Gain weight

linda4088

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I rescued two feral kittens May 21. I thought they were about a month old at that time. The boy was not gaining any weight. He was very skinny so I took them both to the vet. They had Round & Tape worms. I got medicine for both and started them on Advantage Multi for cats which takes care of everything except Tape. It even takes care of ear mites. They are flea & worm free and gaining weight but I can still feel their bones. I've had them a little over a month and they have gotten very tame. Is there anything I can give them to help them gain more weight? i've never had cats before so I'm kind of at a loss.
 

StefanZ

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I rescued two feral kittens May 21. I thought they were about a month old at that time. The boy was not gaining any weight. He was very skinny so I took them both to the vet. They had Round & Tape worms. I got medicine for both and started them on Advantage Multi for cats which takes care of everything except Tape. It even takes care of ear mites. They are flea & worm free and gaining weight but I can still feel their bones. I've had them a little over a month and they have gotten very tame. Is there anything I can give them to help them gain more weight? i've never had cats before so I'm kind of at a loss.
Its interesting to read, they had both round and tape worms, got medicine against round worms, but also the tape worms disappeared...  Cool.

The answer re food depends in much,  what are you giving them, exactly, and how much, roughly?

Do they play a lot?   Are they contained in a cage, or do they have free run?

Some tips for good foods.   Goat milk is useful, both as alternative to kmr, and as nourishing supplement later on, if you want to supplement them with something.

Raw goat milk is best, but its not always easily attainable.   I whom are a big advocate or raw goat milk, I had myself never tried it, we dont have it in Sweden to buy.   Here Im going solely on testimony from knowleable forumites, and logic thinking.   But bottled, cartooned, and even powdered, is fine.

If you dont have problems with salomonella in eggs in your place, raw egg yolk is very nourishing and easy digestible.   Avoid raw egg white, thought.

Boiled egg yolk is essentially same nourishment, but not so easily digestible.   BUT boiled egg white is good and non dangerous.   :)

The most important, its very difficult to overfeed kittens.

So the common question, how much shall I give, shall not be understood in absolutely term.

Its sooner, to get knowledge roughly of the amount needed, its NOT the upper limit!

OK, I wait for more info and more questions....

Ps.  I will ask a mod to move this question to our  Pregnant and Kitten care forum, where these questions re kittens are the usual.

Im there too.   :)
 
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linda4088

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I got medicine for both types of worms. What is KMR? They do play a lot. I got them a Cat Condo which they climb & play in. I leave dry food out & they are eating a can each which I give them a fourth of a can four times daily. I had gotten some powdered kitten milk but they didn't like it. With the amount of food that they're eating, I think they should be fatter.
 

tsukiyomi

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I got medicine for both types of worms. What is KMR? They do play a lot. I got them a Cat Condo which they climb & play in. I leave dry food out & they are eating a can each which I give them a fourth of a can four times daily. I had gotten some powdered kitten milk but they didn't like it. With the amount of food that they're eating, I think they should be fatter.
Kitten milk replacement there are a lot of brands see a lot of people praise PetAg but avoid Hartz or Sargeants (maybe spelled wrong).
 
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Sarthur2

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They are growing very quickly right now and probably need more wet food. They need unlimited kitten chow, and you can mix the kitten powder into milk and pour it over the kitten chow. Most kittens love this!
 
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handsome kitty

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They need a lot more food.  I would just feed them more until they stop eating at each feeding.  They will go through growth spurts and need more or less food depending where they are in the cycle.
 
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linda4088

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I am feeding them one can each of wet food.  Should I increase that?  I tried the powdered milk but they didn't like it.  They're about 2 1/2 months now.  So I should just give them more wet food?  Thanks so much.
 

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A can of wet food is vague.  How big is the can?  The rule of thumb is 2 oz of wet food per pound for kittens, but give them as much as they want.
 

Sarthur2

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Like I mentioned before, the kittens will probably like the kitten milk poured over their dry food. And also, just because they did not like it once, does not mean they won't like it when tried again. It is almost impossible to overfeed young kittens.
 
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linda4088

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The cans are 5.5oz so each kitty is getting 5.5oz daily, broken up into four feedings plus as much dry food as they want.  Should I increase the wet food?  They were almost 2lbs when I weighed them last on the 20th of June.
 

Sarthur2

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Yes, more wet food. They are likely closer to 3 pounds now. I leave a bowl of wet food out at night even and my kittens eat it through the night also.

Like I said, it is almost impossible to overfeed a growing kitten, and wet food is the ticket to gaining more weight.
 

chromazone1971

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I rescued two kittens who were being abused. They are now 4-5 months. Ernie is double the size of his sister sofie. We don't know if she was the runt. Is that normal or how can I help her gain weight?
 
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linda4088

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My sisters two kittens were identical when they were little but he is now twice her size they are year old.
 
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