Kitten lossing weight drastically

Question

Tubby before and after   QUESTION: Hello.  I have quite the problem going on right now.  An outdoor cat that has kind of adopted us had kittens 20 weeks ago.  After a Raccoon killed one of the kittens a couple months ago, we started to bring the kittens in at night.  They now kind of come and go as they please, aside from staying inside at night.  My kitten Tubby is going to be 20 weeks old on Saturday, but sadly he's not tubby anymore.  In the last few days he has lost *all* his weight.  I can see every bone in his body (except his face still looks the same).  I can see his spine, his ribs, his chest bone, even his tail has gotten boney at the base.  I'm really worried.  I know the first thing you're going to say is get him to a vet, and I honestly would if I could.  I just had to get a new water heater so I have no cash, and I didn't qualify for Care credit to get him seen.  He won't eat regular Friskies dry cat food (which is what they were all getting and eating) I have tried to feed him the Friskies wet cat food (the chicken and juices kind) and all he does is lick up the juices, not actually eat the meat.  There is also a flea out break going on.  We treated all the kittens with the Hartz kitten flea drops (the ones that you administer once a month between their shoulder blades).  We did put it between the shoulder blades, but the kittens just licked it off each other so I'm not sure if that could be a reason or not.  None of the other kittens are really showing the same signs.  They are all still active and eating, etc.  We gave him the Hartz about... a week or so ago.  He doesn't really seem lethargic except he isn't as hyper anymore, but he isn't sleeping all the time, he doesn't whine when we pet him or pick him up, and he gets excited when we pet him.  I think that's all the pertinent information.  If you can recommend another way to get him some nutrition in some way I would appreciate it.  I know when my rats lost weight, I gave them Ensure, but I didn't want to give Tubby Ensure because I didn't know if that was okay for kittens.  I'm more than willing to do whatever it takes, I just wish I could get him to the vet :(


I'm sorry this is so long but I'm trying to get all the information to you that I can.

ANSWER: Hi Amber,

I'm sorry to hear about Tubby and that you didn't qualify for Care Credit.  Unfortunately, he really does need veterinary care, and my advice can't replace that.  I wouldn't suspect that the flea treatment would have much to do with his condition, since most serious reactions are neurological in nature and occur within minutes to hours.  However, it may still be a possibility.  Next time you apply, try to keep the kittens separated from each other for a couple of hours.

As for Tubby, I wouldn't use Ensure to try to boost his nutritional intake, because it's too high in certain nutrients, such as iron, which could cause him constipation.  I would recommend a calorie supplement for cats called Nutri-Cal.  It's a gel that you would give with a syringe.  The dosage instructions, by weight, are on the tube.  Give him the dosage for cats who aren't eating their full ration of food.  Nutri-Cal is available at some pet stores, or through many websites like www.entirelypets.com.  I would also feed him baby food for now, even if you have to force feed it to him with a syringe.  Turkey or chicken baby food is fine.  I prefer stage one baby food, which is just the meat and broth, but if you can only find stage two, which is the meat with gravy, that's okay.  This isn't a balanced diet, and it shouldn't be fed for very long.  The vitamins and minerals in the Nutri-Cal will help offset the dietary imbalance a little bit, but if he starts to turn around, try to get him onto a balanced cat food as soon as you can.

You can try deworming Tubby with a dewormer from a pet store, in case his inappetance is due to a bad roundworm infestation.  Be sure the dewormer you choose will treat roundworms.  Tapeworms don't tend to cause such severe stomach upset.

I'm worried that Tubby has an infection that could be contagious to the other kittens.  If there's any possibility of separating him from the others, this would be in the best interest of everyone until there is a point when you can get Tubby to the vet for testing for the Feline Leukemia and Feline AIDS viruses.  There is also the possibility of a disease called Feline Infectious Peritonitis.  These conditions are almost impossible to recover from, so I'll be hoping that he's not infected with any of these.  Most other infections are treatable with antibiotics, so as soon as it's feasible, try to get him in for treatment.

Best of luck!

Jessica



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I won't be able to get him to a vet until Tuesday, will that be an okay amount of time to use the supplement and the baby food?  How often should I feed him the baby food?  I'm so glad you said NutriCal, I just went and bought some earlier today to try to get him to eat using that.  The only way I'd be able to separate him is to put him in my room, but I have rats.  Will anything he possibly has be able to infect my rats?  If so, I'll see about trying to get a roommate to try to keep him in their room.  How is the virus transmitted from kitten to kitten if it's the F-AIDS?  Could you tell me how much 20 week old kittens are suppose to weigh?  I have a really good weight pad that goes to ounces too so I'd like to check my other kittens just to be safe, but the answers are so varied online.  Thank you very much!!  I can't tell you how much I appreciate it :D

Answer
It will be okay to feed him baby food and Nutri-Cal until Tuesday.  The vet can then give you a prescription food that is complete, such as Hill's a/d or Royal Canin's Recovery RS.  These have a consistency similar to baby food, so they can be fed with a syringe, but they are calorie-dense and balanced, and will help him gain weight.  Try to get him to eat at least two jars of baby food each day over the course of several small meals, if at all possible.  When I have a sick cat who's refusing to eat, I find it best to try to feed them hourly when I have the option, or as often as possible when I don't.

The germs that I would be concerned about causing these types of symptoms in your kitty are generally species-specific or would require direct contact to spread, so I don't feel there would be any threat keeping him in a room with your rats, as long as your rats' cages are completely cat proof.  If there might be a possibility that an inventive cat could figure out a way to open the rats' cages, I would much rather see your roommate take care of the kitty for now.  There is no denying the natural relationship that exists between cats and rats, unfortunately.

Feline AIDS is transmitted from cat to cat through bite wounds, and very occasionally a kitten may become infected from its mother during birth.  If it turns out he is positive, chances that he'd spread it to his litter mates would probably be minimal, provided that all got spayed and neutered and didn't start mating and fighting territorially (not because sexual contact spreads it but because biting occurs during mating).  However, if Tubby remained outdoors, cats he was unfamiliar with would remain at risk for infection if he was to defend his territory.

The Feline leukemia virus, which shares a lot of similarities with Feline AIDS, is spread much more easily, and can be spread through bites or mutual grooming, or sharing food and water.  Cats with the leukemia virus should certainly be separated from other cats.

It's really impossible to say how much a 20-week-old kitten should weigh, because kittens are all growing at different rates by this age.  Whereas at 8 weeks, most kittens are weighing in right around 2 pounds, by 20 weeks, kittens can range in weight from 3-8 pounds and be completely on target for their frame.  I would say a good average would be about 4-5 pounds, but again, if these kittens have petite frames, they may only need to weigh in at 3 pounds at this age.  If they have large frames, they should weigh more.  

It's great to monitor weight regularly - it's a red flag when weight is going down.  But to try to gauge their health right now, feel their ribs, hips and backbones.  All of these bones should be easily felt, with a fat cover and defined muscles.  If the bones feel like they're jutting out, and there's no real muscle, they're too thin.  If it's difficult to detect the bones under the fat cover, they're too heavy.

Hope that helps!

Jessica