet kitten Fancy Feast. He ate a teeny tiny bit but that's all. I can't get him to drink any water. He won't tolerate the d*** bottle anymore. I am terrified that he is just wasting away all alone in the bathroom at home. He seems to still have energy, but I am sure that will change very soon if things don't look up.

I have hesitated to post this, because we weren't sure yet. But at this point we are almost convinced that he is blind. That lawnmower must have done more damage than we originally thought. It's getting more and more obvious. When we open the door to the bathroom, he gets all excited, but runs the wrong direction and sometimes even faceplants into the baseboard. If we are being really quiet, he runs/waddles around us crying and looking for us, and doesn't seem to even know we are there until one of us says something. Feeding has become ridiculously difficult. When we were bottle feeding him he would try to climb over the bottle, and wouldn't be able to latch on until I held his head in place and put the nipple in his mouth. Now that I am trying to get him to eat out of a bowl, he just puts his front paws in it and licks the far edge of the bowl. Either that or he tries to drink the milk in there and faceplants in it almost up to his eyes and I have to get it off his little face before he drowns. It's possible that he isn't completely blind, or maybe just has a serious depth perception problem. I don't know. But something definitely seems "off".

Anyone ever have any experience with a blind baby animal? I am at a loss.

I am going to be calling the vet hospital and setting up an appointment to get him seen. Hopefully I am just being overly watchful and paranoid.

 

[leadwolf1]

I have found that when babies are just learning to walk, eat, etc...they are the biggest clutzes on earth. The aren't blind or in anyway compromised but they run into walls, suck food and water/milk up their noses and are just complete little pigs. I am not sure that I would worry about his sight...a trip to the vet is a good idea though. He may need to be dewormed. As far as not going to the bathroom...if he had diarrhea as severe as you said, his system is probably empty and can take a couple days to start 'working' again.

If he is over 4 weeks old, he shouldn't need to be stimulated to potty anymore. He should be able to go just fine on his own.

I'm glad you are taking him to the vet but I think that he will be just fine. If the mower would have done more damage, he would have had deep cuts to his eyes/head and blindness would have been the least of his worries!

 

[leadwolf1]

I was just looking at his photos and his eyes are a little unfocused. That could be why he was still crawling on his belly when you got him. But, I don't think it was from a traumatic injury...it just doesn't look like he sustained that kind of damage...