Baby kitten very sick- please help!!!!

[chrangharris]

A pregnant cat showed up at our door awhile ago . We brought her into our basement to have the babies- no use having even more strays in the neighborhood. The kittens are now a little over 6 weeks old. There is a runt- Wiggles. He got sick earlier this week and then myself and the girls got sick so I was not able to monitor the kittens as closely as I should have. Friday morning I went down to check on everyone and he was very lethargic. I called the local animal shelter that we are working with to find homes for Momma and the babies. They had me bring Wiggles in. He is very sick- low temp, losing weight, dehydrated, possible diarrhea, etc. They give him fluids and sent me home with meds, syringes and formula. I've been following the Dr's orders and feeding him often and keeping warm. I took him back in today for more fluids and he had perked up a tiny bit and had gained an ounce. The Dr. said to put him in a large carrier with Momma to allow the Momma a chance to nurse him and care for him. They even sent me home with a carrier for a small dog so that they could be comfortable in there for a longer period of time. The problem is the Momma cat gets very distraught over being in the carrier and won't settle down and allow him to nurse. Do you guys have any ideas on what I can to do to try to encourage Momma to nurse him?
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[Catty1]

I don't know why they wanted the carrier...just do what WORKS!

Glad the baby improved a bit. Sometimes the runts make it, sometimes not.

Bless you for giving the mom and babies so much care, and especially the attention to the little one. Prayers that he makes it!

[aTailOf2Kitties]

If the vet thinks this is a strctly nutritional issue, I would suggest a bigger more comfortable cage for mama and baby. You can get a collapsing wire cage for 50-60 bucks new if you look around, or try to find a used one. This allows a 360-degree view, so the cat isn't so claustrophobic, but most cages are large enough for a small litterbox and a bed, in addition to a blanket. I borrowed one from a friend to keep Havoc in after his leg surgery. He had all the necessities, but could still see and had room to move around.

May try to supplement the little one with KMR and Nutri-cal too.

[Moesha]

Perhaps put a blanket over the carrier. I've been told when trapping ferals that once you get them in the humane trap, put a blanket over it so that will help them calm down. You don't have to keep the blanket over it all the time, just so that the baby can eat. That's the only suggestion I could come up with for the current situation.

[columbine]

If he's not getting enough opportunity to nurse, here are a couple of recipes for Kitty Glop that look - well, I'm not a kitten!

Love, Columbine

[chrangharris]

I'm sorry- I wasn't getting emails that people were responding!

I ended up putting just Momma and the sick kitten in the bathroom and removed the healthy kittens. I tried for about an hour and Momma took care of the sick and he started to perk up. Last night I left it just Momma and the sick one in the bathroom all night and the vet was pleased with his improvement from yesterday. He is still pretty sick but we are at least seeing a move in the right direction. He also ate a whole kitten can of food mixed with formula- without me forcing him!!!! I need to keep feeding him often and giving him lots of chances with just Momma. He is healthy enough to be spending time with his litter mates but night time is to be just the sick one and Momma. Momma now has a bad case of diarrhea that we are treating her for and I need to keep an eye on everyone for signs of that.

[moosmom]

Great job!!!! Prayers going out that the baby bounces back.

[Catty1]

Good news...prayers that the little one gets all better, and that mama cat gets well soon too!

[Catty1]

How are the baby and momma cat?