5 or 4 week old kitten problems

Question
hi there Ali. listen, i live in a big city where there are stray animals everywhere. so this morning i found a very young kitten about to get run over by a bus. so i took it home and washed it and took the pus out of it's eyes. the pus keeps coming back but i think i have that under control. what i don't have under control is that this kitten has been eating soggy dog food (which is ok with me, the bottle feeding isn't working) along with a scanty amount of milk. i got this kitten at around 8 50am and it is now 9 30pm and it still hasn't pooped or peed... please help me! i don't know what to do! this kitten needs to poop and pee!

Answer
Emily,

I am guessing that the kitten is still reasonably young. My recommendation is that the kitten be taken to the vet within 24-48 hours to receive treatment for her eye infection. It is wise for you to wash your hands when handling the kitten's eyes or discharge because the eye infection is contagious to humans as well. It isn't okay for the kitten to be eating dog food and milk because they are not high enough in protein and fats to sustain proper health and nutrition for a young kitten. Kittens need to eat a decent quality kitten food preferably a mixture of soft kitten food and crunchy if they are very young. If the kitten is still young enough to need formula (which your vet will be able to tell you when she goes for the eye infection)it is fairly common for kittens not to be willing to take a bottle if they have nursed from their mother. You can go to your local pharmacy and pick up a new oral syringe (like the ones used to give human babies medicine). The best way to feed the kitten with a syringe is to very gently hold the kitten on your lap and hold his head in your hand while gently putting the tip of the syringe into the corner of her mouth. You will want to depress the plunger very slowly so that you don't cause the kitten to choke. Kittens who are being formula fed must be fed with all four of their paws facing the floor as feeding them in a position similar to a newborn human baby can cause them to inhale their formula and choke potentially causing serious health issues. Very young kittens are stimulated to urinate and defecate by their mother licking their genitals and rear end. The best way to simulate this is to use a cotton swab moistened with warm water and gently wipe starting from their genitals to their bottom (this will help to prevent a urinary tract infection) repeatedly. Getting a kitten to use the toilet this way can sometimes be time consuming so it is important to be patient and gentle. I have had kittens take up to 5 minutes to poop and most pee quite readily with the right stimulation. I hope that you have found this information helpful. If you have any further questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me again.