My 4-week-old kitten swallowed a latex nipple tip. What should I do?

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Such a small and soft piece of plastic will most likely not cause any harm. You should just monitor Miso for the next 24-48hrs at home, he should pass the nub with his faeces. However, if he starts to vomit or refusing to take his food, you will need to take him to your local vets. If he is 4 weeks old, you should also try to feed him wet food mixed with warm water or milk. He should be able to eat solid food at this age.

If it is a tiny bit of the nipple, it will likely just pass through the intestinal tract and be eliminated with the feces. Should Oreo start vomiting or get diarrhea, he needs to be seen by a vet as then the rubber piece may cause a blockage. However I think there is a much greater chance that it will pass through without causing a problem.

It is hard to say whether or not your kitten will be able to pass the nipple. It will mostly depend on how much he swallowed and how big the kitten is. If Sam starts vomiting, having diarrhea, or stops wanting to eat then I would begin to be concerned about a possible blockage. If he is acting normal just keep an eye on his stools to see if he has passed it yet. Good luck!

How lovely of you to look after Chloe! She may be old enough to not need to be fed with kitten formula, and since she ate a nipple, it would be a good idea for her to be seen by a vet. There's a chance the nipple may pass without problem, and even if it does, she needs a health check from a vet. The vet can let you know if she is old enough to eat a kitten formulated food. As for the worms, it will take at least two deworming treatments given two weeks apart to kill all the worms. I would give her another deworming treatment two weeks after the first was given, and then they should be given monthly until she is six months old. She should be given a deworming treatment every three months thereafter once she is six months of age.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If Loki has teeth he can start eating canned kitten food. Mash it on a plate so he can stand in it and eat it. You can also add the formula to the canned food to entice him. If he’s at least 1 pound he is 4 weeks old. Don’t forget to get him to a vet soon to check his health and start vaccines. Good luck and kisses to Loki!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Goldie. At 4 weeks of age, the kittens can start eating kitten food. You can offer wet food or dry kibble softened with warm water. This can supplement their nursing. Goldie will need to see her veterinarian if her nupple does not heal soon. I hope this information helps!

Hi there! It is very difficult to tell whether something will pass through the intestinal tract or if it will get stuck. Some big things will just miraculously pass, and some small things will manage to get stuck! That being said, 2 months is a very young age, and a tiny kitten is far more likely to get something stuck. There are a couple of things you an do at this point. One would be to bulk your boy's diet just a little bit to help add some fiber to his diet. This will help his intestines move a bit faster, and provide some cushioning for the earring itself. Because a stud earring has that sharp edge on it, a 1/8th slice of plain wheat bread given twice a day will help to wrap around that earring a bit easier than something like canned pumpkin or Metamucil might do. Look for the earring in his stools to make sure you see it come out. If he swallowed the earring really recently, if you take him into the vet right now, it's possible they may be able to retrieve it as well as ensure that it's not caused any undo irritation to his esophagus as it went down. If it has been over 30 minutes or so, it may be too late to try and get it back. It can take 24-48 hours before we can start to see signs of a blockage. You could head into the vet in roughly 24 hours to have an xray taken to try and track the progress of the earring as it moves through. The good news is that metal objects tend to show up really brightly on an xray, so they should be able to easily see it and guage how easily it is passing. The bad news is that if it is not passing, they will have to remove it surgically. If at any point your boy starts to vomit, stops eating/drinking, gets restless or seems painful, grows really lethargic, or is straining to have a bowel movement, he needs to go into a vet clinic immediately. Once an obstruction develops, it becomes an emergency and can be life-threatening if not treated immediately. Depending on what type of metal the earring is made from, some heavy metals can be toxic to animals. While they don't absorb the metal, or even break it down very well, if it sits in the stomach for a long period without passing, certain metals will gradually leech into their systems, leading to a metal poisoning. So if you're not seeing it pass in 24-48 hours if you choose to bulk, head into the clinic anyway, even if you are not seeing any of the above signs.