3wk old kitten not eating

The Sweeper

shamrock55 wrote: »

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!!

First, give the shelter a call and ask them what they've been feeding the kitten and what brand of litter they've been using. Buy the same. You can introduce a change gradually.

Your kitten should have constant access to a clean supply of fresh water. Change the bowl daily, and use a ceramic or steel bowl, not plastic. (Plastic holds smells that can be offputting). If you buy a steel bowl with a rubber rim around it, take the rim off - they stink to high heaven and can put your pet off eating or drinking from the bowl.

Also, check if they're going to give you a cardboard carry box to take the kitten home, or if they expect you to bring a crate. You shouldn't bring the kitten home loose on your lap in the car. Given you'll have to travel to the vet a bit in the first year for vaccinations and neutering, it's good to have a crate to carry the cat so you might as well buy one before you go to collect the kitten.

Even if the shelter was only feeding kibble, I recommend you add some wet food to the mix as well. If Whiskas kitten is all you can access or afford, so be it, but there are other brands out there that are better. There is a LOT of information about catfood out there it's complicated. Whiskas contains colourings that are added to make the owner feel better, not the cat.

With the raw meat, trim a piece off whatever meat you're cooking yourself - be it beef, lamb or chicken. The meat needs to be fresh, raw, from a reliable source of human food, and have no odour or discolouration. With an 8 week kitten, start with a thin slice about the length of your thumb. You may find the kitten begins to 'attack' it, throwing it all over the place madly before settling in to eat it. (Dinner and a floor show!)

angelfire9

The Sweeper wrote: »

Your kitten should have constant access to a clean supply of fresh water. Change the bowl daily, and use a ceramic or steel bowl, not plastic. (Plastic holds smells that can be offputting). If you buy a steel bowl with a rubber rim around it, take the rim off - they stink to high heaven and can put your pet off eating or drinking from the bowl.

Our cat (who is now 3.5yrs will NOT drink water from a bowl or plate
Cat milk yes, water no way!
He will drink rainwater outside though
He's a weird cat!! :rolleyes:

The Sweeper wrote: »

With the raw meat, trim a piece off whatever meat you're cooking yourself - be it beef, lamb or chicken. The meat needs to be fresh, raw, from a reliable source of human food, and have no odour or discolouration. With an 8 week kitten, start with a thin slice about the length of your thumb. You may find the kitten begins to 'attack' it, throwing it all over the place madly before settling in to eat it. (Dinner and a floor show!)

I do this all the time for our ball of fur and he'll chase it around the kitchen for a good 10 minutes before settling down to eat
It is quite cute to watch

Solair

Some cats and people find chlorinated water smells gross and won't drink it.

Try giving the cat Brita filtered water or cheap, still, mineral water.

Our vet has a weird tendency to try and push dry food at me. We feed our cat some of whatever meat we are having ourselves and some good quality, wet, cat food. He is a healthy, fit, happy 7 year old cat at this stage.

I've found the vet quite obnoxious though. He runs a cattery and despite my request and supplying food, they fed our cat dry food when we left him in once when we were on holiday.

The cat was in bad shape when we came home. He was vomiting, had a raw rear end from passing dry food and looked like he was underweight and had a cat bite on his backside too!

Took him a few weeks to get back to normal at home. I was absolutely furious with the vet!

Also, the same vet ran expensive, unnecessary tests because he heard a heart murmor. Turned out the cat was just so freaked out by the vet he was having palpitations!
Echo cardiogram etc.. Cost insurance co about 700 euro!

He also was checking the cat over because he was vomiting and carried out exploratory surgery, quite invasive stuff, to rule out cancer without discussing it with me!

I was convinced it was a food allergy and, it was!

Utterly bizarre vet!

lubie76

Solair wrote: »

I've found the vet quite obnoxious though. He runs a cattery and despite my request and supplying food, they fed our cat dry food when we left him in once when we were on holiday.

The cat was in bad shape when we came home. He was vomiting, had a raw rear end from passing dry food and looked like he was underweight and had a cat bite on his backside too!

Took him a few weeks to get back to normal at home. I was absolutely furious with the vet!

Also, the same vet ran expensive, unnecessary tests because he heard a heart murmor. Turned out the cat was just so freaked out by the vet he was having palpitations!
Echo cardiogram etc.. Cost insurance co about 700 euro!

He also was checking the cat over because he was vomiting and carried out exploratory surgery, quite invasive stuff, to rule out cancer without discussing it with me!

I was convinced it was a food allergy and, it was!

Utterly bizarre vet!

Sounds like your vet was taking advantage of the fact that you had pet insurance.

I changed mine cause I was getting charged twice as much for my cats routine procedures as another (less fancy) vet a few miles away.

EmZZZ

shamrock55 wrote: »

thanks for replys guys i will take her to the vet reason we got her so young was because person just wanted rid of them it was either this or the river id say she has been to the toilet the missus wiped her bum and that she is here beside me on the couch now in a blanket and she is just sleeping away and is purring which i imagine is a good sign thanks again;)

I've just started reading this thread and see you received helpful answers. This makes me so angry :mad: This kind of blackmail is just what rescue people hear on a daily basis. Fair dues to you for taking her in!
As mentioned above, cats are lactose intolerant. It gives them diarrhea and dehydrates them. You can imagine the effect it can have on a tiny kitten. Any good vet practice and some pet shop will sell powder milk for kittens and kitten bottles. Sometimes you need to use a syringe. Feeding should be in small quantity and every two hours at first.

now, I'm off to read the rest of the thread or bits of it.

PS: purring is a way of communication but does not necessarily means that a cat is happy...

EmZZZ

Deleted User wrote: »

Whiska's Kitten Milk is available in the supermarket. It's not perfect but it's probably the best you can get off the shelf in an emergency.

Edited to add: Despite what my dad swears, they don't milk cats to make it!!

There are also many concoctions that you can find online and that work in case of emergency. Goat's milk is also an acceptable alternative.

EmZZZ

shamrock55 wrote: »

just got a phone call from the vet to say she passed away:( thanks again for all your help anyway i am going to have to try and replace her now with an older kitten cos my little girl will be heartbrocken

Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear that...
I was really hoping. I will now follow this forum, although I can see there are some very clued people on here. Thankfully!
You shouldn't have a problem finding the kitten(s) of your dream. There are so many looking for a home...

EmZZZ

Solair wrote: »

Some cats and people find chlorinated water smells gross and won't drink it.

Try giving the cat Brita filtered water or cheap, still, mineral water.

Our vet has a weird tendency to try and push dry food at me. We feed our cat some of whatever meat we are having ourselves and some good quality, wet, cat food. He is a healthy, fit, happy 7 year old cat at this stage.

I've found the vet quite obnoxious though. He runs a cattery and despite my request and supplying food, they fed our cat dry food when we left him in once when we were on holiday.

The cat was in bad shape when we came home. He was vomiting, had a raw rear end from passing dry food and looked like he was underweight and had a cat bite on his backside too!

Took him a few weeks to get back to normal at home. I was absolutely furious with the vet!

Also, the same vet ran expensive, unnecessary tests because he heard a heart murmor. Turned out the cat was just so freaked out by the vet he was having palpitations!
Echo cardiogram etc.. Cost insurance co about 700 euro!

He also was checking the cat over because he was vomiting and carried out exploratory surgery, quite invasive stuff, to rule out cancer without discussing it with me!

I was convinced it was a food allergy and, it was!

Utterly bizarre vet!

What I do about water is to fill a few bottles and let them settle for a day. It's supposed to be a lot better and to help against cristals as well.

Your vet's attitude is shocking!