4 week old kitten seems cold and week

Question
hi my 4 week old kitten seems cold and week.. shes just been lying in a spot most the day .. the last time i seen her nurse was last night but cant get her to nurse today.. she will walk when promted but she cries sometimes when just layin there wut can i do to help her?

Answer
Nickie,

I would bring her into the vet.  Any kitten that is that young that isn't eating, isn't very active, and is crying with no movement tells me that it needs to get to a vet sooner rather than later.  At that young age, she could be septic, (infection throughout the bloodstream), she could have an illness, such as URI (upper respiratory illness), be infested with parasites (especially worms), or any number of other things.  The symptoms you describe to me just aren't normal---especially not for her age.  Prior to now has she been nursing okay?  Has she been playing and running around?  Has she looked and sounded healthy?  Use her behavior then as a comparison to now.  If she used to seem happy and healthy and energetic, and now she doesn't, then that's all the more reason to get into the vet.  

Are you keeping her warm enough?  Kittens do need to be kept warm, and if they're not getting the warmth they need, that will cause them to slow down significantly, plus expose them to other illnesses.  If she won't nurse from her mom, then the job becomes yours.  She needs to eat.  Try putting her directly on on of mom's nipples.  Place her on one of the nipples that's closer to the bottom half of the abdomen, as it's believed that those nipples carry more milk.  Put her there and position her mouth over the nipple.  She should start "rooting" and then latch on.  If she refuses or won't do this, then it does become your job, otherwise she will starve.  

At this point, you will need to go to Petsmart or Petco and get some KMR and some nursers (nursing bottles).  Follow the instructions on the package.  When you feed her, be sure she's on her feet and not on her back.  Tilt the bottle into her mouth so her head is lifted up a little bit, and hopefully she will start sucking.  If not, you need to keep trying to get her to suck the nipple.  One way you can try is to put your finger in her mouth.  She should start sucking it.  While your finger is still in her mouth, insert the nipple of the bottle in there, and slowly remove your finger and replace it with the nipple of the bottle.  Hopefully she'll start sucking the nipple.  You may need to try that several times for 1-2 hrs.  

However, at 4 wks, the kittens should have their teeth coming in, and should be ready to start weaning from mom and starting solid food.  So, you may want to see if it will eat any solid food.  Also, at this point where it's eating solid food, you want to make sure that the litterbox is ready and clean, and the kitten knows where it is, as when it starts eating solid food, it will definitely have to go to the litterbox at some point.  

But that brings up another point--could the kitten be constipated?  When was the last time it had a bowel movement?  Being obstructed will certainly cause it to be lethargic, be in pain, and not want to eat.  Is the abdomen firm?  When you push on the belly, does the kitten cry?  I would certainly be concerned about an obstruction.

If you try the above suggestions and nothing works, then you need to get it to the vet, as it could need tube feeding.  Going for more than 24 hrs without food can lead to a fatal illness called hepatic lipidosis.  So don't delay if nothing is working.

Let me know what happens.

Savannah