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3wk old kitten not eating
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28-08-2011 10:18pm#1
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shamrock55 wrote: »yea ive been to one already and plan to take a kitten during the week its the first time we have ever had a kitten and god love them they are so sweet and fragile its heartbreaking to see them so young and without their mother anyway onwards and upwards!!
Hey shamrock55
Sorry to hear the kitten passed. It happens a lot when they're that young - even if you were doing everything absolutely right under supervised veterinary care from the moment she landed in your lap, they can still go downhill suddenly and die.
If you're getting a kitten from a rescue, since you're a first-timer, some of this information might be useful to you.
Kittens are ready to leave mum from about 8 weeks of age. Sometimes if she's a feral mum she'll kick them away earlier, like 6 weeks, but they'll stay with her up to 8-10 weeks if they can, and they'll hang around with their siblings for months after that.
At about 8 weeks of age, your kitten will weigh around 800g (could be 650g if she's a small female, could be 1kg if it's a big boofhead male). They'll need solid food and water. You should feed them a few times a day - when they're that small, you can put food out up to five times a day and they'll tuck in happily. They don't need milk - even whiskas kitten milk is a treat, not a vital item.
In terms of what they'll eat, cats seem to do really well if there's some raw meat in their diet. When they're small kittens that's the best time to introduce them to the concept - I've put down a dish of kibble, a dish of fishy catfood and a dish of raw beef in front of kittens before and they make a beeline for the raw beef, then the catfood and they ignore the kibble. I reckon they're trying to tell me something.
Your new kitten will need something to scratch, so get them a scratching post or a cat tree. You can try buying them a bed, but they'll use everything except their bed so it can be a waste of money. The cat tree or scratching post, however - if you don't get them something to scratch, they'll rag your couch. It's natural cat behaviour and you can't stop it, so better to redirect the scratching to something designed to take it.
Your kitten will need three rounds of vaccinations - usually delivered at 8 weeks, 12 weeks and 16 weeks. They are not fully vaccinated until after the last round of jabs, so please don't allow them outside until a week after the last round.
When you get your kitten, check whether it's been wormed and flea-treated. Even kittens that don't have fleas will usually have worms. You should get a worming treatment suitable from kittens and treat your kitten once a month up to six months of age (this is to kill the parasites at every life stage and ensure your kitten is clear). After six months they can be wormed every three months or less.
Your kitten should be bouncy, playful and interested. They should never be huddled up like they're freezing when it's warm (this is a sign they're running a temperature), they shouldn't squeak or growl when lifted up (also a sign of a temperature), they shouldn't be trembling or holding their third eyelid closed (cats have their top and bottom eyelids and a nictating membrane that comes from the inner lower edge of the eye, which you'll see often when they yawn or when they're tired, and often it'll start to cover the eye if they're ill or have an infection in the eye). Their eyes should be clear and bright with no gunk or discharge. They shouldn't cough or sneeze and they shouldn't appear to have a dose of the snots. If you see any of these symptoms, you need to take your kitten to the vet.
So that's food and water, scratching posts, three rounds of vaccinations and worm and flea treatments.
Your kitten will also need to be neutered. Six months is the guide in Ireland, but if you can find a vet that does it earlier, do it earlier. Female kittens can get pregnant as young as 16 weeks old. They do not need to have one litter before they're spayed - that's an old wives tale. If your kitten is a female, you need to keep her indoors until she's been neutered, or you will literally have four more kittens two months later.
The last thing is a litter tray. You need to keep your kitten inside at least until it's fully vaccinated, so you're going to need to use a litter tray. If you allow your kitten to roam freely there's a very high chance it will be hurt, especially as a young kitten. Cats don't need to be trained to use a litter tray, it's a highly instinctual process for them. You should clean out your litter tray regularly - I find scooping twice a day, morning and evening as you're feeding the kitten is the best way to keep the tray clean. Cats don't like a dirty tray and if the tray isn't clean they can start using other things in the house, like duvet covers, beanbags, piles of clean laundry, baskets and boxes and so on.
There is a lot of information already on these forums - what to feed your kitten, which is the best litter, and where can you buy good quality food cheaply.
Please ask as many questions as you have, and enjoy your new kitten when they arrive - and it's compulsory to post pictures...
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The Sweeper wrote: »Hey shamrock55
Sorry to hear the kitten passed. It happens a lot when they're that young - even if you were doing everything absolutely right under supervised veterinary care from the moment she landed in your lap, they can still go downhill suddenly and die.
If you're getting a kitten from a rescue, since you're a first-timer, some of this information might be useful to you.
Kittens are ready to leave mum from about 8 weeks of age. Sometimes if she's a feral mum she'll kick them away earlier, like 6 weeks, but they'll stay with her up to 8-10 weeks if they can, and they'll hang around with their siblings for months after that.
At about 8 weeks of age, your kitten will weigh around 800g (could be 650g if she's a small female, could be 1kg if it's a big boofhead male). They'll need solid food and water. You should feed them a few times a day - when they're that small, you can put food out up to five times a day and they'll tuck in happily. They don't need milk - even whiskas kitten milk is a treat, not a vital item.
In terms of what they'll eat, cats seem to do really well if there's some raw meat in their diet. When they're small kittens that's the best time to introduce them to the concept - I've put down a dish of kibble, a dish of fishy catfood and a dish of raw beef in front of kittens before and they make a beeline for the raw beef, then the catfood and they ignore the kibble. I reckon they're trying to tell me something.
Your new kitten will need something to scratch, so get them a scratching post or a cat tree. You can try buying them a bed, but they'll use everything except their bed so it can be a waste of money. The cat tree or scratching post, however - if you don't get them something to scratch, they'll rag your couch. It's natural cat behaviour and you can't stop it, so better to redirect the scratching to something designed to take it.
Your kitten will need three rounds of vaccinations - usually delivered at 8 weeks, 12 weeks and 16 weeks. They are not fully vaccinated until after the last round of jabs, so please don't allow them outside until a week after the last round.
When you get your kitten, check whether it's been wormed and flea-treated. Even kittens that don't have fleas will usually have worms. You should get a worming treatment suitable from kittens and treat your kitten once a month up to six months of age (this is to kill the parasites at every life stage and ensure your kitten is clear). After six months they can be wormed every three months or less.
Your kitten should be bouncy, playful and interested. They should never be huddled up like they're freezing when it's warm (this is a sign they're running a temperature), they shouldn't squeak or growl when lifted up (also a sign of a temperature), they shouldn't be trembling or holding their third eyelid closed (cats have their top and bottom eyelids and a nictating membrane that comes from the inner lower edge of the eye, which you'll see often when they yawn or when they're tired, and often it'll start to cover the eye if they're ill or have an infection in the eye). Their eyes should be clear and bright with no gunk or discharge. They shouldn't cough or sneeze and they shouldn't appear to have a dose of the snots. If you see any of these symptoms, you need to take your kitten to the vet.
So that's food and water, scratching posts, three rounds of vaccinations and worm and flea treatments.
Your kitten will also need to be neutered. Six months is the guide in Ireland, but if you can find a vet that does it earlier, do it earlier. Female kittens can get pregnant as young as 16 weeks old. They do not need to have one litter before they're spayed - that's an old wives tale. If your kitten is a female, you need to keep her indoors until she's been neutered, or you will literally have four more kittens two months later.
The last thing is a litter tray. You need to keep your kitten inside at least until it's fully vaccinated, so you're going to need to use a litter tray. If you allow your kitten to roam freely there's a very high chance it will be hurt, especially as a young kitten. Cats don't need to be trained to use a litter tray, it's a highly instinctual process for them. You should clean out your litter tray regularly - I find scooping twice a day, morning and evening as you're feeding the kitten is the best way to keep the tray clean. Cats don't like a dirty tray and if the tray isn't clean they can start using other things in the house, like duvet covers, beanbags, piles of clean laundry, baskets and boxes and so on.
There is a lot of information already on these forums - what to feed your kitten, which is the best litter, and where can you buy good quality food cheaply.
Please ask as many questions as you have, and enjoy your new kitten when they arrive - and it's compulsory to post pictures...
thanks so much for all that info i am collecting a kitten from a rescue centre tomorrow and want to be ready i didnt know they didnt need milk so much:eek: when i think of cat i think milk:D what about water??
another thing will i feed her some wet food (ie)whiskas aswell as dry food or is it one or the other and what quantity
thanks again ill try and get a pic up when i get him;)
oh yea and regards to raw meat could i just get some diced beef and cut into small pieces would that be ok and how often would you give them raw meat?
thanks again!!0 -
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