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Why is my week-old kitten's poop brown and stinky? What should I do?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Female | unspayed | 8 days old | 0.5 lbs

My week old kitten is pooping it's like brown and stinks is that normal also what should I do now to help her grow older as she just turned a week old

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Stephanie Echols, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on August 8th, 2017

If your kitten doesn't have a mother to feed her, you need to feed a formula made for kitten (KMR). You need to feed by a bottle every 2-4 hours and then wipe her bottom after wth a wet cloth to stimulate her to poop and pee. Make sure she stays warm because she cannot regulate her temperature. In another week you can start giving a dewormer for round worms and hook worms (follow the instructions on the bottle). At 8 weeks, she needs to see a vet to start vaccines. Good luck and congrats on you new baby!

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA
Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist
It is possible that she has intestinal parasites, GI bacterial overgrowth, or dietary intolerance. I would recommend an over the counter pet dewormer and a pet probiotic. Also, make sure that you are feeding her an appropriate kitten milk replacer so she is getting the proper nutrition. If she continues to have diarrhea for longer than 48hours, she should see a vet for evaluation. There are some intestinal parasites that need prescription medications.
0Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS
Veterinarian
Published on May 18th, 2018
How lovely of you to take Roo in and look after her! It could be that you are making the KMR too concentrated and that is causing her to not poop. Try adding a bit more milk to the KMR and see if that helps. If it doesn't, you will need to take her into a vet as soon as possible for further treatment.

Given that she is four weeks old, you can also start weaning her onto kitten food. To help her wean and to get used to dry food, I would soak a high quality kitten formulated dry food in warm water until soft. Then mix that with the KMR to make a mush the consistency of oatmeal. Over the next two weeks, gradually increase the amount of dry kitten food and decrease the amount of water and KMR you use until she is eating the dry kitten food only. Best of luck, I hope this helps.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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Related Questions

How often should a 3-week-old kitten poop? She hasn't gone in days.

3 weeks is very young. Under normal circumstances a kitten should be with its mommy until it is 10 to 12 weeks old. Your kitten will still need to be fed with kitten milk (bottle feeding). You can get a bottle and Kitten milk at a large supermarket or your vet;s office. At three weeks, the mother still licks and stimulates the kittens genitals and anus to entice it to urinate and defecate. She then removes the urine and feces. You will need to do this with a soft tissue moistened with warm water every time you feed her. At 3 weeks of age she should be fed every 4 hours. Once she is around 4 to 5 weeks old you can offer her canned kitten food in addition to the milk. Here is extensive information on raising a kitten: http://animalalliancenyc.org/feralcats/tnr-colony-care-resources/managing-kittens/raising-orphaned-kittens/

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

I found a newborn kitten, what should its first poop look like?

Newborn poop can look like this and can normally be different colors and consistency. They eventually have more normal appearing stools after 2-4 weeks. For appropriate care of an orphaned kitten, I recommend you read the article at the following link: https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/feeding-orphaned-kittens I hope that helps and all is well with the kitten.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Food & Nutrition

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

Health & Wellness

My 2-week-old kitten on KMR isn't pooping. How long can I safely wait?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Boba. As long as she is eating, gaining weight and seems comfortable, she should defecate soon. Make sure you are stimulating her after each meal. Apply a warm cotton ball to her genital area. This replicates the mother licking her and will help her to urinate and defecate. If she stops eating or her belly appears distended, then she needs to see a veterinarian. In this case, an enema may be warranted. I hope this information helps!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Food & Nutrition

My 7-week-old kitten's poop smells really bad. What could be the cause?

I recommend to stop giving him milk as that could be upsetting the intestinal flora. Kittens are weaned around this age or earlier. I also recommend to have the stool checked for worms and coccidia as these parasites will also cause a foul smelling stool. Please feel free to post any additional questions.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

My rescued kitten isn't pooping and has brown spots. What should I do?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Orpaned kittens should be bottle fed kitten formula until 3 weeks of age. At 3 weeks you should start canned kitten food and have them off the formula by 5 weeks. Formula is very constipating. I would dilute the formula with water or change brands or mix 2 brands together. You need to stimulate her to urinate and defecate after each bottle feeding, which should be every 2-3 hours, with a warm soft cotton ball. Constipation can be very serious in new born puppies and kittens. Fleas are light brown and move around. If you can post a picture that would help us tell what they are. Since she is so young I recommend using a fine tooth comb and manually removing what you are seeing. She is too young for flea medications or flea baths. I wish you and Sasha the best!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My 1-month-old kitten hasn't pooped in a week. What should I do?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Kachie! Constipation is serious in pediatric puppies and kittens. Since it has been a week I urge you to take Katchie to the Vet and see if an enema is needed. Kitten milk replacer/formula commonly causes GI problems, either diarrhea or constipation. After every bottle feeding the kitten needs to be stimulated with a warm wet soft washcloth over the anus and genitals. I always recommend bottle fed kittens be weaned sooner, around 3 weeks. So I would start offering canned kitten food mixed with formula and decrease bottle feeding. By 5 weeks she should be off formula and eating kitten food 100%. I wish Kachie the best!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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