new kitten questions

**Liz0405** · 31st May 2011, 01:43 PM

Congrats on your baby!

I got mine almost 2 weeks ago ( he is almost 13 weeks now) and for the first couple of days he was shy and a bit afraid... BUT:

Give him just a couple of more days (even 2 more i would say) and I am very certain he will want so much play time that you won't be able to keep up with him

My baby Rafael loves to play in the middle of the night which has made me and my partner so tired at the next day that we've been getting late to work!

But it is all worth it! We love him to bits!

Rafael loves to play with feathers of course! , paper balls and loooves water bottle caps or anything similar, he fetches them even though hasn't figured out yet that he has to bring them back to me

So maybe you can try with those toys and see if he is more interested in them.

Good Luck and Enjoy your Kitty!

And please post pictures, would love to see some

**gabybe** · 31st May 2011, 08:17 PM

thank you for your kind help - does anyone know how much he should weigh at 13 weeks - am (sorry being a pathetic new mummy) worried he is underweight as well as he only weighs 1.1kgs (2.6lbs) i can feel all his little bones even tho he has a good size tummy - he was wormed on the 11th May so i dont think it can be that
He is eating, drinking and using his litter tray so no worries there - and yes i have another cat who hates him at the moment but i am keeping them apart
Thought i had posted a picture of him earlier - how do i load more?
:-)

**gabybe** · 31st May 2011, 08:33 PM

Hi Liz - how much did your baby weigh when you got him - am really worried about mine being underweight as i can feel his bones - he weighs 1.1 kg (2.6lbs)?

**Peter Galbavy** · 31st May 2011, 09:22 PM

I think the important thing is how his weight progresses over the next while. I am a bit anal and I bought baby scales for my boys. Been tracking their weight and one of the ways I figured out when mine were teething was when the wieght gain stopped or even reversed one week.

So, keep an eye on his weight if you can. At his size and age a kitchen scale with the lad in a bowl will work

**jckkerrison** · 31st May 2011, 09:44 PM

Hi gabybe & Binksy,welcome to the forum,don't worry too much about being able to feel Binsky's bones,don't forget they are pretty quick growing & tend to spend a fair bit of their growing time feeling like that,they just seem to get some meat on them & then overnight they go to all legs & nothing else again.

Have you got extra vitamins you could give him for a bit of a boost,my last breeder used to put Nutra Plus Gel in her babes goody bags.perhaps that is something you could ask about or even have a word with your babes breeder.
I looked in all my cats vaccination certificates but I haven't got the early weights of my first cats only the last ones they were 1.9kg & 2.2kg respectively at 12 weeks & at 3.5yrs weigh in at 7.20kg & 9.70kg so although they are litter brothers there is now a big weight difference,some are slower growing than others it all depends on their breed lines.
I wouldn't worry about your little fella too much at the moment,just enjoy...x

**pralinehalo** · 1st June 2011, 07:14 PM

I found Rasputin felt very skinny (1.57kg) when I got him but quickly put on weight! I reckon as long as he's eating/drinking/toileting normally then you don't have anything to worry about; especially as they do vary in size quite a bit. I'm with Peter on the regular weighing - currently use a box and the kitchen scales but not sure how much longer that'll work for as he's around 4.5kg now...
Would love to see some photos too

**missye87** · 1st June 2011, 07:57 PM

I've got the same with Benji, he is clocking in at 1.1kgs at 12 weeks. He isn't too worried about his weight, but he does want to keep an eye to make sure his weight progresses. He did say most MC's have such growth spurts that they sometimes feel like bags of bones when young, but as long as they eat enough they are healthy

**missye87** · 2nd June 2011, 08:35 PM

12 weeks and 2 days, 1.28 kgs! He is eating lots and lots now and is doing really well, so he doesn't feel as skinny any more

**Liz0405** · 3rd June 2011, 07:19 AM

Gabybe - Rafael's weight at almost 12 weeks was 1.9Kg (vet scale), he is now 13 weeks and is 2Kg (home scale)... I think weight varies from kitten to kitten, but in my opinion you kitty might be a little bit underweight.But if he is eating now and looks healthy I would say not to worry because he will put on weight eventually

I would still recommend you take your baby to the vet for a check up, that is what I did with Rafael ( for my own peace of mind) Also even though he is 2kg I can still feel his bones, so I guess that is normal in MC kittens.

Also what are you feeding him? I give Rafa a wide variety of foods. Some raw food like chicken & beef & BARF patties, and some dry food, which is available all day, I'm giving him Royal Canin but I'm going to switch to EVO because it seems it's better for them because it doesn’t contain grains or additives and it has a higher % of protein.

Keep us updated and don't worry I'm sure he is fine

**gabybe** · 5th June 2011, 08:10 AM

very sad to say Binksy's swabs came back from the vets and he has cat flu - they think he is probably immunocomprimised (hence small weight) so sadly he has gone back to the breeder today - i desperately wanted to keep him but was advised by many people that i could be committing myself to a lifetime of problems (with respiritory problems/cattery problems/never being able to have another cat etc) - even though i have only had him 8 days i feel so sad and will miss my boy very much - thank you to all that have posted in the last week - hopefully i will get another kitten in the next few months :-(