7 month old kitten wasting away

[6krazykitties]

I have a 7 month old kitten, Lucy, who has recently become very very skinny. She does eat but not alot. When I give her wet food she usually just licks the wetness off the meat and leaves the rest. I always cat her on the counter and on the table trying to get food. I am afraid that she is scavanging for food tastier than her own. I have taken her to the vet and had bloodwork done, which came out fine. I have 5 other cats who are all at normal weights, so I dont think its worms. She is so skinny that when I pick her up she's weighs practically nothing. I am afraid I will break her, she is so frail. I dont know what to do with her, I am afraid she will waste away to nothing. Does anyone have any advice to help my skinny kitty?

[jason]

your vet should of advised you at the time of your appointment to feed her certain food to help bulk up. wieght loss (especially quick) can be very serious to her organs.

i have one cat that is on the skinny side of normal (as i like to call it) and my vet had me give her hill's science diet kitten (dry) for about 2 months and then switch to adult, although she in the 3-4 year range. my vet had alot of samples of the kitten formula, call around for this.

use the body score chart to determine if you have a problem (although it sounds like you do) in which case either another vet visit (maybe a different vet for a second opinion on this) is in order to rule out something internal that is causing her to lose weight.

it would be good to know for sure if its just lack of consumption that is causing this. btw., how is she scavanging? is she outdoor as well? if so, i would recommend indoor only at least till you can get a handle on this.

[6krazykitties]

She is an indoor cat, as all my cats are. What I mean by scavanging is that I catch her in the kitchen on the counters looking for food, and she runs away when I catch her. She knows she shouldnt be up there. When we eat she also tries to edge herself close to our plates, and searches the table when we leave it. She acts like we don't feed her! I have tried special kitten formula food but she wasnt impressed. The vet had only suggested I try giving her omega 3 oil in her food, which I have, but she doesnt eat much of it. I will take her to the vet again. She does weigh too little. I have two other kittens the same age as her, who easily weigh twice as much as her, and they are lean healthy kitties. What is most noticable is her weight loss, is her loss of muscle mass. Her legs are just sticks. She is also not very sociable with the other cats, who pick on her. She isnt very energetic for her age either. I hope the vet can help!

[Traci]

If your first vet simply gave her an exam and suggested omega 3's, you need to see a NEW vet. Omega 3's are simply fatty acids used as a supplement, but they do nothing for weight gain. Most commercial cat foods contain a proper amount of fatty acids, so supplementing probably isn't necessary.

What food are you feeding, canned vs wet, commercial vs premium? If you're feeding a store-brand, generic or off-brand, and if she doesn't like it, switch her to a premium (like Hill's or Iams, etc). If you're only feeding canned, switch to dry. Your last sentence in your post may indicate that she might be intimidated by the other cats, preventing her from eating as much as she should. Provide another food/water dish in another area in the event she is intimidated and fearful around the other cats during feeding times.

If she has been vomiting, and losing weight, rather than just maintaining weight, see a new vet and get a fecal exam done to rule out parasites or GI bacterial infection. Ideally, feeding a premium kitten food might help add extra calories and energy needs temporarily, but the vet must determine there is no underlying health condition that is causing her to not gain and maintain her weight.

[C.J.]

Just finished reading about poor Lucy and was reminded of a similar situation with one of my cats. May I make a few suggestions? If you feed her wet cat food, mash it first, this will make it more digestible and will stop her licking off the jelly/gravy. Also you could try feeding her some flaked tuna, this has been an absolute godsend to me when my cats were off their food - make sure you leave plenty of fresh water for her to drink. Finally, try feeding her away from the other cats who may be intimidating her. I sincerely hope this helps

C.J.
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[6krazykitties]

Well the source of Lucy's problem was discovered. She had cancer rampant throughout her intestines and lymph nodes. This was the source of her rapid weight loss. After looking inside her and discovering this she lost alot of blood, and had to be laid to rest, for there was nothing that could have been done for her. The tumor was taking up too much blood, and covered too much of her intestines.

If anyone out there notices their pet is getting progressively skinnier please have them checked by a doctor, thoroughly. Abnormality in the white blood cells, weight loss, and loss of energy are just a few of the signs that your pet may have a serious problem. It can happen at any age, as we discovered. The vets believe Lucy was born with it.

Please have a moment of silence for Lucy who died on April 10th, 2004 at the age of 7months...

[Wanda]

How tragic! I am sorry. Wanda

[LisaLisa]

This is so sad for this to happen to Lucy at such a young age....

I'm so so sorry....Safe journey to the Rainbow Bridge liitle one...

((((HUGS))))
Lisa

[Auntie Debbie]

I'm so very sorry about Lucy. I will keep your little sweetie in my prayers to find happiness across the bridge. And thank you for the warning. Those certainly are signs that something isn't right and a good vet check would be in order.