Underweight Kitten

[KellyAnn99]

Hey everyone! New around here, so forgive me if I'm doing this a little unorthodox.

I have an abandoned stray kitten who we think is about 5 or 6 weeks old. We found him outside our apartment bleeding from the nose, unable to see, and stumbling as he walked. We took him to the vet where he stayed for four nights; he was treated for an Upper Respiratory Infection and is now generally healthy beyond that.

The only thing I've noticed is that he is VERY small still. He only ways about 9 oz. We're feeding him step two milk, where he laps it up from a bowl rather than us using a syringe. I'm bringing him to the vet in 2 weeks anyway for his shots and to schedule his neutering but is there any reason I should take him before then? I've never had a kitten so young and just want to play things safe.

Thank you all in advance!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
The milk for human toddlers?
Your baby needs Kitten Milk Replacer

 

[StefanZ]

Can you get raw goats milk?

Problems with salomonella in eggs at your place?

 

[StefanZ]

Why Im asking, raw goats milk, preferably with mixed in raw egg yolk, would be my first suggestion.

Regular, ie pasteurized goats milk is OK to use, but raw has some possible plusses.

A good kmr is OK of course. We usually dont recommend stage 2 as some kittens dont manage it well. But if yours is OK with it, so why, continue.

( human infant milk is OK in a pinch, just dilute it less).

Amount? 8ml / oz per day. As he is barely10 oz now, would give about 80 ml a day. If he wants more give more. Becoming more as he grows.

Give as often as you manage....

when you mix out the kmr powder, use pedialyte (clear flavorless pedialyte for human babies). The glucose sugar inside gives some extra calories for free.

Diluting the powder, or giving water to drink; use pedialyte or bottled water or good well water. The water from city taps contains some chemicals. Probably no big deal for a healthy kitten - after all, the great majority manage just fine, but may be bad for fragile kittens.

Some nice vitamine paste. Full fat unflavored youghurt. Some baby food, alike Gerbers unflavored baby food.
Minced meat from cows is common in Sweden for kittens.


He shouldnt be neutered before he has 2 pounds, so there is no hurry with it.


Tx a lot for helping this little guy! Double so as it must cost you a minor fortune...

 

[KellyAnn99]

Sorry I shouldve specified! We're using replacement milk, not just human milk. Sorry about that!

 

[Sarthur2]

Since the kitten is underweight, you’ll want to wait until he weighs 2 pounds before getting shots.

You’ll want to put down dry kitten chow 24/7, and feed him wet food 3-4 times a day. If he is only lapping KMR he is not getting enough nutrition. Once he starts eating solids he will gain weight.

You can also feed him Gerber chicken or turkey baby food. It’s easy to lap and digest and high in protein.

K KellyAnn99

 

[KellyAnn99]

I dont know what to do. Hes around 7 to 8bweeks old now and still hovering over 9 ounces. I'm talong him to the vet on Wednesday; he also seemed to have a cluster of seizures on the 4th. I'm just really scared.

 

[Sarthur2]

What is he eating each day? Is he eating wet food? How much does he eat? Have you tried the baby food?

He is severely underweight for his age. My guess is he may be having seizures because he is not getting proper nutrition.

K KellyAnn99

 

[Willowy]

If he's 7-8 weeks old and not eating solids, he's probably getting low blood sugar, that may be the cause of the seizures (although you definitely want to get the vet to look at him). Have you tried giving him canned and dry kitten food?

 

[KellyAnn99]

Yes; unless I hold it up a specific way, he will only lick it. I'm hoping to get some appetite stimulants from the vet to get him to eat more. After the seizure, he seemed spooked of his milk (he had the episode by his bowl).

 

[KellyAnn99]

I'm feeding him 5 times a day. At 6, noon, 4:30, 6 pm, and 8 pm. And I give him about 2 tablespoons of vitamin paste per night as well. He was gaining weight for a week or so but fell right back after the cluster.

 

[Sarthur2]

What does he eat and how much of it? Is he eating solids?

 

[KellyAnn99]

Royal Canin pate wet food. He eats small bits at a time, which is why I still have milk replaced on hand in case he doesnt eat enough. He seems to just lick it sometimes, so I dont understand how to move him over to full on eating it. This morning he did a but better and took some real bites.

 

[catsknowme]

Have you tried the Gerber stage 2 baby food that Sarthur2 recommended? It has worked wonders for many of my kittens. I understand your frustration.
When you see the vet, please ask about possible B1 and B12 deficiencies. I have seen that adding those to malnourishment cases can really reduce/stop seizures, both in lost cats and in people.

 

[KellyAnn99]

Took him to the vet today. I knew what was coming. I was already crying so I cant remember what the doctor called it, but he had an untreatable condition. His weight came in at 8 oz. Despite me feeding him only 30 minutes before.

Hes resting easy now. Thank you all for the advice and comfort, I hope the time he had with me was good. I wish I couldve done more for him, but I'm just glad hes no longer hurting.

 

[catsknowme]

I am so sorry that your time together was so short. My latest rescue lost his battle against seizures just last Friday so I can relate. I wish that I could say it gets easier but....I still need to post the memorial in Crossing the Bridge forum. I praise you for making the unselfish decision - it takes true love and courage to release them from these earthly travails. Yes, he knew love and comfort and those will light his way over the Sky Trail (aka Milky Way aka Rainbow Bridge). Godspeed and tailwinds west, little kitten warrior - you are always loved, never forgotten.

 

[Sarthur2]

RIP sweet kitten. Thank you for all your efforts on his behalf!

 

[Norachan]

I'm so sorry to hear this K KellyAnn99 It sounds as if you did everything you could for your boy, he was very lucky to have you to watch over him.

We always lock the threads when a cat or kitten passes, so I'll lock this one now.

If you would like to start a thread in his memory please start one in our Crossing the Bridge forum.

Rest In Peace Little Kitten. We're sorry your time here was so short.