Fattening Up Kitten

[Merlin77]

Our kitten Thor/Runty Stumpy is nine weeks old at 450 grams! Less than half a kg. The vet says he is the smallest cat for his age that's he's seen.

Thor is the runt of the litter,because he couldn't figure out how to bottle-feed.

He's healthy otherwise, but he does need to put on weight.

How many calories does he need per day? I imagine he needs small portions. Right now he's eating around 200 calories a day.

Thank you!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
These might help, and hopefully an expert has a chance to chime in for you

Hand Rearing Kittens: What You Need To Know To Save A Newborn's Life

I Found Abandoned Kittens - What Should I Do?

Saving Kittens

www.kitten-rescue.com

 

[Merlin77]

Thank you Furballsmom !

 

[Willowy]

I had an orphan litter that were 8 ounces at 8 weeks. The 2 survivors grew up big and strong, although it took a long time (they were only 3 pounds at 6 months). You can't really do anything to accelerate the process. Just let him eat as much as he wants. You could add some KMR or goat milk to his food for extra nutrients, I'm not really sure how much that helps but it can't hurt.

 

[Willowy]

I had an orphan litter that were 8 ounces at 8 weeks. The 2 survivors grew up big and strong, although it took a long time (they were only 3 pounds at 6 months). You can't really do anything to accelerate the process. Just let him eat as much as he wants. You could add some KMR or goat milk to his food for extra nutrients, I'm not really sure how much that helps but it can't hurt.

 

[lisahe]

How many calories does he need per day? I imagine he needs small portions. Right now he's eating around 200 calories a day.

I asked our vet this same question when we adopted our cats as very underfed ten-month-old kittens. She's a cat specialist and said she could, theoretically, calculate it out to give me a number but that "unlimited calories" was basically the way to go anyway. That's pretty much the way with kittens anyway but especially with underfed kittens. One was four pounds, the other was five, and they were painfully scrawny.

Frequent, small portions of food are good. I'd look for foods with high calorie density both so you can get the most calories for the money and keep Runty Stumpy satiated. I'm not sure where you live but the food charts on catinfo have calorie information on foods available in the US.

Perhaps most important: some cats who are very underfed may have food insecurity for a long time. Edwina (our cat who was four pounds when we brought her home) still has a tendency to overeat, even nearly five years later. We still feed the cats five meals a day so she doesn't scarf and barf.

Good luck!

 

[Merlin77]

I asked our vet this same question when we adopted our cats as very underfed ten-month-old kittens. She's a cat specialist and said she could, theoretically, calculate it out to give me a number but that "unlimited calories" was basically the way to go anyway. That's pretty much the way with kittens anyway but especially with underfed kittens. One was four pounds, the other was five, and they were painfully scrawny.

Frequent, small portions of food are good. I'd look for foods with high calorie density both so you can get the most calories for the money and keep Runty Stumpy satiated. I'm not sure where you live but the food charts on catinfo have calorie information on foods available in the US.

Perhaps most important: some cats who are very underfed may have food insecurity for a long time. Edwina (our cat who was four pounds when we brought her home) still has a tendency to overeat, even nearly five years later. We still feed the cats five meals a day so she doesn't scarf and barf.

Good luck!

Thank you for the info! We'll start feeding him more often. Oddly enough he doesn't seem hungry. I'd expect he would have a huge appetite but he eats like a mouse. He goes through 1 small can of food (the 3.5 oz ones) a day, sometimes a bit more.

So small portions are definitely the way to go. Right now he's napping in my lap and purring!

 

[Merlin77]

I had an orphan litter that were 8 ounces at 8 weeks. The 2 survivors grew up big and strong, although it took a long time (they were only 3 pounds at 6 months). You can't really do anything to accelerate the process. Just let him eat as much as he wants. You could add some KMR or goat milk to his food for extra nutrients, I'm not really sure how much that helps but it can't hurt.

We do supplement his food with cat mik (KMR) and the occasional leftover chicken (with no spices).

 

[Willowy]

Sounds like you have it handled .

Oh, yeah, also make sure he's fully de-wormed. Hookworms are the worst; they really suck the life out of kittens. Also ask the vet if he's big/strong enough for tapeworm treatment. They just can't grow if those nasty parasites are taking all their food and blood.

 

[lisahe]

He's probably so tiny that his little stomach can't hold much! The more calorie-dense the food, the better!

Do you a picture of him, Merlin77 ?

 

[Merlin77]

Sounds like you have it handled .

Oh, yeah, also make sure he's fully de-wormed. Hookworms are the worst; they really suck the life out of kittens. Also ask the vet if he's big/strong enough for tapeworm treatment. They just can't grow if those nasty parasites are taking all their food and blood.

The vet did give him a topical dewormer, I think it covers tapeworms, roundworms and heartworms. Not sure about hookworms but I think it covers that too.

He's probably so tiny that his little stomach can't hold much! The more calorie-dense the food, the better!

Do you a picture of him, Merlin77 ?

We are running low of cat food, so next time we go shopping I'll look around for a better food!

Here are some pictures of him:

(Right by my size 8 foot, for scale)

 

[Furballsmom]

Awww what a sweetheart!!

 

[maggiedemi]

Demi always ate at least 6oz when he was a baby. He was about 6 weeks old when he came here.

 

[Merlin77]

Right now Thor doesn't have an appetite. Could it be the deworming medicine? He still eats, and is active, but he takes a few bites from his food and wanders off...

 

[Furballsmom]

Have you tried any enticing toppers?
Does he need an appetite stimulant from the vet (I don't know if they do that for kittens?)

Regarding food, see if your vet will allow something here that might help;

Sometimes finger feeding is the only thing that works, either sitting on the floor with him and literally scooping a little food onto your finger, or gently tucking a little bit of food into his cheeks.

Try making this;
tent test for dehydration and home-made pedialyte recipe - The Daily Kitten

Also, try making one of these;
Kitten Glop Recipes - Supplementing Cats and Kittens with nutritious formula you make at home: presented by Bengal Cat breeder Foothill Felines. --This website has a number of kitten glop recipes, with ingredients that you may very well have in your house.

These can be used on their own or combined with food. Also, if you heat the food a little - stir it so there aren't any hot spots from the microwave. Or you could heat some water and add that to canned food. A small glass works to stir it all up.

• Chicken, beef or ham flavored baby food such as Gerber Stage 2 - make sure there is no garlic or onions in the ingredients

• Tuna and/or the juice, a low mercury/low/no sodium brand is called SafeCatch

• Salmon, mackerel

• Sardines (make sure there are no bones)

• boiled cut up chicken or turkey with no seasonings

• smelly canned kitten food it

• Try mixing in Kitten Milk Replacer - there are recipes on the internet, or store bought

• Fish, tuna or BBQ flavored canned wet food (I personally have never seen BBQ flavors, but...)

• Lickable cat treats or pouch treat 'gravy' poured over the food

• kitten glop (recipes in website link above)
• Bonito flakes
• fortiflora
• fish oil
• green beans, asparagus mushed up

• goat milk
• whole cooked eggs (the white must always be cooked) or raw egg yolk now and then
• broth with no salt and no garlic or onion or seasonings of any kind
• There are also commercial toppers, Applaws is a brand that can work well as a topper

• There are also Lickimats that you could spread types of soft food onto, even plain unflavored yogurt, and even freeze it. Licking something can help a cat to feel better emotionally The LickiMat - Food Puzzles for Cats
• a little shredded cheddar cheese

 

[lisahe]

Right now Thor doesn't have an appetite. Could it be the deworming medicine? He still eats, and is active, but he takes a few bites from his food and wanders off...

Thank you for the photos, he's adorable! And so tiny!

I'm not sure about the deworming medicine, though lots of cats -- including one of ours -- eat a little and then wander off. I'd just keep feeding him lots and lots of small meals. As long as he keeps eating a little at a time, he'll keep growing but, as W Willowy mentioned, it can take time for a cat to catch up on its weight. I just looked at our cats' records: it took them five months of constant eating to gain three pounds after we adopted them. (They were ten months old when we started.)

 

[Merlin77]

Thanks for the replies! I am pleased to report that after pooping, Thor has regained his appetite. I think he must have passed the worms and the medicine. The little guy had eaten twice the amount he normally eats!

Furballsmom I am going to screenshot your response for future reference! Never know when a cat will need it.

 

[Furballsmom]

I am pleased to report that after pooping, Thor has regained his appetite.

This is AWESOME news!!!

Hopefully it helps, if it's needed

 

[lisahe]

I'm glad to hear he's started eating well, that's great to hear!

I hope you're right that it was related to the medication and the worms. Cats can get constipated, too, so do ask if this happens again! Sometimes diets with a lot of bone (e.g. some raw foods have a lot of bone and bone can fall into the "byproduct" ingredient category, too) can cause problems.

But fingers crossed that he just keeps eating and starts to really grow and put on weight.