please help, 10 wk old kitten not eating!

kreyessa

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My 10 week old kitten threw up Sat twice, once was after eating, with the hard food still whole (not xhewed)the second time was on empty stomach about an hour later. I feed him Orijen hard food, and Blue wilderness kitten for soft. So I stopped the hard food to see if that was why. Sunday he wouldn't eat, he just licked at his soft food, and drank a little bit of water. He ended up vomiting up yellow bile a few times that day. So Monday I switched back to his hard food and took away to soft figuring maybe that was it. I cut up his hard food so he wouldn't swallow it whole. He ate a few bites that morning, and when I got home a few hours later, he threw it back up when he woke up for napping. I called his bet, and got an immediate appt. They examined him, tested for feline leukemia, and said he may helave a sensitive stomach, so to try switching the soft food to a special GI kind. When we got home, I tried giving him some and he just sniffed at it, pretended to bury it, and walked away. I tried mixing it with his hard food later that evening, and he only licked at it, but wouldn't eat it.. Today, he has only licked it a few times as well, then walks away. His last BM was yesterday around 5pm, it was softer than usual, which is likely due to the eating pattern recently. And has peed twice in 24 hours. So far no vomiting today, but I'm worried about his not eating. His vet said I can come back in tomorrow if it xonti yes, but will cost around $300 for blood and work and xrays and such, which I can't exactly afford but will of nessisary.
 

2cats4me

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My 10 week old kitten threw up Sat twice, once was after eating, with the hard food still whole (not xhewed)the second time was on empty stomach about an hour later. I feed him Orijen hard food, and Blue wilderness kitten for soft. So I stopped the hard food to see if that was why. Sunday he wouldn't eat, he just licked at his soft food, and drank a little bit of water. He ended up vomiting up yellow bile a few times that day. So Monday I switched back to his hard food and took away to soft figuring maybe that was it. I cut up his hard food so he wouldn't swallow it whole. He ate a few bites that morning, and when I got home a few hours later, he threw it back up when he woke up for napping. I called his bet, and got an immediate appt. They examined him, tested for feline leukemia, and said he may helave a sensitive stomach, so to try switching the soft food to a special GI kind. When we got home, I tried giving him some and he just sniffed at it, pretended to bury it, and walked away. I tried mixing it with his hard food later that evening, and he only licked at it, but wouldn't eat it.. Today, he has only licked it a few times as well, then walks away. His last BM was yesterday around 5pm, it was softer than usual, which is likely due to the eating pattern recently. And has peed twice in 24 hours. So far no vomiting today, but I'm worried about his not eating. His vet said I can come back in tomorrow if it xonti yes, but will cost around $300 for blood and work and xrays and such, which I can't exactly afford but will of nessisary.
I don't have any medical advice but you could try a different wet food and see if that will work ..  Try Fancy Feast Kitten Turkey canned  , Iams also makes a kitten  canned formula ..  A lot of cats like these brands .. Mix it with a little warm water so he can lap it up . Good luck , I hope he feels better soon ..
 
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kreyessa

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His vet had me try Royal Canin gastro intestinal soft food. He just sniffs it and walks away. I'm scared to keep trying soany different foods. I almost think he is afraid to eat, because of the vomiting
 

2cats4me

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His vet had me try Royal Canin gastro intestinal soft food. He just sniffs it and walks away. I'm scared to keep trying soany different foods. I almost think he is afraid to eat, because of the vomiting
aww , the poor baby .  i am sure you know that he must eat something so at least try a couple of things to get him to eat . if not call the vet ..
 
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kreyessa

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I ended up boiling a chicken breast, and mincing it, adding a little of the broth from boiling it, and he actually ate a few bites! I think he is turned off by the smell of cat food. I've heard that's is what atyrevts cats to their food, but I don't think that is the vase with my baby boy.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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Is he eating regular cat food yet?  It is imperative, especially while he is growing, that he eat kitten food, and LOTS of it.  Chicken Breast with it's broth is ok for an adult for a couple of days, (usually adding in white rice cooked in the broth), but kittens need lots more as they are growing, and they particularly need calcium for their little bones.   If he doesn't seem to like the food the  Vet gave you, maybe try crushing up some of the dry food he likes and sprinkle a little bit on top until he starts eating it, or use something else he might like as a topper....even tuna juice.  If he has ANY favorite treats, you can use them to tempt him.

Also eggs are a good source of both protein and calcium, although again they are not nutritionally complete.  You could try scrambling or poaching them and see if he'll eat them. 
 

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I ended up boiling a chicken breast, and mincing it, adding a little of the broth from boiling it, and he actually ate a few bites!
That's good that your kitten ate it
Keep in mind that plain cooked chicken with the cooking liquid it not a complete diet. You can look into home cooked and raw diets if you wish to feed those to your cat. There's board here on TCS to discuss raw and home cooked diets: http://www.thecatsite.com/f/65/raw-home-cooked-cat-food

There are canned foods that are pretty much shredded chicken in gravy. Try Weruva Paw Lickin Chicken. Weruva is for "all life stages" so it's ok to feed to a kitten.

You can also try limited ingredient diets. Maybe your kitten has a food allergy or sensitivity to something in regular foods. Nature's Variety Instinct is a good one to try and is available in both dry and canned.

I would ask the vet do bloodwork to rule out any possible tummy issues or other things that may be causing your kitten to not eat. Ask the vet to check for internal parasites, too. Bring in a fecal sample for testing.
 
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kreyessa

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Thanks all! Loki is doing much better now! He is eating the Orijen cat and kitten dry food, mixed with water. He refuses to eat any kind of soft foods that I have tried. So I have just given him what he likes for now, I am just happy that he is finally eating something nutritious. 
 
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