My 8-week-old kitten is skinny, constipated, and has diarrhea. Help!

Poor Kiki! I would make sure that he is eating a kitten formulated food. Kittens need higher amounts of calories, protein, and calcium than adult cats in order to grow properly, and a kitten formulated food would provide that for him. If he seems to be skinnier, I would take him into the vet for an exam. The vet can weigh him and do a physical exam to determine if he is too skinny and losing, and can discuss with you reasons why this might be happen (such as food intolerances), and how to treat it.

If your kitten has not been wormed yet, I suggest you worm him with a kitten wormer and again in 2 weeks. If he has intestinal parasites he would have a problem holding weight and it could also cause diarrhea. You should also take a fresh stool sample to your veterinarian for a fecal exam. If this does not help, if your kitten's diarrhea does not clear up, or if he does not gain weight, or if your kitten gets lethargic or appears ill, he should be seen by a veterinarian for an exam. Make sure you feed him a good quality kitten food.

Given her age there are several things that cross my mind, but a common issue in these young kittens is parasites. Sometimes their parasite burden can be so high that they cannot maintain adequate glucose levels, and also can become uninterested in food and sometimes will begin vomiting. I would recommend deworming her. Also, it would be important to rule out signs of infection and/or sepsis. I think she needs to be seen by a veterinarian right away. Such a young and small animal can deteriorate quickly even with easy to resolve issues like gastrointestinal parasites.

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!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would deworm him. Intestinal parasites are almost always present in young animals as they are passed from the milk. He could be getting more lean but this could also be an early warning sign that something is going on. I would collect a stool sample and have him seen for his first vet visit. The Vet can do an exam, test his stool, feline leukemia and FIV test him and consider giving his first vaccination. I wish you and Noah the very best!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your foster kitten. His hair coat appears rough and he may have a crust on his nose. Has he experienced any respiratory signs such as coughing or sneezing? This would be unrelated to the diarrhea, but a compounding illness could result in poor weight gain. I would recommend checking him for panleukopenia just to be sure. If the vet will not run bloodwork, you can test a fecal sample with the dog parvovirus test. Otherwise I would consider a new diet if seeking a second opinion is not an option. I like Royal Canin Veterinary Diets Gastrointestinal High Energy canned formula. The veterinarian should be able to write you a prescription for the diet. I hope this information helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Diarrhea and weight loss can be observed with conditions such as colitis, gastroenteritis, dietary indiscretion, intestinal parasites, among many other possibilities. I recommend that you have Foxy evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They may choose to check for parasites and to start medications for diarrhea depending on the results. Good luck! Hoping for a speedy recovery!