9 Month Old Kitten Legthargic

[Jackintheb0x]

I am in the process of switching my 9 month old kitten over to adult food (vet recommendations).

I’ve gotten him the same brand (Purina One), just in an adult version. I started this last week, putting him a scoop of new food and a scoop of old and mixed them.

I noticed he was throwing up and I took the new food away and put him back solely on his kitten food. I was hoping this would give his stomach time to settle before I started back again. 2 days ago, I started mixing the new food back in. I put less of the new food and more of the old than I did last time, and he’s been fine, until today.

I picked him up earlier and a little bit of diarrhea came out. I haven’t noticed diarrhea in his litter box, and I chalked it up to an isolated incident. He’s still having no diarrhea, but he regurgitated his food pretty quickly after eating it earlier, and then did it again after he went back for a second time. He did, the 3rd time, finish his bowl (this was all the same food bowl, he just ate from it 3 x) and he kept that down. Now he seems lethargic. He’s slept since he ate. I went in the kitchen and made food, he didn’t move off of my bed. Normally he’s right up under me. He hasn’t acknowledged the food I’ve cooked either.

Is this just a reaction to the food change, or do I have a legitimate cause for concern here. He’s not dehydrated, and he played all day today up until he ate a couple of hours ago.

I had him at the vet last week for a check up and they said he has no parasites and they did not notice anything unusual in his poop, and this started pretty much with the new food.

 

[Margret]

I think I'd be calling the vet ASAP.

1. The adult food clearly does not agree with him. This doesn't mean that no adult food would agree with him, but this adult food doesn't.
2. This isn't normal behavior for a kitten, and the fact that it's happening immediately after he finally kept down a food that he clearly shouldn't be eating is suggestive.

Margret

 

[Jackintheb0x]

I think I'd be calling the vet ASAP.

1. The adult food clearly does not agree with him. This doesn't mean that no adult food would agree with him, but this adult food doesn't.
2. This isn't normal behavior for a kitten, and the fact that it's happening immediately after he finally kept down a food that he clearly shouldn't be eating is suggestive.

Margret

I will be calling the vet, but it’s close to midnight where I live and I just needed some extra reassurance until in the morning. Thanks for the help.

 

[Margret]

He should be okay for that long; sleeping is probably the best thing for him right now. Of course, you won't give him any more of the food that triggered all this, right?

Margret

 

[catwoman707]

It's unusual for a 9 month old kit to have such a reaction to such a small change, which when you merely went from purina one kitten to cat food was not a dramatic switch.
If it were me I would stop the food, feed only turkey baby food warmed and watered down a bit for a day or 2 and allow his tummy to calm down. Then slowly start back on 1/4 new and 3/4 old, for at least several days, then up it to half and half, and so on. If he keeps this down fine and the upset tummy seems better then he is just a bit sensitive is all.
I'm not discouraging a vet's opinion at all, but just not a lot that can be done without creating a big vet bill with tests that likely won't show anything out of the norm. Upset tummy will cause him to act rather uninterested and lethargic.
Make sure he is taking in plenty of water though, the baby food will help this.