5 week kitten not eating?

Donut Lady said:

 
They are five weeks old and the one female still isn't eating??? One male is eating solid food, the runt male is eating canned food, and the female refuses to eat... she drinks mom's milk still.  She has rapid breathing and it feels like her ribs doesn't extend all the way.  I don't know if the ribs is a female thing or not...  She doesn't act like she is in pain and she still loves to be where she is not needed.

(She is a BARN cat... so no vet visits... )

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StefanZ said:

 
I dont think this with ribs is female. My guess is you must hope for the best, as you cant/ dont want to consult a vet.

Would it help you if you could get a cheap vet?   I guess most of the cheap spaying clinics are also willing to look see cheaply, and make treatments cheaper than a fashionable vet clinic.

Another tip may be if there is a big animal vet visiting farms nearby.  Such a vet is sometimes willing to do some basic treatment for a low money, if he is already there.  I presume it ofthen goes without recipe, tax free so to speak...   Anyway, this works sometimes for  farmers on tight budget for their barn cats.

Good luck!

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momto3cats said:

 
It sounds like the female might have Flat Chested Kitten syndrome. See if this sounds like her: http://www.thecatsite.com/a/flat-chested-kitten-fck

As far as eating, some kittens do take a little longer to show interest in solid food. FCK kittens can have a delay in development, so maybe she isn't quite ready for real food yet. Is she getting enough from mom, not too thin?

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