Kittens won't drink formula, have gas, indigestion, and no poop. What formula helps?

[Kittens ](https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-raise-orphan-kittens)on formula or mother's [milk](https://www.petcoach.co/article/the-constituents-that-make-up-milk-for-cats/) will still have bowel movements, however it may tend to be more watery or liquid rather than the solid movements of a cat on solid food. Mother cats will lick a kitten's bottom to stimulate defecation and urination, and this can be done by a foster parent by using a warm wet washcloth to gently rub their bottoms to stimulate a bowel movement. If the kittens are still unable to go, speaking with or scheduling an appointment with your local vet is best. For keeping [kittens](https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-myths-about-kittens) warm during feeding, you can create a little kitten "burrito" by wrapping them in a warm towel or blanket. This will help them to retain their body heat while drinking. Making sure the kitten formula is also slightly warmed up will help prevent a decrease in body temperature.

Make sure they are on a good quality milk replacer such as kmr. Changing it at all between different brands or switching from powder to liguid can cause diarrhea. Increase frequency of feedings to compensate for the diarrhea. And a probiotic such as bene back may help. If constant a vet visit for fluids may be recommended. If they didn't receive colostrum or milk from mom at all they are at higher risk from infections and may not survive despite best care. Sometimes the vet can help with injecting serum from a healthy cat to boost their immune system. Benebachttp://m.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=3563 http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=576

I'm sorry to hear you're struggling with the kittens! At 4-weeks they should be starting to get a little interested in wet food, so continuing to try the slurry should help. You can put a little on a spoon or on their noses to see if they will lick it off to encourage them to try it. Keeping the formula warmed and feeding them on their stomachs (in the same position they'd be in when nursing from mom) may also help them recognize you are trying to feed them. If they're not on solid foods yet, they may not have a whole lot in the way of stool production, and any stool they produce may be very liquidy still. It's a good idea to bring them to the vet anyway, especially if orphaned, as they may need to start getting vaccinations sooner to account for the loss of mom's natural antibodies, and your vet can examine them, deworm them, and treat any issues as needed. This article about orphaned kittens may also help as well as it has feeding schedules, etc. https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-raise-orphan-kittens/

Hello. You do not indicate their ages, but if they are approaching 3 weeks, you can begin offering some soft food in addition to their bottles. I would add 1/4 teaspoon Miralax to the bottle, but only 3 times a day. Once the stool starts to soften & become more regular, decrease to 1/8 teaspoon of Miralax 3 times a day. As you transition to the soft diet, you can also add the Miralax, if needed, but stop once the stools become a little runny. Make sure you are worming the kittens with pyrantel pamoate every 2 weeks. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Kitten formula is very hard on the GI tract. I recommend weaning bottle fed babies at 3 weeks slowly over 1-2 weeks. I would get a different brand of formula and mix it 50/50 with the old one. Add more water to it. Start mixing the formula with canned kitten food and get him weaned off formula in the next week or so. He should also be dewormed as well. Good luck!

KMR is a much better balanced food source for kittens than either cow's milk or a homemade milk recipe. Follow the instructions on the packaging as to how much to feed per day, divide the feedings up into several per day. You can use a warm wet washcloth to gently massage the rectal and urinary openings to stimulate bowel and urinary movements. Here is a great article on raising orphan kittens that will provide you a lot of helpful information: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1738

If there is cat formula available I would start him on that, it's more nutritionally balanced for cats and should help stop the diarrhea. This website https://www.thesprucepets.com/kitten-supplement-formula-552272 offers several recipes for homemade kitten formula. Copper actually looks old enough to get started on solid foods. Get some dry kitten food and add some kitten formula, let the dry food absorb the liquid then mash it into a gruel and put it in a shallow dish for her to eat. It will be messy, and she will probably need a bath, but she'll learn how to eat solid food this way. Alternatively, you can get canned kitten food and mix some formula with it to make it into a gruel and feed that. Put another dish in with just the wet or dry kitten food, you'll be surprised how quickly she picks it up. Make sure she has plenty of fresh water in a shallow dish. She may not drink much while she's eating wet food, but if she ends up eating more dry food you'll see her drink more. Good luck with Copper!