Kittens are much like human babies in respect to their little digestive systems that are still developing after they are born and are not yet fully functional. Because of this you must feed them certain foods that their bodies can digest easily and use. In young kittens their colon and intestines are still forming and creating bacteria to help them assimilate the nutrients.
Some of the obvious signs of kitten constipation are the lack of daily bowel movements or even several days without any at all. This can lead to serious health conditions. Kitten constipation needs to be treated with the proper cat health care, because if it’s not recognized and treated it can lead to serious illness and even death.
In order to treat this condition, you must determine what the underlying causes were that created the problem. Many times kittens are taken away from their mother’s milk too soon and they don’t get the health benefits and nutrients that they need.
When kittens are no longer receiving their mother’s milk, but instead are put on a diet of dry cat food, cow’s milk and even table scraps, this can be the cause of constipation. These types of foods are very difficult for young cats to digest.
Kittens that are kept in cramped confined quarters such as a cage don’t get the needed exercise for the muscles and digestive systems to function correctly. Oftentimes kittens that don’t receive enough water also have symptoms.
Treatment can be dealt with in many different ways:
Check food and water. One of the first treatments to be considered is to check for the obvious. Does he have access to plenty of fresh water in a low-rimmed container that he can easily drink out of? If the kitten is too young to take water from a container it may be necessary to give him water with an eyedropper.
Kittens cannot digest hard dry cat food until they are between the ages of three to five months. Instead, substitute soft prepackaged foods for dry cat food. You should switch the kitten over to goat’s milk instead of cow’s milk. Goat’s milk is much easier for their young systems to digest and can provide relief for constipation.
Allow for exercise. Making sure that that he is not cooped up in a cage for most of the day is very important. Kittens are still in the developmental stages and exercise plays a very important role in getting the intestines to function correctly.