My 6 day old kittens have yet to have a bowel movement...What do I do?

Question

On sunday my mom found 3 abandoned kittens in her back yard and I've been taking care of them for the past 2 days. They seem to be about 4 days old when I got them. They are eating well and gaining weight for me and even peeing (when stimulated) but no matter how much I rub their butts, none of them will p**p! Should I be worried?

Answer 1

they dont p**p very often as babies... dip your cloth in warm water and dont rub hard cause that can cause a rash... they sound like they are doing well...i raised some myself...so be prepared not all hand raised kittens survive because their mom has a certain type of milk that increases their immune systems..with out the moms milk their immune systems are very low...keep them warm. good luck!

Answer 2

I agree with the answer below. youcan also stimulate them with a little warm vaseline....sounds gross but it will work. also try eye droppers to feed them and make sure you feed them ever 1-2 hrs. what kind of milk are you feeding them? you must be prepared that they all may not survive and I myself get attached to kittens very easily. keep them wrapped in a blanket inside of a box and maybe put a heating pad on low underneath the box for extra warmth if they seem cold. if  they still aren't pooping, just try warm water at their bottoms a few times a day, something like a very tiny e***a....but they aren't humans and they won't go right away. some of my babies haven't use they bathroom for the first week, so don't panic yet, as long as they are releasing urine. if you know of a mother cat that is nursing she would take the kittens in and nurse them. You may want to call the Human Society or Animal Shelter and see if they will take the kittens and let them nurse on a mother that they have there so the kittens will survive. Cats will hesitate at first, but then they will love on any kitten and let them nurse. Then if you want, they Animal Shelter or Humane Society will call you when the kittens are old enough to be adopted and give you first chance at adopting them. Good Luck and if I were you I'd find a mother cat to care for them.

Answer 3

Trish said it well.  

Use a soft cotton ball to avoid some irritation.  However, I feel they should be having more stool - especially as they are getting older.  I hope you are only feeding a good kitten formula like kmr.  NOT milk.  

Getting them to urinate is always easier.  But you need to keep working on the bowl movement.  Do not give up after a few minutes.  They can become impacted.  You want the abdomen to remain soft and flaccid.  Never hard or distended.

Keep up the good work!!  :)