Help! New kitten and we’re concerned.

Jetta1981

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Hi all! I’m new here. My daughter and I just adopted a 12 week kitten from our local rescue. No known issues when we got him this past Thursday. He did great Friday and Saturday. We’re feeding him Iams Proactive Health dry kitten food as well as a half can of wet food twice a day of fancy feast kitten food for the wet. She gave him the salmon flavor on Sunday and he threw up 3 times and had diarrhea several times. We took him back to the rescue and their vets checked his stool, came back negative and said it was probably the food and we should stick with poultry wet food. He was himself again by bedtime yesterday. This evening we went to his room (we’re keeping him in his own room for a few days to adjust) and he was lethargic again and had diarrhea again. No vomiting though. We don’t have a regular vet yet because they can’t see until 8/27 and we don’t know what to do. I told my daughter we should stop the wet food altogether for right now. Has anyone experienced this? Is it the food? We’re terrified we’re doing something wrong and hurting him. I don’t know what to do and my daughter keeps blaming herself for it. :(
Thank you all so much.
 

DreamerRose

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That's a scary situation with a new kitten. It could be two things, or maybe both. He may be allergic to fish. My own Mingo is very allergic to fish, and throws it up instantly. I couldn't even add fish oil to his meal as a vet recommended. Your kitty may also be very stressed at the moment. He's in a place he's not familiar with and is missing his litter mates. You could take him to bed with you for a while to comfort him. Warm snuggles will help a lot. Just be careful not to roll over on him.

Don't feed him only dry food. Male cats are prone to crystals in their urine because they don't drink enough water. Stick with the chicken, turkey, or beef Fancy Feast instead of the Iams. Sheba pate in the same flavors is also good for cats with nervous stomachs.

Welcome to the Cat Site! You're in the right place for cat lovers.
 

tabbytom

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o known issues when we got him this past Thursday. He did great Friday and Saturday. We’re feeding him Iams Proactive Health dry kitten food as well as a half can of wet food twice a day of fancy feast kitten food for the wet. She gave him the salmon flavor on Sunday and he threw up 3 times and had diarrhea several times. We took him back to the rescue and their vets checked his stool, came back negative and said it was probably the food and we should stick with poultry wet food.
Being no health issues after the vet's visit, this is very normal in change of diet. The system needs time to get use to new food. You can slowly introduce new food to him by transiting from the food he was eating. Do something like this, slowly mix the portion from old food 70% with 30% new food for a few days and then 50/50 of new and old food for he next week and 30% old and 70% new the following week and then 100% new food.

Since he's only 12 weeks old, he needs lots of proteins and nutrients to aid his growth and all these comes from feeding wet food. Wet food keeps him hydrated. Best is get him food meant for kittens and feed him till he's a year old when he matures (normal breeds matures 1 year). Or you can get him food labeled 'For All Life Stages'. After that you may switch slowly to adult food or continue with the food labeled 'For All Life Stages'.
 

Caspers Human

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Find out what he was eating, before, and start with that. Then, transition to the new food.

It sounds to me like he was just "off his food" because of the stress of moving to a new home, combined with an abrupt change in diet.

Eating his old, familiar food will help him transition to his new home. As he settles in, you can gradually change his food.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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:yeah: And transition the way Tabbytom suggested unless you start to see diarrhea (or vomiting) again. If so, slow it down.

Unless you have other animals, he doesn't really need to be separated, however, he DOES need to have a safe place to go to hide and get away from it all, if he wants. Maybe even his carrier, with a blanket inside and in a quiet area. I keep an open carrier at the ready all the time, and one of my guys sleeps inside it often. It must feel safe to him, like a cave. Of course, you need to make sure your home is kitten proof. Have you seen this article? Kitten Proofing Your Home: 13 Practical Tips – TheCatSite Articles
 
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Jetta1981

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Thank you everyone for your advice! He’s doing so much better now. We ended up taking him off wet food completely and I checked with the vet during his visit and she agreed with that. Since then, he’s been a wild, crazy, happy kitten! Now apparently we’re moving onto teething. 😬
 

mrsgreenjeens

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So glad that issue has resolved itself! Now, for the teething, once he starts teething, you may notice he may start chewing on things to help with the pain in his mouth. I do see a couple of cords in the background of this cute picture. Some kittens are attacted to things like that to chew on, others pay them no mind. Just a reminder to keep an eye out for that sort of thing. It's #10 in that article on Kitten Proofing Your House I attached in my post above :).
 

cataholic07

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You still want to give wet food, its very important for a kitty's diet especially for males and especially if you feed a very high carb diet like IAMS. Some can't eat fish flavors, so try chicken or turkey :)
 
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