Help with a new kitten I adopted in early November

I have been reading posts from this group for quite a while now, but, I just now got my donor star, and am excited that I can finally post here. Yippee!

I recently adopted two foster male kittens (am thinking I will post pics soon as they are verrry cute), and the first one I adopted (Spidey) has had a cough off-and-on since I adopted him. When I took him for his first well visit to the vet, she said that he was younger than what I was told ( I was told he was between 1 and 1 1/2 years), and she based this on the fact that his teeth are very white..and she estimated his age between 6 mos and 1 yr. I figure he is about 9 mos. She also said that she suspected that his nutrition was poor in his early months, and that he will be a big cat. I told her about his coughing, and she told me to get a hairball remedy as he is very long-haired (I suspect he has a lot of maine coon in him, as does she). She emphasized that he is a kitten and should be eating kitten food, BTW.

The remedy worked for a while, but then he got sick two weeks ago with sneezing and wheezing in his chest. Took him back to the vet (along with Jake, my six-month-old, for his first well visit) and Spidey was put on Clavamox as he had a fever. I asked for L-lysine, and got that also for him.

A week later, he was much better, and I took him back to the vet to make sure that he didn't need more meds. He was pronounced nearly well, since the vet could hear some slight wheezing in his lungs. She said that he would heal on his own as he was doing so well, and, I want to add that he did not lose any weight while sick, and has actually gained a pound since I have had him.

I am still giving him the L-lysine and the hairball treatment (Petromalt), but, his coughing is now worse and he seems to be constipated.

He is also a very finicky eater.

I have tried to feed him Innova Evo as I know this is excellent dry cat food, and I have heard that it also helps with hairball problems. But, Spidey does not seem to want to eat anything but the 'crap' cat food such as Purina and Science Diet. I have also tried to give him premium canned food such as Merrick and Prairie (he does seem to like the venison Prairie more than others), but, he just licks the juice out of the canned food and leaves the solid chunks behind. Frustrating!

I found he will eat Sheba -- but, again, I want him on premium food, so I am not happy about this.

I was saying to my son tonight that I am so intent on having both these boys eat only the healthiest food (am thinking about switching to raw food eventually), but I am getting no cooperation from the cats (Jake will eat pretty much anything, but he also seems to like the junk cat food much better than the healthy kind, while Spidey will NOT, for the most part, eat the healthier food).

Spidey continues to play with his 'brother' with amazing energy, and he continues to eat (but not with the gusto I would like to see), so I don't think he is 'sick', but, I am hoping that someone here can provide some advice about what to do about a cat that seems to have a constant hairball problem, and also what to do about a finicky eater.

BTW...Am now feeding him a hi-cal nutrional supplement twice a day. He likes it, and maybe this will help.

Thanks!!

Start mixing better food with the cheaper food in increasing ratios. Start with 1/4 new food and 3/4 old food for a week or so, then go half and half, then 3/4 new, 1/4 old and then all the way new. This will most likely do the trick.

They normally don't take kindly to just suddenly switching the foods.

As Spidey seems to have radar when it comes to mixing what he doesn't like with what he does.

:) Thanks!

I think you might help him by growing some of that oat grass (Cosmic cat herbs). Indoor cats need a little grass to help them eliminate. Also brush him a lot.

If he's in good health he'll eventually eliminate the hairballs (or puke them up on the rug).

I have actually been thinking about it because Jake is always trying to eat my plants. Thank you!

From what I've read, there is no such thing as "excellent dry cat food." Whatever route you take, switch food slowly. Some cats don't like change. We have one who knows when we've gotten a different batch of raw food and it takes her a day or so before she'll touch it.

One exception to the switching slow ... don't mix wet food with dry food and then leave it out. Dry food contains a lot of bacteria and mold that grow like crazy when it gets wet.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to introduce him to baby food (we get Beechnut Stage 1 Chicken & Chicken Broth). Most kitties like it immediately and it makes it easier to entice them to eat something new. We had to mix it half and half with the raw food for our finicky one. Then we gradually decreased the baby food. Now we can't keep her out of everyone else's bowl of raw rabbit.

About the coughing -- maybe the Petromalt isn't agreeing with him. I've never given hairball remedies.

Good luck with your new kitties!

Also, didn't know about the mold and bacteria thing with dry food. I have been placing a few pellets of the Innova Evo in his dry food, and he seems to be able to detect even that much. Am going to try the baby food!

It is Prairie Organic Raw Chicken Diet for dogs and cats medallions. I bought it frozen from a local pet store because I wanted to see how my cats would like it before I make a large investment in a grinder and in purchasing the products for a balanced raw diet.

Jake loved it as soon as I thawed out one of the medallions. Spidey, on the other hand, wouldn't touch it.

Next day, I mixed it with some Sheba Roasted Turkey (Spidey's favorite), and again, Spidey wouldn't touch it. He ate the canned food and left the raw food.

Today, I mixed it again...he ate it all. I am very encouraged. I am going to keep on going with this with the goal of switching them both to a complete raw diet (Jake should not be a problem at all).

Questions:

1. Shouldn't even raw food be differentiated between the needs of dogs and cats? I am a little concerned that Prairie is marketing their raw food to both, but is gearing the nutritional value to that required by dogs.

2. Does freezing impair the nutrional value of the food?

Thanks so much, and Merry Christmas!

A few new pics of the boys:

Spidey feeling good and looking even better (quite proud of his little self):



Jake chasing the elusive laser beam:



:D

which provide the taurine that cats need to remain healthy. Wild canines and felines have almost identical diets, the only real difference if that dogs CAN survive as vegetarians, and cats cannot (obligate carnivores). Pet food companies take advantage of this fact by filling dog foods with cheap ingredients like corn and rice, which can cause obesity and diabetes. Dogs can safely eat cat food, but cats can't survive long term on dog food. Prairie is complete for both species. My cat Puck prefers Prairie freeze dried diets. When all the cats in my house got a URI from a foster kitten, Puck recovered in half the time that it took my other pets-I think her food contributed to her robust immune system.

I definitely feel better about feeding my boys Prairie!

it's made of freeze dried raw meat, human grade ingredients, and no grains. My elderly DSH made a real turnaround on that food, and my Oberon is obsessed with it! Raw is much closer to a natural diet, of course, but some cats just won't go for it.

And, while Jake will eat it if there is nothing else to eat, Spidey won't touch it. But, I am going to try the mixing thing (mixing the dry they will eat with more gusto with the Innova).

I want to give them a varied diet for now, and I think that dry (Innova Evo) is a good idea.