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My 4-week-old bottle-fed kitten has runny poop. Is this normal?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 1.4 lbs

So my kittie is 4 weeks old now I beleive. She is still being bottle fed. She still has runny poop so is this something I should still be concerned about? I figured she still has it bc she is only eating liquid. Also she has had her dewormer already as well

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on April 14th, 2020

The diarrhea is most likely from the formula she is drinking. I would not be overly concerned at this stage if she is otherwise acting fine.

I would see if you can get her to start eating some of this Royal Canin BabyCat mousse. You may have to mix a little formula in with it in the beginning to get her interested in eating it. The sooner you can get her on some real kitten food, the better.

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/royal-canin-mother-and-babycat-ultra-soft-mousse-in-sauce-variety-pack-wet-food

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on January 13th, 2018
You can help her get through this by feeding bland food (i.e. boneless cooked chicken). Feed small portions (1 tablespoon or less) at meal time. You can also add probiotics to the food (can get this at the pet store), which has demonstrated some efficacy for improving diarrhea. Ensure fresh, clean water is always available.

Blood in diarrhea is always concerning, so she should definitely go to the vet as soon as possible.

I hope this helps and Simba gets better soon.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Lauren Kennedy, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on December 29th, 2017
It sounds as if Princess has a sensitive GI tract. I would recommend feeding her a food labeled for ‘sensitive stomachs’ or a low fat/low residue diet (usually these have to be purchased from a veterinarian). Some brands I prefer are Hills, Purina and Royal Canin, so I would start with one of those.

I would also recommend you take a fecal sample from Princess in to your vet to be examined. Bloody diarrhea can be caused by several things, especially intestinal parasites.

If the diarrhea persists for more than 5 days and/or if Princess starts vomiting or stops wanting to eat, you should take her to be examined by your vet to make sure nothing else is going on.

I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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