hi...i need some help

[samia]

I've just found a three weeks old kitten on the street.It doesn't know how to drink on its own so i have to bottle feed it.I'm giving it cow's milk as we don't get kitten's milk where i live .What worries me is that it does not defecate that much and its belly has become all bloated.I've added paraffin oil to its milk ,as the vet advised but there is no great change.what should i do???It's the first time that i'm raising such a small kitten... :(

[MissDolittle]

Well, first of all thank you for taking care of the baby :).

Bad news though, cow's milk will kill kittens and about every other mammal
on earth, xcept humans. As you noticed it will give the kittens terrible
diarrhea and bloat and the kitten will die of dehydration.

So first off, STOP the cow's milk. Start to give Pedyalite like you give human
babies to drink. Then get some plain yoghurt and feed that..it will help the
diarrhea. Do that for 24 hours at least until the bloating is gone.

Now, can you get hold of some dry catfood? If so...soak it in water until
you can grind it up and make it a thick liquid that barely fits through the
bottle. The catfood needs to have at least 30% of crude protein, so read
the label on the catfood bag! I use Purina Kitten Chow, has 40%.

If you are luck, the kitten will make it. Feed every 4 hours for another
2-3 weeks.

Keep me updated please?

[samia]

thanks a lot for your reply!i also have pup's milk at home but the vet told me to stop it.do u think he is right ?yes i've tried to give it dry cat food it has chewed it a lil bit but didn't know how to do it properly.waiting for your reply...

[MissDolittle]

Yes, the vet is right...puppy milk is for puppies :).

Ok, take 1/3 cup of dry cat food and fill it up with 2/3 of warm water and
let it stand for about an hour.

Take the grinder and make it thick liquid. Put it in the bottle, see that
the nipple has a big enough hole in it so the thick liquid can get through.

You can keep that mix for 24 hours if you keep it in the fridge, but warm it
up before you feed it. I always put the bottle in hot water, not the microwave,
cuz that'll kill the nutritional stuff in the food. Just shake it well and offer
the kitten some every 3-4 hours.

Do me favor and take the skin on the back of the kitten between 2 fingers
and pull a little, and then watch if the skin goes back fast..if not, count
the seconds how long it takes before the skin is the way it was before
you pulled it up. You can do that on your own hand too, just pinch a bit
and pull the skin up..it'll snap back real fast. But if the kitten is dehydrated,
it will take a few seconds.

If that happens, only feed pedialyte, not just water. Water does not
have the electrolytes the baby needs.

http://www.amazes.us/album/albums/userpics/10001/Dsc04480.jpg

[samia]

thank you for the details. Iwould like to ask you a few more questions about the cat's feeding Can i give him just the grinded dry cat food paste and no milk and do i also have to give him some water to drink? I also checked his skin and it looks ok.He looks quite healthy and has even started to play.a little awkwardly though. What i am also worried about is his hygiene : can i wipe him with some damp cloth, a sort of 'light bath'?

[MissDolittle]

I tried to grind the dry catfood, but my grinder didn't like that too much lol.
You can put a small dish of dry catfood into the cage with him and a VERY
shallow dish of water (they drown easily in high dishes), but if he is just
3 weeks old, I doubt he'll eat or drink from it. He might in a week though,
and it's important that he'll has a chance to start eating solid food.

Do you have a litterbox for him? He should be old enough to go into it
to do his business. The normal catlitter boxes are probably to high for
him to climb in, so use something shallow too.

Yes, you can bathe him, but if only his behind is in need of washing, you
can just put his bottom half into a bowl of warm water and wash it off.
Make sure he does not get cold and dry him well before putting him back.

I bathe mine under running warm water, but it takes practice to keep the
head out...never let any water get on the head, ears, eyes, nose..you know.

Does he have diarrhea?

I put some photos on my website about this..looking at it makes it easier
than talking about it right? :)

http://www.kittenbaby.com/cleaning.php

I suggest you read through that page, there's a lot of good info. :)

[samia]

sorry for the late reply,i had to go to bed early as i had school today.Again thnx for your advice.I've also viewed your website.it's great ! :)
i've given him the grinded food and the pedialyte today but he seems to be having a severe diarrhea.:S is there any way to prevent this ? i've also bathed it a lil' bit,he looked very pleased :smt003 ..

[MissDolittle]

Yes, if he is NOT dehydrated, Pedialyte will give him diarrhea, because it's
only good for re-hydrating.

Lose the Pedialyte and mix some plain yoghurt (no flavor!) with the food,
about 1/3 of the food should be yoghurt until the diarrhea is gone.

As long as the food is moist..like a thick liquid, the diarrhea should go away and
he shouldn't even need extra water. But I like to keep some in the cage,
just in case they manage to drink some on their own.

Did he purr after you bathed him? I raised hundreds of kittens and they ALL
purr after bathing lol.

People say cats are afraid of the water..that's not true at all..what they are
afraid of is the noise the water makes :).

[samia]

err should i mix the yoghurt with the GRINDED CAT FOOD?:S..Is the diarrhea dangerous?i'm quite worried about it..Oh yes it purred!:) he looked really funny..

[MissDolittle]

Yes, mix it with the normal food..1/3 yoghurt. 2/3 normal food.

If the diarrhea lasts for a few days, it can cause dehydration or is a sign
of something else wrong..maybe internal parasites..but he's too young
to be dewormed yet..six weeks is the right age to do that.

[samia]

ok i'll do it !THANK YOU!!!i'll try not to bother you for the next hours.I'm soo worried about this little kid's health.. :-#
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[MissDolittle]

You don't bother me at a bit..I'm happy when I can pass on what I learned,
especially to such caring people like you.

Have you picked a name for him yet?

[samia]

Yes!i called it goo :) that's quite a weird name i know but i think it suits him so well :lol: .i'll send you his picture later on.How many kittens like this have you been able to raise ?

[hardsmoker]

http://www.amazes.us/album/albums/userpics/10001/Dsc04480.jpg

My god! This is the nicest forum I ever seen!

[MissDolittle]

Thanks, do you have pets?