new kitten questions

[gabybe]

Hi everyone
i have a new kitten, my first Maine coon - he is called Binksy and is 13 weeks old and gorgeous but i am worried about him - i got him 3 days ago and he seems to have settled well, he eats drinks and uses his litter tray appropriately BUT he sleeps all the time and never wants to play - can this be normal at his age shouldnt he be running about driving me insane LOL - he has the usual fat tummy but i can feel all his little bones - he looked the same as his brothers and sisters although i didnt pick any of the other up. He has been wormed a few weeks ago and has 2 vaccs although not leukemia yet
thanks in advance for your help

[Howlinbob]

Hi there, firstly congratulations on your new babe! Love his name, too!

I don't think his behaviour is cause for alarm at this stage - he has only been with you a very short while and is probably missing his littermates. All kittens are different and some take a little longer to adjust. Do you have any other pets, as this may make him even more withdrawn at first. As he is eating, drinking and using his tray, I think he is just shy and needs to build up his confidence. Spend lots of time with him and try and get him to play with you - see if you can find out what his favourite toy is, mouse, string, ball, newspaper. Sooner or later I'm sure you'll get a spark and he'll be off and annoying the socks off you. When he sleeps, get him on your lap. It all helps with the bonding. Give him loads of time. But if he does stop eating, drinking or using the tray properly, take him to the vet.

PS - pictures, please, we love to see pictures! xxx

[Liz0405]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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