Overly Anxious Over Kitten?

[pokemon44778]

Hi! I'm new but I have some concerns about my kitten, Milo! He's about 8 weeks old, and he was bron to a stray. He hasn't been to the vet and we really can't afford it unless it's an emergency. What I'm worried about is that he weighs 1.4 pounds and feels really skinny. You can feel his ribs, his pelvis, and his spine. He plays like a regular kitten, but I'm not sure if he's eating enough. He drinks water well and has no issues using a litter box, which he figured it our pretty quickly, I'm just worried that he needs to go to the vet or that I'm improperly feeding him.

I'll add a few pictures. You can't see any of his bones but when you feel them it's like he's just bones. Any advice? I give him about 3/4 cups of kitten food every morning, and sometimes some wet food in the evening, but he usually doesn't finish it at all. Anything would help!

I have no experience with kittens but my mom does and she says that it doesn't seem like that big of a deal, and that he'll be fine. I'm an anxious person, what can I say, I'm a worrier. I feel like I'm overexaggerating.

If anyone has tips either to help Milo or to help me stop being anxious, that would be wonderful!

 

[pokemon44778]

More information: Milo is 7-8 weeks old and he weighs 1.4 pounds. He eats kitten food, I free feed every morning, I add around 3/4 a cup of food, which he picks at. I sometimes give him wet food but he only eats the gravy of the chunk ones, but he likes the paté. He uses the litter box well, #1 3-4 times, #2 2-3 times. He sleeps, drinks, and plays well, he has tons of energy, but when you feel him you can feel his spine, pelvis, and rib bones pretty easily, and I'm pretty worried. Any advice? His bones aren't visible when you look at him, I guess I'm just worried.

 

[StefanZ]

is he properly dewormed?

You can give him goats milk aside of water for drinking. This way he will get some extra calories and nourishments for free.

 

[jen]

He really does need a vet for general kitten care. At 8 weeks he should be started on his kitten vaccines. Round 1 of 3. As well as deworming. There may be a low cost clinic near you if you tell us where you are located. This is really important basic cat care so if you can't afford it maybe you should call the local shelter or SPCA to take him in?

 

[pokemon44778]

We can definitely get him in soon then! I know a place that isn't super expensive nearby and I can probably convince my mom that he needs it.

 

[pokemon44778]

is he properly dewormed?

You can give him goats milk aside of water for drinking. This way he will get some extra calories and nourishments for free.

He isn't dewormed, I'm going to talk to my mom about bringing him in pretty soon. That's a good idea! Do they have goat milk at regular stores or do I have to go to, like, whole foods?

 

[pokemon44778]

He really does need a vet for general kitten care. At 8 weeks he should be started on his kitten vaccines. Round 1 of 3. As well as deworming. There may be a low cost clinic near you if you tell us where you are located. This is really important basic cat care so if you can't afford it maybe you should call the local shelter or SPCA to take him in?

Any advice on how I can let my mom know it's a big deal? I know we can get the money if we need it, and of a place to bring him for his medical care, she's the only one in my way.

 

[talkingpeanut]

It’s critical that a kitten gets basic veterinary care when they are young to set them up for success the rest of their lives. He needs to be dewormed every few weeks, he needs to a full series of vaccines, and he will need to be neutered in a month or two.

Thank you so much for taking care of him. These steps will allow him to be a healthy adult. He’s at serious risk without the vaccine series, and may suffer malnutrition without the deworming.

 

[StefanZ]

Pasteurized goat milk you can probably find in many shops. Raw goats it will probably be in the Whole food shops - may be costly.
Pasteurized is OK, as long as its no funny low fat diet variation.

 

[pokemon44778]

Great news everyone! Milo has gained weight! He's a little bit younger than we thought he was, and we've been monitoring him closely for any signs of worms! He has an appointment soon, but overall is doing much better! You can't feel his bones nearly as easily, and he seems to LOVE boiled chicken and coconut oil, both of which I heard were good for a skinny kitten. He looks way healthier and plays more than he did before, to the point where he's almost crazy!!! Thank you all for the advice!

 

[pokemon44778]

Sidenote: I used very small amounts of coconut oil! I know it can do more harm than good if used in too large of amounts, and I gave it to him once every other day (I'm talking less than 1/8th of a teaspoon. The chicken I gave quite a bit of, but mixed the smaller chunks with his food and added a bit of the chicken water, which my resident cat seemed to be jealous of. (I gave him some too so there wouldn't be any rivalry) Milo and my resident cat, Oliver, seem to get along really well seeing as Oliver is laid back and Milo is a ball of energy. There was no growling or hissing after about 3 days of supervised contact, and now (2 weeks after adoption) they sleep by each other and play together. Milo even roams the house on his own now, mostly because he can get under a few of our doors, so containing him isn't easy!


If anyone has any extra tips or advice it's always appreciated! Thank you! - Sylvester (and Milo and Oliver)