Hi all. We adopted a nine week old kitten over the weekend and I have a few questions that I don't think are worthy of a call to the vet.
First of all, she's very stinky. She passes gas every few minutes and oh man - it is potent. Do you think this is just a symptom of the transition from the food the animal shelter was feeding her to what we feed her? I would have kept her on the same food, but they weren't sure what brand, so I had to pick one. I'm ok with the gas as long as it's not a sign of a problem I should know about.
Second, she meows/moans/whines all the time. As she walks around the room checking things out, she's constantly meowing. Slightly annoying, but we'll get used to it. We're thinking of naming her "Noisy". I assume lots of meowing is normal, but wanted to ask since all my other cats have been pretty quiet.
Last (and certainly not least), she kneads us and tries to suckle whenever she can get to bare skin. Right now she's standing on my lap trying to nurse from my neck. Again, kind of annoying, but we'll deal. I know she was weaned too young. She was picked up on a city street with a litter of kittens but no mom nearby. I can't fix the weaning, but I do wonder if we should allow this? Stop her gently? Will she grow out of it? And why does she keep trying to nurse? Is she hungry or is she seeking affection?
Thank you!!
Thanks everyone! I should have explained up front that the shelter already took care of her vaccinations, spaying, health checks, everything. She's clean as a whistle according to them. And she'll be an indoor only cat. We live in coyote territory and an outdoor cat is a gone cat. Noisy has now fallen asleep on my lap and doesn't seem to pass gas while she's sleeping, so she's perfect for at least a few minutes!
I got a very small dog via the internet and brought her to the vet w/in 48 hrs. of picking her up.
She needed antibiotics, yet, the out-of-state vet gave her a clean bill of health !
I watch her like crazy because of the hawks and coyotes !
Congrats on your new addition. I love kittens.
I'm not sure on the gas ---- could be her food. Call the shelter and ask what they fed her.
Kneading and suckling are normal, it's a comfort thing like a baby with a binky.
The meows are her calling out to her mom or litter mates. She will settle down in a day or two. She is just missing her friends and doesn't understand that she has a new and forever home.
Awww! A baby baby kitty! But like others said...a vet visit is in order! Get it fixed, vaccinated, checked for buggies and ask your questions.
We adopted an older cat 2 years ago. Fat as a sheep, talkative as heck and needy in attention! Shes a gem and we love her.
She meows, we answer in kind, and have a conversation of sorts. When we first got her and didn't meow back in conversation, her meowing got intense and sort of sad. She was almost 5 yeas old when we got her, but spent the last 9 months living in a shelter Moms home with many other cats coming and going (as they were adopted out, etc..she was a fat cat and her vet records said she had a nervous disorder so no one wanted to adopt her...she is in no way "nervous" and I am so glad we adopted her fat little self!!!).
Anyways, she reverted to some kitten activities...kneading and the meowing... with all her housemates while she lived there, we later were told by the adoption Mom (we emailed her a few times). My guess is that sucking part will stop, but some cats just knead all the time thru life. We tease our cat and say "there she goes, making bread again!"
I bet the gassy part is all the changes in food and the immature system of a kitten trying to keep up. Consider its like a baby trying different formulas and baby foods in a short time frame. Gas is bound to happen!
Good luck with your little Noisy one
Some cats are talkers, since this one is so young still I would venture to say she's calling for mom and siblings. The nursing is a comforting tactic, I suggest getting her a super soft blanket she can cuddle with. This may help the consent mowing too, you can wrap her up in it and hold her, helping her to feel secure, making you "new mommy". As for the gas, I'm not sure what you are feeding her, but if it's not kitten food it may be the issue, I would suggest wet food and a smaller amount, see if it helps.
my cat is 8, she still tries to nurse on us. we think its funny but it can be annoying and we get her to stop with distraction.
Mine has never had gas, so I dont know what's going on there.
The constant meowing is a sign of something, mine only meows when she wants out, wants a treat, her food dish is empty, or to get me to play with her and her feather toy.
Your kitten is probably lonely and confused.
The "kneading" is for security and not really about trying to nurse on you. It's more of a love thing.
Congrats on the new kitten!
Yes, some kittens can be stinky. We had one that passed gas all the time. Strange. Some cats meow a lot more than others. We have two quiet ones and one really loud one. And yes, kittens and cats knead. Sometimes they never stop doing this. Depends on the cat.
If you haven't already taken her to the vet, you need to soon. She might need to be dewormed, and she'll need her first vaccinations. You can also talk about spaying her. It can be done when they're very young. It's good to get it over with.
Have fun!
I am by no means a cat expert but my husband LOVES cats and we have had 1, if not 2 cats for as long as we have been together (15+ years) and IMO:
1) Yes, she is stinky b/c of the change of food. It should mellow out in a week or so provided you stick with one food and its not wet food? Wet food seems to make cats even gas-ier.
2) Not sure about the meowing all the time? Some cats are just a lot more vocal than others.
3) I would just let her 'love' you and give her lots of love back. We had a cat once that tried to nurse us, I would just gently push her away while still petting her and she eventually quit trying to nurse but still to this day will knead us ALL the time! And yes, I think this is due to the fact that she was weaned too soon.
Good luck with your stinky kitty and I think 'Noisy' is a very cute name!
I would take her to the vet. When I got my male cat as a kitten he also had very stinky gas and it turned out he had intestinal patisites. I don't think it's always the case but worth making sure its not. As far as the behaviors she's still a baby and just wants comfort.
I had a cat that would nurse on his arm, his whole life. He would knead us while he sucked on his arm. Maybe you could get him to do that instead of trying to nurse on you guys. I'm sure it's just for comfort.
Yay you for adopting from the shelter! So yes, the stinky gas may be from change in diet. You will also need to probably get her checked for parasites. Your vet will give you an idea of what she needs when you take her (which I assume is soon considering she will be needing vaccinations and such?) The meowing is normal since she is probably looking for litter mates. But just know that some kitties are natural talkers (I have a few that talk constantly!) The kneading and suckling may or may not go away. It's not due to hunger. I have yet to meet a cat that doesn't knead when they are being affectionate but the suckling is more common in babies taken from mom too early. I do have an adult cat that still does it on blankets, he too was taken too early from his mom. Hopefully she will stop trying to do it with you, poor little thing. Enjoy your new kitty and bring a list of questions to the vet!
I think your main questions have already been answered but I just wanted to add my own two cents... for what it's worth...
Bless you for adopting a kitty in need. We did the same about 3 years ago. Ours showed up meowing at our window one summer night. It sounded like a baby crying. Slowly my hubby who had once said he had allergies and now has that cat sleeping on his chest some nights! Came around and was the one who called me up to tell me to bring home kitten food! Big old softy! Anway our cat meows when she wants something and just to talk... I think more than the average cat. We named her Tripper for the very reason she was always under foot and we did not know if she was a girl or boy... which is my first piece of advice... Hopefully you got her fixed before they sent her home? If she is an outside cat you are going to want to!!! We learned the hard way. My hubby called me at work one day and said:
"I have good news and bad news, the good news is I found out Tripper is a girl, the bad news is she had kittens under our bed." The next event was when she went in heat! Believe me... you don't even want to wait around for that one! We promplty got her fixed! She is a funny little addition and it really helped having her when our dog died. They were the best of chums and Tripper would walk along with us when I walked our dog. It was so funny!
Enjoy your new addition!
http://dianereedwiter.wordpress.com/2012/07/01/baby-feath...
The fact she was picked on the street tells me the shelter really has no idea how old the kitten is and was weaned to early. I would take her to the vet and see if they can help determine where she is in her development. I adopted a cat that was weaned too early and needed to feed her through a bottle. The moaning and suckling sounds like she is definitely looking for momma. Kittens weaned at the right time do not do this. And yes, the food transition is causing the gas. However, it could remain if she isn't on quality food.
If I read this and SWH right -- you haven't seen a vet with her yet? I know the shelter did checks, vaccinations, etc., but I still would get her to your own (new?) vet now, partly just to establish a relationship with a good vet!
Also, do you have documentation from the shelter vet that she is, as you put it, "clean as a whistle"? With line items detailing all tests run and vaccinations given? You really need some kind of documentation, and you need to take it to your new vet for their records. Your vet may want to give addiitonal shots, or test her for any gastrointestinal issues. I would wager that the gas is from a change of diet but I'd still have it checked -- you don't want to set her up for further digestive issues by continuing to give her a food that is upsetting her.
Do be sure to get what the shelter vet did in writing and in detail. Shelters are on limited budgets and they may have done only the most basic health checks. You need to establish a relationship with your own vet now, if you haven't already.
