9 week old kitten..lots of questions

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   My family and I just adopted a male kitten 1 week ago from a local rescue center sponsored event through Petsmart. He was neutered the day before we adopted him at 8 weeks old and has had his first round of shots. 

I've had many cats over the years but I've never had a kitten so young before so I have lots of questions.

1. Is diarria normal during the first week? They couldn't tell me what type/ brand of food he was on when we adopted him so we bought a bag of Kitten Chow. He had normal solid stools for the first couple of days but then he started having diarria for most of the past few of days with only a few normal stools. He is getting plently of water and is not dehydrated (I did the pinch of the neck skin test and his gums are normal).

2. Blood in stool? Over the past few days I noticed what looks like blood twice in his diarria. I do have a dog that eats a redish colored food that the kitten may have "stole" a piece, could it be that? I'm more watchful over the food now.

3. How active should he be? He does not show much interest in playing, not with toys, string or even hands. He is starting to explore more of the house and gets around great and knows where his litterbox is. He is not lethargic he just loves to snuggle and get pets. Will he become more interested in play as he becomes more comfortable?

4. In regards to food, is Kitten Chow enough? Should I introduce canned food? If yes, how soon? Are cat treats ok or should he be older?

I'm planning a vet visit soon for our little guy, we just moved into a new area and i'm looking for a "good" vet at the moment.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read my post and for any advice you have for me. :)

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Jenmar1024 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 11 Jun 2011 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 3	Post Options Post Reply Quote Jenmar1024 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: 9 week old kitten..lots of questions Posted: 11 Jun 2011 at 8:12am
	My family and I just adopted a male kitten 1 week ago from a local rescue center sponsored event through Petsmart. He was neutered the day before we adopted him at 8 weeks old and has had his first round of shots. I've had many cats over the years but I've never had a kitten so young before so I have lots of questions. 1. Is diarria normal during the first week? They couldn't tell me what type/ brand of food he was on when we adopted him so we bought a bag of Kitten Chow. He had normal solid stools for the first couple of days but then he started having diarria for most of the past few of days with only a few normal stools. He is getting plently of water and is not dehydrated (I did the pinch of the neck skin test and his gums are normal). 2. Blood in stool? Over the past few days I noticed what looks like blood twice in his diarria. I do have a dog that eats a redish colored food that the kitten may have "stole" a piece, could it be that? I'm more watchful over the food now. 3. How active should he be? He does not show much interest in playing, not with toys, string or even hands. He is starting to explore more of the house and gets around great and knows where his litterbox is. He is not lethargic he just loves to snuggle and get pets. Will he become more interested in play as he becomes more comfortable? 4. In regards to food, is Kitten Chow enough? Should I introduce canned food? If yes, how soon? Are cat treats ok or should he be older? I'm planning a vet visit soon for our little guy, we just moved into a new area and i'm looking for a "good" vet at the moment. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read my post and for any advice you have for me. :)

scratch Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 18 Jul 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 811	Post Options Post Reply Quote scratch Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 11 Jun 2011 at 1:04pm
	Congratulations for adopting this kitten as it is Adopt a Cat/Kitten Month! I have answered your questions below to the best of my ability; My family and I just adopted a male kitten 1 week ago from a local rescue center sponsored event through Petsmart. He was neutered the day before we adopted him at 8 weeks old and has had his first round of shots. I've had many cats over the years but I've never had a kitten so young before so I have lots of questions. 1. Is diarria normal during the first week? They couldn't tell me what type/ brand of food he was on when we adopted him so we bought a bag of Kitten Chow. He had normal solid stools for the first couple of days but then he started having diarria for most of the past few of days with only a few normal stools. He is getting plently of water and is not dehydrated (I did the pinch of the neck skin test and his gums are normal). Diarrhea is normal with any food change, but if it persists, you need to see the vet. Diarrhea can grab a kitty pretty quickly as they dehyrdrate at a rapid rate. 2. Blood in stool? Over the past few days I noticed what looks like blood twice in his diarria. I do have a dog that eats a redish colored food that the kitten may have "stole" a piece, could it be that? I'm more watchful over the food now. He probably has worms which is common for kittens. Again, a vet visit would be in order so they could do a fecal test on him. 3. How active should he be? He does not show much interest in playing, not with toys, string or even hands. He is starting to explore more of the house and gets around great and knows where his litterbox is. He is not lethargic he just loves to snuggle and get pets. Will he become more interested in play as he becomes more comfortable? They really don't know play- they know prey- toys like Da Bird, or nekoflies are great for young kittens but other things to play with like string etc- dangerous to keep around kittens. They will eat string in a heartbeat! Nekoflies and Da Bird also have string and needs to be supervised play only. Lock up the toys when you aren't on the end of it. 4. In regards to food, is Kitten Chow enough? Should I introduce canned food? If yes, how soon? Are cat treats ok or should he be older? Canned kitten food is great for him, plus it has moisture which he needs especially with diarrhea I'm planning a vet visit soon for our little guy, we just moved into a new area and i'm looking for a "good" vet at the moment. If you can find a cat only hospital or a feline specialist that would be best. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read my post and for any advice you have for me. :)

Jenmar1024 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 11 Jun 2011 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 3	Post Options Post Reply Quote Jenmar1024 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 11 Jun 2011 at 2:54pm
	Thank You Scratch for your responses they are much appreciated. :) I am aware that changes to diet can produce diarria which is why i'm hesitate to introduce canned food at this time. I tried to wet his dry food but he doesn't like it much when I do that but he does drink a good deal of water. I've been watching him carefully. :) We are a good 30+ miles away from vets and shopping. We do have a local feed store that carries a great deal of pet items. My husband who use to breed dogs told me that he probably had worms as it is very common for them get it from thier Mother's while nursing. I told him this is a kitten not a puppy so hush but I guess he is probably right, lol. Could I get a dewormer from the feed store and use that since my hubby is somewhat expierenced with it? Thank you for words in regards to playtime with our kitten. We only bring the toys out when we are having playtime otherwise our dog will eat them. :) I tied a piece of yarn to one of those bell balls so I could retrieve the ball easier, when he showed no interest in the ball I tried the yarn part, again he was like eh. So I put them up for a later time. :) We are in Southern Arizona, we only just moved here a month ago so we are still learning where things are. I'm hoping the feed store can help with some information or recommondations on vets in the area. Thanks again for your time and advice. <3

scratch Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 18 Jul 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 811	Post Options Post Reply Quote scratch Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 14 Jun 2011 at 7:14am
	You are welcome and i understand about being far away from a vet. I used to live in Alaska and we were far removed from a vet where we lived. I now live in Oregon in a rural area and I travel a great distance to get my cats to the vets now. But NO you cannot and should not buy wormer for kittens over the counter. I have countless emails from broken-hearted new kitty owner who did this and the kitten suffered because of it. ONLY with a vet's supervision- he would tell you what to buy, how much to administer would it even be marginally safe. You see with cats and especially kittens, they go by the weight of the kitten AND the health of the kitten. Most of the stuff on the counters are for dogs and cats and can be potentially toxic. It is best to make a one-time trip to the vet, let the vet evaluate the kitten and give you everything you need to get this kitty healthy. That is the safest way. Puppies are so much stronger than kitties. I wouldn't chance giving kitty anything unless the vet ok'd it.

scratch Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 18 Jul 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 811	Post Options Post Reply Quote scratch Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 14 Jun 2011 at 7:16am
	Also I don't know where you are exactly but here are a few links http://www.larkspurcatclinic.com/ http://www.scottsdalecatclinic.com/