New kitten

[Lockdown1234]

Picked up our new kitten last week. She is 10 weeks. Not litter trained. Got her the food we were told she is on, turned up and find put they've been given her adult food instead. She won't touch the kitten food. Same brand, same Felix just diff age but she won't touch it.

She makes her way to the tray just fine, but she can't clean herself. Her poo gets stuck in her hair, bum, and it stresses her out and us who have to try and clean her before she tracks all over the kitchen and house. With the change in her diet, she's got Diarrhea and it's awful. We're on poo watch, going to her every time she meows. This morning (5am) she pooped, dragged her dirty bum everywhere to get rid of the poo, regurgitated her food back up and then peed in the opposite corner.

Called the vets who advised to switch her to dry food straightaway.

I'm not quite sure what advice I'm asking for. I'm just drained at staying awake with her or waiting to hear for her meows. I feel like I've got a newborn baby overnight. Also v emotional on not much sleep.

Please be critical with me and advise if you think I'm doing something wrong.

DH thinks we should just go to sleep (have slept downstairs since we got her) but I'm panicking if she poos and we don't hear her and she tracks it everywhere and it gets stuck in her long hair.

You must post a kitten photo first. It's the rules.

Are you sure she's 10 weeks old as I thought all kittens were shown by their mothers how to use a litter tray much younger than that. Whoever you got your kitten off really haven't a clue that kittens need kitten food because of the extra nutrients a kitten needs.

I haven't got any advice about poo covered kittens sorry because the ones I've had over the years were short haired and could use a litter tray. Poo paw prints must be a nightmare.

Our kitten was like this. The dried food sorted him out very quickly. Lived to be 22 but could never tolerate wet food.

Could you trim some of the hair around her bottom/back legs? One of mine was like this and would step in his poo and then trail it everywhere. Get some of the food she had and change food over gradually. One of mine refused to eat dry food at first so they had wet food instead. He still prefers wet to dry. We leave dry out and give wet food a couple of times a day

Where did she come from? Has she been checked over by a vet?

We got her from a breeder, she has her first vets appt tomorrow afternoon. They said they'll check her out and maybe trim the hair if they think she needs it (which I think she deffo does).

Just trying to attach a picture now.

What a beauty. What have you named her? Please don't say it's Winnie (the Pooh)

You would have to change food gradually:
*2 days - 3/4 of old food + 1/4 of new food
*3 days - 1/2 of old + 1/2 of new
*2 days - 1/4 of old + 3/4 of new.

Pooping at 5 a.m:
At what times do you feed her? It is possible that you feed her too early or too late. Try moving feeding time to a later hour? It is possible that food change will fix this.

When she pees somewhere else besides litter, soak up her pee with kitchen towel and place in litter (bury it a little bit). Make sure you get rid of pee smell where she peed (Simple Solution Platinum Urine Blaster Stain Remover from Pets at home, for example) or white vinegar mixed with water + baking soda after few minutes.

Not cleaning herself:
My lady cat had this when she was kitten. I used to wipe her bum with baby wipes - slow and short strokes (like mama cat cleans kittens) for about a week. She was fine afterwards

Good luck

She’s gorgeous OP! It may be she left her mum a bit too young; they should be 12 weeks really.

Agree with trimming her a little around her bum so you can clean her easier. And switch her to a good quality dry food.

Keep putting her in her litter tray and keep it very clean. Our cats like the covered trays.

She’ll get there!

*Food proportions are per meal

Thanks guys, feeling a little sorry for myself right now, just tired and emotional and finding it hard work and at the same time feeling sorry for her that we've done this to her by changing her routine food etc..

Vet advised changing over asap as she has an upset stomach anyway. She has eaten her dry food and hasn't been to the toilet since which helps.

She pees in her litter tray just fine. Think this time she peed in the box under the table because she was anxious, scared, frightened, in pain...

She also makes it to poo fine, but really struggles covering it up and therefore ends up tracking. Even when she manages to really cover it in the litter she has clumps stuck to her hair. She does meow for us so we go in and then she wanders off herself to her tray. Hence why we go in after every meow which really isn't feasible in the long run and it's also just mentally and physically draining!

We've done the wet wipes thing which has done the trick a few times and got rid of the litter but when her stools got wetter and stickier there was nothing else that would help but a good sink bum bath!

We've kept the name the breeder gave her, Pixel, we liked the name so didn't change it.

Is she a pedigree or a mog? What did the breeder say when you asked about litter training and said about the upset tum?

Good god she is beautiful ! Loads of great advice here and once you’re over this blip it will be such a relief I’m sure.
That photo may just be the most lovely thing of my day.

Thanks @HeronLanyon, she is beautiful that's for sure.

@Wolfiefan breeder has been no help at all which has just added to my anxiety about the whole situation. Said she was nearly trained which she I guess she kind of is. Never mentioned anything about the hair and feaces getting stuck, told us the wrong food etc

No problem! I assume (from your latest posts) you use something like Catsan non-clamping litter (like small stones, gravel)? I would suggest wood pellets - I use Tesco ones (both cats love it), they break down when wet. When used for nr 2 - you would have to scoop it asap! And cats love digging it - I guess all that sound...

Do not worry - it is just food that makes all this trouble. Please follow my advice regarding food transition and possibly the feeding hours. You will get there! It is just this transitional period.

Aw Pixel. She's gorgeous 😻 sorry I have no advice I just wanted to see kitty pictures

What breed is she? Shes very pretty.

Are you using kitten litter or regular?

This is the litter we are using

Sorry to say I also have no advice other than that already given. But I couldn't stroll past without saying that she is absolutely beautiful. She reminds me of a brother and sister duo we had quite a few years back. Turns out they were Norwegian Forest Cats, we got them from our local cat rescue and initially had no idea they were pedigrees. They were similar coloured to your little beauty and incredibly fluffy. I do hope she settles soon with her diet and the vet visit helps. Before you know it, you'll be enjoying her company and cuddles without the current worries you have.

She is absolutely beautiful!

Looking after any baby living creature is stressful and takes time, so don’t beat yourself up. Within weeks she will be so much better and you’ll almost be craving the days she was so tiny you had to wipe her bum (the unscented baby water wipes are. Good suggestion)

She is absolutely beautiful!!!

What breed is she? I would trim the fur all around her bum and legs. My ragdoll adult male would still get poo all over him if I didn't completely cut all the hair from the bum and underside of his tail.

Thanks everyone. Dry food is definitely helping to solidify the poos.

Also the vet confirmed today Pixel is a boy! The vet did say he has very beautiful features and apparently many people make the same mistake.. stopped me feeling stupid!

We now need to get in to a habit of where we ignore his meows. Before we were on major poo watch so went in all the time but the vet did say we need to nip that behaviour in the bud. Although wow ignoring him is hard!

That's funny. We were told our 2 were girls and named them accordingly. Turned out they were both boys so had to pick new names!

My 2 when they were tiny (3 years ago)