My month-old runt kitten is lethargic and not growing. What's wrong?

Kameo is adorable! She may not get much bigger if she has not grown much in the past 6 months. This is not normal per se for cats, but may be common for runts of the litter. Nutrition may help with this as well as ruling out any underlying medical conditions heart, liver, kidney issues through a throrough physical examination by a veterinarian + screening bloodwork. A top rated food that I recommend for a cat of this age is Royal Canin Kitten dry and wet food. It is highly palatable (most cats love the taste) and provides better nutrition than many other commercially available brands of cat food. I recommend transitioning gradually over the course of a week into the Royal Canin Kitten diet (1st 2 days 75% old food 25% new, 2nd 2 days 50%/50% old/new and last 2-3 days 25% old/75% new). You will likely notice an improvement in Kameo's coat and skin health on the Royal canin diet. If she does not grow significantly by the time she is a year of age....continue her on the Royal canin adult cat food, maintain her at a good body condition score (not too far or too thin), and give her lots of love! Kittens like people come in all shapes and sizes!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your foster kitten. His hair coat appears rough and he may have a crust on his nose. Has he experienced any respiratory signs such as coughing or sneezing? This would be unrelated to the diarrhea, but a compounding illness could result in poor weight gain. I would recommend checking him for panleukopenia just to be sure. If the vet will not run bloodwork, you can test a fecal sample with the dog parvovirus test. Otherwise I would consider a new diet if seeking a second opinion is not an option. I like Royal Canin Veterinary Diets Gastrointestinal High Energy canned formula. The veterinarian should be able to write you a prescription for the diet. I hope this information helps!

The most common cause is usually intestinal parasite infection. Submit a stool sample to your veterinarian to diagnose intestinal parasites or bacterial overgrowth. Amaru should be dewormed. This will likely need to be repeated in 2, 4 and 6 weeks. An exam can be done to confirm good health or to diagnose and treat any pre-existing conditions. Consider having him tested for FeLV and FIV. This is done with a quick in-clinic blood test. Feed a food quality canned kitten food. If he checks out healthy, discuss an appropriate vaccination plan with your veterinarian.

No, I wouldn't give Buckwheat egg yolk. She isn't used to solid food, and adding that egg yolk (especially raw ones) can lead to vomiting and diarrhea, which will cause her to be dehydrated and lose more weight. I can give you some resources which may help you afford a vet. You an see if your vet accepts payment plans, if there is a low cost clinic in your area, or you can apply for Care Credit online. There is also an organization called Red Rover that give grants for treatment of sick animals, and you can see if you qualify for one of their grants. Best Friends also has a list of resources that offer financial assistance on their website. http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_pet.html?credit=web_id91754962 https://www.redrover.org https://www.carecredit.com http://bestfriends.org/resources/financial-aid-pets http://lessonsfromaparalyzeddog.com/when-pet-owners-cant-afford-veterinary-bills/

Kittens are susceptible to many different infections, both viral & bacterial. A heavy parasite burden from coccidia, or roundworms can also wear a kitten down & leave it weak. Pascal is too young & small to try & fight this off on his own. He needs to be seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible. If you can not have him seen tonight or tomorrow, pick up some Nutrical from Petco tomorrow, & try to give him small amount frequently throughout the day. This is a high calorie supplement to hopefully keep his energy up. Then please try to have him seen by your veterinarian as early as possible on Monday. I hope he does better soon. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

The best thing you can do is to weigh her twice daily to make sure she's growing appropriately. Kittens should gain 10% of their birth weight per week, or if you don't know the birth weight you should make sure the kitten is gaining weight each day and not losing weight. If she is not gaining weight it would be a good idea to see a vet for an exam and potentially to supplement with bottle feeding.

Since the mother cat is refusing to nurse or care for this kitten Brownie is probably suffering from a failure to thrive. If you are not doing so already, I would recommend supplementing her with a bottle of some kitten milk replacer. She’s probably not getting the nutrition she needs if the mother is not caring for her. She may also have a respiratory infection and/or intestinal parasites that need to be addressed. I would try bottle feeding her every 2 to 3 hours for a 24 hour period. If there is no improvement after this then I would recommend taking the small kitten into the vet to be examined. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.