How to give an enema to a small kitten?

If the kitten is healthy, this is immediately obvious: it constantly runs, climbs into strange places, hunts for enemies visible only to it, or for birds in the window.

Like human children, cat babies cannot plan their energy distribution. The kids will play and fuss until they fall asleep right there, buried in their toys.

How to properly give an enema to a small kitten.

A balanced diet is very important for a growing body. The kitten's body is very sensitive and demanding of food. Anything that goes wrong immediately results in either diarrhea or constipation.

A conscientious owner should pay special attention to choosing the right food for a small kitten.

But if constipation occurs, you need to know how to get rid of it gently and safely.

Causes of constipation

With prolonged feeding of solid food and a sedentary lifestyle, stagnation of chyme mass may form in the small intestine. This is the semi-digested contents of the kitten's stomach.

This phenomenon is called chemostasis.

If a kitten is fed bones, a plug of dry feces may form in the small intestine. It will clog the lumen and reduce intestinal permeability to zero.

The intestines can become blocked by accidentally swallowed objects, hairballs, or worms.

What solutions are used

Medicinal enemas are selected exclusively by a veterinarian.

There are several options for cleansing compositions for home use, but you should also consult your doctor about each of them.

Enema solutions for constipation in cats

Name	Peculiarities
Saline	Dilute in a proportion of 1 liter of warm water and 30 g of table salt. The enema is administered in small portions - 50 ml each
With magnesia	In this embodiment, the saline solution is prepared differently: mix 30 g of salt and 20 g of magnesia; diluted with water (100 ml); Heat over low heat until the ingredients are completely dissolved. Cool to the optimal temperature and administer to the animal.
Soapy	Dissolve 1 tbsp in 1 liter of water. grated soap. It is recommended to take either light household or children's clothes - they do not contain harmful additives or dyes
Herbal	Chamomile infusion is best suited for an enema. Steam 1 tbsp with boiling water (1 l). or a packet of herbal powder. Leave for half an hour, then filter through several layers of gauze.
Glycerin	The product (1 tbsp) is poured into 1 liter of warm water, stirred and immediately filled with a syringe with the solution.

Any of the compositions may be unsafe for your pet: the cat may have contraindications to one of the components of the cleansing enema.

Before choosing the appropriate option, you must contact your veterinarian.

Other reasons for an enema

An enema is not only done to relieve constipation. Indications may also include poisoning or severe exhaustion. In the first case, it is needed to quickly remove harmful substances from the body. And in the second - to quickly feed the kitten if it cannot eat.

Enemas can also be medicinal, when it is not possible to administer the medicine in any other way, and relaxing - to relieve intestinal spasms.

How to properly give an enema to a small kitten.

Ways to achieve a more effective effect of cleansing fluid administered through an enema

In answer to the question of how to do an enema at home, in addition to using it correctly, there should be ways to help the tissues of the intestinal walls better absorb the cleansing agent with which it is filled. These methods include:

The first method is to perform a relaxing retraction of the abdomen after infusion of liquid.
The second method is to perform a physical exercise in which, after filling the intestines with a cleansing liquid, you need to lie on your back near the wall, raise your legs and buttocks up and fix this position with your hands, supporting your lower back. Then, with such a physical stance, your legs need to be rested with your heels against the wall, and your stomach should be relaxed as much as possible. You can achieve maximum relaxation of the abdomen by lightly stroking it from the bottom to the beginning of the chest. In this weakened state, the intestines are most able to absorb the infused cleanser. To achieve the greatest therapeutic effect, you must remain in this position for at least 10 minutes.
The third method is reinforcing. After standing with your legs raised, you should lie on your right side to allow the liquid to reach the most inaccessible places in the intestine, where a huge amount of toxic substances are deposited. For people suffering from hypertension, the stand with legs raised can be completely changed to a position on the right side.

After such preventive manipulations with the body, the release of the intestines should occur in several stages. Don't be afraid of this. This is normal. But at the same time, you should not delay the emptying process for too long, since the liquid in the intestines will begin to be absorbed into its tissues, which means that toxic substances will go back into the body.

How to do an enema yourself

First of all, you must be sure that an enema is necessary and that constipation is not caused by volvulus or obstruction.

It is best to use a small bulb, although you can make an enema with a large syringe with a wide hole.

All procedures should be performed in the bathroom or on the bare floor so that it can be easily washed later. There should be a cat litter box nearby. And stock up on napkins or unnecessary rags.

The water in the pear should be warm. For lubrication, use Vaseline, baby cream or regular vegetable oil.

When everything is ready, place the kitten on your lap with its muzzle facing you, holding its head and back between your legs. Be careful: you should measure your strength with the size of the kitten. Make sure he can't escape and at the same time don't choke him.

Lift the kitten's tail, lubricate the anus with Vaseline and insert the tip of the bulb into the rectum. It is enough to immerse it 1-2 cm. Gently press the bulb and pour the water from it into the kitten. The volume of water should be in the range of 50-100 ml.

Then remove the bulb, gently squeezing the anal folds so that the water does not flow out immediately. If the kitten allows, you can lightly massage its tummy to enhance the effect.

After the procedure, do not let the kitten run around the apartment or hide in other rooms. Keep him in the same room as the litter box. So that he can easily reach it (perhaps with your help) when he wants to go to the toilet.

Types and required solution

If the pet is still small, then a syringe is suitable for the procedure.
In veterinary practice, there are two types of enema. It can be medicinal and cleansing. If we are talking about the latter, then it is prescribed to eliminate feces from the intestines. The solutions used during the manipulation process dilute feces, improve peristalsis and remove feces. A medicinal procedure is required to introduce medications into the large intestine for the purpose of local treatment. This enema is mainly used if the cat is diagnosed with inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. If we talk about devices for an enema, then you can do it at home for newborn kittens with a syringe. It is recommended that older animals receive an enema using a bulb with a rubber tip, which can be purchased at pharmacy chains. A procedure using water and Vaseline oil will help cleanse the intestines. The volume of the first component is 100 ml, the second ingredient will need to take 2 tablespoons. It is better to pre-heat the oil in a water bath, which will give the maximum effect of the manipulation. A procedure with medicinal chamomile, which has anti-inflammatory properties and effectively fights parasites, can also be prescribed. To prepare the product, you will need to take 150 ml of water, 2 tablespoons of chamomile flowers and boil the composition.

It's easier with an assistant

If you have a helper, trust him to hold the kitten. And carry out all the procedures yourself. This will free up your hands and make it more convenient.

How to properly give an enema to a small kitten.

Contraindications

When infusing liquid, albeit under slight pressure, the intestinal walls can be damaged by a tool or by stretching.
And since the cat has to be given an enema by force, the risks increase - the pet, instead of the necessary relaxation, violently resists. It will not be possible to secure an adult animal without an assistant. You should not carry out the procedure yourself if the cat is weakened, suffers from fever, uncontrollable vomiting, or dizziness. Contraindications for performing an enema on a cat:

hemorrhoids in the acute phase, anal fissures
tumors, erosions, intestinal prolapse
the first day after abdominal surgery
gastrointestinal bleeding
abdominal pain of unknown cause
volvulus, intestinal obstruction of any etiology
high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke

Before giving an enema to a kitten, it must be weighed. Babies lighter than 300 g are administered only microdoses of solutions strictly as prescribed by the doctor. If there is an obstruction, when a large volume of fluid is injected, there is a high probability of wall rupture. Pressure increases intestinal bleeding. These two side effects can lead to death.

General information

Constipation is a pathological condition in which feces in the large intestine of an animal are not excreted into the external environment, but remain in the lumen of the organ. There they are “rammed”, compacted, and the body sucks out all or almost all the moisture from them. In addition, “old” feces are a constant source of strong toxins that are continuously absorbed into the blood and poison the animal’s body. The intoxication that appears as a result of this process can be so strong that with chronic constipation, a cat can vomit foamy masses, and the likelihood of developing kidney and heart failure increases by more than 70%.

Finally, “petrified” feces are so hard that they can mechanically damage the intestinal walls. Because of this, a sick cat is likely to develop sepsis, since the damaged mucous membranes of the organ can no longer prevent the penetration of pathogenic and conditionally pathogenic microflora into the general bloodstream.

Note that constipation is not a unique pathology at all, and it can also occur in animals that have not previously suffered from digestive disorders. Particular problems arise for owners who have several animals living in their house: it can be difficult to find out which cat has developed constipation.

But there is one trick - you can feed the cats (alternately) beet-based baby food. This product is capable of coloring feces in a specific, easily recognizable color. Please note that as a result of its use, not only the feces, but also the animal’s urine will acquire a reddish tint. Thus, given the special color of the feces, you can easily determine which of your pets the dry feces belong to. If a cat fed with beets does not defecate at all, you will also quickly find out about this.