Hi! I've been fostering kittens for several months now. I haven't had any major problems thus far. I'm hoping someone here has more experience than me with this.
I have a kitten that is one of four that I've had along with their mom since they were 4 days old. They are now 11 weeks old and she refuses to eat except from mom or a syringe. She can smell the food because she goes crazy when I give her a vitamin supplement (malt flavored). I had her checked out by the shelter's vet. He examined her mouth, tummy, etc. and found no physical reason why she won't eat. I've tried every combination of KMR, canned food, water, dry, etc. and she's just not interested. She also refuses to use her litter box when she is out of the crate. Mom has a very short supply of milk at this point, so I'm crating this kitten and syringe feeding her twice a day along with making dry food and water available all the time. She seems healthy in every other way. Could it be that she's an extremely slow learner? She has one sibling who is picky but will eat when I make it tempting for him. The shelter folks will probably just put her down. If anyone has experience with this, please help!
Thanks,
Gina
11 week old kitten won't eat
Re: 11 week old kitten won't eat
Have you had her sinuses checked? That would be my first thought- also what are you feeding her in? Use a flat saucer of plate, or actually jar lids work well. Nuke the food before you give it to her to wake up the flavors and entice her to eat. Put a little bit of the canned food on her whiskers first, and then try finger feeding her (carefully)
The smallest feline is a masterpiece.
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
But, did he perform a fecal exam to rule out worms/parasites? Urinalysis to rule out bacterial infection? Any bloodwork done?Gina wrote:I had her checked out by the shelter's vet. He examined her mouth, tummy, etc. and found no physical reason why she won't eat.
What brands of food?Gina wrote:I've tried every combination of KMR, canned food, water, dry, etc. and she's just not interested.
Uh, why? I always shudder at shelters opting for this, since all that is really needed is a full comprehensive and detailed exam (including options mentioned above), and some time, patience and love. Yes, she could be a slow learner, but doubtful at almost 3 months of age, would seem more of a health issue to me. Get a new exam with a new vet please, immediately.Gina wrote:The shelter folks will probably just put her down. If anyone has experience with this, please help!
Any vomiting, diarrhea or other signs of illness? Has she lost a significant amount of weight?
..........Traci
-
Gina
Re: 11 week old kitten won't eat
Traci,
The shelter vet did not run any tests. He simply "looked her over" as far as I can tell. As so often happens with shelter sweeties, it comes down to an issue of money. Then the next person in line to pay for testing and evaluation ends up being me, and I've already spent all of my expendable income this month for a foster mom who developed mastitis. Patience and love I can do, but I can't invest the money I'd like to. It's just not possible. What I plan to do on Monday morning is to call some local vets and ask if any would be willing to see her for a reduced fee. Anybody have any connections near Austin, TX? I don't know how far that will get me, but I can try.
No, MA, haven't had sinuses checked... can you explain more about that type of problem?
She has had no signs of illness. She plays and runs just like a normal kitty but has not grown nearly as quickly as her siblings because of this issue. She hasn't lost weight... she's just failed to gain.
The brands I've tried include Science Diet canned and dry, Iams canned, Friskies wet, KMR mixed with canned, KMR alone, tuna straight from the can mushed up with it's own water, added a malt type of vitamin supplement (which she LOVES) to the top of the food to make it more appealing... I'm sure there are a few more combinations I've tried but that's a good sampling. Is there any type of malt-flavored food out there? I tried this morning with the supplement alone on a saucer and she licked it all up! So that tells me she understands what to do, she just won't do it unless it tastes like that supplement.
The shelter sees it as an issue of adoptability. Since she not only has an eating issue but also a litter box problem, they see it as not a good investment of time. However, I simply am not ready to give up. I'll keep you posted as we make progress. If anyone has more suggestions with this extra information, I'm all ears!
Thanks,
Gina
The shelter vet did not run any tests. He simply "looked her over" as far as I can tell. As so often happens with shelter sweeties, it comes down to an issue of money. Then the next person in line to pay for testing and evaluation ends up being me, and I've already spent all of my expendable income this month for a foster mom who developed mastitis. Patience and love I can do, but I can't invest the money I'd like to. It's just not possible. What I plan to do on Monday morning is to call some local vets and ask if any would be willing to see her for a reduced fee. Anybody have any connections near Austin, TX? I don't know how far that will get me, but I can try.
No, MA, haven't had sinuses checked... can you explain more about that type of problem?
She has had no signs of illness. She plays and runs just like a normal kitty but has not grown nearly as quickly as her siblings because of this issue. She hasn't lost weight... she's just failed to gain.
The brands I've tried include Science Diet canned and dry, Iams canned, Friskies wet, KMR mixed with canned, KMR alone, tuna straight from the can mushed up with it's own water, added a malt type of vitamin supplement (which she LOVES) to the top of the food to make it more appealing... I'm sure there are a few more combinations I've tried but that's a good sampling. Is there any type of malt-flavored food out there? I tried this morning with the supplement alone on a saucer and she licked it all up! So that tells me she understands what to do, she just won't do it unless it tastes like that supplement.
The shelter sees it as an issue of adoptability. Since she not only has an eating issue but also a litter box problem, they see it as not a good investment of time. However, I simply am not ready to give up. I'll keep you posted as we make progress. If anyone has more suggestions with this extra information, I'm all ears!
Thanks,
Gina
Re: 11 week old kitten won't eat
If she likes the malt supplement, by all means, simply add or mix it into any canned food (as long as this is not laxatone, use instead a supplement that is similar to Nutri-Cal). Given the choices you've already used, I would then suggest any commercial canned kitten food, (you can even try purina cat chow kitten food if necessary), Science Diet growth or Mix-It, Waltham's kitten, or resort to a prescription brand such as Hill's A/D, P/D or Eukanuba Recovery.
Has she had a full oral health exam? You want to rule out teething problems and dental structure, as in, not developing properly, loose teeth, inflamed gums, overbite, etc. The ease of eating the malt supplement only might indicate a problem with pain or teeth when she eats.
At this age, it's so important that she gains and maintains her weight, not simply maintaining.
As for the litterbox issue, you have to be patient on this one, crating isn't ideal and can be stressful (thereby avoiding the litterbox when she's out of her crate). Also consider the box, litter type, time spent teaching her to use it. If she is not fully weaned from her mother, this is part of the problem, allowing her to continue to (try) nurse isn't doing either of them a favor, she needs to be seperated from the mother long enough to become interested in solid food, litterbox use, socialization, etc.
Take her and her other sibling in another room away from the mother, tempt them with various cat foods, and be persistent with this several times a day so that they are encouraged to eat normally. Play and exercise before hand might help, as energy expended will up their appetites. I wouldn't use a whole smorgasbord of foods as this might create food aversions, stick with one or two different brands/types and make it interesting with the supplement, formula or whatever works.
Again, try to get a good oral health exam for this kitten...
Has she had a full oral health exam? You want to rule out teething problems and dental structure, as in, not developing properly, loose teeth, inflamed gums, overbite, etc. The ease of eating the malt supplement only might indicate a problem with pain or teeth when she eats.
At this age, it's so important that she gains and maintains her weight, not simply maintaining.
As for the litterbox issue, you have to be patient on this one, crating isn't ideal and can be stressful (thereby avoiding the litterbox when she's out of her crate). Also consider the box, litter type, time spent teaching her to use it. If she is not fully weaned from her mother, this is part of the problem, allowing her to continue to (try) nurse isn't doing either of them a favor, she needs to be seperated from the mother long enough to become interested in solid food, litterbox use, socialization, etc.
Take her and her other sibling in another room away from the mother, tempt them with various cat foods, and be persistent with this several times a day so that they are encouraged to eat normally. Play and exercise before hand might help, as energy expended will up their appetites. I wouldn't use a whole smorgasbord of foods as this might create food aversions, stick with one or two different brands/types and make it interesting with the supplement, formula or whatever works.
Again, try to get a good oral health exam for this kitten...
..........Traci
-
Gina
Re: 11 week old kitten won't eat
Oh, my goodness, what a difference a few days makes!!! The little girl went from being syringe fed to eating from a spoon to today for the first time, eating completely by herself from a normal saucer! She's doing great, gaining weight, and growing. I'm so excited! Now we just have to get the litter box training down and she's ready for a forever home! Yay! A success story in the making. Thanks, guys, for all your advice and support. Fostering furbabies has so many rewards!
Thankful,
Gina
Thankful,
Gina