Is my SPARKY going to die?

Your English is fine. I don't have any advice on how to get your kitty to eat but someone will be along shortly that will be able to help you. Hope you can get your kitty to eat soon.

I am so sorry your kitty is not feeling well Are you giving him cows milk? if so this may be why he has diarrhea, most cats are lactose intolerant.did they check him for parasites? I hope you can figure out what is wrong with your kitty,and I hope he starts feeling better real soon!Hopefully someone else will come along with more advice!

How old was Sparky when you got him? What were the previous owners feeding? Did they say anything about problems getting him to eat?

What kind of milk are you giving him? Cow's milk is bad for cats. I don't know about goat's milk. Can you get kitten replacement milk, at least until you can get him started eating solid food?

How does he take the milk? From a bottle? Lapping it from a bowl? If he's lapping it, you might try pureed baby food meat--without garlic or spices. Mix a little in with the milk so it's still soupy. Gradually increase the amount of baby food so that eventually that's all you're giving him, without the milk. He will need some vitamin/mineral supplements since baby food does not have complete nutrition for cats. Ask your vet about the supplements.

Once you get him eating the baby food you should be able to start changing him over gradually to kitten food, again by mixing it in with whatever he's already eating.

Good luck with your baby.

All I can say is you are a very good and loving mom to this baby, and I hope you can find the food he'll thrive on. It's hard even when there are a lot of choices to pick from, and cats can be very stubborn regarding their food, even the little kittens. Please keep in touch to let us know how you're all doing.

If he won't try the dry food right away, maybe wet a little of it with water to make it a little more mushy. Just remember not to leave wet food out for very long (I take it up in about 30 minutes), because wet will spoil faster than dry kibble.

What he found in your kitty's ears was probably ear mites. They aren't really worms and they are not that unusual.

The others have given you some good advice. Stop giving cow's milk. Goat's milk is OK usually.

If you can heat up some canned food a little bit (not too hot of course) to make it more smelly for the kitty and try getting the kitty to eat it from your fingers to start with. Changing to dry food will not necessarily stop the diarrhea. Wet food is healthier for kitties but most of us feed both wet and dry.

I'm glad you found this website. Folks here will try to help you as much as we can.

Keep in mind that canned (and dry) cat foods have several important nutrients added back in that are destroyed in cooking, the main one being taurine.

Hi and welcome to the forum! I am sure your Sparky will be OK now he has a caring owner like you. But as others have said, do not feed cow milk - it can give kittens diarrhoea. I use goat milk for sick kittens very successfully. You can beat it up with an egg yolk (not the white) for extra nutrition. Apart from finding the right food, it is important that your kitten is in good general health, and that you treat him regularly for worms and fleas, as these can also cause stomach upsets. Your vet will advise you as to the best products available locally. Good luck with him and do show us a picture if possible.

I wouldn't switch his food every day like your mom suggested, that can cause major stomach upsets with dirreha. When you need to switch cat foods it has to be over a 2-3 week period, mixing in a little of the new food each time-increaing the amount over time.

Good luck, keep us updated!

Originally Posted by KatKisses

I wouldn't switch his food every day like your mom suggested, that can cause major stomach upsets with dirreha. When you need to switch cat foods it has to be over a 2-3 week period, mixing in a little of the new food each time-increaing the amount over time.

Good luck, keep us updated!

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Switching food slowly to prevent diarrhea is more important for dry food. Wet food doesn't seem to have the same issues if switching them around. And, even then it will depend on your cat - Bijou and Mika have never had any problems with me switching their dry food abruptly.

I do think it is worth repeating that if you decide to cook food for them you will need to do some research and buy the additives required to make it a healthy diet for your cats. Taurine, as mentioned above, is very important and will need to added for sure. I'm not sure what other supplements need to be added but please do your research before taking on this commitment.

If your kitten was born December 14th, he is not 3 months old. He's only 7 weeks - he should honestly still be with his mother at this age.

You must get a good kitten formula for him, ask your vet if you don't know where to find any. His young age is why he isn't interest in as much foods yet and why he's so tiny. Once you get him on a formula you can start mixing a little wet canned kitten food in with it so that it makes a gruel, feed him this and slowly make the mix with less and less formula in it. He should be ok by 12 weeks old to finally go off formula - but if he's still a little under weight let him have it for a couple weeks more.

The OP isn't in the US - and I believe the range of foods she has access to is more limited than here And, while in a perfect a kitten should be with mom longer, even here you see a ton of 6 week olds up for adoption.

To me it sounds like she's doing the best she can, and way more than a lot of people would, no matter where's she located - already two visits to the vet to make sure she's doing everything as well as possible.. I'm sure she'll be pestering her vet for the best foods available to her - I think she said she already picked up some Royal Canin. Certainly if love can help nourish her kitty, that cat is going to flourish!

And, if kitty were born on December 14, I'm counting 11 weeks and some days, no?

Originally Posted by darlili

The OP isn't in the US - and I believe the range of foods she has access to is more limited than here And, while in a perfect a kitten should be with mom longer, even here you see a ton of 6 week olds up for adoption.

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I merely pointed out the age because this is the main problem, it is not easy for a new cat owner with no experience with young kittens to take this on. It's difficult enough for one who has it!

And whether in the US or not, it does not make my feeding suggestions invalid. I've taken in several orphan kittens that have ranged from a few days old to 3-4 weeks or older - this is something I have experience with. Also, if anyone has kitten/small animal formula it should be the vet, hence why I suggested asking the vet. This is the best way to get weight on a young kitten, short of finding a female cat to nurse it.


Another thing I left out, younger kittens need several feedings. 2-3 times a day will not be enough for one so young! I suggest the OP looks through our pregnant cat and kitten section for more tips.

A kitten born on Dec. 14 would be 11 weeks old now, so almost three months. That means the OP got him at about 10 weeks, but there's no way to tell when he was actually taken away from his mother.

Bebo, it sounds like you're doing the best you can for your new baby. It has to be confusing when you're getting conflicting opinions from a lot of different people. Have you found anything yet that he'll eat? I wouldn't worry too much about his weight. That will increase as you get him eating and get the diarrhea under control. Also, some kittens are just smaller than others. All of mine were between 3.5 and 4 pounds at 12 weeks.

Originally Posted by GoldyCat

A kitten born on Dec. 14 would be 11 weeks old now, so almost three months.

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I don't know why I put 7, I must be losing it. I was talking about cranial nerves elsewhere... the 7th one in fact, maybe that's why?

Either way, asking the vet for more help could not hurt.

I understand that you are not in the US, but can you get something similar to KMR. It is a milk replacement powder that when added to water makes a milk like liquid. Given that you kitten is still young it would be a good thing for him. I wish you the best of luck. I know there is nothing scarier than a sick kitten. I also commend you for taking him to the vet, that was the best thing to do. Hopefully your vet will be able to help, and be understanding that you need help to get you kitty healthy.