13 Week Kitten Loss Of Appetite

butterbiscuit

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Hey guys, I have a 13 wk old kitten who appears to be losing his appetite. He’s usually a big eater and would meow endlessly when I prepare his food (I feed him commercial raw). Yesterday, we had some people over to do some drill work in the kitchen and he got quite scared. He was out in the balcony the entire time due to the loud noise and seems to be fine after the people left. Then he took his usual evening nap and out of the blue, he jumped up, let out a single meow and ran to his litter box. He puked some of his lunch and it smelled horrible.

This morning I offered him his breakfast but he didn’t seem interested which is very unlike him. He did eat some when I offered some on a spoon. I also gave him some paste treat which he finished. So I’m confused if he’s really sick or could it be possible that he’s teething? So it may be uncomfortable to chew on the chicken chunks? Apart from the puking and loss of appetite, he’s playing and running around fine.

Any input would be much appreciated, thank you.
 

coffeeharlot

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I would go with the stress of the drilling and strange people being the culprit. It can definitely effect their appetite when they're stressed out, and it's not always as obvious as hiding under the sofa.
That said, kittens need their calories. It's been too long since I had a teething kitten, so I can't offer any advice on that and the chunks, but it's a little coincidental that he's acting like this the day after the drilling. I'm assuming he ate his dinner okay, it was lunch that he threw up and breakfast he wasn't into? Offer him some canned food (something you know he'd like) if he's not interested in the raw just now. If he turns his nose up at that, then get him to the vet ASAP.
 
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butterbiscuit

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I would go with the stress of the drilling and strange people being the culprit. It can definitely effect their appetite when they're stressed out, and it's not always as obvious as hiding under the sofa.
That said, kittens need their calories. It's been too long since I had a teething kitten, so I can't offer any advice on that and the chunks, but it's a little coincidental that he's acting like this the day after the drilling. I'm assuming he ate his dinner okay, it was lunch that he threw up and breakfast he wasn't into? Offer him some canned food (something you know he'd like) if he's not interested in the raw just now. If he turns his nose up at that, then get him to the vet ASAP.
After he threw up his lunch, he wasn’t really into his dinner too as he had some leftovers. We assumed it was due to the vomiting so we didn’t wanna force him to finish it. This morning he ate some but only with coaxing + liquid treats. We also moved his bowl away from the kitchen in case he felt unsafe.

He’s always been a picky eater and would only take raw. He’d only take wet food if we mixed raw in. Earlier today we tried bribing him with some tuna which he also refused.

Anyway, we will be bringing him to the vet to be checked out tmr :)
 

coffeeharlot

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Oh, if he wasn't into dinner and is refusing stuff flat out, then I'd definitely get him into the vet sooner rather than later. Hope the little guy perks up soon!
 

sophie1

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VET.

It's possible that while he was on the balcony he found something and swallowed it, and is now obstructed or maybe having toxic effects.

Just FYI, I had this situation (obstruction) in a 6 month old kitten who had just been neutered, and it took 3 vet visits (with 3 different vets) before someone finally thought about obstruction rather than aftereffects of surgery. The first two said, well we can do $600 of tests if you want. It was kind of bizarre to me. Make it clear that you're willing to pay for tests that are indicated, and it's their job to make the call. If they feel that observation is the way to go, ask them what to look for and for how long, and when you should come back. In other words, don't leave without a plan, because this can morph into a genuine emergency very fast.
 
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butterbiscuit

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VET.

It's possible that while he was on the balcony he found something and swallowed it, and is now obstructed or maybe having toxic effects.

Just FYI, I had this situation (obstruction) in a 6 month old kitten who had just been neutered, and it took 3 vet visits (with 3 different vets) before someone finally thought about obstruction rather than aftereffects of surgery. The first two said, well we can do $600 of tests if you want. It was kind of bizarre to me. Make it clear that you're willing to pay for tests that are indicated, and it's their job to make the call. If they feel that observation is the way to go, ask them what to look for and for how long, and when you should come back. In other words, don't leave without a plan, because this can morph into a genuine emergency very fast.
Hi! Thank you for taking the time to reply. We took him to the vet and the vet said he’s perfectly ok and most probably eating less due to stress. Other than that, he wants us to bring him in every 3 months for deworming due to raw feeding. Ever since my post, my kitten has been eating more and more with each meal. He’s back to his usual amount now! I think he’s just a picky little boy - with that said we’ll be changing up his food, maybe with some treat toppers :-)
 

Azazel

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Hi! Thank you for taking the time to reply. We took him to the vet and the vet said he’s perfectly ok and most probably eating less due to stress. Other than that, he wants us to bring him in every 3 months for deworming due to raw feeding. Ever since my post, my kitten has been eating more and more with each meal. He’s back to his usual amount now! I think he’s just a picky little boy - with that said we’ll be changing up his food, maybe with some treat toppers :-)
I’m glad your cat is okay. The deworming every 3 months for raw eating is completely unnecessary.
 
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butterbiscuit

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I’m glad your cat is okay. The deworming every 3 months for raw eating is completely unnecessary.
Yeah that’s what I thought too. We live in a country where raw feeding is still a very new thing so I guess the vets don’t have a standard protocol on what to do. I see them promoting ‘urinary tract health’ kibbles for sick cats and I just cringe every time. Anyway, how often do you think I should deworm my kitten? He’s fully indoors so I think there’s very little to no risk of getting worms/parasites.
 

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Yeah that’s what I thought too. We live in a country where raw feeding is still a very new thing so I guess the vets don’t have a standard protocol on what to do. I see them promoting ‘urinary tract health’ kibbles for sick cats and I just cringe every time. Anyway, how often do you think I should deworm my kitten? He’s fully indoors so I think there’s very little to no risk of getting worms/parasites.
I would deworm a few times in the first few months of their life because they are likely to have worms when they are kittens. After that personally I don’t ever deworm my indoor cats unless they need it. I keep my house clean and am meticulous to make sure my cats are also clean and healthy. I know some people deworm a couple times a year as a preventative but I don’t like putting chemicals on cats unnecessarily. I’ve had cats my whole life and have never had a problem.
 
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