4day old kitten

Question
I have a 4day old kitten I am bottle feeding with kmr kitten replace and it's poop is mustard colored and runny is this normal or is it diarrhea and how do I treat it  also what cause this?

Answer
Chantelle,

It's not uncommon for very young kittens to have mustard colored poop. Consistency will vary based on a couple of things:

1) Whether or not the kitten is being stimulated to poop regularly (believe it or not they can retain a surprising amount of poop and end up with an "overflow" type situation where the poop comes out softer than usual). The kitten should be stimulated to eliminate after each feed - I prefer to use all natural, unscented baby wipes as they are disposable and hygienic but you can use face clothes moistened with warm water if you prefer to keep things as close to mom as possible.

2) How often a kitten is being fed - some kittens do better eating smaller amounts more frequently rather than the larger amounts less frequently, so you may want to try feeding every 2 hours vs every 4.

3) What situation the kitten came from. If the kitten came from unknown circumstances without a mom then it's possible that this baby may need some time to adapt to formula. If the kitten is with mom but getting supplemental feeds then I wouldn't worry too much.

My suggestion at this point would be to buy a powdered probiotic supplement (Swiss Formula makes an inexpensive lactobacillis/acidophilus supplement that comes in veggie caps, is easy to mix into liquids and is fairly inexpensive) and add it to the formula as it will help to balance out the intestinal tract and should help to firm up this baby's stool fairly quickly. If this kitten keeps having looser than normal stools then you may want to have a vet assess him/her just to be on the safe side in case antibiotics or deworming are needed. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me again at any time - I'm more than happy to help in any way that I can.

Kind regards,

Ali