Hyper overeating kitten

annieobrien8

Hi all,

I picked up a kitten on the road last Thursday. She was wet, dirty and hungry. She also had lice and and still has a cold and crusty eyes, but they're being dealt with.

Anyway, I'm probably just being a worrier but I've never seen a kitten like her. She eats more than both of my adult cats put together and only sleeps for about 12 hours a day! Anyone else find this strange?? Or has anyone ever had a cat/kitten that acted like that before? At a guess I'd say she's somewhere between 7 and 9 weeks old.


Thanks!


P.S. if anyone wants her let me know. I can't keep her because I already have two female adult cats who aren't exactly fond of her and worse still I live at the side of a road and have large dogs living at the back of my house!

The Sweeper

Has she been wormed? If her tummy is swollen or very rounded she could have worms. Otherwise, they do eat voraciously, play a lot, and are markedly different to adult cats, which can be a real shock to the system especially if you're used to adults. If she's in the care of a vet, ask them next time you visit.

Mink

My kitten is about the same age as yours and she is so hyper. When she starts playing/chasing, she just does not settle down. She's driving my older cat mad. At night time I have to give her to my husband in the sitting room to babysit because she just won't settle down in the bedroom & let me sleep. Definitely sleeps less than the adult cat. Don't know about the eating. I'm having a hard time because adult cat keeps eating the kitten food!

hunterwelly

I rescued a kitten last year that was pretty much the same. Might not have eaten for a couple of days. The little guy ate all around him and was full of energy.

I'd say don't worry about it.

Paul91

if you haven't already - worm her - then see how you get on

Good on yer for picking her up!

PinkTulips

+1 for worming
+1 for kittens generally being a bit mental

However oddly enough the cat i have that sounds the closest personality wise to your kitten happens to be the one i found at the side of the road

He's got bags of personality but is utterly mad and would eat your hand if given half a chance. He's only 8 months old and already bigger than my two full grown males... in width and length!

annieobrien8

Thanks everyone! I haven't wormed her yet, I don't think she has worms and also I think having her on antibiotics is probably hard enough on her system. Her eyes have nicely cleared up but she's still very blocked up and breathing pretty badly Rang the vet today and they figure I'm being too impatient with her breathing and that there's no need to take her in unless she's still bad after 5 days on her antibiotic.

On the food issue, I think she's such a glutton. If I give her pouches of food she'll eat til she's near exploding but if I give her dry food she eats very little. So now I don't know how much of each to give her!

Does your husband stay in the sitting room just to mind the kitten Mink?? I wonder why rescue kittens seem to be hungrier and more insane than ones that have always been cared for! Mittens (as she's currently called) was gnawing on the side of the laptop a while ago!

wantolose

she might need to be wormed, our adult cats sleep all day and only wake to eat and toilet themselves, kittens are just maaaaaaaaaad:D

Sigma Force

The majority of kittens and puppies have worms however if she was treated for the lice with the drops on the neck that might have helped with some of the worms. Parazole is a gentle wormer used on kittens she will have to be wormed as soon as she's strong enough because she could end up worm bound and become very sick from it.

Kittens are a bit nuts with food stepping in their bowls etc. just ensure she gets small meals and often as too many big meals will upset her tum

Mink

annieobrien8 wrote: »

Does your husband stay in the sitting room just to mind the kitten Mink?? I wonder why rescue kittens seem to be hungrier and more insane than ones that have always been cared for! Mittens (as she's currently called) was gnawing on the side of the laptop a while ago!

Yeah well he often goes to bed later than me & I get up earlier so he takes her off my hands. Or if he's not home yet, I just close them out of the bedroom. Even if I leave it 1/2hr & read a book, she's still diving around on the bed trying to catch all sorts of imaginary things, she just doesn't tire & settle.
When I'm up around dawn she's going mad & jumping all over my husband so I gently escort her out to the hall & entertain her while I'm getting ready for work. My older cat must be demented by her!
She's such a doll though, she'd get away with murder with us.

annieobrien8

She sounds like a little dote! I think most of us kitten slaves would let them away with murder too!

Wormed her today with a milbemax tablet for kittens. Tried her with Panacur but she wasn't having any food or milk with something good for her like that mixed through it!