My 10-week-old kitten has diarrhea and can't stand. Is it serious?

No, this is not normal. Not eating is very abnormal in young kittens. Most common reasons for the behavior you described is viral disease and internal parasites. Other options are trauma (like he fell and hurt himself) and intestinal obstruction. Milo really needs to be assessed by a veterinarian as soon as possible.

Diarrhea could be caused by parasites, change in diet, toxin ingestion, infectious viral diseases, blockage in the intestines caused by ingestion of a foreign body, or a mass/growth in the gastrointestinal tract. Please make an appointment to have Jerry seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible for diagnosis and treatment, as diarrhea, particularly in a youngster such as Jerry, can lead to dehydration and can be very dangerous if left untreated. I’m also concerned that Jerry is unable to walk normally, as this could indicate a number of things, such as a muscular issue, joint problem, infection, weakness/ malnutrition, or a fracture. Please have him examined by a veterinarian asap to help prevent progression of his symptoms and to give him the best chance at recovery. Take in a sample of his feces when you go in case the vet wants to run a fecal test to check for parasites. Good luck! I hope Jerry feels better soon!

Diarrhea in a kitten this young is definitely very concerning, as is the stoppage of nursing. The fact that the mother is separating her young is a bad sign, as this is usually what the mother will do when she senses one of the kittens is sick, or possibly contagious to the others. You may need to start bottle feeding and/or transitioning to hard food sooner than later to preserve the kitten's health. I would not let this go on for more than a few more hours, as dehydration and hypoglycemia are real concerns in an animal this young and fragile. You may also want to look into obtaining some antidiarrheal medication from your veterinarian. Hope this helps.

It's now a medical emergency that Bunty hasn't eaten in 18 hours. If she goes much longer without eating, she will develop a fatty liver which is fatal without treatment. She is quite sick and cannot be treated at home. Please take her into a vet immediately. Best of luck.

Common causes for diarrhea and flu-like symptoms in a kitten include intestinal parasites, bacterial or viral gastroenteritis (like feline panleukopenia), GI blockage, among others. You can get a pet dewormer and try to slowly syringe water or pedialyte with a little honey in it. Make sure he is swallowing so that the water doesn't go into his lungs. If he has a bacterial infection, he needs to see a vet for antibiotics. If he has panleukopenia, his prognosis is very poor even with veterinary care. Keep him warm and clean and try to get fluids into him.

Persistent vomiting and diarrhea can be dangerous in kittens, so you have good reason to worry. The biggest concern is that he can quickly get dehydrated, which is life-threatening. In order to keep this from happening, he will need to see a vet, so they can administer fluids. They also may be able to find the cause of the Diarrhea/vomiting and correct that. With kittens, I am mostly concerned about infections. Luckily, most of these are treatable, so getting him to the vet as soon as possible will make a big difference in keeping him from getting dangerously sick. I hope that helps and Theo gets well soon.

Kittens are susceptible to many different infections, both viral & bacterial. A heavy parasite burden from coccidia, or roundworms can also wear a kitten down & leave it weak. Pascal is too young & small to try & fight this off on his own. He needs to be seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible. If you can not have him seen tonight or tomorrow, pick up some Nutrical from Petco tomorrow, & try to give him small amount frequently throughout the day. This is a high calorie supplement to hopefully keep his energy up. Then please try to have him seen by your veterinarian as early as possible on Monday. I hope he does better soon. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.