How to help a 7-week-old kitten with a swollen belly that can't poop?

I would recommend an immediate check up to determine the underlying cause of the swelling. Gastrointestinal parasites are common but other causes like feline peritonitis infection can be present as well. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Poor Lucky! There are several causes for a swollen abdomen like parasites and fluid in the abdomen. I would have your vet take a look at him as soon as you can to see what the cause is. If there is fluid in the abdomen, it could be a serious condition that needs to be treated. It could also be FIP which isn't treatable but he needs to be seen to be diagnosed. Hopefully, since he is still eating, he just has some intestinal parasites which your vet can easily treat. I hope this helps and he feels better really soon.

My biggest immediate concern would be for intestinal parasites. Most kittens have them, and if she hasn't seen a vet yet and been dewormed, she needs to. She's suffering pretty significant fluid losses for a tiny creature. Make an appointment tomorrow, and bring a stool sample with you, so that the type of parasite can be determined and appropriate treatment started.

I'm so sorry to hear of your little Cutey's condition. Unfortunately in this situation there is not a lot of home care that we can recommend. If the kitten is not using the bathroom or eating or drinking, these are all grave signs of a poor prognosis. It could be that the kitten has a congenital (present from birth) anomaly that is just now presenting itself (example atresia ani where no true rectal opening is present, and this binds the fecal matter to within the body and causes a very distended abdomen). If it has progressed to this state already, the kitten may also be septic (have an infection that has spread through the body), especially if there is a rupture or perforation. The only thing I can suggest would be to make sure the kitten isn't hypoglycemic (low blood sugar)-you can use a bit of syrup syringed into the mouth (a very small amount...think about a half a teaspoon). I am so sorry for not being able to suggest any further home care, but this little one truly needs veterinary intervention or it will likely be fatal.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Yoda! Yoda could have intestinal parasites, that can cause a swollen belly and are very common in kittens. Signs of constipation are straining to defecate, vomiting and not eating. A swollen belly isn't necessarily a sign of constipation. The use of miralax is off label use and 1 tsp is too much for a 1 lb kitten. For adults we only recommend 1/4 tsp when recommend by a vet who has examined the pet. If Yoda wasn't straining to poop he likely wasn't constipated and now the miralax is causing diarrhea. If the diarrhea persists and he stops eating I recommend seeing a Vet. He will need vaccines and to be dewormed soon anyway. I hope this helps and I wish Yoda the best!

She likely has a viral infection that is causing all the discharge. You can use a warm wet washcloth the help her stay clean, and a round of prescription antibiotics and eye ointment may be needed. Her large belly is probably due to intestinal parasites, though there are a few congenital causes that may be at play. I will warn you, that sometimes these kittens will lose an eye from the infection, and will likely have chronic infections over their lives.

Poor kitten! Thank you for taking such good care of it. I suggest you take the kitten to a veterinarian for an exam to make sure all is well with it.. It will probably need worming as well. The vet can also give it an enema to resolve the constipation.