New kitten help please - updated apres vet

[Crusty McPottydoodle]

So last night we got a new kitten (there is thread on him in the family section) and he seems mostly happy enough as long has he is cuddled up sleeping on my shoulder snuggled into my neck. The problem is he hasn't eaten, drunk, or voided since we brought him home last night.

He is only 6-7 weeks old. The people we got him from gave us some of the food he's been on to help with the food transition, but he only seems to want to sleep.

I did try to force feed him a tiny bit of wet food to show him what it was and he promptly threw it back up a short time later. He also won't have any kitten formula (I got the KMR for 4-8 week old kittens).

Is it possible he is just stressed and needs to decompress and he will do this on his own time, or should I take him to the vet. He will be going to the vet at some point soon for a check up anyway, but I would rather wait and let him settle in before adding anymore stress if I can.

He doesn't have much meat on his bones to risk missing too many meals. -

 

[Elite Silkies]

Sometimes if they are real wormy they can throw up. I would take him to the vet. They can dehydrate pretty fast.

 

[michelle1017]

Quote:
I agree. Good Luck with the little fuzzy!

 

[insiderart]

I agree. Too young to go without eating or drinking. A kitten this age should be very busy, and very hungry. I would get an immediate appt for the vet.

 

[KDbeads]

I've been rescuing cats for at least 10 years so for what it's worth:

The bottle babies I took in almost 2 weeks ago at 3 weeks old spent 2 days off formula, they finally decided to start eating.
I also took in a kitten about 5 weeks old that was washed in by a storm and she literally ate on 1/4 cup of food in a week and she slept way too much for her age. We tried a little live cultured yogurt, after trying everything else, and that perked her way up and got everything moving again. She still begs for it at 4 months old now.

At this age they usually only hit the box once or twice a day but be certain that he's just not avoiding the box! The little monster above went everywhere but the box for a flaming month!

Worm him ASAP, I prefer strongid for this young of an age, which is available through the vet's office but most OTC wormers will do fine, liquid is easier than anything else. Also give him a bath in flea shampoo regardless of whether you see fleas or not, lather him up really good and let it sit for a few minutes before rinsing.

Some kittens react to major changes by withdrawing but if he hasn't perked up in 2 days see the vet.

 

[mom'sfolly]

If you think he is getting dehydrated, you can pinch back the skin to see, and check around the eyes. If the skin doesn't spring right back, he might be dehydrated. Cats can be given fluids subcutaneously if needed, at home if you can't get to a vet right away. It could just be moving stress, or they could have given you the wrong age for your new kitty.

Good Luck, he's sounds mighty cute.

 

[redhen]

Aww! is his belly all fat a bloated looking. Thats a big sign of worms. Will he eat a little scrambled egg..or tuna fish..or tuna juice ON his food? Poor baby, i hope he eats soon!

 

[Crusty McPottydoodle]

We gave him some yoghurt in a syringe and he has had almost 5 ml. He really liked it. He has just had some playtime with the dog and now he has crashed on Feller's lap.

I will hold off on panicking for a bit longer.

He has beautiful dark blue eyes. Anybody know if there is any chance they will stay that way?

 

[patandchickens]

Best to take him to the vet as soon as possible, like ideally NOW if the vet is still open. (If you are positive about his age and can get him to lick some liquids off your finger, and he is playing alertly a lot of the time, it could maybe wait til first thing tomorrow if absolutely necessary - but if he is kind of quiet and sleepy a lot of the time, and/or you cannot get any liquid into him, you may need to take him to the emergency clinic tonight [yes, I know what that costs] or you may not HAVE a kitten tomorrow, sad to say)

They can go downhill REALLY REALLY fast at that age - and it is not at all uncommon for "6-7 wk old" kittens to actually be younger, which gives them even less resilience. And there is just not much kitten THERE -- by the time you can detect dehydration you are already in serious trouble.

Hoping you can get him seen and hydrated VERY SOON, preferably tonite, good luck to you both,

(e.t.a. - ha, we were posting at the same time

If he is reasonably playful and will take not just a little yogurt but a reasonable quantity of liquid, maybe you can wait til tomorrow morning ok, but please do take him in then. FWIW, all kittens start with beautiful blue eyes but hardly any of them keep 'em, alas

)

Pat

 

[Crusty McPottydoodle]

He is pretty perky and at this point no sign of dehydration. He is grooming himself really well, he played some more, and he has had more yoghurt. He is far more relaxed than he was even a couple of hours ago.

I did make him an appointment to see the vet on Thursday morning. I could have got him in tomorrow afternoon, but it would be a locum; however, if there is any sign that he needs to be seen right away, then he will be.

We have 2 vets - one works Monday - Wednesday and the other works Thursday - Saturday. I actually prefer the vet that works the last half of the week as she seems to be able to draw blood more easily than the other vet - which is normally why we end up there as my 16 y/o cat is on thyroid meds and needs her blood levels tested at least twice a year.