New Kittie - advice needed

[PWPFROG]

Hi

I've just been given a little kittie, I'm not sure of her exact age, but I'd guess she's about 8 weeks. I'm worried she'd not drinking enough weaning milk, and I'm thinking of feeding it to her via a sryringe.

How much milk should she be having around this age? She's showing no interest at all in biscuits or pouch food.

I'm a novice with kittens as my other cats were over a year old when I adopted them.

Thanks

[pihlaja]

At 8 weeks it's not really necessary to give her weaning milk through a syringe.

You should try mixing the KMR (kitten milk replacement) with canned kitten food or mashed dry food. While at her age she should be able to eat dry food, if she doesn't, try adding some hot water to it, letting it soak until it's mushy and then mash it up while adding some KMR to it.

And, I would have her seen at your vet's office. She could very well have worms, which could explain the lack of appetite. A kitten that age should have a fairly healthy appetite, and if she doesn't, I would say that's a cause for concern that you should look into.

If she has no appetite towards any food you give her, take her to the vet for a check up. While you are there, ask about Science Diet A/D. It's a canned food that is generally given to dogs and cats in recovery from a major surgery or illness or to promote weight gain. However, it is highly palatable and I used a few cans of it when I was weaning my first cat, Gerona. Gerona was VERY difficult to wean and at first, all I could get her to eat was the A/D. It's something worth looking into.

First and foremost, though, I would take her to the vet--she needs to go, anyway, for a worming and vaccinations. So, it's like killing two birds with one stone.

[lixx]

What she said

[PWPFROG]

Hi ! Thanks for the info.
Have appointment at vets for Tuesday, wanted sooner but can't get in till then. She's begun to eat a bit, but still not as much as I'd like her to. She very very lively though, I can't keep up with her!

[pihlaja]

It's good that she's going to the vet.

I'm also glad to hear that she's lively, because if she weren't then I would REALLY be concerned.

What are you feeding her? She may not like what you're feeding her, which is something to consider. There are lots of threads on this forum concerning cat and dog food and a simple search will quickly pull all of them up. Sometimes it's hard to find a good brand of cat food that is not only healthy for your cats, but is something they like to EAT. So, you may want to consider changing her to a new brand of kitten food.

Let us know how the vet trip goes!

[Whizper]

Pilahja is spot on..

Also ....

Make sure she gets enough water in. That is actually much more serious at your little ones age. Dehidration kills fast. And try every (good)kitten food on the market . Sometimes kitties are more fussy than children!

Do you have PAMPERS cat food in your area? Pampers make a kind of mince in gravy tin food that my kittens loved. It was as runny as mince pie filling. Sometimes their teeth hurt them which curbs their appetites at different times during their growth. I always switch to it when their teeth bug them.

You can give her a little piece of boiled chicken, or bacon, or beef jerky if she doesn't want anything else. I have yet to find a kitten that will refuse real meat. Not to much, about a piece as big as the first two digits on your thumb, she is small and her tummy must learn to handle all that protein after the mothers milk.She can eat more than that, but doesn't really need it, and it will give her diarhoea if she isn't ready to digest it. This is not a complete diet, and only feed this as a treat or if she simply doesn't eat ANYTHING else you try from the petstore.

Be careful with raw meat, especially pork. It carries bugs that can upset her tummy badly.

Good luck!

Whizper