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#1
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Kitten status - day 3
The two little babies are *adorable*. They're both Siamese/tabby mixes,
probably lilac point. They are very playful - all they want to do is attack each other or me. I think I've taught them not to bite hard, which they were doing at first. Each time they bit hard enough to cause pain, I made a somewhat loud, high-pitched noise. Each time I did that, they stopped at looked at me in surprise. But now I notice that when they play-bite me, they're both very gentle. I should probably train them not to scratch, but that's a harder sell, since that's the main thing they do when playing! My arms and hands are covered with tiny kitten scratches. I am worried about them in one way - they've both had diarrhea since Saturday. Jackie, my contact from the rescue group, says that it's because they suddenly had to go from mother's milk to solid food, and their digestive systems are trying to adjust. I hope that's all it is. I have them in a large cage with a metal bottom, so I put a towel in it for warmth and comfort. I've had to switch towels about 6 times since Saturday because they keep pooping on it. They also use the little litterbox I put in there. I've been feeding them Wellness chicken wet food, which was Jackie's recommendation. They don't eat all of it, but they are apparently eating enough, since their litterbox also has several poops in it. Another suggestion from Jackie: a spoonful of pumpkin mixed in their wet food. So I did that yesterday, also adding in some water, because I'm worried they're getting dehydrated. But a few hours later I had to change the towel again because they had more diarrhea, which was a lot more liquid than previous times. That seems like it's getting worse, not better. The other thing I've been giving them is KMR (a kitten milk formula for kittens who've been weaned too soon). I'm wondering if that's what giving them the runs. It's very rich. Anyway, I called Jackie yesterday with a report about their health, and that's when she suggested the pumpkin. I guess I should call her again today to tell her that it might be getting worse. Poor babies. Their butts are also really enflamed and red and look very sore. I put some petroleum jelly on them for that - hope it helps. Despite all this, they seem lively and alert. They clamor for attention whenever I come into the room. (They're shut away from Licky and Roxy for the time being.) As I said, they're very playful and seem to have a lot of energy. They keep biting each other's necks - practicing the killing bite, no doubt. And they're very curious, but I'm not letting them explore the bedroom yet because they're still a bit uncoordinated (they're only 5 weeks old) and I don't want anyone to get hurt. The bedroom isn't exactly kitten-proof. Also, I don't want to discover a puddle of diarrhea on my carpet or bed. If anyone has other suggestions for dealing with kitten diarrhea, please let me know. I know it can be very dangerous, so I'm watching carefully - although to be honest, I can't tell whether the fur on the back of their neck goes down slowly or quickly when I pick it up. They're both small and fuzzy, so it's hard to see something that subtle. But I'm wondering if they should get subq fluids, or if there's something else I can try. Of course, I'm not going to do anything without Jackie's OK, since she's far more experienced with such young kittens, and I wouldn't want to do something inadvertently harmful. Meanwhile, R & L seem to be on a hunger strike of sorts. I guess they're stressed about the kittens. They do eat a little, but I've been tossing out a lot of leftovers from their plates in the past couple of days. I think I'm going to have to buy them some low-end cat food - aka kitty McDonald's. It's not health food, but they *do* eat it. I hope the kittens get over their diarrhea soon, so I can begin introductions. I'm not sure how long I'll have these kittens - it could be several weeks or a few months. I'd like to be able to let them have the run of the house when they get a little bigger. -- Joyce Beauty and music seduce us first; later, ashamed of our own sensuality, we insist on meaning. -- Clive Barker |
#2
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Kitten status - day 3
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#3
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Kitten status - day 3
MLB wrote:
FYI I remember two posters complaining about the quality of Wellness food (can't remember who). I certainly hope it clears up soon. Best wishes. MLB Heh - I was one of them. But that's what the rescue group prefers to use. I can't think of anything that's any better, or safer for little kittens. -- Joyce The sun rose slowly, like a fiery furball coughed up uneasily onto a sky-blue carpet by a giant unseen cat. -- Michael McGarel |
#4
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Kitten status - day 3
wrote MLB wrote: FYI I remember two posters complaining about the quality of Wellness food (can't remember who). I certainly hope it clears up soon. Best wishes. MLB Heh - I was one of them. But that's what the rescue group prefers to use. I can't think of anything that's any better, or safer for little kittens. Try kitten kibble. |
#5
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Kitten status - day 3
Pat wrote:
wrote MLB wrote: FYI I remember two posters complaining about the quality of Wellness food (can't remember who). I certainly hope it clears up soon. Best wishes. MLB Heh - I was one of them. But that's what the rescue group prefers to use. I can't think of anything that's any better, or safer for little kittens. Try kitten kibble. I have that, too. But they don't seem that interested in it. But I guess I'll try it again. Tonight they seemed a bit better than they did this morning, at least! -- Joyce Mother teach me to walk again Milk and honey, so intoxicating -- Sarah McLaughlin |
#6
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Kitten status - day 3
On Oct 31, 10:58*pm, wrote:
Pat wrote: * wrote* MLB wrote: * * FYI *I remember two posters complaining about the quality of Wellness * food (can't remember who). *I certainly hope it clears up soon. *Best * wishes. *MLB * * Heh - I was one of them. But that's what the rescue group prefers to * use. I can't think of anything that's any better, or safer for little * kittens. * Try kitten kibble. I have that, too. But they don't seem that interested in it. But I guess I'll try it again. The last thing you want to do is give them dry food. It is not an appropriate diet for a carnivore and giving kittens foods that contain grains and other ingredients they are not physiologically designed to eat can exacerbate the problem and also will keep them dehydrated. The moisture content of dry food is 8 times less than that of canned food and cats do not drink enough water to make up for the loss. Please read http://www.catinfo.org for detailed information. I think your best course of action is to get samples of the diarrhea and bring them to the vet for testing. It is crucial to treat kittens with diarrhea in a timely manner or they can go downhill quickly, and one can never assume it is food related unless bacterial or parasitic causes have been ruled out first. |
#7
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Kitten status - day 3
On Oct 31, 5:04*pm, wrote:
The two little babies are *adorable*. They're both Siamese/tabby mixes, probably lilac point. They are very playful - all they want to do is attack each other or me. I think I've taught them not to bite hard, which they were doing at first. Each time they bit hard enough to cause pain, I made a somewhat loud, high-pitched noise. Each time I did that, they stopped at looked at me in surprise. But now I notice that when they play-bite me, they're both very gentle. I should probably train them not to scratch, but that's a harder sell, since that's the main thing they do when playing! My arms and hands are covered with tiny kitten scratches. I am worried about them in one way - they've both had diarrhea since Saturday. Jackie, my contact from the rescue group, says that it's because they suddenly had to go from mother's milk to solid food, and their digestive systems are trying to adjust. I hope that's all it is. I have them in a large cage with a metal bottom, so I put a towel in it for warmth and comfort. I've had to switch towels about 6 times since Saturday because they keep pooping on it. They also use the little litterbox I put in there. I've been feeding them Wellness chicken wet food, which was Jackie's recommendation. They don't eat all of it, but they are apparently eating enough, since their litterbox also has several poops in it. Another suggestion from Jackie: a spoonful of pumpkin mixed in their wet food. So I did that yesterday, also adding in some water, because I'm worried they're getting dehydrated. But a few hours later I had to change the towel again because they had more diarrhea, which was a lot more liquid than previous times. That seems like it's getting worse, not better. The other thing I've been giving them is KMR (a kitten milk formula for kittens who've been weaned too soon). I'm wondering if that's what giving them the runs. It's very rich. Anyway, I called Jackie yesterday with a report about their health, and that's when she suggested the pumpkin. I guess I should call her again today to tell her that it might be getting worse. Poor babies. Their butts are also really enflamed and red and look very sore. I put some petroleum jelly on them for that - hope it helps. Despite all this, they seem lively and alert. They clamor for attention whenever I come into the room. (They're shut away from Licky and Roxy for the time being.) As I said, they're very playful and seem to have a lot of energy. They keep biting each other's necks - practicing the killing bite, no doubt. And they're very curious, but I'm not letting them explore the bedroom yet because they're still a bit uncoordinated (they're only 5 weeks old) and I don't want anyone to get hurt. The bedroom isn't exactly kitten-proof. Also, I don't want to discover a puddle of diarrhea on my carpet or bed. If anyone has other suggestions for dealing with kitten diarrhea, please let me know. I know it can be very dangerous, so I'm watching carefully - although to be honest, I can't tell whether the fur on the back of their neck goes down slowly or quickly when I pick it up. They're both small and fuzzy, so it's hard to see something that subtle. But I'm wondering if they should get subq fluids, or if there's something else I can try. Of course, I'm not going to do anything without Jackie's OK, since she's far more experienced with such young kittens, and I wouldn't want to do something inadvertently harmful. Meanwhile, R & L seem to be on a hunger strike of sorts. I guess they're stressed about the kittens. They do eat a little, but I've been tossing out a lot of leftovers from their plates in the past couple of days. I think I'm going to have to buy them some low-end cat food - aka kitty McDonald's. It's not health food, but they *do* eat it. I hope the kittens get over their diarrhea soon, so I can begin introductions. I'm not sure how long I'll have these kittens - it could be several weeks or a few months. I'd like to be able to let them have the run of the house when they get a little bigger. -- Joyce Joyce, the biggest problem I had with raising orphans was diarrhea/ constipation. We went from one extreme to the other. Diarrhea is fairly common in kittens -- with the stress, change in environment and change in diet especially. I don't think there are any magic words that you don't already know--keeping them hydrated is the most important thing. If the pumpkin doesn't firm their stools *very soon*, I think Catlady is right that a stool sample would be a good idea. Coccidia is so common in shelter / rescue cats, and even though *they* are not symptomatic, they pass it to the kittens. Blood in the stool is a sure sign, but in the beginning stages, there may be no visible blood at all. Kittens can go downhill so quickly once they do get ill. That is the scary part. Good luck with your babies. Sherry |
#8
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Kitten status - day 3
"Catlady" wrote Pat wrote: wrote: Try kitten kibble. I have that, too. But they don't seem that interested in it. But I guess I'll try it again. The last thing you want to do is give them dry food. It is not an appropriate diet for a carnivore and giving kittens foods that contain grains and other ingredients they are not physiologically designed to eat can exacerbate the problem and also will keep them dehydrated. --------------- OK... kitten kibble w/o grains. And moisten it. |
#9
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Kitten status - day 3
On Nov 1, 12:56*am, "Pat" wrote:
"Catlady" wrote Pat wrote: wrote: Try kitten kibble. I have that, too. But they don't seem that interested in it. But I guess I'll try it again. The last thing you want to do is give them dry food. It is not an appropriate diet for a carnivore and giving kittens foods that contain grains and other ingredients they are not physiologically designed to eat can exacerbate the problem and also will keep them dehydrated. --------------- OK... kitten kibble w/o grains. And moisten it. The idea of a "grain free" dry diet is a fallacy. They generally use white potato as a substitute, which is just as innappropriate as a diet for an obligate carnivore and also high on the glycemic index. "Moistening" dry food is not going to bring the moisture content up to reasonable numbers unless you pour a glass of water on it. And that still does not make dry food remotely close to being an appropriate diet for a cat, which again, is a CARNIVORE and has not evolved and is not to designed to eat dry food! .The increased epidemics of obesity, diabetes, kidney failure, and UTI's are a direct result of people feeding dry food. While there are always going to be those that claim their cats did "fine" on dry food for years, it is not any different from people who smoke all their lives and don't get cancer. Just because you ingest something and don't suffer effects from it does not automatically mean it's not harmful. Someone whose cat "lived to be 20 and only ate Meow Mix" may very well have had a 25 year old cat if they'd fed it a proper wet or raw diet free of grains. |
#10
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Kitten status - day 3
"Catlady" wrote The idea of a "grain free" dry diet is a fallacy. They generally use white potato as a substitute, which is just as innappropriate as a diet for an obligate carnivore and also high on the glycemic index. "Moistening" dry food is not going to bring the moisture content up to reasonable numbers unless you pour a glass of water on it. And that still does not make dry food remotely close to being an appropriate diet for a cat, which again, is a CARNIVORE and has not evolved and is not to designed to eat dry food! .The increased epidemics of obesity, diabetes, kidney failure, and UTI's are a direct result of people feeding dry food. While there are always going to be those that claim their cats did "fine" on dry food for years, it is not any different from people who smoke all their lives and don't get cancer. Just because you ingest something and don't suffer effects from it does not automatically mean it's not harmful. Someone whose cat "lived to be 20 and only ate Meow Mix" may very well have had a 25 year old cat if they'd fed it a proper wet or raw diet free of grains. __________________ I was not suggesting a life-long diet of kibble, but rather using it for a day or two as a means of stopping diarrhea. I've seen it happen. Anyhow, Joyce if you're still reading, I'm dropping out of this thread. You can always contact me if you wish. |
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