Kitten On Limited Diet Not Growing As Much

[Space_girl]

Hi everyone,

I’ve previously posted about my kitten Rocket who has runny poos.
After much searching we’ve discovered his digestion seems much better on James Wellbeloved grain-free, turkey wet & dry, which is a single source of protein food.

The only issue is that he isn’t gaining weight as fast as I’d expect. He’s grown quite long and lean, and is a okay weight for his age, but I know Bengal boy cats tend to be larger than the average. The vet said he’s healthy but slightly smaller than expected.

I’d like to supplement his diet with a calorie-dense food to get a bit of weight on him, but I don’t want to upset his stomach again.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a food I could give him? Would a bit of raw turkey mince be okay?

 

[Kieka]

Another Rocket, welcome! My little girl is also named Rocket.

How old is your Rocket? Are you limiting his food each day or feeding as much as he wants?

Teenage kittens tend to go through an awkward period. I remember when my boy Link was super long and lanky but light for his size. He looked super awkward but was just growing fast in length and height. Once he slowed down on the stretching he filled out his frame more. He put on three whole pounds of muscle between one and two (along with a little more stretching). It could just be that your boy is in that awkward period and will fill out with time. Or it could be that he just isn't meant to be a larger cat.

If you didn't get him from a recognized breeder with papers there is no telling what is in his background and what his true adult size will be around. Even though Bengals might be on the larger side of domestic cat; he could be from a smaller line or having something smaller in his mix somewhere. If you did get him from a recognized paper carrying breeder then you could ask about his sire and line to get a better feel for his adult size projection to know if he is on track. Even with that though, my Aunt always gets purebred dogs from the same breeding line and she ended up with a little female who somehow was nearly half the size of all the other females in her line. Small does sometimes happen in the best maintained lines.

According to this, CatFoodDB - James Wellbeloved Cat Food Reviews , the food you are feeding is fairly decent and should be meeting his nutritional needs assuming you aren't limiting calories of course. So I wouldn't focus on adding anything into his food or changing that aspect any. He is getting what he needs to grow and is just growing at a different pace or won't grow as much. I have Rocket and Link, both had the exact same diet as from the age of 4 months on; they are from different family lines but both are lookalikes for a snowshoe siamese. Rocket is short and 8 pounds, Link is tall and 13 pounds. They just are the size they should be and nothing I did at the point I got them would change that.

 

[Space_girl]

Thanks! Why did you choose the name Rocket? Our boy got his name because he climbs (and now jumps) straight up to the highest point in any room.

Rocket is 6.5 months old, he and our other kitten Jet (7.5 months) get a sachet of wet (80g) between them and their dry food is always kept filled, so they can eat as much as they want.
Jet seems to alternate between lean and barrel-shaped in his appearance, so Rocket looks extra petite in comparison!

He is papered, and I met his mum when I went to pick him up and she was a compact but normal sized cat. That’s a great idea to ask his breeder, I’ve emailed them asking about his dad’s size, and if Rocket’s weight matches their expectations for their kittens’ growth.

That’s very reassuring to hear, thank you. I know JW isn’t considered to be a great food, especially as they both eat more dry than wet at the moment as they aren’t that keen on the wet food. I’d wanted them to be on raw/high quality wet, but it’s not worked out that way.

 

[Kieka]

My Rocket is because she looked like a little raccoon (sorta) as a kitten and I like the Guardians of the Galaxy movie. So Rocket the Raccoon, never to be shortened to Rocky. It also fit once she got stronger and started dashing from place to place.

Kitten Photo:

IMG_5253.JPG

• Kieka
• Dec 1, 2016

Adult Photo:

20161218_121319.jpg

• Kieka
• Dec 25, 2016

Your breeder should be able to let you know if there is any cause for concern. But hearing you have a second it makes more sense that you'd notice the differences between. My Rocket is on the smaller end of the scale, while Link is on the larger end of the scale. Side by side though they look like a tower beast and tiny squirt; just because of the comparison.

20160823_182919.jpg

• Kieka
• Oct 5, 2016

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• Kieka
• Sep 7, 2016

The age of yours definitely makes that awkward growing period a real possibility. JW isn't great but there are a lot worse options out there. I know people who have great success with raw and higher quality wet, but it doesn't do much good if your cat won't eat it.

 

[Space_girl]

Her kitten photo is adorable! Both your cats are so gorgeous.
My kittens aren’t related (as the photo shows!) Jet is a rescue kitten of unknown origins. I’ve spent the last few months expecting Rocket to catch up to Jet’s size, but Jet just keeps growing! You’re right, I’ve been comparing their size differences, but as they have quite a different build it’s not actually helpful to do so!

 

[Kieka]

My two aren't related either, they just look it. That's why the neighborhood cat hoarder dropped Rocket off at my house. She thought Link was her father (he is neutered and has been since he was a few months old).

Your Rocket is absolutely gorgeous. Was he lighter when he was younger and born white?

I can see the difference in build between them. Rocket looks really good weight wise in the photos; just looks like he is of a stockier build. I would fully expect him to add on muscle and fill out once he stops growing at about a year old. This is a short clip of Link at about 3 months old. You can kinda see the cat he would become but he was definitely a skinny lanky child at that age. I don't have any photos on this computer of that teenage phase but he was tripping over his own feet half the time. Teenage time is awkward for every species View media item 420579

 

[Space_girl]

Wow, Link is so lanky in that video! It’s amazing how much they transform as they grow.

Rocket is a charcoal mink snow, so he was born white but got a dark tail, mask and cape quite early on and has slowly lightened again. I have some baby kitten photos of him the breeder took.
Here’s a photo of him at approx 4 weeks:

And at 7/8 weeks:

 

[lacy2000]

You could give him nutrical for extra calories. That's what I use with kittens that need a simple diet. My vet always warns that a simple diet could stunt growth, so we only use for a maximum of 1 week. It is definitely a possibility that his diet isn't allowing him to grow as much, although that shouldn't cause problems. My cat had stunted growth because of food allergies and she has never had any health issues related to it.

You can also add forti-flora or something similar to his food in case it upsets his stomach.