Can I over feed kitten on boiled chicken.

12 week old kitten appeared healthy initially but after 3 days in our home she became sick with diarrhea. She had just been wormed for the second time by the breeder I believed the illness was due to diet change. Breeder mentioned as I was walking out the door that she had just changed the food she had been feeding her cats to Hills Prescription for urinary issues as one male cat had issues. I fed her the Acana she was originally on, which was a mistake, I think.

Anyway Vet put her on Albon and Benebac with only chicken baby food or boiled chicken until she stabilized. Vet thought she was underweight at just 1 lb 4 oz. All of this has helped and she is a new and improved kitty. No diarrhea for 2 days - happy and playing.

However she is wanting to eat every hour. I give her about a tablespoon or so of shredded chicken at a time and she devours it. Can she overeat? She had no bowel movement yesterday at all.

She is probably trying to catch up!  Remember she is just a baby and has a good year of growing to do. Also they do a lot of playing and need fuel.  The chicken and baby food are fine for getting her tummy back in order, but is not a balanced diet. She needs multi cat vitamins, especially taurine  for heart health. Kittens often have heart murmers, which they usually grow out of, but you want to ensure a good beginning for the baby cat.

Thanks Anne.  I thought, too, that she is trying to catch up.  

And I'm planning to introduce good canned food once I see things are balancing out, probably about 4 more days.  Its just such a difference now that her tummy is better.  I read on this site that a week or two of chicken should be fine.  I hate to add anything new right now but I'll start slowly introducing new food in a couple of days.

You are welcome. You might try the Petco Soulistic canned chicken with pumpkin. Stay away from the gelee varieties, as I think they have a bunch of gum additives, and remind me of rubber cement!  Also you could start introducing the canned wet food with the chicken a little at a time.

A week or two of chicken for an ADULT cat might be ok, but for a growing kitten, that's too long to go without a 100% nutritionally complete food.  She needs calcium too, in additional to enough taurine.  Are you supplementing with any KMR? 

No, the vet didn't say anything about supplements. What is KMR?

She was fully weaned when I got her a week ago at 11 weeks so do I need KMR?

No, but if you want to feed her homecooked food, and balance that baby food, please see this thread: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/263751/cooked-recipes-thread

Anne, I will research the canned chicken with pumpkin.  Thanks for the suggestion.  I purchased the Nature's Variety Instinct and Weruva chicken canned food but nothing with pumpkin.

KathyS said:

 
She was fully weaned when I got her a week ago at 11 weeks so do I need KMR?

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I was just thinking if she can't/won't eat regular kitten food yet without issues, then at least she could get her supplements/calcium from the KMR (kitten replacement milk) or something similar.  Even sick and/or senior cats take this sometimes just for additional supplementation. 

I am not sure about the possibility of overfeeding with one type of food, BUT I am sure that overfeeding is a problem. Cats thrive on routine, and since they have very little sense of taste, constantly chopping and changing what you feed them with is not helpful.

A kitten may cry when faced with many life changes and responding with crying does not necessarily mean hunger.

If a person always provides food in response to a cat's cry, it is not necessarily dealing with the problem, but training the cat to be appeased/comforted by food. 

How much you feed the cat is related to the questions: is the cat the right/correct weight? Is he or she gaining or losing weight? Are you feeding him or her the same food, at the same time each day? 

Ceri