My 3-week-old kitten has bloody diarrhea and won't eat. What to do?

Question

I found a 3 week old kitten and she refuses to drink kitten milk replacer; she bit through the bottle. She pooped black/brown solid poop the first day, but the last two days the poop has been very watery with some blood. She has no control over her bowel movements and poops on herself. She walks fine, with the exception of yesterday where she was weak in her hind legs. She climbs and walks around and explores. Her runny stool and her refusal to eat make me worry she will get dehydrated or starve. Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Female | unspayed | 19 days old | 0 lbs

Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS · Accepted Answer

It could be Kitty has intestinal worms, which causes diarrhea. Have her seen by a vet in the morning, who can give her a deworming treatment. At three weeks of age, you can start weaning her onto kitten food. To help her wean and to get used to dry food, I would soak a high quality kitten formulated dry food in warm water until soft. Then mix that with kitten formula such as KMR to make a mush the consistency of oatmeal. Over the next two weeks, gradually increase the amount of dry kitten food and decrease the amount of water and KMR you use until she is eating the dry kitten food only. I hope this helps!

My 3-week-old kitten has bloody diarrhea and won't eat. What to do?

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