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What causes diarrhea in 4-5 week old kittens and how to treat it?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | unneutered

I have recently gotten 2 very young kittens-they are about 4-5 weeks old. (I thought mother had abandoned them.) they are about 4-5 weeks old. One has had one reg. bowel movement but for the most part bothhave diarrhea. I am feeding them with KMR kitten milk w/ an eye dropper. I mix it with water. What can I do to get the diarrhea stopped. Other than that they seem very healthy. They have had baths for fleas with a natural shampoo. Any ideas would be helpful. (I also have 2 older cats, separated

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on September 24th, 2017

I would deworm them with Panacur. Intestinal worms are very common in kittens, causing diarrhea. You can get Panacur from your vets office. It’s a three day course of treatment that you will need to give again two weeks after the first ends. This kills all the worms. They should then be dewormed every two weeks until they are three months old, then monthly until six months of age, after which they should be dewormed every three months. If the Panacur doesn’t help with the diarrhea, I would take them into the vet for a health check. As a side note, they are now old enough for a kitten formulated food. I would start weaning them onto one. I hope this helps!

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on June 19th, 2018

    I'd be concerned in that diarrhea is not normal. It could be this kitten has intestinal worms, which are common in kittens. If the kittens are not up to date on their deworming treatments, I would give them all one. I recommend Panacur, it's a three day course of treatment you can get from the vet. Give them all another course of treatment two weeks after the first finishes to kill all the worms. They should then be dewormed monthly until they are six months of age, and should then be dewormed every three months thereafter. If all the kittens are up to date on their deworming treatments, then the kitten may have a GI illness, could have eaten something rotten, or could have a foreign body causing the diarrhea. In that case, I would take it into the vet for an exam. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

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