How to Make a Baby Kitten Gain Weight
Weight loss in a kitten or failure to gain weight can be very frightening. Most of us know that weight gain is a sign of a healthy cat, so it can be rather disconcerting when your kitten is failing to thrive. There are many reasons for which a kitten isn't gaining weight, but there aren't as many easy solutions. Oftentimes, kittens who have difficulty gaining weight have underlying health problems that need to be dealt with before weight gain can take place.
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Instructions
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Feed your kitten a high-quality brand of kitten food. Food that is made with sub-standard ingredients can affect your kitten's nourishment. If she is not receiving the proper amount of nutrition, she will not gain weight. In addition, supplementing your kitten with milk that is made for cats may give her that extra bit of calories she needs.
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Analyze your kitten's stool for parasites. If a cat has an abundance of parasites, including roundworms, coccidia or giardia, in her body, she may lose weight or having difficulty gaining it. The parasites rob the kitten of her nourishment for their own survival. If your kitty does have these parasites, your veterinarian can prescribe medication that can eliminate them and ultimately alleviate the problems. Once this is taken care of, your kitten will probably start to gain weight.
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Test your kitten for feline leukemia and feline infectious peritonitis virus with a blood test. Both of these illnesses can cause kittens to have difficulty with their weight. While there aren't any cures for these diseases, your veterinarian may prescribe medications that can help with the secondary problems these conditions may be causing. The medications may help your kitten feel better, which may prompt weight gain.
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Check your kitten for liver, kidney and heart disorders with blood work. In addition, your veterinarian can also monitor your cat for thyroid and adrenal and pituitary gland disorders from the same blood sample. All of these conditions could cause a kitten to not gain weight. Some of the issues can be resolved with medication or surgery. Once the problems are taken care of, your kitten will likely start to gain weight.
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Tips & Warnings
Prepare to spend a considerable amount of money when determining the cause of your kitten's inability to gain weight. Blood tests can be expensive and your kitten may need to have several run before a diagnosis is made. If you do not think you can afford these tests, consider returning the kitten back to where you obtained her. This will probably be very heartbreaking, but if you do so, someone else may be able to provide her with the proper care she needs. However, be careful if you give her back and find out exactly what will be done with the kitten if you return her.
