Kitten not eating much

Recently I adopted two kittens, a boy and a girl, approximately 7 weeks old. The woman who rescued them was trying desperately to find them homes, because about twenty more were due to be euthanized at the local pound that day, and she'd run out of space. (I honestly hate living in Oklahoma).

Anyway, the girl is doing well, but the boy has kind of trailed off on eating over the past few days. No matter what I put down (dry kitten chow, wet kitten food, wet food with KMR, straight chicken, the stinkiest can of Fancy Feast you can imagine) he'll act interested, eat maybe a bite or two, but then stop. He seems to prefer dry food, for what it's worth. His water intake seems all right, though.

He doesn't look sick (no runny nose or crusty eyes, in fact his eyes are quite bright and alert), but he's not thriving, and he's thin. He sleeps a lot, too, much more than his sister. He doesn't play much, but he loves to cuddle, and purrs quite a bit.

I'm going to Walmart later today and see if I can find some Nutri-cal since I've heard good things about it here, but other than that, I'm kind of at a loss. I've lost kittens before, and I don't think I can take it with this guy. He's the sweetest thing in the world, and the thought of losing him is just sickening. =/

If you can get goat milk, it is useful.
Or even better goatmilk with raw egg yellow in it... (of course, in most countries there is risk for salomonella. But there are ways to lessen the risk, I can describe later if it is interesting).

Such liquid food you can forcefeed him with.

Perhaps the classical booster may be useful: some white Karo syrup, or honey. put it in the mouth roof, or around the teeth.

The problem is, he prob doesnt have "only" bad appetite, but do have some sickedness... That sickedness is the real threat.
So this is really a vet errand too.


Good luck!



ps. Welcome to the Forums!

I hadn't thought of goat's milk with egg yolk, but that makes sense. I suppose I'll head to the store and see what they've got. (I would be very interested in how to lessen the chance of salmonella, by the way. I know it's a very nutritious food.)

I am planning to take him to the vet this weekend, but I moved recently, and have yet to find a really good, trustworthy one. The local Banfield charged $300 last time I took a cat there for chronic sniffles, and the antibiotics they gave me didn't do a thing.

Thank you for the kind welcome. Cat people are the best. ^^

Originally Posted by clytie

I hadn't thought of goat's milk with egg yolk, but that makes sense. I suppose I'll head to the store and see what they've got. (I would be very interested in how to lessen the chance of salmonella, by the way. I know it's a very nutritious food.)

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I got this tip about goat milk from our forumite JennyRansom, who lived several years in the old Jugoslavia in 1990ties, and being JennyRansom, she did of course a lot of cat rescue work there... They didnt had KMR nor even other brands of kmr, but they do have goats. So goat milk it was, and if the cats convalescents and weak - goat milk with egg yolk... Making wonders. The result so good she did accepted some risks with salmonella, if her precautions werent enough.
And now back home, she still uses and recommends goat milk - good stuff she tells me.

A healthy cat is not so sensitve for salmonella as humans. But with a weak or sick cat we dont want to experiment. So we must safeguard as well we can.

In some countries there is no problem with salmonella, for example not in Sweden. So we do often use egg yolks as extra, in many recipes.
But in most countries it is not so well. The common precaution is to cook the egg hard, or at least, almost hard. I presume hardboiled yolk is still better than nothing.
But if you want the yolk raw as here?

The salmonella bacteria is very seldom inside the egg (it CAN happen, but it is not the common). If it is there, it is typically outside, on the shell,

So you lay a couple of eggs in the kitchen sink, and pour boiling water down on the shells... Not so long to boil it, but long enough to wash off and kill off most of bacterias. (btw, I presume you can have some soap in this boiling water too, at least in the first pouring.)

Let it dry some. You take it up, and cautiosly knack it, so you can pour the yolk, without touching the shell.

You can train on some "exercise" eggs at first. Training Eggs you can perhaps fry instead, so you dont cast away useful food. Most people arent made of money...

So, pour with boiling water first, and pour out the yolk so it dont get contaminated on the shells...

There is no 100% quarantee. Especielly, as there IS some risk they did come inside too. But many feels, in many cases the sure benefit is worth the risk.


Hope this was clear enough...
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Btw, are your kittens dewormed and defleased? fleas and worms do take much forces from them.
Or say, he could perhaps have a heavy infection recently, and got dewormed only days before you got him, so he is still weak?


Good luck!

Sorry for the delay. My internet went haywire. =(

I didn't see goat's milk at my local store, so I mixed KMR with some egg yolk (prepared as you recommended, thank you so much), and added a bit of baby food chicken to it. I gave him two syringes full last night, and another this morning. He was looking much happier afterward, and was even playing with a catnip mouse. He's still lethargic this morning, but it's an improvement.

They are deflead but not yet dewormed. I purchased a bottle of deworming medication (pyrantel pamoate, recommended by a cat rescuer), but I need a scale to determine how much he weighs.

Originally Posted by clytie

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They are deflead but not yet dewormed. I purchased a bottle of deworming medication (pyrantel pamoate, recommended by a cat rescuer), but I need a scale to determine how much he weighs.

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Yes a scale is good. You can also see if he improves or gets weakened - by taking the weight every day... Standard procedure among breeders and most experienced rescuers.

Homeless, and kittens of moms who do go out, must be dewormed. they got round worms from the moms.
So if not dewormed, he DOES have round worms.

Tape worm comes with prey, or in some extent, with fleas. So tape worm comes later, if it comes. He may have tapeworms as he had fleas, but he surely does have round worms.

By favorite anti-round worm for kittens, Banminth, uses Pyrantel as ists active ingrediens. So I presume this medication you got, should also be OK.

Good luck!


Lets hope his underlying sickedness is this worm infection, which we do know he has.

Yesterday afternoon, the kitten started throwing up everything I fed him. So instead of waiting for the weekend for a vet trip, I took him right away. Unfortunately, the vet I saw was new, so I have no idea if I should trust anything he said or not. He did a fecal exam, and said there were no signs of ANY round worms at all (which struck me as odd), but that the symptoms were sort of like coccidia, so he gave me 50 cc's of sulfadimethoxine (Albon) and said to give one cc a day for two weeks. So I brought the kitten home.

But just this night, his sister has suddenly taken a turn downhill. She isn't bright and active like she usually is, and, worst of all, she's doing something I've noticed in almost all of the terminally ill cats I've had: she grinds her teeth furiously.

I just spent $75 dollars on a bill, at a vet that I really don't trust, for just an exam and some medication for something he might not even have. I am sick with worry and doubt for not bringing the girl to the vet as well. I can't sleep, and I'm crying as I type this (forgive any incoherency, please). Does anyone here know what makes cats stop eating and grind their teeth? I've googled it so many times in the past trying to find answers, and there's nothing.

Please, I need help.

Originally Posted by clytie

I just spent $75 dollars on a bill, at a vet that I really don't trust, for just an exam and some medication for something he might not even have. I am sick with worry and doubt for not bringing the girl to the vet as well. ,...Does anyone here know what makes cats stop eating and grind their teeth? I've googled it so many times in the past trying to find answers, and there's nothing.

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I tried to google too, and refresh memory.

They say nausea is a common reason...or ache in the mouth/ teeths. Sometimes it helps to change the food. If it doesnt help, it is vet errand... (and these dying you talk about did of course had nausesa. This is common with dying people - the dying do get anti nauseal medicines as standard. )
But you can have nausea from many reasons and most are not mortal nor even dangerous.

If she was healthy in the afternon, it wouldnt probably not help to take her with to the vet. Unless he did excessive blood tests and so.
It is quite common doctors and vets have difficulties with unclear cases - they do prefer ripe case, where they can clearly see what it is. So it is not unusual they ask to come back when thy symptoms are more visible...

75 dollars for a good examination and medicines - it is no cheap clinic, but I would say, the low segment of normal cost. 75 dollars IS money if you dont have much money - but it is no cheating by the vet. Quite opposite.

During one period of my life I worked as interpretor for newly coming immigrants. And followed them to doctors, layers, social welfare... I noticed they young one professionals, the freshly out from exam, were often the best. They did bothered, they tried hard. So, the experienced, nice, friendly doc or vet is what you want. But the second best is the young who do hers outmost.

Coccodia it could be - common enough. Also quite easily to help. Although as I understand, they usually do have also diarrhea. And you didnt mentioned your cats had diarrhea?
Did the vet commented about the diarrhea or lack thereof?

Did you asked the vet if it was OK to give this Pyrantel preparete, although he didnt saw any roundworms?

But as he looked on the poo, he probably looked also after the Coccodia... It is the standard metode to deteckt. If he saw Coccodia , so he did saw coccodia.
If the boy do have coccodia, the girl could also get coccodia from him.

humans dont get this cat coccodia. And grown up, healthy cat residents usually dont get the coccodia either. But one kitten often gets it from another.

Keep in touch!


Good luck!

Yes, the kitten has diarrhea... I can't believe I forgot to mention that. But it wasn't horrible until yesterday, during the vet exam, when it came out practically water. =/

I got a decent amount of the medicine, enough for two kittens, so I'll medicate her as well, since she probably has whatever he has. I was completely prepared to spend over $200, but when I saw how new the vet was, I guess I panicked. I've taken cats to vets around here before, with no noticeable benefit, and I assumed this was another case like that. When the little girl started teeth grinding, it made me terrified that this was something completely different, and that I wouldn't have enough money to cover it. But what you say about nausea makes sense.

I made "kitten glop", and am syringe-feeding her 10 ml every two hours. The boy seems to be doing much better, which is wonderful. He's playing right now, and isn't sleeping as much as yesterday. I almost don't recognize him. Since he's doing so much better, maybe the little girl will pick up as well.

I'm glad to hear you boy is doing better and hopefully this will help your girl as well!

On a side note about the goats milk, if you live in an area that has feed stores for livestock, as them if they know anyone that may have goats milk. They most likely won't sell it in the markets, but the feed stores would probably have names you could contact (or they may contact them for you) to get some. I agree, goats milk is a wonderful milk for kittens! My MIL raised goats for years, and any abandoned kitten that was found on the farm was raised on goats milk and thrived. She used to give it by the gallon to shelters for their kittens and puppies and she even to a deer rescue organization here. It seems to the the "universal" milk for all species lol.

I hope your babies feel better soon, and we want pics!

I don't know if it was the medication, the kitty glop, or both, but both kittens are doing 100% better tonight. This morning, I thought the little girl was dying, and now she and her brother are chasing each other through the house. It's wonderful to see.

I actually finally found 12 oz cans of condensed goat's milk in the baking section of my store. I have a feeling it's going to become a staple treat in my house. My older kitties were really lusting after it, while I was mixing the glop formula.

I'd love to share pictures. As soon as I get some way to connect my phone to the computer, I'll upload 'em. ^^

Originally Posted by calico2222

. It seems to the the "universal" milk for all species lol.

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Yes seems so. So also for people otherwise oversensitive to milk, or having "sensitive stomach". Some allergical too (although I wont swore all allergical).

Some people think goat milk isnt tasty and smells peculiar.
Try chilled goat milk - the taste is more neutral.

Other people do have some honey in their goat milk.

OT? not surely.
Goat milk + some honey in should be OK also for weak kittens and cats. I presume white Karo syrup should work too.

I'm anxiously awaiting an update on these babies!

Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement. The kitties are doing 110% better. They're as feisty and pixelated as any kittens you could imagine, and it's wonderful to see.



The boy is in the back, the girl in front. They're in the tub, not for a bath, but for batting a toy around. Makes a lovely racket. I haven't named them yet, (I guess the naming of cats really is a difficult matter), but aren't they sweet?