Expert: Ali - 9/19/2008

Question
My finacee and I found an abandom kitten while out walking almost a week ago. We have been nursing the kitten and he (Moses) has been growing and doing pretty good. He started pooping a few days ago and the amount of times is growing. Is it okay that his poop is pretty liquidy? And he keeps pooping then walking and/or sleeping in it. I find I have to wash him 2 or 3 times a day. We are still feeding him every 4 hours b/c I dont think he is 3 weeks yet. Is this normal? How can I keep him from soiling himself so many times a day?
Thanks!!

Answer
Kathryn,

It's also important to realize that loose stools aren't normal. Diarrea can happen for a number of different reasons in such a young kitten. I would recommend that you try adding about a half teaspoon or so of an unsweetened, organic, full fat, plain yogurt to each feeding and see if that makes a difference. Adding yogurt helps to replenish the natural types of beneficial bacteria that are normally found throughout the digestive tract of cats and kittens. It's not a good idea to feed cow's milk to any cat or kitten as the vast majority of kittens and cats are lactose intolerant and cow's milk just doesn't have the amount of protein, fat and other important nutrients to sustain good growth in a young kitten.




My first recommendation is that Moses sees a vet as soon as possible to get an accurate idea of how old he is and whether or not his weight is appropriate for his age. Kittens under 3-4 weeks of age must be fed a kitten milk replacer on demand rather than a schedule because hand fed kittens are at a disadvantage when it comes to their rate of growth, their vulnerability to viral/bacterial infections and their development in general. Kittens under 3-4 weeks of age should also be stimulated to use the toilet before and after each feeding. It sounds to me as though what's happening with Moses could be a couple of things - firstly he may not be eating a proper diet (I usually suggest commercially available kitten formulas like KMR, Mammalac or Just Born mixed according to the instructions on the package or your vet's recommendation). Unfortunately we as humans really make poor substitutes for the physical presence of a mother cat, the nutrition of breast milk provided by mom and the instinctive things that she does to care for her babies. If kittens aren't stimulated to urinate and defecate several times throughout the day their bladder and bowels will eventually empty as a result of being full to the point of overflowing. Obviously this is unhealthy and can cause damage to the kitten's bowels, bladder and kidneys if allowed to continue. I would recommend that you start stimulating Moses to use the toilet immediately. You can use cut strips from an old towel or a cotton ball regardless of which material you choose it's important that it is slightly moistened with warm water. Because mother cats normally don't just start off by stimulating their babies to urinate and defecate I usually suggest that you use a few cotton balls and start off by wiping this little guy's face, moving back over his back and sides, then you will need to gently use one or two fingers to hold him firmly in place on his back while you wipe under his chin and his belly. Once you get to the bottom portion of his tummy you will need to be sure to wipe in the direction of his tail to get things moving along in the right direction. When you get to his genitals you will need to be absolutely sure to wipe from genitals to bottom to avoid accidentally introducing fecal bacteria to his genital area or into his urinary tract which can cause a painful bladder infection. Stimulating a kitten to use the toilet can require patience, most kittens will urinate fairly readily, but it can take up to 5 minutes of patience and wiping from genitals to bottom to make him defecate. Don't be surprised to see a fair amount of feces relative to his size if he hasn't been regularly stimulated to defecate. It's perfectly normal for kittens to defecate from birth onward so he may have a fair amount of feces stored up in his intestinal tract.

It's not a good idea to wash such a young kitten with any kind of shampoo or detergent, I normally recommend that kittens aren't bathed with anything beyond water for at least the first 6-8 weeks of life unless otherwise recommended by a veterinarian. It's a very good idea to keep track of Moses' weight by using a kitchen scale that measures in grams up to two pounds, this will be important for the vet to have access to so that he/she can determine what needs to be done for this little fellow...Depending on the age of the kitten your vet may well recommend that he be started on a weaning formula and pureed meat (commercially prepared baby foods are okay, but they are expensive so I usually recommend that you cook a piece of chicken, puree it with the weaning formula and feed it that way). Hand raised kittens unfortunately have to be started on solid foods when they are much  younger than other kittens who have been raised by mom.

I can offer more information and recommendations if I have a rough idea of the age of this little fellow. If you send a couple of pictures my way I can probably give you an educated guess as to how old the kitten looks, these photos should include his face when he is awake, his belly, his teeth and an overall picture that shows his size relative to a specific household object, a computer mouse would work....If you are able to send a short video clip of this little guy moving about that would be useful as well....