Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

  • Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!

My 2-week-old kitten is dehydrated and not gaining weight. What should I do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Female

My kitten Selina is very dehydrated. I have given her subcutaneous fluids and am mixing Pedialyte with her kitten formula. She remains 3 ounces at 2 weeks of age and doesn't seem to be gaining weight. Her energy level is good and she is alert. Is there something else I can do for her?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on May 12th, 2020

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Selina. Oh no, poor girl. The best thing to do for her is take her into a vet immediately. IV fluids would be better for this situation, as they are absorbed quicker to help her dehydration. I'd take her into a vet immediately. Best of luck.

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Can I give my dehydrated kitten me-o Persian cat food
Hello, thank you for using Boop by Petco. A kitten this young & dehydrated needs to be seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible. She may need supplemental fluids, either give intravenously or under the skin. Then, we need to know why Acil has become dehydrated. Is she sick with an infection, was there any trauma, or does she have a large intestinal parasite burden? If she is eating, you can give her any food that has a high moisture content ( ie canned ), but if she is already dehydrated, it is difficult to remedy this just depending on what she eats on her own. I hope she is well soon. Take care.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My 2 months old kitten is in a life and death situation. He got viral flu for last 3/4 days. His symptoms are vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration and not eating any kind of food. Took him to vet and gave him Cyprocin (antibiotics) and Emistat (for vomiti
Poor little one, I would recommend that he has fluids intravenously and medications through the drip until he starts to eat.. then you can start oral medications. If he is dehydrated already, as time goes by without eating, he will be getting worse. Hope you can have him rechecked and that something a little more intensive can be done for him. Thank you for using Boop by Petco.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Is there anything we can do to get her to drink more before we can get to the Vet because she's becoming dehydrated & weak?
Thank you for contacting Boop by Petco with your question about Tigger. You can try offering her canned food and adding water to it, but if she is already dehydrated and weak, she needs to see a vet now. She needs IV fluids. I strongly urge you to take her into an ER vet immediately. Best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My kitten stop eating and drinking water ...vet deworm her but after that she continues sleeping and not eat anything yet .. I change vet also .. but no benefit .now i feed her energy powder ... Please tell me what's the problem ? Body temp are norma
I would highly recommend bringing her back to a vet. She most likely needs some fluid and nutritional support. This can be a virus that she is fighting off but to fight it off properly she needs nutrition. Her glucose can drop very low if she does not eat and cause seizures and even death. Thank you for using Boop by Petco.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
my kitten is 2 weeks...i gave her curd after which she vomitted.she has not pooped since yesterday night...now ch is not taking feed what should i do???
Hello, & thank you for using Boop by Petco. Make sure what you are feeding the kitten is an appropriate kitten milk replacer. Kittens this young are not able to regulate their temperatures well, so make sure you have her on a heating pad set on low with a towel on top. There should be an area for the kitten to move off if it gets too warm. Make sure you are not overfeeding the kitten. A kitten needs 2 tablespoons ( 30 mls ) per 4 ounces ( 115 grams ) of body weight daily. Divide the daily amount into equal portions for each feeding & fed every 3-4 hours until bedtime. Stimulate the genital area after each meal, but do not be concerned if she does not have a BM each time. You can try feeding her a congee, which is often tolerated by the sickest kittens. Take 1-2 cups chicken broth ( low or no salt added ), add 1/4 cup white rice & a tiny sliver of fresh ginger. Boil for 2 hours. While cooling, add 1 Tbsp good quality protein powder - egg or casein, not soy. Stir together very
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
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
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
JustAnswer Ask a question My 2 weeks old kitten is breathing heavy. One of them already passed away 2 days ago. I am concerned. What should I do? I waz already informed that there was a failure to thrive for the kittens because they are a offspring
Hello, and thanks for using Boop by Petco. Unfortunately, this is a very sick little kitten. Tiny kittens can become dehydrated and critically ill very quickly if they're not nursing. There are no home remedies that are likely to help; in order to maximize this little one's chances of survival, he really should be seen by the vet. They can examine him and determine if he has a congenital defect, an infection to be treated with antibiotics, etc. If you give him away at this age, he almost certainly will die.... and even with the best vet care, it's still possible they may not be able to save him. Little kittens have a fairly high mortality rate and many are simply unthrifty and don't make it. If you feel he is suffering and you are not prepared to pay for vet care, I recommend calling your local animal shelter. Sometimes volunteers will take in "orphaned" kittens and try to raise them, so they may be prepared to try to nurse him back to health, and if they don't feel he is lik
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hai, I adopted a kitten and named her Acil. I adopted her 12 days ago. She is 1 month and 10 days old now. She was very normal at the beginning but now she is not eating or drinking well and her weight reduced. Her belly become very tiny. Please help
If Acil is not eating or drinking she really needs a veterinary visit. This could be from parasites, or there are several feline viral diseases that could make her feel sick. If she is only 5 to 6 weeks old then you may want to try feeding kitten milk replacer, KMR as well as trying a canned kitten food formula. But if those don't encourage her to eat then she really needs to see the vet for diagnostics and then treatment to get her feeling better. Best of luck I hope Acil makes a full recovery. Thank you for using Boop by Petco.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
New Pet
My cat given birth to 5 kittens They r 5 days old but 1 kitten is so week we r giving him mild replacer but that 1 kitten is not drinking properly and his weight is 100 GM and his eye is buffed as compared to other so what to do
Hi, thanks for using Boop by Petco! Poor baby! I am worried about the eye. I would get the kitten to a Vet to see if it needs an antibiotic. Sometimes there is a kitten or 2 that doesn't make it not matter how hard we try. If the kitten isn't taking the bottle or nursing you will have to be taught by your vet to tube feed the kitten. Sometimes we never know why some kittens don't thrive: genetic issues, trauma, infections, etc. I wish you the best
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
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

Related Searches

Cat Food Cat Supplies Electrolytes for Cats Wet Cat Food Diuretics for Cats Kitten Formula & Milk Replacer Kitten Food Canned Cat Food Cat Health & Wellness Cat Laxatives Lactated Ringers Electrolytes for Cats Lactated Ringers Cat Medicine Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Kitten Food Baby Kitten Food Salix Diuretics for Cats Moist & Tender Kitten Food Cat H2O Cat Health & Wellness PetAg Kitten Formula & Milk Replacer PetAg Kitten Food Soulistic Kitten Food
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored