Kittens often need their mother’s help to pass stool and urinate. This usually involves gently stimulating the kitten’s tummy or backside to ease its muscles from passing stool. But what should you do if your kitten won’t poop even when stimulated? Should you keep on stimulating or give it a few minutes break before trying again? Or maybe let it be and let it poop in its own time? You should know basics of why kitten won’t poop when stimulated.
If you are facing this situation, then this article will help you figure out what you should do and how you should take care of your kitten in the best way possible.
Why your kitten won’t poop when stimulated
As you know, a young kitten should ideally poop at least once or twice a day. Any more or less than that can be concerning.
It is quite common to not even notice that your kitten isn’t pooping for a few days, since trained cats usually go to the litter box habitually and poop without any issues.
However, if you clear out the litter box and haven’t noticed poop among the flaky litter for a few days, then you will need to step in and take appropriate measures to make sure that your cat is pooping on time.
This can be due to various reasons like digestive problems, dietary complications, as well as lack of certain vitamins in the kitten’s body which are vital for a newborn. Also, it may just be constipated.
But first, let’s look into more detail as to why your kitten won’t poop when stimulated.
Reasons why kitten has difficulty when pooping
Hairballs
Cats’ bodies are adapted to receiving lots of hair through cats’ grooming addiction.
However, this adaptation is not instilled in them by birth; their small bodies slowly adapt to get rid of the hair without causing damage to their bodily functions.
So when small kittens groom themselves, they swallow a lot of hair which forms hairballs in the body. Since the kitten’s digestive system is very delicate, hairballs can disrupt the flow and cause problems in the functions taking place effectively.
To keep this from happening, you should use a good-quality brush to gently brush your kitten’s hair at least 1 to 2 times a day, collect the hair, and dispose of it.
Regular fur trimmings are also recommended for furry breeds.
Lack of fiber
Fiber plays a very important role in a kitten’s body. It doesn’t get digested in the body. Instead, it acts as a carrier to help food pass more quickly and easily through the stomach and intestines.
It ends up leaving the body with poop and reduces the stress on digestive muscles in the cat’s body.
A rich fiber diet is vital for young kittens, especially newly-born kittens because they can’t poop with ease. High fiber will ensure that even with little stimulation the poop will leave the body.
Lack of fiber can cause pain to your kitten and difficulty in pooping even after stimulation.
Lack of properly balanced diet
In their early days, kittens are fed by their mothers, but as they grow older and leave their litter to find new homes, they are often not given the diet they need to thrive.
Having a proper diet with the right amount of nutrients is important so the cat can grow properly. Ideally, cats should be feeding on wet food and gradually switch to canned food.
Giving them adult cat food can cause complications in their body and can even lead to constipation.
You should aim to feed your cat a proper proportion of food at least 2-3 times a day. Keeping a feeding bowl in different locations in your home helps the cat eat more often.
Gastrointestinal Complications
Young kittens often need to be guided about not ingesting random materials around the house.
If they do, these materials can cause blockage in the digestive tracts, cause choking and lead to difficulty in pooping after stimulation.
If you are not sure whether your kitten has ingested any such material, you should immediately take your kitten to the vet and have a colonoscopy done.
Some kittens also show other symptoms like fever, laziness, and vomiting, etc. so you should look out for these too if your kitten isn’t pooping at all.
Other infections or diseases
There can be other smaller issues contributing to your kitten not pooping after stimulation that you should be aware of.
One of the very common problems is worm infestation. This causes constipation in the kitten’s body and the kitten has to exert extra pressure to excrete, which can exhaust its little body.
Another problem is having feline megacolon. This is a disease that causes some of the poop to harden up in the large intestine, causing double the exertion and pain while pooping on the kitten.
Sometimes, this may have to be taken care of surgically, so if your cat puts in extra effort and pressure to poop, it may be time to have a serious conversation with your vet to discuss surgery.
How to know if your kitten is constipated
Most of the time (aside from the points we’ve mentioned above), your kitten has difficulty pooping after stimulation because of constipation.
If the constipation is very severe, then chances are your cat will face a lot of pain while trying to excrete the poop.
Moreover, if you haven’t seen your cat poop within 2-3 days, then it may just be constipated.
The common signs of a constipated kitten are as follows:
- Walks funny
- Weight Loss
- Very hard poop
- Bloated tummy with a firm substance inside
- No appetite
- Kitten trying to stay away from the litter box altogether
- Spends large amounts of time training to let the poop out
There are also other minor symptoms that can help indicate signs of constipation, such as kitten hiding because of vulnerability, feeling nauseous, and peeing in large amounts without drinking lots of water.
If you notice any of these signs and are almost confirmed that your cat has constipation, go to your vet immediately for your kitten’s treatment and medications.
How to fix this problem?
To relieve your cat from the pain, you can try different remedies for constipation.
It is advised to get a professionals’ opinion for personalized advice based on your kitten.
Rest assured, these methods are likely to allow your cat to poop comfortably after stimulation.
Lubrication
Olive oil is known to help cats and kittens pass stool easily.
One way to fix constipation is to Incorporate a few drops of olive oil into your kitten’s diet. Your vet should be able to tell you the appropriate amount based on your kitten’s age and breed.
Make sure you don’t add a lot of olive oil, or it could cause severe diarrhea in your kitten.
Medication
If constipation continues, your vet may prescribe some sort of medication to ease the pooping process.
He/she may give you some numbing cream to apply on the kitten’s backside to help with the soreness.
You may also have been given some other medications related to any disease your kitten has or even be recommended surgery if needed.
Stay hydrated
Water makes up around 70% of a kitten’s body. Logically, your cat should have a good amount of water to function actively throughout the day.
Bodily functions cannot take place without sufficient water, so if you want to fix constipation, your cat should have enough water.
You should place different bowls of water around the house so your kitten is reminded to have water often.
Injecting fluids into the body
If your kitten has become very weak due and fatigued due to its constipation, so much that it is unable to move, your kitten may have to be injected with fluids.
This would require injecting a needle in a muscular tissue area of your cat and transferring the fluid.
Soon after injecting this fluid, your cat should immediately feel better and eventually poop with little stimulation.
Addition of fiber in the diet
Some vets recommend adding a fiber substance to the kitten’s diet.
For this, pumpkin pureé is used and it helps the food pass through the body with ease. It will also help easy peristalsis through the large intestine and rectum, allowing the kitten to poop with ease.
Hopefully, after adding fiber to the kitten’s diet, you should see drastic improvements in its constipation.
Conclusion
Finally, there may be instances where your kitten won’t poop when stimulated, but that doesn’t have to be worrying,
Different reasons can cause constipation in kittens, such as lack of fiber, improper diet, or disease/illness of some sort.
We have also mentioned the symptoms your kitten will show if it has constipation. As the owner of your feline friend, you should be able to analyze any unusual behavior and report to the vet if needed.
Lastly, newborn kittens are very delicate and need good care and attention. If you are not sure about what to do if your kitten still isn’t pooping, then do not hesitate to contact the vet as soon as possible.