Kitten Acts Hungry, But Then Doesn't Eat?

[saleri]

Starting to get really worried. She ate her entire 12:00 lunch. But she barely touched her food at 5:50 pm, and didn't touch much again at 11:00pm.

She seems mostly licking the food when she does go for it, instead of usually biting at it. I tried 5 different brands and nothing. Only thing she seems to be eating consistently is her treats.

 

[saleri]

Bringing her to the vet tomorrow morning, but honestly don't know what to expect. Unless they find an easy solution, I may be in severe trouble since I don't have the resources to do anything major with her.

 

[saleri]

She just keeps pawing around the food bowl after licking the food for a little bit. Only good thing is that she just passed stool again and it was completely solid.

 

[catsknowme]

Oh, dear - I was hoping that your kitten was better. Are you giving her probiotics? And is she staying hydrated? Until she goes to the vet, you can support her immune system with probiotics and L-lysine.
Was her mom vaccinated?
Have you taken a small flashlight and looked into your kitten's mouth for a sore throat or blisters or tiny red spots?
You can try giving her Gerber stage 2 chicken or beef baby food ( no onions or garlic in that) with a little diluted unflavored Pedialyte (or the less-optimal homemade version; www.kitten-com has a recipe).
I free-feed my kittens by leaving kibble in their bowl and feeding canned 3 times a day. I also make sure that their litter is unscented.
As you already know, in some ways, kittens are so very fragile. Yet in other ways, with support and care, they bounce back in the most amazing ways. If you can connect with a feral cat rescue group, you might find a great mentor or two, whether for advice and guidance or just plain ol' moral support. I HIGHLY recommend reading the Feral Cat Blog at www.kitten-rescue.com. Myself, I also follow Love Meow on FaceBook which has helped me connect with rescuers in other parts of the country. You can also reach out to your fellow TCS members via Private Message.
Okay, I will get off my soapbox now. You are doing a great job with your little one - you are being very proactive! And in my opinion, unseasoned cooked steak is not a problem - my country vet recommends boiled chicken or hamburger for kittens during times of tummy upsets - vets are like pediatricians when it comes to advising new moms

 

[catsknowme]

Oh, dear - I was hoping that your kitten was better. Are you giving her probiotics? And is she staying hydrated? Until she goes to the vet, you can support her immune system with probiotics and L-lysine.
Was her mom vaccinated?
Have you taken a small flashlight and looked into your kitten's mouth for a sore throat or blisters or tiny red spots?
You can try giving her Gerber stage 2 chicken or beef baby food ( no onions or garlic in that) with a little diluted unflavored Pedialyte (or the less-optimal homemade version; www.kitten-com has a recipe).
I free-feed my kittens by leaving kibble in their bowl and feeding canned 3 times a day. I also make sure that their litter is unscented.
As you already know, in some ways, kittens are so very fragile. Yet in other ways, with support and care, they bounce back in the most amazing ways. If you can connect with a feral cat rescue group, you might find a great mentor or two, whether for advice and guidance or just plain ol' moral support. I HIGHLY recommend reading the Feral Cat Blog at www.kitten-rescue.com. Myself, I also follow Love Meow on FaceBook which has helped me connect with rescuers in other parts of the country. You can also reach out to your fellow TCS members via Private Message.
Okay, I will get off my soapbox now. You are doing a great job with your little one - you are being very proactive! And in my opinion, unseasoned cooked steak is not a problem - my country vet recommends boiled chicken or hamburger for kittens during times of tummy upsets - vets are like pediatricians when it comes to advising new moms

 

[catsknowme]

Oh, dear - I was hoping that your kitten was better. Are you giving her probiotics? And is she staying hydrated? Until she goes to the vet, you can support her immune system with probiotics and L-lysine as well as keep her hydrated and her calories up.
Was her mom vaccinated?
Have you taken a small flashlight and looked into your kitten's mouth for a sore throat or blisters or tiny red spots?
You can try giving her Gerber stage 2 chicken or beef baby food ( no onions or garlic in that) with a little diluted unflavored Pedialyte (or the less-optimal homemade version; www.kitten-com has a recipe).
I free-feed my kittens by leaving kibble in their bowl and feeding canned 3 times a day. I also make sure that their litter is unscented.
As you already know, in some ways, kittens are so very fragile. Yet in other ways, with support and care, they bounce back in the most amazing ways. If you can connect with a feral cat rescue group, you might find a great mentor or two, whether for advice and guidance or just plain ol' moral support. I HIGHLY recommend reading the Feral Cat Blog at www.kitten-rescue.com. Myself, I also follow Love Meow on FaceBook which has helped me connect with rescuers in other parts of the country. You can also reach out to your fellow TCS members via Private Message.
Okay, I will get off my soapbox now. You are doing a great job with your little one - you are being very proactive! And in my opinion, unseasoned cooked steak is not a problem - my country vet recommends boiled chicken or hamburger for kittens during times of tummy upsets - vets are like pediatricians when it comes to advising new moms

 

[Brian007]

catsknowme , I like your triple-handed approach to getting your message across!

saleri maybe she's teething and as a sore mouth, so chewing is painful. Perhaps just give her soft food like pate, baby food, or the food your giving her but wizzed up in a blender with a bit of tasty gravy and/or water. And, I recommend your trying her with the scrumptious juice from a tin of tuna in spring water, and if she likes it, mush up the tuna chunks really well into a delicious and highly stinky soupy tuna stew, adding extra water if it needs more mushiness. Heating food up in a microwave for a couple of seconds is also a plan, as cats like to eat at 'mouse blood' temperature.

 

[saleri]

Oh, dear - I was hoping that your kitten was better. Are you giving her probiotics? And is she staying hydrated? Until she goes to the vet, you can support her immune system with probiotics and L-lysine as well as keep her hydrated and her calories up.
Was her mom vaccinated?
Have you taken a small flashlight and looked into your kitten's mouth for a sore throat or blisters or tiny red spots?
You can try giving her Gerber stage 2 chicken or beef baby food ( no onions or garlic in that) with a little diluted unflavored Pedialyte (or the less-optimal homemade version; www.kitten-com has a recipe).
I free-feed my kittens by leaving kibble in their bowl and feeding canned 3 times a day. I also make sure that their litter is unscented.
As you already know, in some ways, kittens are so very fragile. Yet in other ways, with support and care, they bounce back in the most amazing ways. If you can connect with a feral cat rescue group, you might find a great mentor or two, whether for advice and guidance or just plain ol' moral support. I HIGHLY recommend reading the Feral Cat Blog at www.kitten-rescue.com. Myself, I also follow Love Meow on FaceBook which has helped me connect with rescuers in other parts of the country. You can also reach out to your fellow TCS members via Private Message.
Okay, I will get off my soapbox now. You are doing a great job with your little one - you are being very proactive! And in my opinion, unseasoned cooked steak is not a problem - my country vet recommends boiled chicken or hamburger for kittens during times of tummy upsets - vets are like pediatricians when it comes to advising new moms

Yeah I took her to the vet today, she has some minor GI problems. Was given metronidazole to give to her twice a day for 5 days.

 

[catsknowme]

Poor girl! Please let us know how she does on the "met". Sending prayers and vibes for speedy healing

 

[msaimee]

One of my cats had the same kind of issues as your kitty when I took him in. He had a bad parasite infestation and GI infection. It took two different dewormers and two courses of antibiotics to completely clear up the parasites and the infection. He was on the same medicine that your kitten is taking now. If she is only eating treats, fill a bowl of treats for her. Did the vet prescribe an appetite stimulant? If she doesn't eat on her own in the next day or two, ask the vet about prescribing one. Also ask your vet about syringe feeding her. You can use a plastic syringe which is used for medication to hand feed her canned cat food mixed with water so that it is very loose, and gently apply it in her mouth. Very, very gently, because if you syringe too forcefully, it could go into her lungs and she could aspirate. Ask your vet about this tomorrow if she is not eating anything on her own. It took about a month, but my cat Sonny made a full recovery and now is a full and fluffy 13 pound cat. Prayers that your kitty will make a full recovery too.

 

[saleri]

One of my cats had the same kind of issues as your kitty when I took him in. He had a bad parasite infestation and GI infection. It took two different dewormers and two courses of antibiotics to completely clear up the parasites and the infection. He was on the same medicine that your kitten is taking now. If she is only eating treats, fill a bowl of treats for her. Did the vet prescribe an appetite stimulant? If she doesn't eat on her own in the next day or two, ask the vet about prescribing one. Also ask your vet about syringe feeding her. You can use a plastic syringe which is used for medication to hand feed her canned cat food mixed with water so that it is very loose, and gently apply it in her mouth. Very, very gently, because if you syringe too forcefully, it could go into her lungs and she could aspirate. Ask your vet about this tomorrow if she is not eating anything on her own. It took about a month, but my cat Sonny made a full recovery and now is a full and fluffy 13 pound cat. Prayers that your kitty will make a full recovery too.

She's eating I guess, but she'll usually eat 10% of the food, and then I'll have to finger feed her the other 90%, and it'll usually take an hour since she loses interest. I feed her 4 times a day. 1.5 oz each time 200 calories. She never says on to treats. Will start giving her the metronidazole tonight. Vet didn't subscribe appetite stimulant.

 

[saleri]

Anyway thanks for all the help! Here's some videos I just shot of Lilo being cute.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/i3d9DP5vFmYqDcgy1

 

[Brian007]

Try your absolute hardest to not miss a dose of the 'met', until it's all finished in 5 days time, once you've started tonight.

 

[Brian007]

Anyway thanks for all the help! Here's some videos I just shot of Lilo being cute.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/i3d9DP5vFmYqDcgy1

She looks full of beans.

 

[saleri]

Try your absolute hardest to not miss a dose of the 'met', until it's all finished in 5 days time, once you've started tonight.

Yeah will not, oddly enough they gave me 10 syringes with the liquid inside... Thought it was kind of a waste since most people give me just two.

 

[msaimee]

They pre-fill the syringe so the cat gets the correct dose. It sounds like she is eating enough. Once she is feeling better, she'll eat on her own, you won't need to finger feed her forever. Thanks for taking such good care of this Kitty.

 

[Brian007]

That's great of your vet to give you all ten doses already measured out. I'm impressed. I know it's a waste of plastic and resources but as you are new to cat care it was a wise move on your vet's part.

Offer her a treat after squirting it in as it won't taste too nice and the treat will distract her from its unpleasantness.

 

[saleri]

That's great of your vet to give you all ten doses already measured out. I'm impressed. I know it's a waste of plastic and resources but as you are new to cat care it was a wise move on your vet's part.

Offer her a treat after squirting it in as it won't taste too nice and the treat will distract her from its unpleasantness.

Yeah it just seems like a total waste... I mean it's not that hard to measure out 0.2ml of something... Yeah I normally give here a treat afterwards.

 

[Antonio65]

I feed her 4 times a day. 1.5 oz each time 200 calories.

Are we talking kcal? Is 200 kcal that you wrote correct?
Four time 200 is 800 kcal, and honestly it is way too much!!!
Judging your kitty by the clips, I'd say that she needs 150-160 kcal a day.

 

[msaimee]

Given that she's only 4 pounds and has been dealing with parasites, I think she should eat as much as she can. Leaving out a bowl of dry kitten chow 24/7 and offering canned food twice a day is usually sufficient for a kitten, but offering more won't hurt.