Newborn cat defecation

My mommy cat isn't producing milk, and I have already lost 2 of her 3 kittens and am feeding KMR to the other one. She seems to be getting better and is 4 days old now.

My concern is that I haven't seen the kitten produce any stool. She passes water when I use a damp cloth but I have not seen any stool. Mom is wanting to hide her from me, but I can't let her or the kitten will die for sure.

How do I stimulate for stool? I'm worried she might get backed up.



Please take both the mother cat and the surviving kitten to a veterinarian right away. Newborn kitten care is very complicated, as you can read about on this page, and a kitten that is not defecating could die very quickly. Newborn kittens need to be stimulated by the mother cat by licking the kitten’s anus to produce stool, or should be wiped very gently by a human with a warm, wet cloth to stimulate for stool. Stimulating the kitten to produce stool is very similar to stimulating the kitten to produce urine except for the location. Make sure you are stimulating the anus and be firm - perhaps you are doing it too lightly. It would be best to have a veterinarian show you.

Also, are you certain that the mother cat is not producing any milk for her kittens? If you were not able to express a milky substance from her nipples, this could be a sign of serious cat illness and/or malnutrition for both the mother cat and her kittens. Considering that two of the three kittens have died, I would be concerned that this is another potentially serious cat illness symptom, and both mom and baby need to be in a veterinarian’s care.

Please take both the surviving kitten and the mother cat to a veterinarian immediately. This sounds as though it is an emergency, especially if the kitten has still not defecated.

Regards,
Dr. Neely