Kitten Problem

Did the vet run any tests? My older cat (much older 9 years) had this problem and really it was the constipation that was causing the diarrhea. The liquid stuff was all she could get out. My vet did an xray to find the impaction, then she had to have an enema and now we give her lactolose a couple times a week (which just draws water to the colon) to help keep her regular. I couldn't find anyway to clean her at first besides bathing her butt - I just did her butt, not whole body. As she got a little better I was able to use wet rags. I did have a low lather shampoo, though, that helped a lot with rinsing.

Make sure he does not get Dehydrated.... or he can die.

take him to the Vet.
He is SO young... call a Vet and ask how you should be feeding a 7 week old kitten.

poor thing..i dont really have any advice except to say just wash her butt instead of her whole body so that she doesn't dry out and get skin problems on top of all this!

Poor little guy probably can't handle regular food at this point. Try him on the chicken and rice....it helped my dog feeding him some meat and rice--he didn't have diarrhea anymore. Try it for a few days and maybe you can even mix a little dry food in there for him. I hope your kitten feels better soon. Poor little guy probably doesn't know what to do after he is all dirty. If you have to give him a bath, then I would do that. The wipes won't really help. Maybe just wash his rear end instead of an entire bath. I had this problem with my cat, she would have diarrhea or anything would get stuck to her fur. It's not fun for them or you. I just had to keep washing her bottom area.

Keep me updated please! Maybe take him tot he vet in a day or two if it doesn't clear up. :(

If you only talked to the vet, I agree that you should go see the vet. Kittens are very sensitive and need to be gaining weight, and diarrhea can lead to weight loss or dehydration or both. There could be something simple wrong that can be tested for, or there could be something serious as an underlying problem--better to find out as soon as possible either way. Poor little baby...

I would not wait to get the worms test, I had a kitten with worms, it died in 2 days.

get to the vet. probably needs to be wormed, may have an infection as well.

Drop off a stool sample from your kitten at the vet. All kittens have at least roundworms, they are born with them. Have them send out a fecal/giardia test. Chicken and rice is a good start but your kitten may also need a medication called flagyl or metronidazole to get the diarrhea under control. You should follow up the sample with an appointment your vet will not prescribe the anti diarrheal without having seen your kitten. Once it does clear up transition back onto kitten food VERY slowly or else the diarrhea will come back. Take at least 10 days to do it. Keep in mind that going to a new home is stressful to a kitten and that all by itself can cause diarrhea. Good luck!

I'd be worried with the constipation turned diarrhea, that he's impacted. Often, with impaction, you will see what appears to be diarrhea, because that's all that can make it's way out around the impaction. If it were me, I think I'd take him to the vet now, to look more closely at that possibility. He's so young. Best wishes.

Hi R.,

I'm sorry to hear about your kitten's problem. When we brought our cat home as a kitten, he had the same problem of diarrhea and it turned out he had a very sensitive tummy and recurrent bladder infections from regular cat food. From that day on, he could only eat Science Diet prescribed cat food, which we used to purchase from our vet. I don't remember what kind it was, but could your vet assist you with the type of food to give your kitten? It doesn't sound like he/she has been too helpful, but this solved the problem for us immediately.

Good luck and hope all works out well and quickly for him/her.
Take care!

Kittens frequently have parasites, including worms and Giardia. Honestly, I am surprised the vet did not recommend bringing the kitten in right away for testing and medication. I always check and treat for those before recommending anything else. I would make an appointment as soon as you can.

My girls found kittens with out their mom and mom no where around. They were maybe 4 weeks old. We wened them at home with homemade formula and kitten formula from the store. Later, they also had a bit of diarrhea. I noticed that the diarrhea seemed to happen for a couple days after changing the diet--like when first giving them the formula, then first giving them the food etc. This could be the case. I was also wondering if there were worms or anything but they turned out very healthy and are in their new home.

Hi R.,

http://catinfo.org/
http://cats.about.com/cs/nutrition/a/rawfooddiet.htm

Good luck,
M. D.