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Why is my newborn kitten eating and peeing so much but not pooping?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | 6 days old

I have a kitten that was abandoned, is 6 days old and wants to eat every hour and eats a lot, is that normal? He also urinates a lot but I can't make him poop

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on April 9th, 2020

Kittens need to eat frequently! What goes in must come out, and on a liquid diet it will be mostly urine. You need to rub and rub and rub the anus with a warm wet washcloth to stimulate defecation. This is a great article on raising orphan kittens: https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951456

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Sara Farmer, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on August 7th, 2017
Kittens need to be stimulated to poop: take a warm washcloth and gently rub her anal opening and she should defecate. Kittens who are bottle fed formula will sometimes become constipated, so if she goes another 24 hours without defecating you should see a veterinarian to see if she may be constipated. Kittens typically defecate after each feeding.

Here is a link to some good information on raising orphan kittens:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=576
13Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Joy Fuhrman, DVM, MBA, CPA
Veterinarian
Published on May 21st, 2018
It sounds like you are doing all the right things. But just in case, here is a link to information on how to hand rear orphaned kittens: https://www.2ndchance.info/orphankitten.htm

If you are feeding and stimulating them according to these direction and they do not urinate or defecate for another 24 hours then you will need to take them back to the veterinarian.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Davis
Veterinarian
Published on April 16th, 2018
Please clean the rectal area with a warm wet cloth. That will help her to poop. If not you can tickle the anus with a q-tip dipped in Vaseline. For feeding use kitten milk replacer with a nursing bottle. You should feed every few hours during the day, and once in the night. It’s important to keep the little kitten warm and fed. Kittens that get cold and don’t have good nutrition can get weak quickly and die. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for your kitten.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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Related Questions

My 2-week-old abandoned kitten isn't eating enough or pooping. Help!

Hi there and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! A 2 week old kitten will need to eat around 7mLs of milk replacer every couple of hours. Tonto will likely defecate more frequently when he starts eats more and more frequently. Keep with the warm wash cloth method to help stimulate him to urinate and defecate until he can manage to do this on his own. I hope this helps!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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My 3-week-old bottle-fed kittens aren't pooping. How do I keep them warm?

[Kittens ](https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-raise-orphan-kittens)on formula or mother's [milk](https://www.petcoach.co/article/the-constituents-that-make-up-milk-for-cats/) will still have bowel movements, however it may tend to be more watery or liquid rather than the solid movements of a cat on solid food. Mother cats will lick a kitten's bottom to stimulate defecation and urination, and this can be done by a foster parent by using a warm wet washcloth to gently rub their bottoms to stimulate a bowel movement. If the kittens are still unable to go, speaking with or scheduling an appointment with your local vet is best. For keeping [kittens](https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-myths-about-kittens) warm during feeding, you can create a little kitten "burrito" by wrapping them in a warm towel or blanket. This will help them to retain their body heat while drinking. Making sure the kitten formula is also slightly warmed up will help prevent a decrease in body temperature.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Food & Nutrition

My new kitten won't eat or poop. Is it too young for solid food?

If the kitten is only 15 days old it should be on a completely liquid diet of formula (KMR or another kitten replacer) as it is way too young to be eating any solid food. Once the kitten is about a month old you can start to introduce solid foods such as wet kitten food mixed with a slurry of the formula and then start weaning to more solid foods from there. The kitten likely also doesn't know how to properly use the bathroom yet, so using a warm washcloth on its bottom can help stimulate it to go much like a mother cat would do. Once it is a bit older you can start bringing it to a litter box as well. Check out this article on orphaned kitten care that may help you more: https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-raise-orphan-kittens/

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My new 5-month-old kitten isn't pooping. Could he be constipated?

Young kittens will normally toilet frequently, often up to 6 times a day but I would be very concerned by repeated trips to the tray without producing anything as this may indicate an obstruction or severe spasm and inflammation which is quite common in cats and can be triggered by stressful events such as moving house. I recommend an urgent vet check to determine if he is constipated or bladder pain and to prescribe the most appropriate treatment and ongoing management to prevent recurrence. In the meantime I would try to encourage fluids with flavoured water (freshly boiled chicken broth or a little cod liver oil on the water bowl) and provide wet food to maximise fluid intake which can help soften stool and flush the bladder

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Food & Nutrition

My 8-week-old kitten isn't pooping. Is this normal for a new kitten?

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You should offer a small amount of food about 3-4 times daily and in really small kittens, every few hours might be needed. Eliminations and the frequency thereof, are dependent on many things depending on food intake, type of food, water intake etc. As long as she is not straining and trying to poop, it could be up to another 24-36 hours. She is getting accustomed to her new and that is probably slowing up the fecal elimination process. Again, no straining to have a bowel movement usually means that everything is ok, especially if the kitten is eating and drinking normally. Just keep monitoring for a bowel movement and monitor behavior, appetite, etc. If things change and you are unsure have your veterinarian evaluate the kitten. I hope everything works out ok.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Food & Nutrition

My orphaned 4-week-old kittens won't eat or poop. What can I do?

I'm sorry to hear you're struggling with the kittens! At 4-weeks they should be starting to get a little interested in wet food, so continuing to try the slurry should help. You can put a little on a spoon or on their noses to see if they will lick it off to encourage them to try it. Keeping the formula warmed and feeding them on their stomachs (in the same position they'd be in when nursing from mom) may also help them recognize you are trying to feed them. If they're not on solid foods yet, they may not have a whole lot in the way of stool production, and any stool they produce may be very liquidy still. It's a good idea to bring them to the vet anyway, especially if orphaned, as they may need to start getting vaccinations sooner to account for the loss of mom's natural antibodies, and your vet can examine them, deworm them, and treat any issues as needed. This article about orphaned kittens may also help as well as it has feeding schedules, etc. https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-raise-orphan-kittens/

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My 3-week-old kitten isn't peeing or pooping. What should I do?

Now that she is 3-4 weeks old she may be peeing or pooping without your knowledge. Go ahead and start teaching her the litter box but make sure it is small enough that she can get in and out. If you haven't already I would also start weaning her to cat food. At first you will still have to supplement with formula but you start by putting all for feet in canned food on a paper plate. Soon she will start eating that. And once she gets a little older, approximately 6 week, you can start adding softened kibble. The fact that she is still playful and acting normally, I do not think she is block and not urinating or pooping. Usually they will become lethargic. If you still haven't see any irons or poop in the next day or she becomes lethargic then I would see your vet for an exam. They will be able to tell if she is constipated or if the bladder is really large. I hope this helps!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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