New kitten not eating much

[Moonlight_wolf]

Hey, I just got a new kitten two days ago and she’s soo tiny and I’ve never had a kitten before since my other cat I got as an adult.
See I’m worried because she has not been eating much at all. I have gotten her to eat tiny bits of wet food off my finger. But yesterday and the day before she threw up three times. I called the emergency vet and they just thought it was stress, but I’m still worried. She is isolated in a room with food water a litter box and some cat things along with a shirt that smells like me. I feel better that she hasn’t thrown up today but she’s so small and skinny and I’m just worried that she’s not eating enough. My other cat is a glutton and would be a million pounds if I let her be. So having a kitten that is barely eating is very worrying for me. I did buy some high calorie gel and some kitten formula because she is apparently 9 weeks but she keeps kneading everything and looks like she wants to nurse. So I thought if she’ll consume it at least I could get some calories into her and that would make me feel better.

The gel and kitten formula come
Tomorrow though. And I also just got her tested for FIV and FELV and she is negative for all that so that’s good

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
Can you get a purr toy and/or a heartbeat toy for your baby?

Also, see if something in this thread might work until your items arrive;

Six week old kitten picky eater not eating enough

 

[fionasmom]

What is the background on the kitten?

 

[lucyrima]

How old is she?

Did the vet not have any advice re feeding? Seems unusual and I would think she does need some version of nursing, whether with a special bottle with a nipple (tho' not too big for her), or some kind of syringe.

 

[Twinkster]

What food are you feeding her? Are you sure she is 9 weeks? We gave twinkie the Tiki cat kitten mouse as she would only lick the food and wouldn't actually eat anything , and she loved that stuff so much. I still give it to her occasionally for a treat.

 

[Moonlight_wolf]

The shelter just said she was 9 weeks. I know that on august 4th she was dropped off at the shelter and they estimated that she was a month at the point. She was in a foster home for about a month. And then she was spayed and sent off to be adopted out. I don’t know her history before she reached the shelter though. And I’ve just ordered some baby food as well because I was looking at the recommendations from the other thread. And I am going to call my vet tomorrow and express my worries and such. I did get her ti eat some high calorie gel that I smeared on her paws. She was very offended but did lick it off

 

[maggie101]

So you have tried a variety of textures and proteins?
Pate,pate with pieces of meat,shredded, my cats like the pate separated in pieces,not a loaf. One prefers a mound. A variety of bowls,different locations,not disturbed by noise. Is she already sociable with you so she doesn't mind you watching her eat? I would love to see pics of your new kitten!

 

[iPappy]

The shelter just said she was 9 weeks. I know that on august 4th she was dropped off at the shelter and they estimated that she was a month at the point. She was in a foster home for about a month. And then she was spayed and sent off to be adopted out. I don’t know her history before she reached the shelter though. And I’ve just ordered some baby food as well because I was looking at the recommendations from the other thread. And I am going to call my vet tomorrow and express my worries and such. I did get her ti eat some high calorie gel that I smeared on her paws. She was very offended but did lick it off

When she was dropped off at the shelter, do you know if she had a Mom or siblings? Did she have other kittens at the foster home?
Have you tried putting all wet (no dry) food on a flat plate (not in a bowl), and really mashing it into a paste (you can add water to make this easier, the consistency I've used is pretty much like mud) and putting her front feet into it? You can also gently "push" her nose into it, or smear it on her nose so she licks it off, discovers the taste, and starts eating.
Do you know how much she weighs at 9 weeks?
Also, good on you for getting that high calorie gel and getting her to lick it off, despite her being offended!!

 

[Moonlight_wolf]

Yeah I’m trying different proteins and textures and such. She’s actually pretty brave and friendly. She climbed in my lap and lay there purring and we let her explore the upstairs and she gladly did as such. I’m trying to feed the brands that she was apparently fed in the shelter? But she was only in the shelter for a few days so I wish I could figure out what the foster home fed her if it was different from what she was fed at the shelter. I’m trying to give her different proteins and textures but I also have only had her since Friday, so I haven’t had much time to cycle through the foods

 

[Moonlight_wolf]

And I have been mashing her food into a paste and I did get her to eat a tiny bit off my finger once. Maybe I’ll try pushing her face into it next time poor girl. I am so worried about her eating and I think she’s so annoyed at me about that. She will sulk in her cardboard house whenever I smear food on her But she always comes back out purring eventually so she’s not that offended

 

[lucyrima]

Isn't there some kind of milk - whether 'real' or otherwise that has been tried? Bad enough that she can't nurse, but at least should have some kind of milk and I think there is some out there.

 

[di and bob]

You don't have to push her face in it, just smear some on her lips with your finger. I'm almost positive the throwing up was from a change in diet and stress, just keep trying different foods until you find one she likes. you could try some KMR kitten replacement milk for her. Even mixing a little in her food. Being from a shelter she may be used to hard kitten chow. Maybe soaked in warm water or KMR. for now, to get her to eat you might try some of the lickable treats, I give them to my cat when they are sick and use them for their medicines. I get delectable Lickables in the stew flavors. Bless you, for adopting her!

 

[Antonio65]

Not all kittens are voracious, some are a little shy at the dish.
A sore throat or other mouth issues can prevent a kitten from eating, along with a common cold or stuffed nose that could prevent her from smelling the food.
How did your vet test her for FIV and FeLV when she's only 9 weeks old? The snap (ELISA) tests done at the practice aren't very much reliable when a kitten is that young.

 

[Moonlight_wolf]

Yeah I believe they used the ELISA test. They took a little of her blood. I read that they are accurate but sometimes can get a false positive if the mom has antibodies against one or both of the viruses. But since she came up negative she was good. And as long as she wasn’t exposed to something in the last month then it should be accurate. And she was in a foster home the last month so she wasn’t exposed to anything weird. Nothing I’ve read has said it was inaccurate for kittens who get negative results but positive results require further testing. What have you heard?

 

[Moonlight_wolf]

And the ham baby food was a winner. She actually ate a significant amount of it and I feel a bit better. Now I am just gonna look for pork kitten food and she if she likes that. And if she doesn’t I’ll try mixing the ham baby food in with it. Because I know baby food alone isn’t a balanced diet. But I still feel better she has something in her belly now

 

[Antonio65]

Yeah I believe they used the ELISA test. They took a little of her blood. I read that they are accurate but sometimes can get a false positive if the mom has antibodies against one or both of the viruses. But since she came up negative she was good. And as long as she wasn’t exposed to something in the last month then it should be accurate. And she was in a foster home the last month so she wasn’t exposed to anything weird. Nothing I’ve read has said it was inaccurate for kittens who get negative results but positive results require further testing. What have you heard?

ELISA tests look for antibodies for FIV and for the antigens of FeLV.
My kitty was tested twice when she was younger than 5 or 6 months, and again at 9 months with a PCR test. The first test came back positive for FIV, the second was mildly positive, the PCR was negative.
So, as for FIV, a negative result is safe enough.

As for FeLV, a negative test before 12 weeks might not be the true result.

Keep in mind, also, that the antibodies for FIV develop about 8 to 10 weeks post infection.

 

[Alldara]

Moonlight_wolf to add to what Antonio65 was saying, my vet advised you can get false negatives in kittens as well. My vet advised not to test before 1 year for this reason, unless there are symptoms.

You can try tossing some kitten kibbles. Magnus was always too distracted by new things to eat so mostly he did this.

We had to leave pate out at night for him to eat. Just a small bit.

Perhaps the shelter could give your number or email to the foster and you can connect? Being fed a similar food and similar diet would help her feel comfortable.


Another side note: many kittens maintain a natural defense mechanism of not trying something the first time it is presented to them. They need it presented 2-3 times before they will try it. Calcifer is like this, and I've had former fosters with this behaviour.

 

[Moonlight_wolf]

I know that the incubation period for FELV is around 30 days, that’s the one that I’m the most worried about since I’ve been doing short meetings with my other cat and they’ve been going well. I know that FIV is a lot less transmissible, but I wanted to test for FELV before introducing them. The person who did the test said I didn’t need to worry and that the tests were pretty accurate, and since she was in a foster home the last 30 days the chance of her being exposed in that 30 days and not having time to incubate is very low. But I’m going to ask my vet as well. Ahhh now I’m anxious about possibly having exposed my current cat who I love so much to FELV or something. My current cat I believe has been given one FELV vaccine but no others because she’s an indoor cat

 

[lucyrima]

Relax, she's probably fine! Things get sticky when you're accused of giving something to someone else's cats

 

[Alldara]

I know that the incubation period for FELV is around 30 days, that’s the one that I’m the most worried about since I’ve been doing short meetings with my other cat and they’ve been going well. I know that FIV is a lot less transmissible, but I wanted to test for FELV before introducing them. The person who did the test said I didn’t need to worry and that the tests were pretty accurate, and since she was in a foster home the last 30 days the chance of her being exposed in that 30 days and not having time to incubate is very low. But I’m going to ask my vet as well. Ahhh now I’m anxious about possibly having exposed my current cat who I love so much to FELV or something. My current cat I believe has been given one FELV vaccine but no others because she’s an indoor cat

If they aren't grooming each other or sharing water/food it's likely fine. You can get the vaccine updated for your other cat if you want before progressing their intros. Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV).

We did not end up getting Magnus the vaccine before introducing Calcifer as our vet didn't deem it necessary.