Effects of early malnourishment

[rrrager]

Brand new, sorry if I do something wrong!

Main reason I came here was because I couldn't find thorough answers to my question. A lot of search pages on adult cats being malnourished, newborn kittens, how to fatten up a kitten, but not what I needed.

I have a "13 week" old kitten, Korra, who I picked up from a Craigslist listing. It was a trailer park with a colony, positive I saw a few tipped ears, so she's likely from a feral litter. The previous owners gave me a bag of food when I picked her up and I'm 100% positive it was Kibbles n Bits. They described her as approximately 8 weeks old but she was pretty tiny compared to the 10 week old kitten we picked up a few days later.

Obviously I have her on better food now (Purina Pro, r.i.p. my wallet) but between my observation and the vet, we initially thought she might be a week or two younger than what I was told. But maybe because of her malnourishment as a feral kitten combined with eating adult dog food, she's just smaller due to that. Even the vet thinks that's a major factor in her growth.

She's pretty floppy and feels soft and a little squishy (in a good way) compared to the other kitten who is firm all over when handled + pet. And maybe it's just difference between cats, but her fur is still very downy and kitten like, and the other has a sleek shiny top coat across her shoulders and back she's had since I picked her up at 10 weeks.

Maybe I'm being paranoid and overprotective of my first kittens in a decade???

I wanted to know if anyone has experience with kittens growing up after being malnourished like this in their early weeks. Do they fill out differently?Has their cat experienced health problems at any point related to malnutrition? Should I be on the lookout for anything their cat has experienced?? Am I really being paranoid and looking too much into this?

attached is a pic of Korra the day after i got her.

 

[Jem]

I'm not positive I have a similar situation, but hear me out
We adopted a tiny under 6 lbs cat from the shelter. She was rescued pregnant, and had a litter at the shelter. This little thing was malnourished and having the litter didn't help any, but according to the shelter she was a wonderful momma. The shelter was desperate for her to get a home, because she was not thriving in the shelter environment, nor did she thrive in the hoard situation she came from. She was just too timid.
They estimated her age at about 2 years old at the time I adopted her.
Fast forward, we take her to the vet for her first appointment. The vet said that she was definitely malnourished and looked sickly, and given her condition, small size and lack of muscle development, she said it wasn't just a recent case of malnourished...if I'm explaining that OK. The vet also noticed that my girl had very knobby knees, among other signs and said it was possible due to lack of...everything.
Honestly she was so pathetic...but I had to have her. The girls at the shelter actually cried when they found out she was getting adopted they were so happy.
Anyway, I'm explaining this because combining her living situation prior to being rescued, with how she was at the shelter and her health and body condition. The shelter, my vet and myself all believe she has been malnourished probably all her early life. She basically ate enough to survive...but not much more than that.
She was also "squishy" and her fur was unusually soft, like all she had was the kitten undercoat...And she couldn't jump up on things more than a couple of feet off the ground.
Fast forward a year and a half, she's now approx 3 and half years old.
She is awesome...
She now has muscle development and can jump up on all the surfaces in my house, her knees don't feel as knobby. Her fur is still very soft but feels thicker, her eyes are wide and bright, her demeanor and personality are perfect...and so far...and I know she's still young but...she is very healthy overall, except for some mild pooping issues...sometimes mild constipation or a combo of firm stool, with a mushy ending...sorry for the visual.
So yeah...although I'm not positive, I believe my Lily was malnourished in her very early life, and so far she is doing great. I'm sorry I don't have more experience with the long term effects, but our vet has done a couple of rechecks on her and the vet says she has bounced back really well.

This was the day we brought her home...

And this is her now......

I'd say that with proper care and love...they can overcome anything!!!!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Welcome!!
I'm following this thread with great interest because I've wondered the exact same thing for quite a while; when given the chance, felines seem to be incredibly resilient...

Fast forward a year and a half, she's now approx 3 and half years old.
She is awesome...

I remember you've said that she didn't even move from that first position on the bed to make herself more comfortable, poor baby.

I'd say that with proper care and love...they can overcome anything!!!!

Oh, by the way I happened to see this;
Purina Pro Plan Savor Adult White Meat Chicken & Vegetable Entree in Gravy Canned Cat Food, 3-oz, case of 24 - Chewy.com

 

[Mamanyt1953]

It does seem as if little Korra has been through a lot in her short life. The good thing is that she has found her soft place to land. There i an excellent chance that with good care and the proper nutrition she is getting now, she will overcome her early environment. Your kitten look younger than 13 weeks to me. Her little face looks closer to an 8-10 week old kitten, but I could easily be wrong. Erring on the side of caution, can you find goat's milk? One of my local supermarkets carries canned goat milk in their baking aisle, of all places, and I know that Amazon sells it. A little added to each meal would give her a good boost. Or KMR, if she'll take that.

 

[rrrager]

Thanks for the replies!

Jem This gives me a lot of hope! Even with just under two months of healthy food, Korra's become more bright eyed and lively and her coat is shiny, but still downy? I'm not sure how that even works out but I'll take it haha. A couple vets at the practice we go to said kittens are good at catching up, and they're not overly concerned about her condition so far. Just healthy food and a good environment and she should cope well! Also your Lily is lovely and cute and I'm glad she's happy and healthy <3

Furballsmom Ooh I might give that a look. I have the kittens on the Purina Pro kitten formulas for dry + wet food, since Korra refuses to eat dry kibble by itself. BUT she'll eat it all even if theres a small dab of wet food beneath it all?? Kittens, man. My adult cat eats some Purina Pro for her lunches tho so I'll check it out

Mamanyt1953 I didnt explain myself enough, whoops... Korra's about 13 weeks as of this past week! She was said to be 8-9 weeks when I picked her up at the beginning of June, but my vet and I are debating on how old she was back then *because* she was so small. IIRC she was under 2lbs at her first visit, but weighed around 3.7lbs at her most recent visit

 

[Mamanyt1953]

AH! Gotcha. She is, whatever her actual age, a cutie pie! I'm looking forward to watching her catch up and grow up!

 

[Furballsmom]

Kittens, man.

LoL