Skinny kitten needs to gain weight

[mydaddysjag]

We recently got an 8 week old barn kitten.  He has the classic signs of worms and poor nutrition, hes skinny with a pot belly and he has rough long hair.  I know that the first step is getting him his wellness visit at the vet and dewormed.  I was wondering if there was anything extra I can do for him other than worming providing nutritious food to get him back to weight.  Are there any brands of kitten food that are high in calories?

 

[emandjee]

At this point, I'd suggest giving him any good quality foods that are high in protein and fats. EVO canned is known for its high fats. Wet foods are also easier to digest than dry kibble, so any canned foods you can get are ideal. You could even add in some KMR (kitten milk replacement) in with the wet food for added calories and moisture. Young kittens will require a lot of small, frequent meals, so offer him foods as much as you can. If he's skinny as you claim, maybe a warm blanket can help him ward off the chill and increase his appetite? And warming up the food slightly can also help increase his appetite because doing so will increase the smell of food.

I believe the best thing, however, is the vet visit. The parasites in his tummy are likely to rob him of his needed nutrition he truly needs, so any food you give him may not all be completely absorbed. Some serious parasite overload can cause anemia or even cause death, so it's important to getting this treated asap.

Hope you don't delay in vet services...it can be all the difference to him now. Sending healing wishes....

 

 

[mydaddysjag]

Thanks for the reply!  Hes by no means emaciated, just a bit skinny  (Hes the kitten in my avatar picture).  We already spoke with and scheduled his vet appointment before we even brought him home, so no worries.  We show and very occasionally breed dogs (to produce show prospects for ourselves) and my vet let me know that we could use safeguard for "Crusher" before his office visit.  We get an oral suspension from the vets office, im there often enough that he trusts me to deworm my own animals if he sells me the product. 

So far I was leaving him free choice grain free kibble then offering canned triumph kitten food 3 times a day, I will switch to EVO.  I wanted to leave him food available at all times since hes a little thin, but cant leave wet out since it would spoil.

 

[peaches08]

I left canned out 12+ hours with no problem before. 

 

[chwx]

Congrats on the new baby! Deworming him will be the best start. From there, regular meals will be his ticket to gaining any needed weight, just be sure not to overdo it! My boy was born feral on the street so when I managed to catch him, he was pretty scrawny. Aside from deworming him when I got him home, I just fed him 3x a day and he's now 6 months old and healthy as can be. Good weight, good muscle and FULL of energy! (And cuddles! )

I also have left out canned food for several hours. My 5yo was a pain to transition to canned from free fed dry so I would just leave it out until he ate it. (Pulled dry food so he wouldn't eat that and ignore the canned) These days the bowls are pretty much guaranteed to be licked clean within 5-10 minutes of going down. Lol! I feed 2x a day now.

Oh and my kittens dry, rough fur is now silky smooth and could blind you with its shine! I feed a variety of foods to my boys. Canned mostly but also some kibble and occasionally raw. Best to introduce variety now in case you ever have to switch for medical reasons, product recalls, discontinued brands/formulas, ect.