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Ask the Veterinarian/poorly 3 week old kitten

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Expert: - 7/22/2010


Question
I am currently a surrogate mum for two three week old kitten. One of them looks healthy but keeps being sick. I was feeding it kitten milk through a syringe but she won't take it. She started to eat my other cats food so I tried giving it kitten food and she loved it but now I'm worried that it's that what's making her sick. The other kitten is very small and skinny but she is taking the milk. She doesn't seem to be as stable on her feet as his sister and is not putting on weight. Is there anything else I can give him to fatten him up a bit. They are both fed when they cry for food which at the moment is a lot. Thank you

Answer
By being sick do you mean it vomits a lot? You might be overfeeding them. Three week old kittens should only be fed once every 3-4 hours. The mother would never feed them more often than that at this age. I wouldn't feed them every time they cry. Are you rubbing them down to help them eliminate as well?

If you aren't then this could be why they are sick. Get a warm washrag and gently stroke them from the navel to their rectum to help them push out their waste and urine. Three week old kittens should be doing this on their own but you never know.

You should have them checked for worms as well. This will make them very sick and even die.

First and foremost you should always have the vet look them over and determine what is wrong.
Kittens are very fragile and go downhill very quickly, so the best thing would be to have the vet look them over.

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

Organizations
Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

Education/Credentials
Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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