Expert: Jessica - 7/21/2009

Question
We live in the country, (Arizona desert) and there is a colony of feral cats that live out here.  We feed and water them but have no other contact with them.  Night before last one of the cats brought this newborn to our porch and meowed loudly until we came outside.  The kitten still had a fairly fresh umbilical cord attached so we figure it was less than 12 hours old.  Our dog had delivered her litter last week and began nursing and cleaning the kitten but I am now using a kitten replacement formula for most of the feedings to be able to tell how much she eats.  She had been very dehydrated and we were unsure if she would livebut has gained a lot of strength in the last 2 days.  The problem is that although she has had no problem urinating, with my help, I cannot get her to have a bowel movement and now she is distended and is not so interested in eating.  I am on disability and right now am so broke that I cannot go to a vet.  I have had no luck finding help and am at a loss as to what to do.  I am having a hard time dealing with this, my own cat died last night and I just cannot watch this baby die.  Is there anything I can do?  Thank you so much for any help you can offer.

Answer
Hi Tammie.  Poor little baby!  I'm so sorry to hear about your cat.  And I understand your financial position for sure.

To be honest, the first thing my vets have tried with constipated newborns is to insert a rectal thermometer 1" into the kitten's anus, with lots of lubricating jelly on it.  I know 1 inch seems like a lot with these little babies, but this is accurate.  Move the thermometer gently from side to side once inside the rectum.  You only need to do this for 10 seconds or so.  While a little uncomfortable, this is what will cause stimulation.  The lubricating jelly should help things glide out more easily, and the stimulation of the thermometer makes the kitten want to push.  You should begin stimulating the kitten with cotton balls soaked with warm water immediately after you remove the thermometer.  This is the safest and least invasive method of trying to treat constipation in babies, and it yields the fastest results, IF it works.  

If a bowel movement isn't produced within 10 minutes, the next step recommended by my vets has been to give the kittens some Laxatone hairball treatment.  This will lubricate the stool from the inside.  It poses slightly more of a risk than the thermometer method because it can cause diarrhea if too much is given.  However, diarrhea generally resolves within a day of discontinuation.  For a kitten who is just about 2-3 days old, I would give 1/4 ml to begin with, and expect a bowel movement within 4 hours or so (needleless syringes are available at pharmacies to measure and administer this).  If nothing is produced, you could give a second dose.  

But if you still don't have any results, the kitten probably needs an enema.  This is really best done by a vet.  Vets can instruct you how to mix a solution of soap and water and do them at home in the future, but the first one really should be performed by a vet.  Sometimes at this point, a kitten will need some manual extraction of feces.  I know one of my vets offers financial assistance for those on disability, so you may want to see if there is any help available to you.

Good luck with the baby!

Jessica