Some kitten health questions

muireann50

Hi all,
Got a new foster kitten, Misty, yesterday and there's some stuff going on with her that i'm looking for advice on.

She is 10 weeks old. Her sister who she was with got ill and had to be put to sleep on Saturday and I think she is missing her. She's meowing a lot and doing a lot of searching in corners and under the couch. She crys a lot when we leave the room as well. We are giving her loads of love and trying to distract her with toys but just wondering if there is anything else we could be doing?

The problem below has been sorted
Also she hasnt been to the toilet since we got her, its been over 24 hours now. I searched the room and can't find anything anywhere so I don't think its a case of not using the litter tray.She is eating, but not a huge amount. She has had some water too. She's not lethargic or anything, running around like mad and purring loads. I rang the shelter and they said just to keep an eye out and it might be because she is stressed but I'm just looking for any other opinions

Thanks!

Zapperzy

What was it her sister had that she had to be put down?

Did you get a blanket or any toys that she would have slept with in the shelter, the familiar smells would help ease her. She's probably just really unsettled, her whole world that she has known up to now has changed so it's unsurprising that she would be upset and unsettled. Is she on the same brand of food that she was on at the shelter? A change of food can cause an upset tummy especially along with a change in environment, best to keep her on the same food even if it's not the best quality until she settles in and then start to change it.

I would keep her confined to the same room as the litter tray as much as possible just until she goes for the first time. Also is it the same type of litter as she's used to? If she's used to woodchips she may not like the gravel types or vise versa. After eating or playing I would place her in the tray and scrap around with her paws so she gets the idea. If she's holding poos then that would be normal, but it's hard to imagine such a young kitten holding a pee for 24 hours so chances are she's probably already gone somewhere.

Try putting a warm hot water bottle (wrapped so she can't burn herself) in her bed as she would probably be used to the body heat of her sister and mother. A familiar smelling blanket also would help if you can get one.

And pics please?

muireann50

Hi,
Would you believe she just used the litter tray about two minutes ago!And some amount came out lol. Hopefully she will feel a bit better now.

No toys or blankets came with her so I have nothing familiar to give her, poor thing. I don't know what happened to her sister but the shelter said she has no underlying problems, apart from ear mites which she is being treated for. She is such a sweetheart and loves being on my lap, but she is a little needy. Will just try to keep her as entertained as possible and give her a hot water bottle tonight.

I'll post up some pictures later and thanks for the advice!

Themadhouse

They are very social at that age and it is a very important stage. SHe is probably missing her sibling. A radio on low in the room, takes the quietness away. A ticking clock in her bed, will sound like a mammys heartbeat.Toys like the tracks that have a ball within it so she has to chase it. Catnip toys that keep her occupied.

She will settle into a routine, it can jsut take some time with a move.

Narsil

Would you get another kitten of similar age to help her feel less lonely?

muireann50

I am only fostering her and because she has earmites I can't foster another kitten. She seems better today though, I gave her a hot water bottle and put a watch in a blanket for her lastnight.

I think she has been moved a lot the last few days which probably had her freaked out a bit. She was with another fosterer, then back to the shelter for a few days when her sister got sick, then to my house, so theres been a lot going on.

She seems to be fussy with her food though. I'm giving her the same food as she had in the shelter but she only eats a little at a time and she seems to be interested in the jelly more than anything. I'm just cooking some chicken for her now so she can have a proper dinner :rolleyes:

Narsil

Aah, right!

One of my cats faced a similar problem when her sister got killed on the road.She was wandering around for days and I really think it changed her personality a bit as she became very cantankerous(one would almost say prim and proper!) afterwards and remained that way until she died at the grand age of 14!

muireann50

Hi all,
I need some more help with my little kitten. She seems to have no interest in eating. I took her to the vet yesterday and they couldnt find anything wrong with her but she can only last so long the way she is. As it stands she hasnt eaten since last night, unless she ate some dry food during the night.

She won't eat the wet food she came with, I tried a few other brands and the same thing. She ate some tuna yesterday morning but has no interest now. I boiled chicken last night and she seemed to enjoy it, but won't eat any more of it. Tried sardines today, she will only lick but not eat. No interest in treats. I've tried heating all of the above so it smells better, no joy. She is acting fine, she's bright and not lethargic at all. I thought she was just a fussy eater but this is ridiculous. Any advice on the most tempting food that a kitten couldnt resist?

Thanks for any help

Zapperzy

muireann50 wrote: »

Hi all,
I need some more help with my little kitten. She seems to have no interest in eating. I took her to the vet yesterday and they couldnt find anything wrong with her but she can only last so long the way she is. As it stands she hasnt eaten since last night, unless she ate some dry food during the night.

She won't eat the wet food she came with, I tried a few other brands and the same thing. She ate some tuna yesterday morning but has no interest now. I boiled chicken last night and she seemed to enjoy it, but won't eat any more of it. Tried sardines today, she will only lick but not eat. No interest in treats. I've tried heating all of the above so it smells better, no joy. She is acting fine, she's bright and not lethargic at all. I thought she was just a fussy eater but this is ridiculous. Any advice on the most tempting food that a kitten couldnt resist?

Thanks for any help

Is she still drinking? Dehydration is a major risk with such small kittens, if you pinch up the skin on the back of her neck it should spring back into place immediately, if it stays in place or takes too long to get back into place then a vet trip is urgent as a dehydrated kitten will go downhill quickly.

Have you tried mashing the wet food up with hot water? I have a cat that will eat wet food no other way (and must be mashed with a fork and not a spoon, there is obviously a difference :rolleyes:). I find whiskas is like kitty crack, must be something in it that makes cats go wild for it, not the highest quality food but if it gets her to eat then go for it.

Themadhouse

Have you got kitten milk, whiskas cat milk, even goats milk? If you do I would see if she would suckle form a bottle or even syringe feed her.
Soak the dry food in water or kitten milk. Dip her paw in it to encourage her to lick it.
Nutridrops?
Maybe try the sradines again but rub some on her paws to force her to clean it off, she might decide to eat some after getting a taste. Sardines in sunflower oil or brine tho, not tomato sauce.


I would certainly keep a very close eye on her, make sure she is drinking, that she is not lethargic. If she hasnt eaten by morning I would get her seen again by a vet asap. I wouldnt let a cat go more than 24 hrs with no food. With a kitten i would be concerned earlier than that.
what are her eyes like? Clear, bright, discharge free? Has she been sneezing at all, even randomly? What advice did the vet give about her not eating?

muireann50

Hi,

Sorry for the late reply, I couldn't log on for some reason. Long story short, the kitten is fine again. On Saturday night, she started crying a lot and then went into the litter tray and did a huge, very runny poo. About 5 minutes later she wandered over, had some food and a big drink of water! Since then, she's been eating and drinking fine, although she's still fussy about what flavours she will eat. Zapperzy, you were right about the whiskas, she devoured it! So she must have had a sore belly all day and just didn't feel like eating. It probably didn't help that I fed her so many different bits and pieces in an effort to get her to eat anything! Thanks for the help and advice, I was quite scared by Saturday night. I'll still keep an eye on her but she is full of beans and climbing all my curtains so I think she's 100% again.

Cheers

P.s. Only found out Saturday that lillies are really toxic to cats, and I had a huge bunch of them in the sitting room, thought she had licked some pollen off the floor and that I had poisoned her:( Needless to say there won't be any lillies in the house anymore!