10 week old kitten depressed?

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pip77

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I just (3 days ago) got a kitten called Buffy, 8-10 weeks old, and she is not eating or playing and she sleeps a lot. I took her to the vet and her temp is normal, he just said she is a bit skinny. I don't know her history, but i think that she was alone in a cage at her previous residence. When asked what she was fed, the guy we got her from avoided the question. She stares vacantly at the floor a lot and looks sad. She is not afraid of us, she loves to cuddle, but she is lethargic and listless. Or at least, she is very un-kitten like. Anyone have any ideas as to how i might be able to help her? I am really worried about her not eating and being so "sad". Thank you for taking the time to read all this!!
 

celestialrags

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Hi pip, welcome!

You must get her to eat, she really needs to eat soon. Try getting the smelliest wet food you can get and even add a little kitten milk replacer (canned or powdered kitten formula) That will help with nutrients she needs. But just add a little of that to the wet food and if she wont eat it out of the dish, try putting some on your finger and try to get her to eat off of it, and slowly get closer to the dish so she eats out of it. If thats not working some people suggest baby food (human) meat flavored like beef or turkey with out onions and heat it a little and try feeding from your finger if she won't eat it. She NEEDS to eat, so if you can't get her to eat that way you may have to force her to, add a lot of the KMR to the wet and put it in a syringe and feed her with it, but don't hold her upside down on her back like a baby, place her on her feet/belly in your lap and get the corner of her mouth open a little to get the syringe/eye dropper in and slowly push the plunger. with any luck that will get her to eat it on her own.

I did forget to add any thing about her being "sad" She is under weight and probley a little weak as well as adjusting to the changes, so after she gets a little stronger and eatting well, she will probly be more adjusted and up to her kitten antics, and playing like she should.
 

gayef

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Try gently warming a little meat-only human baby food and see if she will take that. A little warmed goat's milk can't hurt either. Since you don't know what she was eating prior to coming to your home, you will have to experiment a little and see what she will eat - if the baby food is a hit, then get some higher-quality canned moist kitten food (I like Nutro Natural Choice or MaxCat in the kitten varieties) and pour some of the warmed baby food over the top to entice her. Once you find something she likes, stick with it. Due to the sudden change in her diet, you might find she has a bit of digestive upset for a few days. Diarrhea isn't uncommon when rapidly changing foods, although young cats seem to tolerate it better than older ones.

As for the lethargy, she has had a lot of changes to go through - be patient with her and try to engage her in play with a feather wand or other fishing-pole-type of toy. Get a wide variety of interesting things for her to play with and interact with her frequently

If she continues not to eat for more than a day, get her back into the vet.
 

xxtashaxx

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if that all fails and she still dosnt eat after a cupple of days of trying i would suggest to take her back to the vet as a kitten can go down hill very quickly is she passing her bowls all ok? i know she isnt eating but is she drinking atall? fluids at this point is vital as a kitten can dehydrate so quickly. update when you can
 

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Could she be having a bad reaction to vaccinations, or flea or worming medications or treatments? It is so strange for a kitten to be so listless.

I had one of my Momma cats who was very dopey the day after her spay surgery, and couldn't wake up. A little Karo syrup rubbed on her gums perked her right up, so she was able to eat and drink. If the kitten won't take any food offered, I would try a dab of Karo syrup on the gums. (I actually didn't have Karo syrup, so I used maple pancake syrup!)

Cats get very ill if they don't eat, so be sure and get the kitty back to the vet if he doesn't perk up!
 
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pip77

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Thanks so much for all your responses. Shee looks like she wants to eat, but just won't eat what i give her. I have tried 4 flavours of wet kitten food plus dry kitten food! I will def try your suggestions of baby food, thanks. She follows to the kitchen where her bowls are and looks like she wants to be fed, but she has a lick or two and that is about it. That said, this morning she did have maybe a mouthful or two (which is very little for a kitten), but then stopped again. I am doing my best to encurage her to eat, i will keep trying.

I will try baby food tonight and if she doesn't go for it, i will take her back to the vet tomorrow. She is drinking plenty of water which is great, especially because it has been very hot here in Melbourne, Australia. It was 104F (40C) yesterday! i don't think her not eating is heat-related though, becasue it wasn't that hot the preceding days.

When we try to play with her, she maybe watches the feathers for about 10 seconds, then just ignores them and stares at the carpet. Poor little thing.

I will keep you posted. Thanks again for all your suggestions and concern.

Pip and Buffy
 
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pip77

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Well, i took little Buffy to the vet last night and he advised us to put her to sleep. he said that there was likely something seriously wrong internally and that the chances of saving her were almost zero. she barely knew what was going on around her. I am heartbroken, she was such a gentle little soul. But at least i suppose she got to spend the last few days of her short life with people who loved her, instead of dying alone in a cage. And i managed to turn my partner into a cat lover - he used to despise them, lord only knows why! So, Buffy has left a legacy that i am grateful for and i will never forget her. I just can't wait til i can stop myself from crying when i talk about her! 4 days in my life and she already stole my heart forever. i just feel so sad for her, that right from the start she was probably doomed.

thanks for all your help. I will be back with a new kitty soon.
 

harriet's mom

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I am so sorry for your loss.
Poor little thing. The only good is that she spent her last few days with someone who really loved her. I hope that you will be able to love another kitten; there are so many kitties out there who need a good home, that I'm sure you will find another one in need of a loving home when you are ready to.
 

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Originally Posted by pip77

Well, i took little Buffy to the vet last night and he advised us to put her to sleep. he said that there was likely something seriously wrong internally and that the chances of saving her were almost zero. she barely knew what was going on around her. I am heartbroken, she was such a gentle little soul. But at least i suppose she got to spend the last few days of her short life with people who loved her, instead of dying alone in a cage. And i managed to turn my partner into a cat lover - he used to despise them, lord only knows why! So, Buffy has left a legacy that i am grateful for and i will never forget her. I just can't wait til i can stop myself from crying when i talk about her! 4 days in my life and she already stole my heart forever. i just feel so sad for her, that right from the start she was probably doomed.

thanks for all your help. I will be back with a new kitty soon.
I am terribly sorry for your loss...and yes, at least she got to spend her last days with someone who loved her very much.

Katie
 

epona

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Oh I am so sorry, the loss of one so young is always extremely hard
At least for a few days someone was loving her and trying to make her better. We can't win every battle, and it sounds as if you tried as hard as you could. RIP Little Buffy
 

gayef

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Oh dear little heart ... I am so sorry for your loss. Out of respect for your little Buffy, I will now close this thread ... perhaps you would like to make a memorial announcement in the Crossing The Bridge forum? I know that I speak for all of us here in the Pregnant Cats and Kitten Care Forum when I say that our hearts are with yours.
 
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