Calling all foster moms and dads...have you ever encountered a failure to thrive kitten? Let me explain. Over two months ago I started fostering a mom cat and her five one-week old kittens. One of them was the runt, about half the size of the others. Mom didn't push away the runt like I heard they do sometimes; in fact, Rogue (her name) steadily gained the expected amount of weight, although she still remained much smaller than her littermates. Around 5 weeks, when they were weaning, Rogue started to loose weight (at this time, she only weighed about a pound). I started supplementing her with extra-thick KMR every 3 hours or so, and she started to gain weight again. She successfully transitioned to wet food and seemed to have a good appetite. I scaled back on the supplemental KMR, and she started this pattern of gaining weight, then losing weight, and so on. Last week she had an episode of bloody diarrhea, and I've noticed diarrhea in the litter box ever since. She started to lose weight rapidly and is now 10 weeks old and only weighs a pound. She went back to the vet yesterday, and he said her heart and lungs are fine, but her intestines feel "ropey." He thinks she has severe malabsorption problems, and started her on a vitamin B supplement. He told me to start with every 3 hour supplemental feeding again. I just weighed her and she's lost an ounce in two days.
I am terribly afraid she is going to just fade away, despite my best efforts. Has anyone else successfully cared for and treated a failure to thrive kitty, who then got better and grew up to be a healthy cat? I am honestly losing hope, and could stand to hear a few success stories.
I am terribly afraid she is going to just fade away, despite my best efforts. Has anyone else successfully cared for and treated a failure to thrive kitty, who then got better and grew up to be a healthy cat? I am honestly losing hope, and could stand to hear a few success stories.
