Causes Of Fading Kitten Syndrome
Fading Kitten Syndrome has numerous causes, and often more than one is to blame. For example, having a large litter, trouble during birthing, or poor nurturing instincts or nutrition on the mothers part can cause kittens to fail to thrive.
Genetics can play a role as well. If a mother cat has a blood type that differs from her kitten, her maternal antibodies may attack the kittens red blood cells, causing anemia that can lead to Fading Kitten Syndrome. This condition is called neonatal isoerythrolysis.
In general, causes of Fading Kitten Syndrome include:
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Trouble during birthing
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Lack of maternal antibodies
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Bacterial or viral infections
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Malformations present at birth
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Low birth weight
How To Transition Your Kitten Onto Adult Cat Food:
When your kitten is 12 months old, it is advisable to gradually transition them over from kitten food to adult food. This should be done over a 7 day period in order to introduce the new food solely to help avoid digestive upset with the change in diet. How to make the switch: Start on day 1 by replacing about a sixth of the current kitten food with new adult food. Increase this gradually over the next 5 days so that by day 7 the entire portion of kitten food has now been replaced with adult food.
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What Should I Feed Kittens
Harrison said it’s important to feed kittens food that’s formulated specifically for kittens when they’re being weaned.
“These formulas have the higher levels of calories, protein and calcium that growing kittens need,” she said.
Kittens require a precise ratio of nutrients to develop into a healthy adult cat. Matejka said: “Nutritional deficiencies can have lifelong, and sometimes deathly effects.”
Below are the three key nutrients a kitten needs for growth, as outlined at the website of VCA, one of North America’s largest animal hospital chains that operates over 1,000 animal hospitals across the U.S. and Canada.
- Protein: The recommended protein range for healthy kitten growth is 35 to 50 percent on a dry matter basis, with at least nine percent of the dry matter being from an animal source. The amount of protein required for kittens is high during the weaning stage, but steadily decreases afterwards.
- Fat: The fat content range for kittens should be from 18 to 35 percent on a dry matter basis.
- Calcium: A kitten’s diet should contain 0.8 to 1.6 percent of calcium on a dry matter basis.
The VCA website says: “You should also avoid foods that produce a urinary pH of less than 6.2.” Your veterinarian can help determine the pH levels of foods you’re looking to feed your kitten.
“Cats are also particular about food texture. It is recommended that kittens be provided with various food textures early in life to not become opposed to certain types of food later,” she said.
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How Do I Transition My Kitten To Adult Food
There are a few things to keep in mind when transitioning your kitten to adult food. The most important thing is to do it slowly, over the course of a few weeks. Start by mixing a small amount of adult food in with their kitten food, and gradually increase the amount of adult food while decreasing the kitten food. Its also important to make sure the food is high quality and has all the nutrients your kitten needs.
Why should you switch to adult cat food? Kittens require a lot of calories in order to grow quickly and produce a large amount of amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. We recommend that you introduce your kitten to new cat food over a seven-day period to avoid digestive upset and allow your kitten to adjust to it. As cats enter adulthood, their metabolism slows down, causing them to become less active. To make the transition as simple as possible, feed your cat the same type of protein. If you were feeding your kitten an all-life stages diet, you could feed it that same diet throughout its adult life.
To reach their full potential, the kitten requires specific nutrients and proteins. Adult cats dont require the same nutrients and proteins as kittens, so feeding them kitten food can be harmful. According to the food label, the food is made for all life stages and is safe to eat by both kittens and adults.
Transitioning Kittens To Solid Food
The weaning process for kittens raised by their mother is a little different than weaning orphaned, bottle-raised kittens. Raising a kitten with a mother cat is easier because the mother cat will help with the weaning and cleaning. When the kitten is around four weeks of age, the mother cat will nurse the kitten less often and the kitten will naturally begin showing interest in solid foods.Orphaned or bottle-raised kittens can be a little more complicated to wean. Cats learn from copying or mimicking their mother. Without the mom there to help, feeding time can get very messy for the pet parent. Weaning should begin around three weeks with bottle-raised kittens because milk replacers are not as nutritionally complete as mothers milk and can cause digestion problems.
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When & How To Switch From Kitten Food To Adult Cat Food
Around your kittens first birthday , its time to switch to an adult cat food.
We recommend transitioning to adult food over a 7- to 10-day period to help avoid any digestive upset. Heres how:
- Days 1-2: Serve 3/4 of the normal amount of kitten food and add 1/4 of the new adult cat food.
- Days 3-4: Serve half kitten food and half adult cat food.
- Days 5-7: Serve 1/4 kitten food and 3/4 adult cat food.
- Days 8-10: Serve only the new adult cat food.
If your cat resists eating the new food, slow the transition and give her more time before you increase the amount of adult food. Consult with your veterinarian for additional tips on making the switch from kitten food to adult cat food.
For more tips and information on kitten nutrition from our experts, see our Pet Expertise page.
What To Feed Kittens To Wean Them
You can start with wet or dry complete kitten food soaked in water or kitten milk. Starting with wet food is a good idea, as kittens will find this easier to eat and it tends to have a stronger smell, which will entice the kittens.
Kittens must have free access to fresh water at all times during weaning. They will need to stay with mom until they are 8 weeks old, so they can supplement feed from her while they get used to eating solid food. Staying with mom during this time is also crucial for their socialization. If they are bottle-fed, you will need to continue with some bottles until they are taking in enough nutrients from the solid food.
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How To Effortlessly Introduce Kittens To Older Cats: 13 Things To Know
Bringing a kitten into the home is a great way to give your older feline a companion to play with, someone they can train and teach things to, and a friend to cuddle up with on cold winter nights, but when it comes to introducing a kitten to an adult cat, this can be stressful for pet owners, and sometimes difficult for the kitten, however, there are several ways to introduce a kitten to an older cat.
The information outlined below mostly applies to kittens that were adopted since older cats know that the mother normally comes around looking for her kittens and that it would be trouble if she caught them in the area so theyll generally avoid all the areas that the kittens may be in.
In other words, older cats will stay away from kittens when their mother is around but how do you avoid the conflict and introduce a kitten without a mother to an older cat in the home?
You must know that adult cats usually have a difficult time accepting any new cat especially when they were the only feline in the household.
Older cats tend to accept kittens more readily when they wouldve had experience being around them in the past.
Here are the steps for introducing your kitten to an older cat and some tips every cat owner should know further below to help make the transition process easier for everyone.
In This Article
When Is The Right Age To Wean A Kitten
At around four weeks old, kittens are ready to begin weaning. Under four weeks of age, kittens are considered neonatal and might not be ready for weaning from their motherâs milk or formula.
When kittens are ready to wean, you may notice that they’ve become more mobile and can stand on their feet while holding up their tail. They’ll also have their canines and incisors at this point and should be exploring their surroundings through play.
If your kitten is unable to stand, play, or focus their eyes, it’s too early to start weaning. At the very earliest, you may begin weaning at three weeks if the kitten shows signs of readiness. Keep a close eye on your kitten to make sure theyâre getting enough food.
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So You Cant Give A Kitten Adult Cat Food
While this answer is highly frowned upon by veterinarians everywhere. Feeding your kitten once in a while or for short periods when necessary of adult cat food is not impossible, and can actually benefit your kitten too. The downside though, is that you can possibly give them too much because theyre going to require higher calories from adult food, but they can also be at risk for vitamin toxification if youre not careful.
The best way to do it is to incorporate something like wet cat food with the dry food in order to give them the most nutrients and calories, as well as crude proteins and fats theyll need in order to truly achieve their success.
Little And Often Are Essential
You should offer meals multiple times a day. Kittens are used to nursing frequently, and their solid food should be provided on a similar schedule at least in the beginning!
You may want to start providing food only once a day. However, after that, you should quickly work up to as many as five times a day. These should be evenly spaced throughout the day.
Expect kittens to eat large amounts at some points and hardly any at others. Thats normal. You want to offer it in case they are hungry and interested.
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Treating For Kitten Fading Syndrome
Fading Kitten Syndrome may be treatable if an underlying cause can be identified in time, but often this is not the case. For example, some bacterial infections can be treated if caught early enough, while some congenital defects such as heart, gastrointestinal, or brain defects may not, especially if the kittens quality of life would be poor.
Treatment includes supportive care while the veterinarian works to identify an underling cause. Supportive care usually includes fluids, dextrose to support blood sugar levels, antimicrobials, nutritional support, oxygen support, and body temperature support.
Im Not Sure How Many Cups Of Dry Food I Should Give My Cat
Typical dry food feeding recommendations are 14 to 1/3 cup each feeding up to approximately eight weeks of age, then 1/3 to 34 cup every meal up to about six months of age. If youre giving her canned food, feed her as much as shell take up until shes four months old, split into three or four daily feedings.
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Introduce Kittens To Older Cats Through Their Scent
This begins the process of a safe and smooth introduction because cats rely heavily on their sense of smell to identify people, objects, and other pets in their environment, so when you provide the scent from each cat to the other one and have it carried through towels, blankets or clothes, this can further solidify their relationship without the presence of the other cat nearby to feel threatened.
Is A Kittens Refusal To Eat Normal
When kittens are sick, they often refuse to eat. Unfortunately, a lengthy number of potential health issues may prevent children from dipping into their meal bowl as often as they should. Your kittens refusal to feed may be caused by anything from a blocked nose to intestinal parasites, constipation, or an upset stomach.
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What Do Cats Eat
Cats eat cat food and kittens eat kitten food. However, not all cat and kitten foods offer the essential nutrients required for healthy growth. When shopping for kitten food, choosing high-quality food is very important. Kittens are growing and need food thats high in protein and other essential nutrients. Trying to figure out which brand to buy can also be overwhelming because of how many options are out there.
The first thing to look for is a statement on the packaging from the Association of American Feed Control Officials . This organization sets the minimum standards for nutritional content in animal food. Look for something on the labeling that states balanced and complete or meets nutritional levels established by the AAFCO.Weaning begins by mixing milk replacer, or water, with soft food to make a gruel. Soft food should be a type that doesnt contain chunks because chunky food makes it more difficult to mix with formula.
What To Feed Kittens
Choosing the right foods for kittens is essential for promoting healthy growth and development. Kittens should have a different diet from adult and senior cats because they have specific nutritional requirements. Providing a nutritious, tailored diet for your kitten will maximize the chances of them developing into a healthy, active adult.
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Adolescence Stage: 6 To 12 Months
As kittens approach adult size, their nutritional requirements begin to change again. Their rate of growth begins to slow, activity levels may decline and they can start eating fewer, larger meals each day. During this stage, kittens begin to look like adults, but they are still growing and need the special nutrition found in kitten food. Continue feeding your adolescent kitten a high-quality kitten food, such as During the adolescent growth stage, many cat owners are tempted to change a kittens food for variety. But cats do not get bored with a consistent diet of high-quality dry food, and giving a kitten human food and table scraps can lead to undesirable behaviors, such as begging or stealing food.
Additionally, feeding homemade diets, food formulated for adult cats or supplementing an already complete and balanced diet with vitamins could cause nutritional disorders. You can, however, supplement your kittens dry food with a nutrient-dense for a nutritious and tasty
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How To Properly Wean Kittens
The best way to switch cat food isnt to just go to the store and buy them a new brand of cat food. Do that, and youre going to put your cat into dietary distress because it will not only often give them diarrhea, but it will be harder for them to digest the food. Therefore, you should try to incorporate buying your new brand of cat food and start off by mixing the two foods together over about a ten-day period .
The way to do this is by mixing the food appropriately to help ease their tummies into being able to handle the adult cat food. For the first couple days, youll want to use about a 20% new food to 80% old food formula, and you can increase in about 5-10% intervals of the new food until you eventually end up feeding your cat nothing but the new food. This will make it a lot easier on your feline friend to digest the food, and it will greatly help your litter box, so it isnt as awful either!
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When To Switch From Kitten Food To Cat Food
Most cats are considered kittens until around 12 months of age. Large breeds, like the Maine Coon, can take 18 months to 2 years to reach maturity, though.
During this period of growth and development, kittens need a complete and balanced kitten food. Once theyve reached adulthood , its time to transition to an adult cat food.
Can Kittens Be Fed Dry Food
The short answer is yes. There are obvious advantages of introducing wet cat food to kittens , however, a quality dry kitten kibble will also cover all the nutritional requirements of kittens.
In the beginning, mixing kitten formula with the dry kibble will soften it, making it easier for kittens to eat.
Some kittens will prefer dry food over wet. Experiment with your kitten to see what he likes. Also try different flavors and textures. You will soon discover the food that your kitten finds irresistible!
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Wondering What You Should Be Feeding Your Kitten
Newborn kittens get all the nutrition they need in the first few weeks from their mothers milk. The weaning process generally starts between the first and second month.
After weaning, kittens should have a wet or dry complete food to ensure they have all the daily nutrition they require.
As they grow, they need to be eating high-quality food made with real animal protein. They require a much higher level of protein than adult cats in order to support healthy growth, and increased energy levels.
The right amount of vitamins and minerals is also vital for rapidly developing digestive and immune systems.
Food should be easy to digest and delicious.
Dry food is an excellent protein-packed choice, especially when its grain-free.