What methods have worked to put weight on your kittens ? I have a 3 mo manx who is really skinny, he is healthy and almost too active, but really all bones when you pick him up. 3.4lbs at last week vet visit. His hip bones are visible from a distance. He has been checked for worms and is clear, he has access to dry kitten kibble all day (and the dog’s hi fat kibble and the adult cat kibble, both of which he nibbles on) and I give him a can a day of Fancy Feast Kitten split into 3 meals as per vet. Should I just think of him as growing gawky yearling colt and not worry about it ?
Is that all your feeding him?
Frequent small feedings. I would definitely up the canned. One tiny 3 oz can a day is not enough. My Baler is about 4-ish months and he is eating a can a half over three servings plus 3 other meals of kitten kibble. I would feed him more but he eats the scraps off the other cats’ plates so I count that as his 4th serving. Did you get bloodwork on him? If he doesn’t start putting on more weight pretty soon I would have vet give him thorough check over.
More canned food several times a day. I mash canned food into warm water for extra water intake, and my 11 week skinny baby is finally losing the gaunt/wormy belly look. Some days he can put away two cans, some days more or less, depending upon how many imaginary mice he chases. Though he still looks like a mish mash of cat parts lol.
Does he eat the dry food? It doesn’t really matter if it’s available all day if he doesn’t eat it. Maybe you need to measure how much he is eating and if not enough, consider different types of kibble.
In the meantime, I’d definitely up the canned food.
I will try offering wet food more often, he is also getting Whiskas Cat Milk, cheese when he does tricks, and the same holiday scraps everyone else got - ham, turkey, salmon, rationed out and added to reg food over the last few weeks. He has big paws and a jackrabbit like hind end, I think he is going to be large and just has a big frame to fill out…not to mention he moves at mach 90 the majority of his waking hours !
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Give him more feedings and you can try giving him Infamil or a similar baby formula to help supplement what he’s getting now. Most cats think that’s great stuff and will drink it up. Give him more canned food but watch his stool. Some cats get diarrhea from too much soft food. Also, at feeding time, give him a big bowl of the kibble and let him eat his fill. I have 3 kittens that are absolutely insane!! The run through the house, jump at each other and collide in mid air 2 feet and the floor. The first one to get up gets chased through the house by the other. I feed them 3 times a day. They get put in a room by themselves (I have 5 adults that don’t need to eat like they do) and get 30 minutes to eat everything they want. They’re thin but they’re healthy with beautiful coats. They were just at the vet tonight and got a thumbs up. It mainly sounds like he needs more to eat because he’s burning off the calories.
I foster kittens. Literally have had hundreds. And I can tell you that one clean fecal does not mean he has no parasites. If he has not been dewormed, I would certainly do that. De worm for rounds/hooks and tapes. Praziquantel would be a good choice. And absolutely more food.
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