Why is my stray kitten limp, weak, and pooping on itself?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
My boyfriend brought home a stray kitten a few days ago. No idea how old. But its eyes are open and its been pooping. I have yet to see it pee. Anyway about five mons ago i woke up to it meowing. It had pooped on its self where it was laying and is limp. Lile having trouble supporting its weight on one side. But when i touch its legs and move them it doesnt act hurt or anything. Whats going on?
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on November 9th, 2017
Hello. Your kitten is showing signs of illness. If he defecated on himself and if limp he could be injured but more likely he's hypoglycemic. Young kittens need to eat every hour or so to keep up with their energy demands. I would recommend having him seen by a vet asap. He need veterinary examination and treatment. If you can get him to eat some kitten milk replacer while you get an appointment set up, that would be good. If he won't eat that try rubbing some honey on his gums to raise his blood sugar. That will help but again, he sounds very sick and need to be seen immediately. Best wishes! Thanks for using Pet Coach.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on September 14th, 2017
You can try canned food and you may have to place it in his mouth for him to figure out what it is. If he is too young for that you can syringe kitten milk. Then it walking can be a sign of malnutrition and dehydration or from an injury. Make sure it stays warm and if it does not eat your vet gave give it fluids to help
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
My cat has been a weak since yesterday. At first I thought it was because of the heat so I gave him a bath. After that he’s stayed very calm and normally he’s extremely active (he’s about 4 months old) Later he was walking but appeared to be limp on
Thank you for submitting your question regarding your kitten. I recommend that he sees a veterinarian today. His behavior is worrisome. Even if you are not able to locate his pain, it sounds like he is sore if he is limping. There is a viral disease in kittens that can cause a fever, lameness and ulcers in the mouth. His veterinarian will examine him and determine if this is the case or if he has another problem. I hope this information helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I have a Medical question. My 5 week old kitten is lethargic, sleeping all day, cries when you touch her, she threw up, not eating, and is not acting herself. My husband said s she's not walking with her back legs very Well.
Kittens are susceptible to many different infections, both viral & bacterial. A heavy parasite burden from coccidia, or roundworms can also wear a kitten down & leave it weak. Pascal is too young & small to try & fight this off on his own. He needs to be seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible. If you can not have him seen tonight or tomorrow, pick up some Nutrical from Petco tomorrow, & try to give him small amount frequently throughout the day. This is a high calorie supplement to hopefully keep his energy up. Then please try to have him seen by your veterinarian as early as possible on Monday. I hope he does better soon. Thank you for using Boop by Petco.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Kitten is weak walking weird wont drink or eat but doesnt seem dehydrated cause skin snaps back to place right away if pulled
Please take your kitten to the vet immediately. It sounds like she may be having neurologic symptoms, which could be due to low blood sugar associated with not eating and drinking, and she is very likely dehydrated. This is potentially deadly, and your kitten should be seen right away to check her blood sugar levels, assess for dehydration, and address the cause of her weakness. Another very serious concern in a stray kitten is the possibility of rabies infection, which is transmitted from the saliva of infected mammals, can be passed on to humans, and is fatal. There may also be other underlying neurologic causes for her condition, and a veterinarian can help determine the cause and start treatment .
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
Found a kitten that is very weak and all he does is sleep. He doesn't want to eat so I'm having to force feed him..he's old enough to eat wet food but won't so I'm giving him milk replacer but he doesn't seem to be getting any better. He has trouble
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! Uncontrolled bowel movements can be observed with conditions such as colitis, gastroenteritis, dietary indiscretion, intestinal parasites, among many other possibilities. It sounds like he is not doing well unfortunately and he is feeling sick. I recommend that you have him evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible for further assessment and treatment. They may choose to check for parasites and to start medications depending on the results. At the very least they can try to make him feel better quickly. Good luck! Hoping for a speedy recovery!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
i recently adopted 2 kittens, brothers that are 2 months old. One of them started limping a couple days ago, and now has lost his appetite and will to play. The other one, I noticed today, is now limping, although earlier he was playing and eating no
Limping, decreased appetite and lethargy in such young kitties is highly suspicious of an infectious disorder such as a tick borne disease. These kitties need to be seen by your local vet as soon as possible for testing and treatment. If they do have signs of an infectious disorder (CBC abnormalities such as high neutrophils and fever) then a short course of antibiotics and supportive care will likely be recommended to hopefully get them stabilized quickly. Until you can get them in try feeding them small amounts of boiled plain chicken and white rice to help nourish them until they can get treated by your vet. I hope your kitties feel better soon. Best wishes and take care.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I took my kitten to the vet the other day. She is only six weeks old. I found her along the road. The vet said she was healthy and to keep doing what I was doing. Today she doesn't have much life to her. And she seems like she's not going to make it
Hi and thanks for using Boop by Petco! Sorry to hear about Storm. Applying some Karo syrup or honey to her gums and tongue will provide some rapid glucose for her body to burn. You should try to force feed her with a good kitten milk replacer via bottle or syringe but if she is weak she might not nurse. Your best bet would be to get her to a vet immediately so they can evaluate her and then treat her accordingly while trying to figure out what is going on. Make sure she is nice and warm since small kittens cannot regulate their body temperature. Their normal temp should be around 99 degrees to 102 degrees farenheit. Not sure how old she is but you need to be stimulating her genital area also to get her to eliminate. Again these little guys can get sick very quickly and it's important you get her help as soon as you can. Good luck with her. I would also advise deworming her unless that was already done. Deworming should be done every 3 weeks after 2 weeks of age for at least
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I have a kitten at 10 weeks old. He has got diarrhea so i looked online what to do and it said to stop feeding them for 12 hours. I havent fed him for 10 hours and now he has got no energy. He cant hold his own weight up and was crying alot. I tried
Poor Snow! If he has no energy and can't even stand up, this is a very serious problem - he needs to see an emergency vet immediately. This would not be caused by withholding food for 10 hours; severe lethargy or weakness like this is generally a sign of a serious illness such as feline panleukopenia. Your vet can do some diagnostic testing to help determine what's wrong and get him started on appropriate treatment. I would recommend taking him to see the vet right now, as this may be a life-threatening problem.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Hello. I have found 2 small kittens about 2 weeks old. I have experience with growing kittens up and I feed them with a small bottle I use half milk and the other half is warm water with alittle bit of sugar. lately I've read online that putting a li
These kittens need a kitten formula replacer to feed them. If you are giving them cow's milk this will be why one of the kittens is very weak. It is incompatible to their system, and he will not be getting the nutrients he needs to survive. I'm not sure why taking him to a vet is not an option, but he truly needs one. It's extremely serious that he is refusing to eat, barely makes a sound, and can barely move. His symptoms are a medical emergency, and if you want him to have any chance of living, he needs veterinary attention now. There is nothing you can do for him at home. Please take him into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
3&1/2month old male kitten (underweight at birth)is dull since 4 days ,vomiting after eating anything (mother stopped feeding the baby),usually buffallo milk is given,since 4 days vomiting that too,im giving pet up 1ml twice ,but again vomitted.sice
These are very concerning signs and I would be concerned there may a severe gastrointestinal tract infection and possibly also a birth defect affecting normal bowel function given he has been underweight since birth. The weakness is likely due to dehydration and this must be assessed and treated by a vet urgently in order to stabilise his condition
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I’m concerned if my kitten is getting the nutrition she needs. She’s about 4 weeks and I’ve had her for a few days now. She’s becoming less active she’s sleeping a lot and she doesn’t drink much of the replacement milk and she threw up a few times af
Hello. I am a little concerned about your kitten because at 4 weeks of age she should be a little fireball & not require stimulation to move her bowels. She should also be eating a canned kitten food with a little replacement milk mixed in. If she has not been dewormed, this would be a priority as intestinal parasites like roundworms can make a kitten pretty weak. She may also be a little dehydrated if you have not seen her urinate. I truly hope you can have her seen by a veterinarian soon. Little babies like this can be pretty fragile. Thank you for using Boop by Petco.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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