My 8-week-old kitten is very weak and not eating. Will he make it?

Your kitten needs to be seen by a vet immediately. Cats cannot go without eating for more than a few days without suffering liver damage. Your kitten is likely very dehydrated and weak and will need supportive care to help him survive. Right now, make sure he stays warm and mix some honey or corn syrup with warm water and very carefully use a syringe or dropper to get him to swallow some of this to help rehydrate him and give him some calories. Be very careful because it is easy to choke him when he is this weak.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your new kitten. I recommend that you seek veterinary care. The kitten appears quite thin. If he is not eating and drinking properly, this can be a sign of illness. It is worrisome that he is inactive as well. Kittens should be very playful. Infections (respiratory or gastrointestinal intestinal) are common causes of illness in kittens. Once the cause of his problems can be identified, treatment can be started. I hope this information helps!

That’s tough. It sounds like your doctor and you are doing everything possible to get Shere Khan better. It really depends on the underlying cause. Once you get some of the test answers back then you will have a better idea of what is happening and why. I hope your kitten starts feeling better quickly and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I am very sorry to hear about your kitten. From your description it sounds like it could be very anemic (low red blood cells) and it may actually be agonal/dying if it is crying out every few minutes while otherwise being weak. This kitten needs veterinary care and will not survive at home. I would recommend relinquishing the kitten to a veterinarian or rescue/shelter/humane society if you cannot care for it as there is nothing at home you will be able to do if this kitten is as ill as you describe. You can also consult this website for ideas on affording veterinary care: https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/having-trouble-affording-veterinary-care . In the meantime keep the kitten warm and you can try rubbing karo syrup or honey on his gums in case his blood sugar is very low.

I certainly don't want Luca to die at such a young age either! Unfortunately without seeing him in person, there isn't much I can do for him. He should be with the vet now if he's this ill, receiving intensive veterinary care. That will be the best chance of survival for him. Please take him into a vet now if he isn't there already. I will be hoping he makes it through this!

Hello. I would speak with your veterinarian as soon as possible. In such a young kitten, things can change very quickly especially if Sheeran has been incubating an illness early on & is showing symptoms now. He is still so young that he may need antibiotics are additional testing to see what the problem might be. I hope you can have him seen soon, but do make sure he continues to eat & drink every day. Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Please take your kitten to the vet immediately. It sounds like she may be having neurologic symptoms, which could be due to low blood sugar associated with not eating and drinking, and she is very likely dehydrated. This is potentially deadly, and your kitten should be seen right away to check her blood sugar levels, assess for dehydration, and address the cause of her weakness. Another very serious concern in a stray kitten is the possibility of rabies infection, which is transmitted from the saliva of infected mammals, can be passed on to humans, and is fatal. There may also be other underlying neurologic causes for her condition, and a veterinarian can help determine the cause and start treatment .