My 6-week-old kitten chokes on food. What's wrong? How to help?

You need to take her to the vet for an exam. He will need to listen to her lungs to see whether she inhaled the formula, which is life-threatening. There is also a possibility that she may have a cleft palate which causes the milk to be inhaled or not being swallowed properly. Your vet can check your kitten for that. Unfortunately a cleft palate is not an easy defect to fix. It is very important to feed the kittens while they are prone, ie NOT on there back. If you feed them like a human baby they will have problems drinking properly. Make sure you stimulate their anus and urinary opening so they release the urine and feces , which you can wipe of with the moistened tissue you used for stimulation.

This kitten may have an upper respiratory tract infection, pneumonia, or a congenital birth defect affecting its mouth/palate area. If you have access to a veterinarian it'd be best to examine this kitten and consider testing for infectious diseases that are very contagious to other cats.

If you are completely unable to feed him and it has been 24 hours since he has eaten, I would seek emergency care ASAP. There may be a functional issue or deformity that is preventing him from being able to eat properly which may need surgical correction or IV fluids/feeding tubes to bypass so he can get the nutrition he needs. Please try to seek care immediately at your vet or a local ER clinic, especially if he cannot eat at all or seems in distress.

Oh goodness. This is very concerning for a cleft palate. I would highly encourage you to reach out to the organization and have them schedule you an appointment with their veterinarian. This is a very dangerous and serious condition. Best of luck and I hope you have an answer soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Poor Mochko. With symptoms of decreased appetite and "hard breathe" which I assume means she is having a hard time breathing, it is possible Mochka has pneumonia or an upper respiratory infection. I would highly recommend getting her seen by your vet again or another vet for a second opinion. They need to listen to her chest (auscultation) to check the lungs for certain sounds. If certain sounds in the chest are detected and Mochko also has a fever (greater than 102.5 degrees F rectal temp), then pneumonia is suspected. Chest x-rays would then be needed to confirm. If the chest is free of any abnormal sounds on expiration, then an upper respiratory infection is suspected, which is a better prognosis for kitty. At that time a short course of antibiotics and anti-viral meds (i.e. Lysine) can be prescribed to treat her condition. At any rate Mochko needs to be re-evaluated and the underlying condition properly identified so that we know exactly what she needs to get better.

Unfortunately the chances are very low, especially because usually other abnormalities (cardiac congenital problems especially) are commonly present at the same time. An immediate check up is required to better evaluate all the possible deformities and give you a more reliable prognosis.

If she keeps he mouth opened this is probably because of severe respiratory distress, this is common with kittens that are hand fed because of aspiration pneumonia (milk is aspirated into the lungs). this is usually a very severe condition, you will need to take the kitten to the vet ASAP in order to get it treated.