Why is my weaned kitten thin and not eating like her littermates?

At six months of age, Ritsu is way past the point of needing to nurse from his mother, and I would not encourage that behavior by giving him kitten milk replacement. It can take some kittens up to eight weeks of age to fully wean, and that's normal. He may be trying to nurse off of her for comfort, but it is concerning he's having trouble gaining weight. First thing to do is to make sure he's eating a high quality kitten formulated food, such as Hills Science diet or Royal Canin. You can try soaking the dry food in gently warmed low sodium chicken or beef broth, or tuna juice to tempt him to eat the dry food. If that works, then slowly reduce the amount of liquid you soak his food in until he's eating the dry only. Also make sure he is up to date on his deworming treatments, as intestinal worms will prevent him from gaining weight. Finally, I would have him seen by a vet for a health check. The vet can identify if there is a medical issues causing him to gain weight, such as an inability to digest nutrients properly, and can discuss treatment with you. I hope this helps :-)

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Lack of growth and failure to gain weight in a kitten can be due to a number of medical causes- viral or bacterial infections and parasitic infections could be potential causes among others. I would recommend having the kitten seen by a veterinarian for an exam and assessment. You may wish to bring a fresh fecal sample to the vet appointment in case your vet wants to test the kitten's stool. I hope this helps and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Most cats gain about a pound a month, so at 3 months old Chichi should be around 3 pounds. I would be concerned about intestinal parasites or potentially a bacterial or viral infection. There also could be a congenital problem going on since she is so young. I would also make sure she is on good quality kitten food and offer her both canned and dry. Sometimes I will heat the canned food in the microwave to make it smell more pungent and hopefully entice the kitten to eat more. I do think having her evaluated by your vet, dewormed and potentially have some further testing is the next best step. Good luck with her!

You should be weighing them every day or two to make sure they are gaining weight. If the little on is not gaining weight then you will know it is a problem and you will need to get it to a vet. You can use a kitchen gram scale to weigh them.

He is still very young and misses his mommy and his siblings. You should feed him canned kitten food, as kibble is still too hard and a kitten cannot eat enough of it. Feed him small portions 4-5 times a day and feed as much as he wants to eat, ie refill the bowl a little bit at a time. Make sure water is available but not next to the food. It needs to be about 6 feet away from the food bowl. At this age (71 days) he should weigh a little over 1kg, or 2.3lbs

She is very young, most kittens are very thin at this age.your should start giving her dry food as well as wet food. as long as she will eat mainly wet food she will not drink much as wet food is 85% water.

These are certainly concerning behaviors for your young kitten. I would be suspicious of intestinal parasites causing the problem, especially if he/she has not yet been wormed. I would recommend taking your cat in to the vet to be checked out and make sure nothing too serious is going on. Hopefully it is something simple like parasites that can be treated easily. Best of luck!