Kitten not eatting?

Question

my kitten is sick and she went to the vet yesterday, she hadnt eatten at all since sunday morning but ive been having to force feed her a calorie gel for nutrition along with her medicine, how long should i was before forcing her to eat tuna or baby food??

i mean monday morning, not sunday

shes not throwing up, shes peeing which means shes getting some fluids, the vet said she has URI and she'll be fine, but im just trying figure out when to worry

she was born in 5/2006, i just brought her home on sunday...she was fine then, playing and full of energy...but i did notice she was sneezing and having a hard time meowing, and by late monday morning she was congested and just lazy

Answer 1

Uh-oh. If your cat is also throwing up, you can kiss it goodbye. It's a case of jaundice, a disease normally fatal for animals.

Answer 2

Don't give her tuna. Her young stomach may not be able to digest it well, especially since she is sick. I don't know how long you should wait though. Did the vet give you any instructions? If she is not eating for another 2 days you should call the vet again. Has she ever eaten kitten food before or was she just recently weaned from her mother's milk? If she has not yet eaten real food then you should get "kitten milk" from the pet store. Otherwise buy dry Kitten food (It has to be Kitten formula so they get all their calories & vitamins), wet it with warm water so it gets a little soggy & then try to give it to her. It's so sweet of you to be her nurse. I hope she gets better soon!!

Answer 3

I agree with honeychild. You've already taken her to the vet so the vet is familiar with what is wrong. Vet offices are usually great with answering follow up questions.

You might want to let your kitten decide. Put out some dry kitten food but keep feeding her the gel from the vet. At some point she's going to try eating on her own - she'll know when she's ready.

Answer 4

Keep giving the gel the vet suggested or prescribed.

Try some baby food. Get the jarred meat. It must have NO onion so be sure to read the label. Chicken would be most palatable and easiest on the stomach.

Tuna is very addictive for cats and I would not start her on this. Eating tuna can cause serious vitamin deficiencies in cats.

Feed her from your finger.

Answer 5

PLEASE call your vet and ask him, does the kitten have any meat on her poor little bones? Force feeding is not something you should ever have to do and it can cause damage to the kitten. Animals tend to know when they should not eat and maybe forcing is the wrong thing. Most caring Vets will at least give you guidance to the extend of yes force feed, no dont, and if she does not eat on her own by such and such day bring her back.

If she is drinking and not eating and not skin and bones you have time to let her work it out of her system, just keep lots of water on hand. Like people cats need alot of water when they are sick. If they dont want to eat unless she looks likes skin and bones I would not force feed her. I would probably have called the vet by now as well

Be careful. Kittens are fragile

Answer 6

It depends on what your vet says, and how old the kitten is. You should call your vet. Just make sure the kitten gets plenty of water. Try a getting a can of kitten supplement (kitty milk). Also I found that feeding small animals with an eye dropper is easier. Keep us posted on your progress

Answer 7

how old is the kitten first?
you do NOT want to give your kitty milk! if you try milk it should be a kitten formula (mothers milk replacement at a pet store or walmart). cow's milk can make cat's sick. their stomachs can't handle the enzymes that are in cow's milk. you should ask your vet about the length of time you should be doing the protien gel stuff before you try to give it anything. and it shouldn't be tuna either....don't get your cat hooked on people food...give it a canned cat food...mine like friskies canned...in any flavor it's for adults and kittens, or use iams kitten formula canned food.

Answer 8

Milk is NOT good for cats, they should never have dairy!! That just gives them digestive problems, and it sounds like your kitten is already having trouble. How old is it? Old enough to be away from mom? Maybe some mother's milk subsititute would be easy on the tummy - you can get it through the vet or at a pet store

Answer 9

When kitties are sick and can't smell their food, they often will not eat. I raise foster kittens and I have to sometimes put a plug of wet food on their tongue to get them to start eating. Most the time they start to eat on their own once I put the small amount of food on their tongue. I would probably buy wet food instead of tuna and if you use baby food use something with meat. I take a syringe, cut off the end, and put a small amount of food in it. I open their mouth with my finger, put the syringe in their mouth, and shove the food it. Kittens can become severely dehydrated and must eat and drink to stay alive. I would start this now. It is good you are giving her calorie gel, but she probably needs more.

Answer 10

You could try using an eye dropper to ensure she is getting enough fluids as that is the main thing - enough fluids. Kittens usually respond quickly to the medications that the vet gives them. If she isn't better by tomorrow, I would call the vet again and tell them she isn't eating, cats will eat on their own when they are feeling better. Wishing you well.

Answer 11

My kitten had an URI this past spring too. She didn't want to eat either (they don't feel good - sort of like us when we have a bad cold or the flu). After taking her medicine two days she was eating everything in sight. Just give her time. Good Luck!