10 week old kitten

We have had our Persian x rag doll kitten nearly 2 weeks she came to us eating weighing 450g but gradually she appears to have gotten very thin we have weighed her yesterday she was 340g and all skin and bones. She appears alert and active she is eating small amounts and frequent she does make a really loud teeth grinding sound when eating and tilts her head. There doesn't appear to have any concerns in her mouth slightly pale ( but white cat) no sores or ulcers, She is going to the toilet normally. There are no other physical concerns good strong heart normal temp no concerns with eye or ears.Vet has said she appears to be the runt and hope for the best. She is requesting attention and jumping on the furniture she isn't playing like I would imagine a kitten to play can any one shed any light she is booked into the vets again Thursday !!!
Regards Nikki

What are you feeding her? How much would you say she is eating total per day?

I don't know what to tell you except for that you have to figure out some way to get her to eat more. Force feeding might be appropriate at this time.

Did you get her from a breeder? I assume not because she was only 8 weeks old when you got her, but if a professional breeder did breed ehr please call them and chat about this.  Test should have been run that could at least help you rule somethings out.

We have tried to force feed her and there was no difference in her weight

Has she been tested for worms? Most kittens need to be dewormed multiple times. Can you run a (or another) stool test? Either way, I'd take her to another vet for a second opinion, as it's possible there's either worms or another pathogen your vet is overlooking.

Yes, my thoughts also went to deworming. Has she been dewormed? What has your vet said about this? Again,whether she came from a breeder or not impacts the liklihood of this being the issue. 

What are you feeding her? Canned or dry? How much does she get per day?

l agree with the vet visit - losing a quarter of her body weight in 2 weeks is quite alarming.

I would start with a deworming just to rule out parasites.  Then, look at what she's eating.  Did you change her diet from what she was eating at the cattery?  It could be the change in food.  Since she's so tiny and young, you could possibly get away with adding some kitten milk replacer in her wet food.  Be sure she has access to dry food at all times and feed her several servings of canned food throughout the day.  When we got Tumbles, we fed him 6 canned food meals a day.  He was about the same age as your girl, except he came to us underweight and slightly anemic from fleas.

I have wormed her as I thought the same. Got the tablet from the vet. I'm feeding her anything and anything she will eat, we have formula kitten milk and pre made cat/ kitten milk. Wet food kitten food, sardines salmon chicken pouches. She will eat it for a few mins and then goes for a sleep or a stroke. The vet said he was reluctant to do lots of test as he didn't feel there would be much point as it wasn't a good out look?? He told us to go home feed her up as often as she will eat and hope for the best. To be honest if it wasn't for the skeletal frame I wouldn't say there was anything wrong she is purring meowing for attention jumping on the sofa etc....

I've also had dry biscuit available but she hasn't touched these. We didn't change the food until she stopped eating and then we started to force feed her every 2-4 hours but this didn't appear to make a difference with her weight either she continued to drop

Nikki13 said:

I've also had dry biscuit available but she hasn't touched these. We didn't change the food until she stopped eating and then we started to force feed her every 2-4 hours but this didn't appear to make a difference with her weight either she continued to drop

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How many days did you force feed her for? How much did you feed her at one time?   What did you use to force feed her? Was it a high calorie and protein kitten food? Is food always available to her?

I think you should ask the vet for an appetite stimulant.  Honestly, I think you should see a different vet for a second opinion.  I'm wondering if she's got a little upper respiratory infection going on.  It's common with kitties after they've been in their new homes for about 7-10 days or so. 

stephanietx said:

 
I think you should ask the vet for an appetite stimulant.  Honestly, I think you should see a different vet for a second opinion.  I'm wondering if she's got a little upper respiratory infection going on.  It's common with kitties after they've been in their new homes for about 7-10 days or so. 

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Yes I also think this. 

Yes food always available and new fresh every couple of hours. The force feeding started 10 mls of a mix of kitten milk and protein kitten food and milk soaked biscuits blended, I gave her this every 3-4 hours for 24 hours no changed so I uped this to 10 mls every 2 hours no difference which then took me to 15-20 mls every 2-3 hours. The vets said this could have a negative impact as she would just dump what she couldn't absorb

The vet has listened to her chest and heart and was happy it was all clear medically she appears well

Nikki13 said:

Yes food always available and new fresh every couple of hours. The force feeding started 10 mls of a mix of kitten milk and protein kitten food and milk soaked biscuits blended, I gave her this every 3-4 hours for 24 hours no changed so I uped this to 10 mls every 2 hours no difference which then took me to 15-20 mls every 2-3 hours. The vets said this could have a negative impact as she would just dump what she couldn't absorb

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What could have a negative impact? Feeding her more?

I really do feel strongly now that you should see a different vet.  She may need to be dewormed again and I don't think this advice was helpful.

Was her weight at least holding steady when you force fed her? That would be an improvement over it continuing to drop, right? If so, I'd go back to force feeding her, and I'd seek another vet opinion ASAP. IMO, just saying she's probably a runt good luck to you is not sufficent. While many vets are terrible with true baby kittens, at 10 weeks a competent vet would be able to offer you more help and suggestions. While it's also possible something is medically wrong with her and nothing can be done, this does not make sense with the fact that she was gaining weight  at one time.  

I don't think the vet is taking the lack of appetite seriously enough.  Kittens can go downhill quickly because they don't have the reserves their little bodies need to handle anything.  If she's not interested in eating, that's a HUGE red flag that something's off with her system.  It could be the stress of her new environment, she could be picking up on your stress, or it could be some other ailment.  I still think an appetite stimulant and a second opinion are in order.  Also, try warming the food up to see if that entices her to eat.

I have warmed the food that worked and she is eating we are lifting her to her food at least every couple of hours she does have a good eat but clearly not enough but she is going to the toilet often it appears solid ? Normal so there is something going in I wonder if it's an absorbing issue ? If there is such a thing ??

Just to clarify, what does lifting her to the food mean? Is the food somewhere where she can easily reach it herself at all times? Are you just saying you take her over there? Or are you saying the food is sometimes out of her reach?

Sorry for all the questions but we all just want what is best for the kitty.

Food is always in her reach and every now and again she will walk to it but as I pass her asleep on the chair I will lift her stroke / arose her and place her next to the food where she normally starts to eat this is ,at least 10 times during the day

Does she seem interested in food on her own?  Basically, does she go to the food by herself? There are definitely absorption issues in cats.  Again, though, you need a qualified vet to discuss this with who is as concerned for your kitty as you are.  That's why I suggested an appetite stimulant and a second opinion.