Expert: Jessica - 5/4/2010

Question
We rescued an abandoned 3-4 week old kitten a week ago. She is so small I though she was younger but she has most if not all her baby teeth & can shiver. When we found her she was very dehydrated & covered in fleas & just skin & bones. I immediatly put her in warm water & bathed her a little then shaved her, she had 2 many fleas to try to even pick them off & then i'm sure her coat was filled with eggs, I also flea treated my indoor cats immediatly, we r feeding her KMR with flavorless pedialite instead of water. She was so weak she just kinda wobbeled & stumbeled for the 1st 2 days, again like she was much younger. I relized she was constipated on day 2 & started giving her 1ml of mineral oil with her food & started feeding her more often with thinner formula. Finally got her 2 go ( ALOT) the next day, & we got her 2 go the next 2 days, so I drastically cut back the mineral oil, but since then she has been backed up, she started getting very bloated,she also became uncomfortable being touched on her tummy but was otherwise alert, friendly & playful. I took her 2 the vet this morning, they said she was clear of worms & the test did not show coccidia, but that its often hard to get a sample with enough of the coccidia virus to find it pos, & that her poo was the color & consistancy ( orangy diarreha ) so they gave me albon suspension0.5 today, .25 for the next 9 days. They also gave me a syringe & told me to do warm water enema's. I tried 2 this morning, & I felt awful, this kitty has basically imprinted me as momy & had total, complete trust, & is so loving, she didnt understand why I was doing this, she did go some, drug her butt around alot but not as much as I would exspect as I gave her 2. She was exhausted, & so was I as I had been up all night till the vet opened, so I warmed her water bottles & we both went to bed. She's a bit leary of me now. She still has a great appetite, gotten better everyday since we got her. I started the mineral oil again, the vet told me .5cc every ,meal. I didnt give her the meds till I woke up, she was very stressed from the days events & I didn't want 2 add that right after I stuck a syringe in her bottom. She is still VERY bloated. Do I need to give her another tonight? Is it safe to? Even with all the stress of the day? Should I mix some mineral oil or some dawn into the warm water? I have read about doing the enema that way. Oh & she goes pee just fine with a warm rag & gentle rubbing.

Answer
Hi Jennifer.  Generally, use lubricant laxatives, like the mineral oil, as more of a maintenance treatment for constipation and enemas as a last resort when the kitten hasn't had a bowel for at least two days.  Enemas can cause a drop in body temperature that can be especially dangerous in kittens, and while they are generally safe when used as directed, we only want to use them when clearly needed.  Enemas should be very fast acting even with severe constipation, usually producing a bowel movement within 15 minutes.

I do suggest using a mild soapy water enema, using a small amount of a dish soap such as Dawn or Palmolive mixed with warm water.  This is much more effective than water alone.  You should probably discuss this with your vet before going ahead with it, though.  If you get the go-ahead, but sure to very gently stir the soap with the water so as not to create many suds, and then try not to introduce any suds that are produced into her rectum.  This will just cause more uncomfortable bloating and pressure!

A lot of formula fed kittens do suffer from constipation, and if it’s causing problems this severe, she is certainly at an age where she can be completely weaned.  It’s desirable to feed kittens formula until they are 6-8 weeks or even older, but not if it’s causing constipation.  Your vet can provide you with a calorie dense food that has a creamy consistency that is nice and easy for the kitten to eat, such as Hill’s a/d or Royal Canin’s Recovery RS.  I have weaned kittens as young as 4 weeks onto these foods when formula was causing problems.  They’re so smooth that you can even mix them with her formula and feed them with a syringe, and because they are formulated for animals needing extra nourishment, the nutritional values are similar to those of kitten formula.

Good luck with the little one!

Jessica