Normal Litter Use For A 10 Week Old Kitten?

[Gfwilkinson05]

Our little girl has been very good with her food and her litter since she arrived seven days ago, however today she's only used the litter tray twice, and now she's in there for the third time she keeps meowing. She's never usually vocal when using her litter tray. We wonder if maybe because she's not drunk much it's a bit uncomfortable?.

She finished her breakfast this morning but barely touched lunch, we've put down fresh dinner but she's not yet eaten much of that either. We don't think she's drank much so added a teaspoon of water to her dinner.

Is this cause for concern at all? Or to just keep an eye on her and see how she progresses?

Or are we just being a bit over cautious lol

 

[talkingpeanut]

Are you leaving dry food down for her in addition to the meals of wet food? Her stomach is very small, so would be best if she could graze as she needs a snack.

Do you think she is constipated? If so, you could add a bit of plain canned pumpkin to her wet food.

 

[Gfwilkinson05]

When were at home (weekends) were doing half a pouch in the morning, half at lunch and half for dinner, then some dry food before bed. When were at work we leave a whole pouch down at breakfast to graze on, then half a pouch at dinner then the biscuits before bed. The vet said that was fine whilst she's at the age she is.

About 2 minutes ago we completely ditched the litter and cleaned the box for the first time, she won't be put off by the clean box would she?

We werent sure if she was constipated as she never usually makes when she poops, and we've found two solid poops in there when cleaning it out, all since breakfast today.

I don't know if I just worry too much lol

 

[FeebysOwner]

Well, it doesn't sound like a poop issue! How about the amount of pee you found in the litterbox? If less than usual, she needs more water/hydration. Most kittens that age tend to go both ways at one time, and usually shortly after they eat/drink.

If you are not finding a lot of pee, you can try giving her some extra water by adding some to her food, or even using a small oral syringe with very tiny amounts at a time toward the inner wall of her cheek multiple times a day. If you don't see the volume of pee increase to what was normal for her before, a vet visit is likely in order.

As far as a clean litter box, it shouldn't be a problem given it was once clean before she used it in the first place!!

Is she eating better now?

 

[Gfwilkinson05]

When we cleaned it out we found more pee than expected, and she did just go for a pee now which is good, but she still has a lot of her dinner left, she's barely touched it. So although she ate her half a pouch breakfast, she barely touched her lunch or now dinner. Should we be putting down biscuits alongside as well (she will be 20g dry food before bed), or just leave her as she is and if she's hungry she will go back to it?

Unfortunately at her previous home where she was born they had other adult cats, so she's ended up eating the adult cat food. We have bought the kitten food she had there, but I wonder if she misses the adult food.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I'd leave something out for her to eat so it's there should she get hungry. At that age, they should eat all they want.

Has she had some adult food off and on since you have had her, and maybe just recently stopped? If she hasn't had any adult food for the entire week she's been with you, I would think you would have noticed an issue with her eating before now. If you have any adult food left you can put a few pieces in with her kitten food, just to see...

At 10 weeks old, just about anything is a legitimate cause for concern. If she doesn't pick back up on her eating in the next day, or she continues to decrease the amount she is eating, it is time for a vet visit. Also, in addition to paying attention to her litterbox habits, watch her overall demeanor - still playing a lot, etc.

Has she been checked over by a vet since you have had her?

 

[Gfwilkinson05]

We've not had her on any adult food since she arrived on Monday, only the kitten food. Ok, so maybe leave down the pouches plus some biscuits so she can choose what she wants? How much dry food should we leave down, just the general 20g and see which one she eats? We thought she was eating well when she arrived, and Friday when I went back to work she ate the whole pouch we gave her in the morning, it's only the last two days we've noticed she's leaving a lot of food.

Her general demeaner hasn't changed, she's still a hyper crazy scat cat haha

Yeah she had her first vet appointment Tuesday along with her first vaccinations, and the vet said she was in good health, that it was good we weren't giving her adult food and that we were giving her the right amount.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I would give her a bit of each, and see what happens. Dry can be left out longer than wet foods, so it is not as important to worry about how much to give her and how long it takes her to eat unless you are wanting to keep track (as long as no water has been added to it).

Had you been home with her until you went to work Friday? Is it possible she misses the extra company she was being given?

 

[Gfwilkinson05]

Ok, thanks for the advice, after your last message I went out and put some biscuits down for her, and she has eaten a lot of them. I wonder if maybe she doesn't like the wet food, or perhaps she wasn't hungry when we put it out, then when she was hungry it wasn't fresh enough? Either way I'll make sure to put both a pouch and biscuits down before work tomorrow. She's not made any indications of hunger either.

Yeah, I was off with her Monday through to Thursday, and had to go back to work Friday. My husband and I both work full time, but we've been home with her all weekend. I don't remember much about her eating habits yesterday, I think she didn't eat as much but it was very hot yesterday so we put it down to that.

How do we move forward? I would like to keep her on a mix of wet and dry food, but if she won't eat the wet food we put down where do we go from there?

Thank you for your help so far, we're new to this and just want to make sure she's happy and healthy

 

[FeebysOwner]

I presume the food she was eating before you got her was all dry? If so, then it is possible that she prefers dry over wet just because that is what she is used to. The only problem with that theory is if she was eating the wet just fine for several days before she slowed down. But, yes, some cats can be picky over wet food if it dries out slightly or becomes stale. If you think it is dried out, you can mix in some water. I probably wouldn't leave wet out for more than 3-4 hours. Some might even say less time with a young kitten.

You can also try crumbling some of the dry food over top of the wet food just to see how she reacts to that, in case it is the flavor of the dry that she likes better.

 

[Gfwilkinson05]

I've just been in contact with the lady we got her from, and apparently her mum is a bit of a fussy eater, so perhaps she ate the whiskas for the first few days and had simply decided she doesn't actually like it that much ‍ I'll grab her some Felix pouches and see how she gets on, as the whiskas biscuits are fine. She had a mix of wet and dry from the original home, so maybe she is just a fuss pot.

We gave her the wet dinner around 7pm, and there's still most of it left, but we're about to head up to bed, so is it best just to bin that or add some water and see how she gets on?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Unless you are coming back down in the next couple of hours to check on her, I would leave out dry only. Just for the potential bacteria factor with wet being left out too long.

 

[Gfwilkinson05]

Thanks, we've binned the dinner and left her with the biscuits I gave her after your message I'm going to try leaving half a pouch down tomorrow morning alongside biscuits to see how we go and try her on some Felix pouches once I've been to the shops. Maybe she takes after her mum and is a bit of a fussy eater!?

Thanks for the advice! If her eating doesn't improve over the next few days we will be off to the vets, but seeing as the vet said she was healthy Tuesday, and everything else about her is normal, I wonder if maybe she's suddenly decided that yeah she liked whiskas for a few days, but has now changed her mind.

 

[FeebysOwner]

The pickiness with the food could certainly be an issue - especially since she just so recently saw the vet. It could be that she is getting more comfortable being with you and in your home, that she feels more inclined to let you know she doesn't necessarily like what you are feeding her!!

Keep us posted!