New Persian Kitty Struggling

Hi all,

Firstly, thank you for your patience in reading this.

I recently purchased a Persian kitten (he's about 5 months old) and had no trouble acclimating him to my studio in the first two weeks. He would play with toys, cuddled, and had a pretty generous appetite. It has been a month since then and he started exhibiting different behavior. He sleeps a lot (2/3 of the day or so) and does not play or chase like he used to; the most interest he shows is batting at a feather toy or string if I dangle it in front of him. He eats, but not as much, and his nightly bursts of energy have stopped. He also seems more lethargic, as he does not jump onto things (climbs into my bed instead). Everything else is normal: water consumption, litter box usage, and his response to my affection.

He did have a bout of diarrhea which the vet gave an anti-diarrhea medication for, and he recovered quickly. Both fecal samples pre and post came back normal. He has been tested negative for FIP and FIV and is up to date with vaccinations.

Regarding the most recent lethargy and decreased activity, I consulted a different vet for a second opinion and was given a prescription diet to help encourage him to eat and give him more protein/calories intake. This vet did not express too much worry and said the excessive sleep could be caused from cold weather changes, or him growing into a cat and needing his rest. This was a week ago and since then, kitty is still sleeping a lot (often stays in one spot for a long time but does not really hide, will come cuddle with me or family on bed at times, comes out seeking attention and food when awake but does not eat much food unless it's the prescription wet.)

I am planning to take him back to his original vet tomorrow, but I wanted to consult anyone who has more experience with kittens or specifically Persian breeds. I have never owned a kitten or a Persian, and I'm hoping to gain some insight to better help my kitten and worry less.

Some questions I have:

1. I am feeding him Royal Canine dry food for Persians. Should I supplement or substitute this with something else? Wet food? If so, any brand recommendations? I feed him once in the morning and once before bed, but his much he consumes is sporadic. Am I doing this incorrectly?

2. Do Persians generally tend to sleep more and/or be less active lap cats? This is what I was told...any insights on Persian cats?

3. Should I get him genetically tested for PKD? I did some research on this.

4. Overall, should I be worried ^ about the symptoms? Is there anything else I can be doing for him?

Thank you for your help...I really am at a loss and stressed out about my kitten. I just want him to be happy and healthy.

A 5 month old needs more food.  He should have access to dry food all the time and then feed him some good kitten wet food two or three times a day.  For a kitten that age, I like Royal Canin kitten food, but Fancy Feast kitten food is good, too.

I haven't known any kitten 5-6 months old to be lethargic.  They are usually full of kitten energy.  Have you talked to the breeder to ask about normal behavior?  As kittens get closer to adult age, they do slow down a bit, but younger ones usually have TONS of energy. 

If you've had him about 2-3 weeks, I would have him checked for an upper respiratory infection.  Those generally pop up about 10-14 days after coming home to a new environment.

When my kittens were younger (maybe even up to 4 months) they slept like the dead. You'd move them and they still wouldn't wake up. They are not like that anymore though (mine are 6 months old now). Definitely they need access to food at all times. Mine go through cycles these days of eat, play, eat, play (repeat five times), then sleep. So it's entirely possible he may not be getting enough energy for the "play" part. 

Very cute kitten btw. 

i've never had a persian but wet food is much much better for cats. dry can cause kidney disease, diabetes, obesity along with other problems. this is a great site for cat nutrition: 

www.catinfo.org

You don't need to buy food specifically for Persians.  It's overpriced and Persians are just cats when it comes down to it.  Feed your cat high quality wet food mostly and some dry food for grazing throughout the day.  He should eat more frequent smaller meals.  Find food specifically for kittens - it has different nutritional values.

Honestly I think there might be something going on.

You shouldn't be able to keep a 5 month old kitten down, they play hard, sleep hard, eat well.

I would opt for a blood workup and see what might be going on here.

I second the fancy feast kitten canned. Then on to fancy feast classics, which are grain free pates that they love.

I would speak to the vet about about testing him for hcm, a type of heart disease that is more common in certain breeds of cats.

It turns out he has FIP...it was a nightmare diagnosis, but I was able to spend one last week with him caring for him and keeping him loved and comfortable. It was very difficult and I didn't know much about this illness until this. I really didn't think it would be this bad.

what awful news, I am sorry. 

So sorry to hear this. FIP is a terrible disease. There aren't conclusive tests that can be done to rule it out. It is an illness discovered by ruling other things out.   So sorry.

mister tigger said:

 
It turns out he has FIP...it was a nightmare diagnosis, but I was able to spend one last week with him caring for him and keeping him loved and comfortable. It was very difficult and I didn't know much about this illness until this. I really didn't think it would be this bad.

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I'm so sorry to read this and for your loss. Very, very sad.

I had a feeling something wasn't right..........never want to suggest fip but always a possibility, especially with a kitten behaving the way he was at his young age.

Oh no, I'm so sorry about that  

No!  I'm so very sorry.  

I'm so sorry for your kitty.....  I hate FIP so much :-(