Not nursing, diarrhea.

Dr. Marie replied:

Sorry to hear that JJ is not feeling 100%. I do get concerned when a kitten doesn't want to nurse as much as the others. This can often be a sign that they are not doing well.

There are several possible causes for the diarrhea. A parasite is possible. You would expect that all of the cats would have diarrhea if this was the case, but it's possible that JJ is the first one to get sick.

It may be a good idea to deworm the moms with a regular over the counter roundworm dewormer. The babies are actually old enough for dewormer as well.

However, there is also the possibility that JJ has a more serious illness. When kittens are this young, some type of congenital problem is possible, meaning that something may not be formed properly such as intestines or liver. If this is the case then we may not be able to fix him.

It is possible that mom is not nursing JJ properly. However, it's a little strange for her to be nursing the other kittens and not him. Sometimes when a mom decides not to nurse a baby it is because she knows there is a serious problem with him. You could definitely try to put him on the more veteran mom to see if he will nurse off of her.

Ultimately, it would be great to have a vet take a look at JJ and also examine his feces for parasites. There are some parasites that are not killed by regular dewormer.

It is super important for him to eat, so if he won't nurse off of either mom then yes, you may need to get some kitten milk replacer for him.

I hope he does ok!

Dr. Marie.



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Dr. Marie replied:

You're very welcome.

Heat alone should not cause diarrhea in a kitten, especially if it is just one who is affected. Unfortunately I am quite worried about the little guy. :(