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mrcrebs27
Aug 10, 2009, 07:12 PM
Wednesday night we got a 7 week old kitten. On Thursday when I came home from school she was running around and playing and eating like a normal kitten. Then on Friday and Saturday she hardly ate or drank anything. She slept all day and night not doing much of anything. Only got up to go to the bathroom or throw up. We tried to get her to eat but she just sits there and looks at it. We got soft food thinking maybe the food was to hard she pigged out on the new food but later threw it all up. After being very worried we took her to an emergency vet on Saturday night. They checked her out and said that there wasn't anything wrong but to feed her the food they gave us. After coming home form the vet she did eat the food they gave us but she hardly eats anything and still doesn't want to play. Just lays around. Just tonight we started to force feed her water because she hasn't hardly ate or drank anything today. We are very worried! If anyone can help us please tell us what we should do! As of right now every few hours we are making her drink water and some kitten tube stuff that has vitamins and electrolytes. Looking forward to some answers! Please help!

N0help4u
Aug 10, 2009, 07:19 PM
Is she real skinny losing weight?
Did the vet check her for fleas and worms or maybe ticks?

Wondergirl
Aug 10, 2009, 07:22 PM
She's pretty young and may not be used to food other than her mother's milk. Give her very small bits of food every hour or so, and buy milk for kittens at the pet store and maybe a kitten nursing bottle.

mrcrebs27
Aug 10, 2009, 07:30 PM
She was checked for worms and the vet and she didn't have any. But they did give her a small amount of medicine just to be sure. She does seem like she has lost some weight. We got some kitten formula and she didn't take to it. We pretty much have to force her to eat and drink. We give her a little water and vitamin kitten paste every few hours.

Wondergirl
Aug 10, 2009, 07:33 PM
Cats and kittens don't like change. She's been jerked away from her mom and siblings and is all alone now in a strange place with strange people. Give her a snuggy, warm place to sleep and spend a lot of time cuddling with her.

handyamby
Aug 10, 2009, 07:34 PM
I would say she is too young. You should take her back to be with the mum. Usually 8 to 10 weeks is when kittens are weaned from their mum. Also cats can become depressed when separated from their siblings. They will starve themselves to death. The other thing is, has she pooped? Are you sure? She could be constipated. Cats do best on a wet food diet. Did you vet do a stool sample? How is she doing at taking the force feeding? Is it by an eye dropper or syringe? Does she swallow it okay or do you have to pump it into her throat. Be careful not to shoot it into her airways as she will get an upper respiratory infection which could be fatal.

mrcrebs27
Aug 10, 2009, 07:39 PM
She has pooped mostly runny though. I don't think she has eaten enough to be constipated. The vet did not do a stool sample. We use a small syringe to feed her. We just open her mouth carefully and put a little in at a time so she won't choke. She actually stays put while we do this. If she is depressed how long will that last? Is there something we could do I have heard about a stuffed animal but she just looked at it. She does like us because she climbs us on us to sleep and won't sleep in her bed unless we are right there.

Wondergirl
Aug 10, 2009, 07:41 PM
She has pooped mostly runny though. I dont think she has eaten enough to be constipated. The vet did not do a stool sample. We use a small syringe to feed her. We just open her mouth carefully and put a little in at a time so she wont choke. She actually stays put while we do this. If she is depressed how long will that last? Is there something we could do I have heard about a stuffed animal but she just looked at it. She does like us because she climbs us on us to sleep and wont sleep in her bed unless we are right there.
She wants her nice, warm mom, so you are becoming a substitute. She really is too young to be away from her mom. Why do you have her so early?

mrcrebs27
Aug 10, 2009, 07:52 PM
My husband found a woman that raises cats and has done so for like 20 years. I also thought that she was too young to be away from her mother. I have skipped school on Friday and today because I was worried about her and she is always laying on me or my husband consistently.

handyamby
Aug 10, 2009, 07:54 PM
Try keeping her with you at all times. Let her sleep with you, give her a piece of faux or real fur, like a sheep skin or blanket that she can cuddle with, although she may not. We had lots of kittens s we rescued that were very young like yours and they need a lot of attention. Think about what she had before, all those kittens playing all the time. We had one that sucked our earlobes. It does sound like she is depressed. Sounds like you are doing a good job with the feeding. Good luck!

Wondergirl
Aug 10, 2009, 07:56 PM
My husband found a woman that raises cats and has done so for like 20 years. I also thought that she was too young to be away from her mother. I have skipped school on friday and today because I was worried about her and she is always laying on me or my husband consistently.
I'm surprised that woman was so careless with her brood. We've been feeding a feral cat who had five kittens that are now 12 weeks old, but still stick with Mom Cat pretty closely. I'll coordinate with our local cat shelter to find them foster homes or adoptive homes fairly soon.