Underdeveloped Kitten Questions

[Mrshan]

Hello one of my good friends has been looking after a stray kitten outside of her home, I had decided to take her in however she's noticeably behind on growing. Here are some uploads of how she looks. She should be around 2 months now and I'm taking her to the vet hopefully the 8th as its closed for this weekend, I'm not sure what I should ask about regarding how she's growing. She eats, plays and has no problem going to the bathroom all thats wrong is her growth. Her belly is slightly bloated and I'm wondering if it could be a parasite of some sort? If anyone could give me tips on what I should be asking while visiting the vet it would be really appreciated!

 

[Purrrfectttales]

Definitely get her tested for parasites. Pretty much all kittens have worms. Two of my foster kittens didn't really start gaining weight until they were dewormed. Now they are growing like weeds!

 

[Mrshan]

Thank you! I've always had cats who grew at a good pace I had just been told about parasites a while ago, I'll definitely be testing them. By any chance do you have an idea of what the cost would be for testing?

 

[Purrrfectttales]

I want to say last year it cost $20-30 at the vet to have a fecal test??? That is going to vary by vet and region though. The vet may be able to give other suggestions or determine if there are any other reasons the kitten's growth is delayed too. The question is whether you can do anything about it.

 

[StefanZ]

You can presume kitten born outside has worms.. at least roundworms, but may be more. That is why its wise to let the vet take a full check up including a worm test thruu fekalies. Ie poo.

You can begin with some mild Pyrantel poamate preparate against roundworms.

Or Drontal or Milbomax agsinst both roundworms and tapeworms, both safe.

Best you wait on vet opinion, but you can do this yourslf without big risks.

 

[Kflowers]

Many kittens get a little bit behind on the growth charts for one reason or another. Most can catch up in time. One of our cats was small due to the life she'd had before we rescued her and 2 years old. She settled in with us and, despite it being impossible for a cat to grow after they were two years old, she did. She finished up being 12 lbs and just fine.

As StefanZ says see what the vet says and go with that. You know in your heart of hearts that this baby will catch up just fine. Her eyes are open and she's got fur. I raise one from before fur and he did very well indeed.

 

[danteshuman]

Is it just the picture but is your kitten a little bare? She could have scratched out her fur due to fleas or have mange or roundworm or any number of things. If so don’t worry about it, the vet will tell you right away if your new baby is balding (& why/how to treat it.)

Chances are with some dewormer your kitten will grow so big you will forget ever wondering about her small size.