Suggestions for putting weight on a kitten?

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xkitty loverx

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This is Jack. He is a rescued kitten. I have rescued many & this is the first time I have had any with weight issues.
He is around 7 week old & weighs less than a pound.
He's being dewormed every 2 weeks & everything the vet has tested him for has come back negative.
My problem is that I just can not keep weight on him. I am still syringe supplementing KMR mixed with canned food to him since he eats a bit by himself but not very much. My vet told me to weigh him at every feeding till I know if he is consistantly gaining weight.

He weighed 384g this morning, after feeding he was up to 393g.
Second feeding he was 397g upto 410g after feeding. 
Third feeding he was 395g upto 404g after feeding, & I just weighed him now & he is back down to 384g.
I know that weight gain is not linear & he will gain & lose, but overall..especially over a week he should be gaining & he's not.

Any ideas what  can give him to help bump up his weight?
His sister Sally passed away & also wasn't gaining weight properly so I am scared to lose him too.


Jack
 

ellag

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you could try the nutri-cal paste. some kittens like the taste but if he doesn't you can just put a little bit on the roof of his mouth. you can get it at any petstore or amazon..
 

mrsgreenjeens

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Egg yolks are very nutritious and high calorie too.   If he won't eat them on his own, then add them to his syringe feedings.  You can feed them either raw or cooked.  If ray, just don't include any of the whites. 
 
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xkitty loverx

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I've been doing Nutri-cal & it doesn't seem to be helping much.
I will try the egg yolk at his next feeding. He is still hovering between 13oz & 14oz, I can't seem to get him past that.
 

tobilei

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Could you add another (even if it's smaller) feed or 2 into the day? My 2 year old male Maine Coon is a hard gainer and even now is underweight. He gets a minimum of 4 wet meals a day plus dry (I know your baby is a baby so doesn't eat dry but maybe some extra feedings to help bulk him up). Maybe also mix the nutrical into the food/egg mixture so he gets cals from both (or do 1 feed food and nutrical and 1 with egg etc). He's gorgeous btw :)
 

snowballmomy

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I have the same problem.. mine is between 540g to 590g 11 weeks

:p
 
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xkitty loverx

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I have the same problem.. mine is between 540g to 590g 11 weeks

:p
Everything I have tried is not working at all either. He is consistantly anywhere from 360g to 410g
 

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I've rescued many tiny babies such as Jack. First of all, is your vet concerned? Secondly, I have had kittens who would not take a syringe or bottle, but would lap up the KMR from a small plate. Buy the powdered KMS, and make it as thick as the kitten will eat/drink. This increases the caloric value in smaller amounts. I use the KMR as a liquid until about 8 weeks old, mixing it with canned kitten food that has been thinned with warm water. Once they start eating dry kitten food and are thriving, I still add the KMS powder, dusting it over the kibble. I've never had a kitten who doesn't love this.
Also, is the kitten sickly? If so, try another vet. If not, relax a little and keep up the good work.
 

nocaltam

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I'm so sorry. Thank you for giving your best- some kittens are just too young and/or have unseen issues. This is the hardest part of being a rescuer. [emoji]128148[/emoji]
 

jennyr

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Sad news. it just happens sometimes. It is so frustrating when you have invested so much emotion and time into trying to get them to thrive. But Nature does not always play ball.
 

snowballmomy

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I've rescued many tiny babies such as Jack. First of all, is your vet concerned? Secondly, I have had kittens who would not take a syringe or bottle, but would lap up the KMR from a small plate. Buy the powdered KMS, and make it as thick as the kitten will eat/drink. This increases the caloric value in smaller amounts. I use the KMR as a liquid until about 8 weeks old, mixing it with canned kitten food that has been thinned with warm water. Once they start eating dry kitten food and are thriving, I still add the KMS powder, dusting it over the kibble. I've never had a kitten who doesn't love this.
Also, is the kitten sickly? If so, try another vet. If not, relax a little and keep up the good work.
Mine had the same problem but he like the royal canin veterinary diet food cans.. which is nice n soft he just gobbled it down.. and he used to finish a can in 24 hours..
 

snowballmomy

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This is Jack. He is a rescued kitten. I have rescued many & this is the first time I have had any with weight issues.
He is around 7 week old & weighs less than a pound.
He's being dewormed every 2 weeks & everything the vet has tested him for has come back negative.
My problem is that I just can not keep weight on him. I am still syringe supplementing KMR mixed with canned food to him since he eats a bit by himself but not very much. My vet told me to weigh him at every feeding till I know if he is consistantly gaining weight.

He weighed 384g this morning, after feeding he was up to 393g.
Second feeding he was 397g upto 410g after feeding. 
Third feeding he was 395g upto 404g after feeding, & I just weighed him now & he is back down to 384g.
I know that weight gain is not linear & he will gain & lose, but overall..especially over a week he should be gaining & he's not.

Any ideas what  can give him to help bump up his weight?
His sister Sally passed away & also wasn't gaining weight properly so I am scared to lose him too.


Jack
Some times they also go tru stress maybe bcos he lost his sister... just keep trying different foods u will surely come up to something what he likes..
Cook some chicken in salt make a past mix with some kittens wet foods n try giving him goat milk.. really good for they health.
 

snowballmomy

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May be he went tru a fading kitten syndrome.. u have tried your best.. and sorry for your loss
 

blueyedgirl5946

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On behalf of The Cat Site Moderating Team, we are sorry for your loss of Jack. You may wish to post a tribute in our Crossing the Bridge Forum. When a cat or kitten passes on, we lock the thread to show our sympathies and respect, so I will do that now.
 
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