Questions re orphaned adopted kitten
March 30, 2006 4:48 AM Subscribe
Please help resolve some problems with an adopted orphaned kitten.
We have adopted an orphan kitten which is now 4 / 5 weeks old.
Problem 1. We think she might be blind or definitely have restricted vision. Difficult to fully tell as sense of smell and hearing is acute. However she walks / staggers into toys - doesn't take them in.
Problem 2. Defeciation + Urination.
Urination is only achieved by gently massaging the lower belly. Kitten does not pee on its own.
Defeciation. This is the big problem. Kitten doesn't. 2 vet trips now to ease out stools and now we give a gel enema every other day. Will the kitten poo more easily when she starts solids / mush?
Apart from all this she is delightful. The other older cat (female) ignores the kitten. No big deal she'll just have to get used to it.
Its a looooong time since I was around baby animals; and I would appreciate advice.
We have adopted an orphan kitten which is now 4 / 5 weeks old.
Problem 1. We think she might be blind or definitely have restricted vision. Difficult to fully tell as sense of smell and hearing is acute. However she walks / staggers into toys - doesn't take them in.
Problem 2. Defeciation + Urination.
Urination is only achieved by gently massaging the lower belly. Kitten does not pee on its own.
Defeciation. This is the big problem. Kitten doesn't. 2 vet trips now to ease out stools and now we give a gel enema every other day. Will the kitten poo more easily when she starts solids / mush?
Apart from all this she is delightful. The other older cat (female) ignores the kitten. No big deal she'll just have to get used to it.
Its a looooong time since I was around baby animals; and I would appreciate advice.
Orphan kittens are tricky to care for. If your kitten was orphaned at birth it could be that she just hasn't had the right kind of stimulation early on in life to manage elimination herself. Usually they start to eliminate unaided at about 2 - 3 weeks, but it's not uncommon for them to need assistance for several weeks, with both types of elimination.
I would ask your vet to examine her eyes closely for any abnormality. An eye infection, untreated at birth could have caused scarring at the back of the eye and hindered the development of nerve growth/blood vessel growth.
If at all possible, could you find out as much information as possible about how she was orphaned and how she was first cared for? If the first people to care for her noticied any infections, gummyness around the eyes, this information could help your vet and you establish possible reasons for her 'possible' sight problems.
The Messy Beast Cat Resource Archive is a mine of well written information on rearing/rescue/behaviour issues. This page contains plenty of useful information regarding orphaned kitten rearing and possible health problems.
Good luck :)
posted by Arqa at 5:56 AM on March 30, 2006
I would ask your vet to examine her eyes closely for any abnormality. An eye infection, untreated at birth could have caused scarring at the back of the eye and hindered the development of nerve growth/blood vessel growth.
If at all possible, could you find out as much information as possible about how she was orphaned and how she was first cared for? If the first people to care for her noticied any infections, gummyness around the eyes, this information could help your vet and you establish possible reasons for her 'possible' sight problems.
The Messy Beast Cat Resource Archive is a mine of well written information on rearing/rescue/behaviour issues. This page contains plenty of useful information regarding orphaned kitten rearing and possible health problems.
Good luck :)
posted by Arqa at 5:56 AM on March 30, 2006
My cats go nuts if I wave anything hanging on a string in front of them. There's no sound or smell that goes along with that stimulus, so maybe it would help you figure out if the cat's vision is wonky.
posted by bcwinters at 5:56 AM on March 30, 2006
posted by bcwinters at 5:56 AM on March 30, 2006
I forgot to mention that kittens are not born with their sight ready formed. They have to a certain extent to 'learn' to see. Simply put, visual stimulation causes the correct neural pathways and internal eye structures to fully form.
When the eyes first open, the retina is incompletely developed and vision is poor. The kitten has to learn to interpret the images falling on it's retinas and the brain must learn to process the images it 'sees'. A kitten will not be able to see as well as an adult cat for about 3 months.
An orphaned kitten, with no mum or siblings to visually stimulate her may well take a bit longer to develop her sight. Early infection may well have delayed the opening of her eyes and this could account for a delay in her visual sense.
If your own vet cannot find any current external/internal eye abnormalities/disease/damage which might cause her her seemingly poor sight, once she reaches 3 months, it might be worth seeking a consultation with a veterinary opthalmologist.
I hope this helps :)
posted by Arqa at 7:52 AM on March 30, 2006
When the eyes first open, the retina is incompletely developed and vision is poor. The kitten has to learn to interpret the images falling on it's retinas and the brain must learn to process the images it 'sees'. A kitten will not be able to see as well as an adult cat for about 3 months.
An orphaned kitten, with no mum or siblings to visually stimulate her may well take a bit longer to develop her sight. Early infection may well have delayed the opening of her eyes and this could account for a delay in her visual sense.
If your own vet cannot find any current external/internal eye abnormalities/disease/damage which might cause her her seemingly poor sight, once she reaches 3 months, it might be worth seeking a consultation with a veterinary opthalmologist.
I hope this helps :)
posted by Arqa at 7:52 AM on March 30, 2006
An even quieter way to provide visual, but not auditive stimulus is a laser pointer. Shine in front of kitten (but for $deity's sake not in her eyes!) and move the dot. You'll know pretty fast wether kitty is blind or not. (See also.)
posted by lodev at 10:46 AM on March 30, 2006
posted by lodev at 10:46 AM on March 30, 2006
Arga is correct that visual stimulation develops the eye. However, if the "window of opportunity" is missed, the kitten (or human for that matter) will never see. I don't know the exact timing for this window, but if she has missed it there's no going back. Then again, I have no idea if that is actually the problem, just wanted to clarify.
posted by radioamy at 11:06 PM on March 30, 2006
posted by radioamy at 11:06 PM on March 30, 2006
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by beccaj at 5:21 AM on March 30, 2006