Feeding kitten with delicate stomach?

[TeeKayDawn]

Originally Posted by StorybookCircus

One of my adult cats has had a funny tummy for a few weeks and I haven’t been able to visit the vet due to Covid. I spent a huge amount of money on Royal Canin Sensible 33 dry food...and it worked! His poo is still smelly but it’s solid and (most importantly) it’s back in the litter tray and not on the floor!
Many years ago when I adopted a kitten from the RSPCA they told me to avoid kitten food and just feed him the adult stuff, as wet kitten food often gave their rescue babies diarrhoea.
I’m sure your vet won’t mind if you give them a call, just for the peace of mind- you don’t want your little one to lose too much fluid, especially if the weather’s hot. Best of luck!

See more...

We were told to keep up with adult food by RSPCA with our 4 kittens, so as not to upset their stomachs.

We ended up with one being rushed to vet as he started to pass blood, got diarrhoea, lost his whiskers and his fur looked dull and like he’d had an electric shock, and didn’t seem to be growing like his sisters. He was only 7 weeks old and had been on adult food with the RSPCA since they rescued him 4 weeks before.

The vet was horrified they’d been on adult food and gave us a prescription for a kitten milk, a wet and dry food and told us to wean off the adult to the kitten food. We were also told to add boiled white rice, and were given a schedule of weaning with the “parts” to mix over the next few weeks, by the vet nurse. With the male they were actually that concerned they told us the next 48 hours were critical and he had to go back daily for a week for additional injections.

He went in 3 weeks from looking like the runt of the litter to being twice the size of his sisters.
He did develop a long term condition which requires prescription food and has a few issues due to malnutrition as a kitten.
But he’s a happy cat, a big boy, and I’m so glad we have him.
He’s our special boy.

[LLamb]

Originally Posted by Lu Lu

Thanks everyone. I have some 50% chicken stuff I am mixing in with whiskas but he doesn’t seem keen on it in high quantities. I guess if we keep offering and he knows that’s all he’s getting he will get used to it!

I am happy to just feed dry it just feels really boring for him, although like the idea of giving the occasional chicken, fish and scrambled egg treats!

Royal canine sounds like it’s one to try - maybe I’ll give the wet a go too.

Also, will check out that Facebook page. Am keen to get him off whiskas but don’t want to go too quickly as need to get to a point of regulating his tummy, not making it worse.

See more...

Try him with some raw chicken only and see if he likes it. That’s how I stated with mine.
I was going to go for the high meat wet food but he got hold of a piece of chicken I dropped and that was it!
Our cats poo doesn’t smell bad, actually doesn’t smell at all. I have to check his litter tray to see if he has done anything.

Kittens should be given as much food as they want as they are growing so much so just do as you are and keep offering.

If you still want to offer some dry, get a grain free. Iams and thrive are high meat content. Personally wood avoid royal canin as it isn’t meant to be very good, and expensive. But just my opinion.

[Lu Lu]

He had some cooked chicken last week and some cooked fish and liked then both - hadn’t thought about feeding raw!

I’ve bought some James well beloved wet and dry food and am going to move him to that and see if it helps.

[Guest]

Originally Posted by Lu Lu

He had some cooked chicken last week and some cooked fish and liked then both - hadn’t thought about feeding raw!

I’ve bought some James well beloved wet and dry food and am going to move him to that and see if it helps.

See more...

Do not feed a 15 week old kitten raw chicken!

I am concerned that his tummy troubles are due to your experimenting with his food. Make a change to the good food and stick to it, I would also stick to dry only. Many cats and dogs cannot cope with switching between different types of food. I’d be dealing with unholy messes if I did this to my dogs,

[Disney Bear]

I would second this comment. Find something he will eat - a good packet food and leave him with that. Cats can easily get an upset stomach by frequently changing food. Give him several months and see how it goes. Over time you can introduce something new in small quantities but I would wait for him to be a bit older. Give him time to settle. Good luck - you’ll get there

[marypoppins38]

Originally Posted by Claudette

Do not feed a 15 week old kitten raw chicken!

I am concerned that his tummy troubles are due to your experimenting with his food. Make a change to the good food and stick to it, I would also stick to dry only. Many cats and dogs cannot cope with switching between different types of food. I’d be dealing with unholy messes if I did this to my dogs,

See more...

Yes, this.
Please don’t feed raw chicken. This does not constitute a raw diet and can be extremely dangerous. Cats need all sorts of vitamins and minerals, including taurine to be healthy. They will not get enough taurine from feeding raw chicken and it can be fatal.

[Lu Lu]

We haven't been changing his food that much really. He had a predominantly wet diet and after seeing the vet we've moved it to more dry. I've now bought some grain free food so when that comes will move him to that and stick with it to see how we go. We've given him some cooked plain chicken and some plain fish as a treat, yes, but I was told they might help settle his stomach.

Keen to not mess around with it, hence doing some research and hoping the grain free food will be helpful.

[fudgie]

Originally Posted by Lu Lu

We haven't been changing his food that much really. He had a predominantly wet diet and after seeing the vet we've moved it to more dry. I've now bought some grain free food so when that comes will move him to that and stick with it to see how we go. We've given him some cooked plain chicken and some plain fish as a treat, yes, but I was told they might help settle his stomach.

Keen to not mess around with it, hence doing some research and hoping the grain free food will be helpful.

See more...

I had a very sickly, frail kitten who the vet told us not to get too attached to as she was in such a bad way when we got her from a rescue centre (they had been feeding her with adult Whiskas which was going straight through her). On the vet's advice I fed her steamed fish, cooked chicken, boiled rice and scrambled eggs until she was around 6 months old. She thrived and was eating "normal" cat food after 6 months.

[maidmarian]

Originally Posted by Lu Lu

He had some cooked chicken last week and some cooked fish and liked then both - hadn’t thought about feeding raw!

I’ve bought some James well beloved wet and dry food and am going to move him to that and see if it helps.

See more...

Stick with the same food because you could make it worse.
A kittens stomach is super sensitive to food and needs stability. And no raw chicken as someone suggested.
A little but often of the same food and get one that hasn't got a too high fat content, not cheap rubbish from the supermarket.. 😁

[marypoppins38]

Just another thought, are you changing over her good very gradually or just stopping one and starting the new one. You will need to mix the new food in over about a fortnight by starting with a tiny bit of new food substituted into her food that she is already in and day by day increase the amount until by the end of week two she is totally fed the new food. It could upset her tum if you are just changing from one to the other straight off. Would love to see a pic though, I love kittens.🥰