# My kitten won't poop!!



## AmyC (Apr 19, 2011)

Hi everyone

On Saturday I became the very proud owner of a very beautiful kitten named Darcy. She is 7 weeks old. 

She seems to have settled into her new home very well and is a very playful and loving little kitten. She eats well and has had a few weewee's in places that she shouldn't which we are working on BUT, she's not yet done a poop!

This doesn't seem right to me and is starting to cause me some concerns. She has a litter tray that she can easily get in and out of and it is situated in a quiet place away from her food. It has shredded paper in, not proper litter. 

Can anyone help me please? Is this normal? Do I just need to bear with it or try something else?

Thank you x


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## gloworm*mushroom (Mar 4, 2011)

Firstly you shoudnt have her at 7 weeks, it is ridiculously too young. The recommended age is 12 weeks, 8 is bare minimum. 7 is just wrong.

Anyway, you have her now and her not toiletting is a big issue. Is she eating ok? What is she eating?


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## jenny armour (Feb 28, 2010)

if you are concerned i would take her to the vet as she is still very young. might be an idea to get her checked over anyway. what is she being fed on? does her tummy feel hard?


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## dougal22 (Jun 18, 2010)

AmyC said:


> Hi everyone
> 
> On Saturday I became the very proud owner of a very beautiful kitten named Darcy. She is 7 weeks old.
> 
> ...


Hello and welcome to PF 

This advice may not be what you want to hear, but you really do need to take your kitten to the vet ASAP. A kitten of 7 weeks is too young to be away from its mother and siblings, so it's not surprising she is peeing in inappropriate places either. But, the fact that she's eating fine, but not opening her bowels would ring alarm bells for me. Please do not just 'bear with it', take her along to the vet.

Is there any particular reason that you're not using cat litter? Did the 'breeder' use shredded paper?


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## Aurelia (Apr 29, 2010)

Please call your vet this evening for advice, with a view to taking your kitten in tonight for a check over to make sure it's nothing serious ... which I hope for your kittens sake it isn't 

Your kitten is far too young to be away from it's mother


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## gloworm*mushroom (Mar 4, 2011)

User has gone offline, I hope to the vets....


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## dougal22 (Jun 18, 2010)

gloworm*mushroom said:


> User has gone offline, I hope to the vets....


They went offline pretty soon after posting, so I don't think they'd have seen the replies.


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## gloworm*mushroom (Mar 4, 2011)

dougal22 said:


> They went offline pretty soon after posting, so I don't think they'd have seen the replies.


My stalker skills saw them in general chat, at least after my post, so hopefully they havent just signed off without reading.

Do people really do that, make a post about their concerns and leave? Seems counter productive...


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## dougal22 (Jun 18, 2010)

gloworm*mushroom said:


> *My stalker skills *saw them in general chat, at least after my post, so hopefully they havent just signed off without reading.
> 
> Do people really do that, make a post about their concerns and leave? Seems counter productive...


GMTA ^^^^. I saw the same thing myself.

And your question about making a post and leave. Sadly, it happens all the time. I hope in this instance the OP has gone to the vet, or at least rang the vet.


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## AmyC (Apr 19, 2011)

Thank you all very much for your replies. I did log off but expected to receive email notifications when I received a response. Clearly that didnt happen. 

I did have a feeling that she was too young but the breeder said that she was ready to leave as she had started to feed on her own which I assumed to be a sure sign she was ready. I will most definitely be ringing the vets asap.

She is eating Felix kitten food and drinking kitten milk. She eats fine, about a sachet a day and her tummy doesn't feel hard. She will go to her tray to wee, misses occasionally, but there is still no sign of a poop yet.

The breeder used shredded paper and actually gave us the litter tray so I assumed that she must have been using it there. 

Again, thank you very much for you help. I love her to bits and really want to do the best by her which is why I joined here for some help. She will be going to the vets tonight and I will keep you posted. 

Thank you x


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## Jenny1966 (Feb 7, 2011)

Congratulations on your new baby 

Hopefully a trip to the vet will put your mind at rest x


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## AmyC (Apr 19, 2011)

According to the vet she is simply not ready yet! No signs of constipation as her tummy felt fine and her eating habits were good. 

She did suggest buying another litter tray and using some litter instead of shredded paper in case she doesn't like her current tray. Having two just gives her that choice and will help her decide what she likes when she is ready. 

Thanks again to those who have provided the positive and helpful comments. I'll just have to keep a close eye on her and I'm sure the fun will begin when she does start to go!


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## Jenny1966 (Feb 7, 2011)

Good luck 

Am sure she will be pooping for England before you know it!


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## Aurelia (Apr 29, 2010)

AmyC said:


> According to the vet she is simply not ready yet! No signs of constipation as her tummy felt fine and her eating habits were good.
> 
> She did suggest buying another litter tray and using some litter instead of shredded paper in case she doesn't like her current tray. Having two just gives her that choice and will help her decide what she likes when she is ready.
> 
> Thanks again to those who have provided the positive and helpful comments. I'll just have to keep a close eye on her and I'm sure the fun will begin when she does start to go!


Amy on reading you previous post I think it's become obvious why she's not pooped yet ... she's not eating much  1 sachet of Felix is really not enough, I'd be expecting a kitten of her age to ideally be eating about 4+ times more than that.

Are you providing her with food all day if she wants it? Kittens really should be fed as much as they want  Also kitten milk is supposed to be an occasional treat ... and to be honest I rarely (maybe once a year if that) give it to my girls as they can get so much more from decent food 

I'm sure if she eats more the pooping will commence :scared:


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## gloworm*mushroom (Mar 4, 2011)

1 sachet? My kittens were eating the equiv of at least 4, theyd probably eat ten if I let them!


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## dougal22 (Jun 18, 2010)

AmyC said:


> According to the vet she is simply not ready yet! No signs of constipation as her tummy felt fine and her eating habits were good.
> 
> She did suggest buying another litter tray and using some litter instead of shredded paper in case she doesn't like her current tray. Having two just gives her that choice and will help her decide what she likes when she is ready.
> 
> Thanks again to those who have provided the positive and helpful comments. I'll just have to keep a close eye on her and I'm sure the fun will begin when she does start to go!


Glad to read you took your kitten to the vet and that she's not constipated. But, I agree with other members, it sounds like you're not feeding her enough. Pouches on average contain 100g of food. That's around a quarter of a kitten's daily wet food requirement. Isn't your kitten pestering you for food all day? Is Felix the food the breeder fed her on? And did the breeder only give her one pouch per day?

How heavy is your kitten?


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

Hi AmyC,
Some great advice from members above.....
I am a great respect for vets, but sometimes in matters of general 'house-keeping' as it were, then they can be somewhat remiss! So for matters of what and how much to feed a kitten I think you have been pointed in the right direction here.
Just one other suggestion.....you could try stimulating her to open her bowels by gently wiping her bottom with a warm damp wash cloth just after she has eaten. I know this is what the mum cat would do, and although it may be something more often used with younger orphaned kittens, it could well help your situation.


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## gobubbles (Oct 14, 2010)

Just wanted to reassure Amy regarding food quantities. My Buffy would only eat approx one pouch a day at first, certainly until I swapped Felix for Grau at least. Now I have to be careful that she doesn't eat too much Grau!


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## AmyC (Apr 19, 2011)

We have poop!!!

Yesterday she started and she's done more today so I'd like to think that things are ok. AND, today's was in the litter tray (with the shredded paper) so that's even better!

With regards to the food she's always got plenty available to her but I think she only likes to eat when we're with her so, with her only being really young, we're taking her to her food every few hours just to make sure she's eating. We then put her in her litter tray straight away and that seems to have helped.

It's like having a baby! I think I'm a worrier when it comes to her but I just want to make sure I'm doing everything right. The advice on here has been so helpful, thank you!x


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## AmyC (Apr 19, 2011)

dougal22 said:


> Glad to read you took your kitten to the vet and that she's not constipated. But, I agree with other members, it sounds like you're not feeding her enough. Pouches on average contain 100g of food. That's around a quarter of a kitten's daily wet food requirement. Isn't your kitten pestering you for food all day? Is Felix the food the breeder fed her on? And did the breeder only give her one pouch per day?
> 
> How heavy is your kitten?


Hi Dougal and thank you for your comment.

Yes, her breeder said one sachet a day which is what we stuck too. She was being fed ASDA own brand but we got her Felix simply because we think it is better! She is eating more now. She doesn't pester for food at all but taking her to her bowl and staying with her is definitely helping. She has a few mouthfulls of food and then sips her water. That is usually what happens every few hours or so.

She is pooping now so I'm so relieved! As for her weight, I havent weighed her. Should I do this?

Thank you again for your comment :smile:


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## Sacrechat (Feb 27, 2011)

Congratulations on your new baby. I'm glad she's pooping now. I suppose your next step is to try and get her eating more than she has been doing.

I know others have mentioned that she is a little young to have left her mother but now you have her, you have to make the best of it. I hope all goes well for you.


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## honeysmummy (Oct 17, 2010)

Hi Amyc and welcome. Really glad your little one has
started to use the litter tray. There is nothing wrong 
with worrying too much about your little kitty, we are
all the same, hence why we are all addicted to the forum 

I am quite suprised your vet didn't weight your kitten if she didn't
and you have no means to at home then you could always pop back

Hoping vet gave you advice about worming and flea treatments

From 8 wks kittens should be wormed and flead every month with an on the spot treatment and every 3 mths a specific wormer 
to treat all nasty tummy parasites. 

Vaccinations are normally at 9 and 11 wks.... Apologies
if you have already been told this... typing this from
my phone as my Internet server is being upgraded

As for food... Have a look at A-Z food lists by forum member
Hobbs on cat health and nutrition... It's an eye opener!!
I switched foods after reading this

Hoping your new fur baby is settling in... I know she 
is young and it's not ideal, I had my 2nd kitten 2wks too young
I believe after being mislead by a breeder, had a few teething 
problems. 

However now I see her playing with her big sister 
Honey and cuddling up between OH and my pillow at night
I know we are doing a good job by our little one

Keep us posted , can't wait to see piccies

Kelly xx
at night


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## dougal22 (Jun 18, 2010)

AmyC said:


> Hi Dougal and thank you for your comment.
> 
> Yes, her breeder said one sachet a day which is what we stuck too. She was being fed ASDA own brand but we got her Felix simply because we think it is better! She is eating more now. She doesn't pester for food at all but taking her to her bowl and staying with her is definitely helping. She has a few mouthfulls of food and then sips her water. That is usually what happens every few hours or so.
> 
> ...


I'm not sure about Felix being better than Asda's own, so I can't advise on that, but Felix isn't one of the best foods around. Would you consider a change of food, one with a higher meat content? If so, please have a look at the links at the bottom of my post which give great advice on both wet and dry foods. If you're open to a change of food, you will have to make the transition slowly to avoid an upset tum, so please post back and we can advise more on this if you want to change.

With regards to your kitten's weight, you need to ensure that she is gaining, and I'd recommend weighing her once a week, with a view to her gaining around 100 grams per wk. A basic rule of thumb is for a kitten to weigh 100 grams for every week of their age. So, your kitten being 7 weeks old should weigh around 700 grams. It's not a hard and fast rule, but a useful guideline. It's great if your kitten is over that weight, but if she's under, then perhaps she does need to be encouraged to eat more, and to do this, a change of food may help.

Great news that she's finally had a poo 

http://www.petforums.co.uk/cat-health-nutrition/116753-z-dry-food-cats.html
http://www.petforums.co.uk/cat-health-nutrition/112132-z-wet-food-cats.html


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## AmyC (Apr 19, 2011)

gobubbles said:


> Just wanted to reassure Amy regarding food quantities. My Buffy would only eat approx one pouch a day at first, certainly until I swapped Felix for Grau at least. Now I have to be careful that she doesn't eat too much Grau!


Thank you! X


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## Guest (Apr 21, 2011)

Right - confession time. 

I saw this thread go up the other day and I was so worried I couldn't bring myself to read it 

I'm SO relieved she's coming along well and though you've been given brilliant advice and have advice from some very knowledgeable people, I still wanted to add a little 'yey!'

So..yey!

Em
xx


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## $hAzZa (May 2, 2010)

You can now enjoy the smell of kitten poop hitting your nostrils:eek6:


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## gobubbles (Oct 14, 2010)

And we now need piccies of pooping Darcy! Well, maybe not necessarily in the act itself...


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