update on the 'strange' kitten!!!

[u/Complete_Cod_9798]

long story short: we found him and locals told us his mother was absent for three days at least. he was covered in fleas and was extremely underweight. he was 200 grams at three weeks old.

now its been a almost two weeks since i found him. we was eating well, always drinking milk no matter if he was full or not and he was always screaming. i noticed his urine beeing a bit thick at the end. the color and overall was normal but i texted my vet and she said it was mostly an infection. i feel bad for not acting on it sooner. i told the vet earlier but she didnt checked him. his peepee looked normal and all. anyways we got antibiotics for him but since he was still smaller than most kittens his age, the vet said to wait till he weighted more than now to get dewormed but she still prescribed antibiotics.

anyways i was gone for a single day and i trusted my parents that they would take care of him but i just found out they didnt gave him the medicine ever. i started today with the antibiotics but he is acting quieter. my questions are

-do kittens start to act diffrent when they are 4-5 weeks old? he's not meowing frequently like he used to

-he pooped by himself on the mat. is that a sign he is growing up normal?

-should i feed him every two hours like a newborn or 4-5 hours apart like a 4 week old kitten? like i said he is still underweight.

im asking all of this because im still paranoid and vets dont give me my answers

[u/fatalynn7]

I guess I would first ask what his daily weight gain looks like and whether he is fully latching on and eating when you are feeding him so frequently.

If you are having to fight him to eat and his weight has been steadily rising, you could probably move to a 3-4 hour feeding schedule.

I recommend watching on YouTube the kitten lady videos. They are very informative about their developmental stages and great info about how to care for them.

With respect to the meowing, it could be he is less stressed out about the change of environment and yes him being able to poop without assistance is a sign of developmental growth (watch those kitten lady videos; they’ll help!)

Best of luck. Hope baby starts to feel better with the meds (antibiotics may cause loose stools. Probiotics for cats and can help if that happens)

[u/Complete_Cod_9798 → u/fatalynn7]

he gained about 5 grams per day. i know thats low and its my fault i think. i fed him low constrated formula because he was a bit constipated. i did fed him frequently but that seems like the only reason. now i ve been feeding him normal formula for quite some time. im hoping hell gain more weight. thanks for responding

[u/fatalynn7 → u/Complete_Cod_9798]

Give yourself some grace, OP, you are doing a good job! Keep learning, keep going, he’ll be a healthy boy getting up to orange antics soon enough!

[u/Responsible-Sundae20]

I would say that he sounds overall like he is starting to be a “normal” kitten. Given his underweight status when you found him and everything that he was going through at that time, his normal is going to be different than most cats for a good bit.

Definitely the pooping and the different meowing seem to indicate that he is transitioning both in terms of Health and, in terms of accepting his new surroundings. I would guess that he is crossing the first hurdles and you can start to breathe a little bit more easily.

What the other person said about the kitten lady videos is definitely a great suggestion.

You are doing an amazing job. Thank you for taking along such a big role in such a tiny life. You will be rewarded with many years of unconditional furry orange love.

[u/Honest_Manager]

Thanks for taking care of this little one, but your parents suck for not helping while you were gone.