Kitten not eating, what to do?

[JoanneDM]

I need guidance, my 12-week old kitten is not wanting to eat at all at lunchtime. I've been giving goat kefir in the morning, 1 teaspoon before breakfast since last Sunday, along with a raw diet, still giving 1/8 tsp of probiotics morning and evening, and has had excellent appetite until all of a sudden not hungry. Energy wise was okay this morning but resting now. Stools yesterday were very dry (drier than before) and still crumbly.

... upset stomach perhaps? bloating due to too much probiotics perhaps? any thing I could be doing to help things along, like giving some ginger, etc.?

@Dr. Christina @Dr. jeff @Dr. Jean Hofve @Dr. Sara

 

[aruna]

Hi Joanne, before the doctors pitch in, can you describe your kittens BEAM? was his appetite ok for breakfast and he is only skipping lunch? You said he's resting now (which is normal for a little kitten) - let us know how his energy/mood is after the nap. My cats, personally, don't stick to schedule and one day they will eat 3 meals a day, other days only eat at night, but as long as they are happy, I don't mind adjusting to them. Usually their appetite and eating behaviors change around season changes.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

upset stomach perhaps? bloating due to too much probiotics perhaps? any thing I could be doing to help things along, like giving some ginger, etc.?

Hi Joanne!

So we can answer your questions properly, it would be great to hear your reply to what Aruna asked.

 

[JoanneDM]

Hi Joanne, before the doctors pitch in, can you describe your kittens BEAM? was his appetite ok for breakfast and he is only skipping lunch? You said he's resting now (which is normal for a little kitten) - let us know how his energy/mood is after the nap. My cats, personally, don't stick to schedule and one day they will eat 3 meals a day, other days only eat at night, but as long as they are happy, I don't mind adjusting to them. Usually their appetite and eating behaviors change around season changes.

Excellent appetite this morning but ate nothing at lunchtime. Napped until about 7 pm and I fed tuna water, and my kitten drank about 20 ml. Then about 15 min later put a bit of food in bowl with 1/64 tsp of colostrum. Didn't want it but was able to hand feed. Went outside on the balcony for fresh air and when came inside was very energetic and playful. But still would not eat dinner. I was able to hand feed just about 1/4 of what is usually eaten. At the moment, still playful, energetic but no appetite ... could it be an upset stomach?

Should I discontinue the kefir for the time being?

Also, two evenings ago I forgot to close the cap on the small bottle of fish oil (wild salmon and pollock). I discovered this the next morning ... concerned about rancid oil, I squirted out some of the oil on top, twice, to get rid of any oil that had become exposed to the air ... and then continued to add to food bowl (4 drops morning and evening)... I'm thinking of throwing out the bottle of fish oil and getting myself a new bottle...could that have brought an upset stomach or something else?

I read from another post that Fiber Detox can help with regular bowel movement. Perhaps this could help with my kitty's very dry, hard stools from the raw food. Could you please tell me what brand it is, from which company can I get it?

Any advice would be so much appreciated...

 

[JoanneDM]

Update: it's now 11:47 pm. I have been playing a cat video on YouTube with 528 Hz Healing Music, including cat purring sounds ... and my kitten got the zoomies again and then drank 15 ml of tuna water about half an hour ago ... and now she is eating her raw chicken dinner!

11:51 pm ... she ate all the food in her bowl!!

If at all possible, I sure would like to know if it was an upset stomach (and if so, what could have brought this on) or something else ... any insights would be greatly appreciated if any come to mind

 

[Dr. Jeff]

could it be an upset stomach?

Yes.

Should I discontinue the kefir for the time being?

Yes, and see if it makes a difference. Which probiotic are you using?

could that have brought an upset stomach or something else?

Absolutely! Rancid fish oils are one big reason I recommend ZipZyme:

PhytoSmart™

PhytoSmart™ is the only omega-3 pet supplement that doesn’t have the fish oil side effects but has all the benefits of fatty acids because it’s made from fresh whole food Algae in our patented sterile growing system. A small amount gives cats & dogs healthy, bioavailable DHA without the risks...

phytosmart.com

Perhaps this could help with my kitty's very dry, hard stools from the raw food.

Yes, it could. However now may not be the time to add anything new into the food.

Could you please tell me what brand it is, from which company can I get it?

Fiber + is now Fiber Detox:

Holistic Pet Support-Fiber Plus powder - HomeVet

Use Fiber Plus to support healthy bowel and anal gland function.

www.homevet.com

 

[JoanneDM]

Thank you so much Dr. Jeff for your great advice...it is so reassuring to know such wonderful guidance is so close at hand.

Update 2:
- great appetite this morning but gave morning meal later than usual since finished last evening's meal so late
- however, appetite was off at lunch time, she walked away from her food bowl and wouldn't touch her food yet I know she was hungry... not sure if because waited until 2 pm to feed and she seemed upset for having to wait [which may have thrown off her appetite?] ... any way, I put on the same soothing music as last evening and hand-fed a morsel to get her started and she ate all her meal by herself again

- she produced wonderful stools this morning at 10 am (no bowel movements the day before), this time about one third more stools than before, and they weren't dry at all ... I'm wondering if it was all that tuna water (each tuna can, containing water, is company-tested to ensure free of mercury) that made the difference ... but could this be so when drinking the tuna water only 12 hours before the bowel movement ...

- also wondering if the very dry stools may be the results of her eating paper towels ... I clued in on it when I caught her doing that perhaps a few days after she started taking a liking to paper... recently I found a paper towel had fallen under my chair, unnoticed by me, and it had a hole about 1 square inch which I'm pretty sure she ingested ... will be keeping a close eye on stool formation for the next few days to see if dry stools are no longer present [will be extra vigilante about keeping paper towels out of reach] ...

Any way these are the things I'm pondering ... I'm sure not easy to figure out ... but it's a great idea to keep a journal

In response to your question:

Should I discontinue the kefir for the time being?

Yes, and see if it makes a difference. Which probiotic are you using?

I'm using Adored Beast's Love Bugs... should I continue adding 1/8 tsp mornings and evenings?

I'm definitely not giving any more fish oil, and also, this means no need for any Vitamin E supplementation.

Thank you for your product recommendations but the ZipZyme and Fiber Plus cannot be shipped to Canada...

I tried ordering Fiber Plus from your website but there is no shipping options for Canada...any possibility you could mail the product to me...Cash On Delivery? If not, would you know of suitable alternatives?

Regarding alternatives to ZipZyme, I found this product available in Canada from Adored Beast:

Potent-Sea Omega-3 | EPA & DHA​

Potent-Sea Omega-3 | EPA & DHA

Concentrated high-potency EPA and DHA algae oil. A rich source of omega 3 for dogs and cats. Fully sustainable and ocean-friendly.

www.adoredbeast.ca

Is it just as good? Any other options that could be better?

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

Yes to discontinuing the tuna water. Mercury is not the only concern with tuna, the histamines and other compounds could be an issue. See Why Fish is Dangerous for Cats | Little Big Cat - Dr. Jean Hofve

 

[Dr. Jeff]

but could this be so when drinking the tuna water only 12 hours before the bowel movement ...

Yes. You may also want to consider using sardine, fresh chicken, turkey etc. water. Briefly this is the protein blenderized to which you add structured water. Let it sit iin the frig overnight and use it as a topper and/or treat.

should I continue adding 1/8 tsp mornings and evenings?

Sounds good!

any possibility you could mail the product to me...Cash On Delivery? If not, would you know of suitable alternatives?

Any fiber product that you can get in Canada would be helpful.

Is it just as good?

It's a great product but very different than the ZipZyme.

The Adored Beast product is from a different source which also contains EPA.

 

[JoanneDM]

Yes. You may also want to consider using sardine, fresh chicken, turkey etc. water. Briefly this is the protein blenderized to which you add structured water. Let it sit in the frig overnight and use it as a topper and/or treat.

Thank you for this tip...but I'm not familiar with what "structured water" is. Could you please share the instructions as to how to prepare structured water? And then the idea is to blend fresh chicken or turkey from the local market and store in a jar of structured water in the fridge overnight to then give to my kitten, as you pointed out above. How long can it be kept in the fridge before having to discard unused portion?

 

[JoanneDM]

Yes to discontinuing the tuna water. Mercury is not the only concern with tuna, the histamines and other compounds could be an issue. See Why Fish is Dangerous for Cats | Little Big Cat - Dr. Jean Hofv

Thank you so much for this information!

 

[GinnyW]

Structured water is water treated to replicate turbulence which produces a molecular structure of H2O2, such as found in mountain streams, springs, etc. Still viewed as controversial, it has the quality of "superwetness" and is more accessible by the body, both externally and internally. I have been using it for decades - but then, I'm "out there" in many respects. There is plenty of info online, some good and some stupid. Look for references to the work of Dr. Pollock. You'd probably need a contrivance to "make" it at home; there are a few machines on the market, the best seems to be from Vitalizer these days. There is a lot of fakey stuff out there, too, so do your research. Ask more if you like...and, oh, we had a long thread on the Forum back a couple of years ago....

 

[Dr. Jeff]

How long can it be kept in the fridge before having to discard unused portion?

Great question! The chicken/turkey, etc. water will likely get used up long before you need to discard it. Amy (my wife) makes it and freezes containers of it since the kitties gobble it up so fast.

Regarding structured water:

Structured water synopsis

Some of us have been engaging in a discussion about structured water and products to produce it. It has been suggested that we share that discussion and welcome you all to ask or provide more info. These are excerpted from our posts: Francine: After listening to Dr. Seigel's presentation, I...

www.holisticactions.com

H2O2 is the formula for peroxide. Jerry (Pollock) claims the structured (or "EZ") water has an extra hydrogen atom and an extra oxygen atom (formula H₃O₂)

BTW-For more details about why EZ (exclusion zone) water may be helpful, I highly recommend his beautiful book:

https://www.amazon.com/Cells-Gels-Engines-Gerald-Pollack/dp/0962689521

 

[GinnyW]

Thanks for the correction! I realized I screwed that up when lying in bed last night ...probably because buying peroxide is on my shopping list today.
..and thanks for the link, too.

 

[aruna]

@JoanneDM - we have a great webinar on water, definitely changed how I think about it Non member login - Holistic Actions!

 

[ChristineL]

Yes. You may also want to consider using sardine, fresh chicken, turkey etc. water. Briefly this is the protein blenderized to which you add structured water. Let it sit iin the frig overnight and use it as a topper and/or treat.

My kitten refused to eat her lunch and dinner today and I'm very thankful I found this thread. It's past 11 pm here and we just gave her some 1/4 pc of canned sardine in water, structured water and her favorite topper - she finished the entire plate (although it's a small portion). She also had some cat grass earlier today. We don't know what triggered her drop in appetite (we did find a chewed-up paper towel).

For the blenderized meat water, how does Amy usually prepare the meat? I presume it's cooked meat - does she steamed or boiled it first? [We give our kitten structured water in her food and water fountain.]

 

[Dr. Jeff]

For the blenderized meat water, how does Amy usually prepare the meat?

Yes, the chicken is roasted.

 

[Dr. Christina]

For all - it is fine, even for a kitten, to miss a meal or two.
Check out Anitra Frazier's 2 webinars about how to shift your thinking away from worry.
She does still do phone consulting, in addition to biking around NYC tending to cats.
One of our members who lives there has used her a lot.
Dr. Christina

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Yes, she's great (and very affordable):

‭(212) 663-0122‬