Young kitten losing weight, why?

Question

I adopted two 6 week old kittens from the shelter 2 weeks ago. The boy started off at 1.8 pounds and is now up to 2.2 pounds. The girl started off at 1.4 pounds and when weighed today she was 1.2 pounds! My husband noticed the boy growling at the girl when there was little food left in their bowls, their bowls are split up and they are both fed twice a day. They were dewormed in the week before they were adopted and are due to go back to the vet next week. She is so small and the kittens play pretty well together but now that the boy has so much weight on him I am concerned about him hurting her. They are eating wet kitten food a can in the morning and at night I give them half a wet can a piece and some dry food mixed. He pigs out and she nibbles. I take him away from her bowl if I see him going to it. What other strategies should I use? Or might it be a worm? What are the signs and symptoms of worms? Sorry so winded...

I got them to the vet today, I want to thank almost everyone for the good advice. For the girl who said to put her in a sock I hope that someone has already put you out of your misery and put you in a sock and drown YOU!
OK-The vet was slightly concerned, but not enough to completely freak. She said the meals I was providing was good and the fact that they had seperate bowls, so now I am going to feed her away from Vegas. We are also going to try a vitamin supplement. She said she wasn't a sickly looking cat. But in 3 weeks she had only gained 0.1 pounds and the boy has gained in 2.5 weeks 1.1 pounds. She said he is growing normally and we will check her in 3 weeks and if she keeps on gaining this little we will put her on a special high calorie diet or something. As for Vegas, she said he is urinating everywhere probably because of the litter box so now I am getting a new box especially for him and I am going to try ANOTHER litter.Anyways, thanks for the great advice.

Answer 1

Sweetie, you're talking about .2 pounds.

She would lose that taking a poop. She was probably extra rambunctious that day.

RELAX!!!

Answer 2

OK, before you start worrying too much, as long as kitty seems fine in every other way i wouldn't worry about the vet until your check up.
you are talking about a minuscule weight loss.

As for the feeding i'd give what your giving BUT up the amount left down when your out and if you have a room where you can out your little kitty when you feed them, then just shut her in there for 15 minutes or until all the food she can eat is gone.
Remember cats eat little and often (more so when growing) so a available food source should be provided all day (small dish of mix) as well as fresh water at all times .
Don't worry about them hurting each other, they'll be fine.

The growling is him being "the man" she as the weaker will be allowed her turn when he's had enough.

As a point i have 4 cats, they all have exactly the same amount of food but Lola (lazy) is the heaviest , followed by Mavis (again lazy) Kit cat however is lithe and muscular (neutered male who is into climbing walls and getting stuck on roof tops) and Lucy looks like she never has never had a decent meal inside her (yet shes the one who catches the mice, birds etc), been to the vet and got special food, had xrays, tooth removed and all teeth cleaned, nothing made a difference.
Cats are all different , much like people, we all come in different shapes and sizes

Answer 3

I think they were a little too young to be separated from their mother, and am quite surprised that a shelter would let them be adopted so soon. With kittens, feeding them little but often is generally the best thing to do. Try feeding them 4-5 smaller meals a day. Female cats are generally smaller than males. As they have been wormed recently, I don't think you've got anything to worry about on that front, but signs for worms are diarrhoea, sickness, pot-bellied appearance, weight loss and loss of condition. As you are seeing your vet next week, ask him about this to put your mind to rest.

Your tom cat has probably put on more weight because he's stealing her food! My 3 boy cats all pig out, but my female is a nibbler and her food bowl is considered fair game when the boys are finished! She's a lot smaller than them but certainly puts them in their places - they all have war-wounds from her! Try feeding them in separate rooms so she can eat at her leisure. x

Answer 4

Isn't it useful when people suggest you kill your kitten? So helpful ! She may be more of a grazer than a 2 meal a day girl....leave dry food down for her to nibble when she wants too and wet food twice a day asy ou are doing. Every cat is different and she may just have a smaller appetite. I have a brother and sister and he is a PIG whereas she will eat little and often. They will growl at each other it's normal, just lke they wil play, clean each other and fight too....Don't worry about him hurting her either, she will son tell him off when she's had enough. See the vet next week and get advice and reassurance, I'm sure you are caring for them really well. I miss my kittens...they're 2 now so i'm jealous!!

Answer 5

You are right to be concerned. Your kittens were very young to be separated from their mother. Kittens should gain weight fairly steadily until they are 6-8 months old. I would get her to the vet sooner rather than later. It may be something as simple as a tooth coming in or she may need to be de-wormed again, but it is better to know. The fact that he is gaining on the same feeding schedule while she is losing is very worrisome. Good luck.

Answer 6

Hi hun,

Don't feel like you are overreacting - it's great to see someone so concerned about their kittens. You obviously love them very much.

One thing to bear in mind is that females often tend to be a litter smaller and lighter than males. As for her losing .2 lbs, it could be something as simple as her being full of food the first time you weighed her, and the second time her tummy could have been empty :-)

Just as a suggestion, I would feed them more than 2 times a day. Kittens usually need 4-5 small meals per day until they are about 3 months old. Even if you work full time, this can still be achieved. You can feed them when you get up, then leave dry food out for them whilst you are at work, then again when you get home, again in the evening and again before bed :-) Leave dry food out all day for them to nibble on, and if you see an empty bowl, fill it up! Bear in mind that wet food should be thrown away if not eaten within half an hour, or your kittens could get poorly tummies from the food going off. Therefore, if you do work, leave only dry food out for them and only feed wet food when you are at home.

Until a kitten is 12 weeks old, their tummies are about the size of your thumbnail! They also burn much more energy than an adult cat, which is why feeding 4-5 times a day is best. You should also let them eat as much as they want until they are about 8 months old - a kitten is very unlikely to become overweight.

Some cats are greedy, some cats have table manners ;-) My 1 year old male scoffs his food down, then heads for my kitten's food. He is also a bit of a bully in the same way your male kitten is! This is generally a male thing - your kitten is asserting his authority over your female kitten. It's normal and nothing to worry about. She will learn to defend herself, but you are right to move him away from her bowl. If it comes to it, feed them in separate rooms to make sure she gets her fill.

When your kittens' food bowls are almost empty and your male growls at your female, it is because he is still a little hungry and he's saying "don't even think about stealing my food - I haven't finished!" It's more of a warning than a threat. Cats generally avoid fighting at all costs - their bark is usually worse than their bite, so to speak! As well as feeding them more times a day, I'd try feeding them more in terms of the amount you give them. Feed them as much as they will eat.

One technique that I have found useful to stop my greedy boy cat being a bully about food is to put his food down first, then half a minute later, put my female kitten's food down. I give my adult male a whole pouch and my kitten half a pouch. By the time he's finished his whole pouch, she's finished half. So I would suggest giving your male kitten a whole can to himself, and give your female kitten half. He will be occupied with his own food and if he doesn't finish it, it shows that he's full. If he's full, he's less likely to bother your female kitten - and she can eat in peace! If she finishes her half a can, she can either finish his food if he's left it, or you can give her more.

Other than what I've said above, keep weighing them both every day and if her weight goes down another .2, then mention it to the vet. As you are seeing the vet next week anyway, you may want to mention it whilst you're there just to put your mind at rest.

If your female kitten has a tooth infection, she won't be eating much food at all. If she is pretty much finishing her food, it's unlikely that she is in pain.

Also, usually if one kitten has worms the other will too - and as they have recently been wormed, I do not think this is a problem.

Finally, if you get concerned about him picking on her or being too big for her, keep them apart when you are out of the house. My kitten is tiny and my male cat is a big muscular boy, so we still keep them separate when we are not around, two month's after adopting her! If they are littermates though, they are unlikely to hurt each other.

I hope this helps!

xx Emmie

Answer 7

feed the female somewhere completely away from the male. i leave food down 24/7 even for my kittens. i doubt its a worm, the boy is just being a pig and eating all the food for himself!! good luck

Answer 8

Kittens need LOTS of food

basically you should feed them soft food and whenever you notice they want any

Minimum 4-5 times a day

Your girl kitten is malnourished, she is being starved, and the boy too, kittens won't growl at each other about food unless they have a lack of it and are too hungry

Don't feed them hard food it's tough on them

Good luck

Answer 9

Ask for your entrée being served on a bed of greens rather than a bed of pasta or mashed potatoes.

Answer 10

Walk to a co-worker's desk to chat rather than instant messaging.

Answer 11

shouldnt need worming again yet, just try to make sure shes getting her share of food, and take them back to the vet today if your worried, it wont matter that your a week early
good luck