Why is my 4-week-old kitten lethargic with open mouth and slime?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Oh no!! I am very worried about this kitten. I don’t think she will pull through. If you can get her to a vet I would do so immediately. Sometimes we never know who some kittens don’t make it, whether is a genetic or congenital issue or infection. But the mother usually knows. I with you the best!

Hello. I am a little concerned about your kitten because at 4 weeks of age she should be a little fireball & not require stimulation to move her bowels. She should also be eating a canned kitten food with a little replacement milk mixed in. If she has not been dewormed, this would be a priority as intestinal parasites like roundworms can make a kitten pretty weak. She may also be a little dehydrated if you have not seen her urinate. I truly hope you can have her seen by a veterinarian soon. Little babies like this can be pretty fragile. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If her temperature is low, it is important to try and bring it back up by placing her near a heat source (but not too close) and a heating blanket on top of towels so that it reduces the risk of burns to the skin from direct contact with the heating blanket. If she is not eating, you should administer 1-2 tsp of a sugar source such as honey or karo syrup and see if this helps. She may have low blood sugar. This also may be infectious and unfortunately the only recommendation for an infection would be to see a veterinarian for the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations. I hope this helps and that Maanu gets better soon! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hello, & thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Make sure what you are feeding the kitten is an appropriate kitten milk replacer. Kittens this young are not able to regulate their temperatures well, so make sure you have her on a heating pad set on low with a towel on top. There should be an area for the kitten to move off if it gets too warm. Make sure you are not overfeeding the kitten. A kitten needs 2 tablespoons ( 30 mls ) per 4 ounces ( 115 grams ) of body weight daily. Divide the daily amount into equal portions for each feeding & fed every 3-4 hours until bedtime. Stimulate the genital area after each meal, but do not be concerned if she does not have a BM each time. You can try feeding her a congee, which is often tolerated by the sickest kittens. Take 1-2 cups chicken broth ( low or no salt added ), add 1/4 cup white rice & a tiny sliver of fresh ginger. Boil for 2 hours. While cooling, add 1 Tbsp good quality protein powder - egg or casein, not soy. Stir together very well. The mix should be a bit thick. Drip into kittens mouth 1/2 - 1 ml at a time. Hopefully she will start to turn around. Just keep at it. Good luck.

If the urine is dark he may be dehydrated. Also, frequent vocalization can mean he's hungry, thirsty, in pain/discomfort, and many other things. Open mouth breathing is not normal for cats and could mean he's congested or has a heart or lung condition. The kitten should be drinking milk replacer. It sounds like he would benefit from a visit to a veterinarian to examine him for any medical issues. He may need deworming and the veterinarian can make specific recommendations based on his physical exam findings.

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.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Storm. Applying some Karo syrup or honey to her gums and tongue will provide some rapid glucose for her body to burn. You should try to force feed her with a good kitten milk replacer via bottle or syringe but if she is weak she might not nurse. Your best bet would be to get her to a vet immediately so they can evaluate her and then treat her accordingly while trying to figure out what is going on. Make sure she is nice and warm since small kittens cannot regulate their body temperature. Their normal temp should be around 99 degrees to 102 degrees farenheit. Not sure how old she is but you need to be stimulating her genital area also to get her to eliminate. Again these little guys can get sick very quickly and it's important you get her help as soon as you can. Good luck with her. I would also advise deworming her unless that was already done. Deworming should be done every 3 weeks after 2 weeks of age for at least 3-4 times.