I remember one of the first litter of bottle babies was a litter of 5 tabbies. The first night, they cried. And cried. And cried. Nothing I did would seem to quiet them. And finally, exhausted, I had no choice but to let them cry themselves to sleep. (I was able to resolve the situation the following morning.)
It is never a good to let a kitten cry. Kittens cry because they NEED something: food, bathroom elimination, comfort, or pain relief. If you let them cry, they waste energy that they need to stay healthy and grow.
But what do you do when the kittens seem to be crying for no reason? Here’s a list of solutions in the order that I usually try them.
- Stimulate to defecate. If a kitten has peed but not pooped, it’s a good possibility that they need to poop. It can take a couple minutes of patting their butts to get them to poop. As you do this, you should feel the kitten’s back muscles tense as they push. This tells you that they are trying to poop. If nothing happens, the kitten could be constipated.
- Feed again. Kittens may eat in short bursts. They stop feeding, then become hungry a minute later and demand more food. I’ve had kittens demand more food 4-5 times. It’s very frustrating because you feel like you’re done but nope, someone is crying again. But it’s good for them to eat as much as they can. (You do not have to worry a bottle baby overeating unless you are tube feeding it.)
- Rice Sock. Rice socks are not just about warmth, it’s about comfort. The kitten can lay on it and have warmth on it’s belly. Even in an incubator or with a snuggle disc, I often have a warm rice sock available for kittens.
- Groom kitten with a toothbrush. Brushing a kitten with a toothbrush is a good way to provide comfort for a kitten and mimics what a mother cat does. Do it over the belly and you may notice the kitten burps.
- Belly rubs. Kittens may just have a bit of a tummy upset due to gas. Rubbing the belly often provides comfort and helps with this pain.
- Fortiflora or other Probiotics. Kittens can have bacterial imbalances in their stomach very easily. Probiotics not only help this, but boost their immune system. I’ve heard a rumor that I can’t confirm that putting Fortiflora in warm milk kills it. So I have several paste probiotics on hand like Benibac that I also use.
More Advanced Options
7. Infant Simethicone (Baby Gas drops). This is a suggestion that I got years ago and usually the last option I do. You want to give the kitten only a drop or two. I need to find a reliable source for it, the best I can find is Kitten Lady’s page, but it is something I have done without issue for years.
8. Sub Q Fluids. Kittens become dehydrated easily and won’t show signs until they are severely dehydrated. Give a kitten a 3-6 mL of fluids won’t harm it and will help a lot of issues.
9. Vet Visit / Metacam. If nothing else works, consult with a vet about using Metcam. Metacam is a NSAID that I’ve used a couple of times. It will help if they have stomach cramps, but not fix the issue. This isn’t something I do without consultation. Ever. And there is a possibility that something else is going on that needs to be addressed. For example, I once had a kitten that came to me covered in fly eggs. I cleaned him up, but he seemed to be in distress. Turns out he had fly eggs behind his eyes. We got them out and he was much happier.