8 week old kittens - weaning issues

I have had my two kittens for the past 8 days. They are 8 weeks old. They did come to me with liquid diarrhea.  After testing them for all parasites, the tests came up negative, twice, so my suspicion was transitioning to food. I had to go back to a bland diet of chicken/rice, broth mixed together and put in with Forti Flora once a day.  I have been feeding them every 5 hours.

One kitten has done very well and her bowel movements now are firm, well shaped and good color. She's thriving, has gained weight and has a healthy appetite They both play hard together.

The second kitten is having the toughest time.  When he eats, he starts panting, sticks out his tongue and cries, his eyes weep and his nose drips.  This to me looks like a possible food allergy.  After he has passed gas, he resumes to normal life.  I'm guessing this may be a food allergy.  I gave him 1/8th of a Pepcid AC tonight, as a last resort, that was mixed in water and put in a syringe.  I'll be calling my vet tomorrow for more direction.  I had asked for Hills ID, but she kept pushing Royal Canin Kitten which is now the offending food.  I have tried pumpkin and baby food and nothing is working for him  I feel so bad for him. 

He also is sneezing alot after he eats and scratches all over himself even though he has no fleas.

I have Natures Variety, Instinct "Duck and Turkey Meal" in crunchies.  I gave him a few tonight.  I just don't know what else to feed him.  I thought of a novel diet and tried Royal Canin Digest Sensitive and that made his diarrhea worse.  I know Natures Variety is not a kitten food, but I feel I have to calm down his stomach first, get him back to eating before putting him back on kitten food as that is very rich and I'm thinking he may have a food allergy, poor little guy.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

LuvMyCat6204

I personally would try the Natures Variety LID in the wet food even though it isn't labeled a kitten food.  I personally think the higher end foods are all good for kittens as well as adults.

Hello Denise ~  Is there anything wrong with the Natures Variety Instinct? It's an adult cat's food and not rich like kitten food is.  The Pepcid worked wonders and he's been able to eat okay today without suffering from gas.  I just wanted to get their tummies settled down before I switch them back to the kitten food.

I also have on hand Dave's chicken and turkey formula in wet food which I gave them both this morning. 

LuvMyCat6204

I am going to start with an elimination diet first for 7 days. I am eliminating gluten and grains to see if this is causing my kitten so much distress.  Where "Daves" is way below the % needed for protein, I just am testing the elimination of gluten and grains. Daves is AAFCO approved and so is Instinct.

The Instinct has 40% protein and all the needed vitamins for a kitten, per the manufacturer in the crunchies.  So, the crunchies are out for them to eat through out the day and then Daves wet food, 2 tbsp each kitten morning and evening.  I was feeding them Royal Canin wet food every 4 hours after transitioning them from the chicken and rice diet I was making for them. 

I also inquired about Rebound Vitamins to supplement them, but my vet said not to due to the fat soluble vitamins in this mixture would could become toxic.

So, first step is to eliminate grains and gluten, corn and by-products.  Will keep giving him .3cc of ground up Pepcid AC mixed with water to help with his gas and see how he does the next 7 days. The other kitten is just fine on Royal Canin kitten canned food.

Thanks for your help :-)

LuvMyCat6204

"Kitten Food" is a gimmick. I've never fed kitten food unless it was cheap from sales and then it was fed regardless of age, not just to "kittens".

Though this sounds like the kitten needs to see a vet. Babies like this rarely have food allergies and several of his "symptoms" do NOT scream a problem with the food to me. I would have the cat checked thoroughly before embarking on a diet elimination quest.

Hello CHWx ~ This kitten has been to two different vets for 2 opinions in the last 5 days.  They push kitten food at me due to the vitamins and protein needed. They have been tested for parasites, ova an giardia on two separate occassions and tested negative. Right now they are not on kitten food.

My vet is off today otherwise would be discussing this with her.

Thank you for your info.

LuvMyCat6204

It sounds like this kitten has a combination of things going on.

The panting/watery eyes/runny nose...is this only occurring while eating?

By your description it sounds like the kitten has an URI, along with GI issues.

I have certainly experienced food intolerances as early as 8 wks, so, it is possible. But, it sounds like they have been put on several different foods in a short period of time.

I think your best bet it to pick one brand and one flavor for both dry and wet (either turkey or duck are good first choices.) We feed all of our kittens Instinct LID Turkey formula dry and wet. We have two 6-wk olds and four 11-wk olds on this currently and all are thriving.

Also, it can take weeks to get a positive test back for some parasites, depending on the shedding cycle. Has the vet done in house fecal testing or has a GI-PCR been sent up an outside lab for testing?

Hi CatPack and thank you for your detailed reply.

In answer to your questions:

1)  I requested the fecals to be sent out to a lab.  In fact the latest one was fresh caught due to the kitten having a bowel movement on the exam table.

2)  When should I ask for another fecal test to be conducted again?

3)  They were originally on Royal Canin Kitten dry and wet when I first brought them home and had terrible diarrhea and then with the brown tabby having all those symptoms, I switched over to just chicken and rice, but then my vet strongly encouraged me to switch back due to the lack of essential ingredients that kittens need.  So, you are correct in that alot of changes for them in the short time I have had them

4) The rapid panting, crying, water eyes and nose occurs within minutes after eating, very scary to watch.

5) Both vets felt both kittens had an URI, and have been giving them liquid Lysine in their food along with Forti Flora.

Now, is the Instinct LID Turkey formula dry and wet the same that you use as what I am giving them now?  It's called Nature's Valley Instinct. It's grain free and gluten free.  The meat is turkey and duck meal. I don't have any of Instinct's wet food just yet (I don't have a car and have to order everything over the net), so I grabbed the next best thing and that is "Dave's".

Today, the brown tabby is resting comfortably.  He is not doing heavy intense panting with crying and no discharge from his eyes and nose and no scratching at all after consuming this mornings meal.

LuvMyCat6204

Ok. This info clears things up more.

I would tend to agree that the panting, crying, etc does sound like "stomach cramps" and could possibly be linked to a food intolerance.

The food we feed has turkey as the only animal protein source. But, yes, it is Nature's Variety Instinct. (LID = Limited Ingredient Diet.)

As for the fecal panel, 10-14 days is a good general length of time to wait to retest. Especially since you are starting them on a new food regime.

Thank you CatPack *smiles*

I didn't realize that what I currently have is not a limited diet, as it combines several proteins together including chicken which I think may be part of the culprit.

I have heard that in selecting a limited diet, if a cat is reactive to chicken (for example) better not to get another feathered foul to feed, have you heard that before?  Then to go to a hoofed animal, such as lamb.  Then I heard not to select anything bigger than they are in size, not sure if this is true or not.

Since these are kittens, both vets are pushing kitten food due to the need for the vitamins that are not included in adult food, for bone, hair, brain and other healthy body needs. I wanted to add Rebound for awhile as that has the needed vitamins but both vets refused claiming that the fat soluble vitamins can become toxic.

LuvMyCat6024

Oh and one more thing.... the brown tabby is not experiencing any of the symptoms as previously mentioned in the last 12 hours since switching the food over.

If he seems better today I would stick with what you have for now instead of switching again. If the Royal Canin was causing him issues then it may not be chicken at all given that RC is a grain heavy food.

And no offense but the vets just want your money. I've raised 30+ cats and dogs on "adult" food and never had anyone not grow or function right. All have grown at nice, SLOW rates like they should, been of proper weight and none have been "dumb" or needed any medical attention from not being fed "puppy or kitten" food. Adult food has everything your pets need to become healthy adults. While I don't feed my pets by the guidelines because they're often too much food, you can still turn the bag over that you have and find feeding guidelines for not only "adults" but pregnant/lactating queens as well as kittens. Your vet is however, very correct about issues with fat soluble vitamins.

One other suggestion that may be useful is if you stick with Instinct and add in their canned foods, you can get better bang for your buck buying 13.2oz DOG food cans. They're exactly the same thing as the cat food, they just offer them in bigger cans.

CHWX ~ Oh wow, thank you for the information on ordering the dog sized food cans which would save me considerably :-)

Oh, you are soo correct in that both vets tried to get me to order food from their clinic. They would not recommend any other food to buy.

LuvMyCat6204