Why is my 3-month-old kitten twitching, lethargic, and has diarrhea?

He needs to be seen by a veterinarian for a wellness exam. He may not be able to poop and may be constipated, or he had so many worms that all the dead worms are making him ill. Keep him warm, entice him to drink water, and should he deteriorate he needs to be seen at a petER tonight.

No, this is not normal. Not eating is very abnormal in young kittens. Most common reasons for the behavior you described is viral disease and internal parasites. Other options are trauma (like he fell and hurt himself) and intestinal obstruction. Milo really needs to be assessed by a veterinarian as soon as possible.

Considering his age and the signs you described, I would be concerned and recommend an immediate check up. Differentials are many, from gastrointestinal diseases (infection/inflammations often dietary related) to any disease that can spread systemically (causing lethargy for example) like infection, and anything that can cause pain/discomfort. 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. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Hello. You should take the kitten in to be evaluated as soon as possible. Fleas do carry diseases that can infect cats & kittens, & if there are enough fleas, can actually cause anemia. If the kitten has not been wormed, then the presence of intestinal parasites such as roundworms can weaken a kitten further. Other infections/conditions are possible, so I do hope you can have him evaluated by your veterinarian soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Simba. I recommend that he sees a veterinarian. His veterinarian will start by assessing a stool sample. Parasites and other infectious causes are very common in kittens. Treatment to make him feel better is based on these results as well as his physical exam findings. It is worrisome that he has not been very active. Kittens should be very playful. I hope this information helps!

Poor Snow! If he has no energy and can't even stand up, this is a very serious problem - he needs to see an emergency vet immediately. This would not be caused by withholding food for 10 hours; severe lethargy or weakness like this is generally a sign of a serious illness such as feline panleukopenia. Your vet can do some diagnostic testing to help determine what's wrong and get him started on appropriate treatment. I would recommend taking him to see the vet right now, as this may be a life-threatening problem.

It sounds like he is getting sick. Without additional clinical signs it is hard to say exactly what is causing his lethargy and decreased appetite but he could be starting with a respiratory virus or a gastrointestinal virus. He could also have parasites that need to be treated. If it continues than he should be examined by a vet to determine the cause. Your vet can run lab work to help diagnose and then determine the best way to treat. If he is unvaccinated, please discuss a vaccine plan with your vet once he has recovered from this illness.