Expert: Jessica - 11/4/2009

Question
New kitten 2 mos+. Kitten got diarhea this evening.  What can I give it to remain hydrated until the vet opens tomorrow? It doesn't want to eat or drink anything. Evaporated milk maybe?

Answer
Hi Jonie.  If the kitten hasn't been on milk recently, I would stay away from it, as diet changes like this can cause more diarrhea.  Also, as kittens wean off of mom's milk, most of them begin to become lactose intolerant, so if the kitten has been weaned for long, any kind of milk product is likely to get his belly upset.  Kittens generally cannot tolerate more than a couple licks of milk past the age of 12 weeks.

However, you can give the kitten some meat baby food if he'll eat it, as this is gentler on the stomach than commercial cat foods.  Stage one chicken baby food is best.  This contains chicken and broth only - no gravy or veggies.  Also, you can make a 50/50 mix of unflavored Pedialyte with water and feed this to the baby a little at a time with a syringe, as long as he's not vomiting.  Ideally, he should have a minimum 1 oz. of the solution per pound of body weight each day.  If he's dehydrated, the vet can give him fluids under the skin.

I hope he's feeling much better soon!

Jessica