My hand-fed kitten's mouth is open and sticky. Is this an emergency?

Your cat needs to see his veterinarian ASAP. It is possible that your cat has a tooth abscess, severe periodontal disease, something lodged inside the mouth, an injury, or an oral tumor. Regardless of cause, this is a serious medical condition since it is preventing him from eating and drinking normally. Your cat is at risk of becoming dehydrated and developing a condition called hepatic liposis, which can lead to liver failure. Even going 24 hours without food can cause changes in liver functioning.

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.

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!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! So sorry to hear about Luna. I would advise that you get her evaluated immediately. Open mouth breathing is never normal in a kitten/cat unless they are extremely sick or very stressed. Your vet can evaluate her and advise a diagnostic and treatment plan. It is possible that she has a nasopharyngeal polyp, foreign body, fluid in her lungs, fluid in her chest around her lungs, etc. Some testing will probably be required including blood tests, chest x-rays, etc. Good luck with Luna.

I am sorry this happened to your newborn kitten, but the opening and closing of the mouth sounds like your kitten is open mouth breathing which indicates Rose may have had serious trauma to her chest when mama cat sat on her. This can be life-threatening for kitten if Rose is not seen by a vet right away for oxygen supplementation (placed in an oxygen cage) and x-rays of the chest to determine the damage and see if it is treatable. The main thing is to provide kitty with oxygen until things can be sorted out, so please take kitty in right away for further care. I sure hope that this response is not too late for your kitten and so sorry no one was available to answer your question when you first wrote this.

Open mouth breathing is a sign of respiratory distress in cats, and is a medical emergency. Kenway needs to see a vet now. If paying for a vet is an issue, you can see if your vet accepts payment plans, if there is a low cost clinic in your area, or you can apply for Care Credit online. There is also an organization called Red Rover that give grants for treatment of sick animals, and you can see if you qualify for one of their grants. Best Friends also has a list of resources that offer financial assistance on their website. http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_pet.html?credit=web_id91754962 https://www.redrover.org https://www.carecredit.com http://bestfriends.org/resources/financial-aid-pets http://lessonsfromaparalyzeddog.com/when-pet-owners-cant-afford-veterinary-bills/ http://www.dogheirs.com/resources-affordable-veterinary-care/ Have your friend check out these resources, and have him take the kitten into a vet now.

I am most concerned that Holly could have aspirated some milk into her lungs. Sadly this can be common with bottle-fed kittens and can be very serious if not treated by a veterinarian. Holly needs to see a veterinarian ASAP. She will probably need strong antibiotics and possibly oxygen supplementation to help treat aspiration pneumonia. I do not think you did anything wrong. It just happens sometimes. One thing I would change if possible would be to only offer kitten milk replacer. I do not recommend mixing egg in the milk as it is not cooked and the kitten should not need egg if on a good kitten milk replacer. Good luck!