Hi
I have got a 7 week old kitten and had him since Friday (just gone).
He has settled in really well & is already best of friends with my collie.
However, today he does not seem to have eaten very much at all - I am feeding kitten pouches and kitten bisc meal (he is very skinny..). He has toiletted today, so I am not worried too much at this stage about dehydration but I am concerned that he seems off his food.
He is quite sleepy too - but he does have very active periods throughout the day. He is currently sleeping and has been for about an hour and a half.....
Is it normal for a kitten to suddenly go off his feed??

Well really he is much too young to be away from mum. At the moment he should still have mum to feed from.

is there any chance he can go back to his mother. he shouldnt have left before 12 weeks

Really, no a kitten should not be going off his food.

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If he is sleepy and lethargic and off his food then I think he should see a vet as they can go down hill very quickly at that age.

Thanks for replying - I am pleased to say that Louii has woken up and eaten and toileted!! Guess he was just tired!!
Contrary to what you say about him being too young to have left his mother, my vet told me 8 weeks is normal and as long as he is weaned & toileting (which he is) all is well & he is almost 8 weeks anyway.....

The vet said at eight weeks! THATS THE VERY MINIMUM! You took him at 7 weeks! and believe it or not... that one weeks difference is ALLOT to a kitten.
A good breeder or a responsible pet owner would never have let you take a kitten at that age anyway. It is VITAL to a kitten to spend every day possible with it's littermates and mother. I am not a breeder of cats but I just thought this was common knowledge...
I know I sound really harsh and abrupt. But there are so many kittens out there being sold or given away too early and end up with problems etc...
so that's what I'm concerned about.

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Our little furry family:

Dobby- Male CC Powderpuff puppy.
Maisey- Female grey & white fancy rat.
Lillian- Female albino, seal point fancy rat.

8 weeks is much too young. Vets sadly know very little about this.

And 7 weeks really isnt 'nearly 8 weeks' when you consider its 1/8th of their lifespan so far...

12 weeks is optimum as it allows for maximum socialisation and vaccinations...

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It is correct that 7 weeks is not the optimal age to be taking a kitten from its mother however you have done so through no fault of your own and poor advice from a vet (sadly, they don't all know what is best).

The ideal thing to do, would be to introduce your kitten back to the mother so it can develop properly and not have any after effects in life. If the person you got your kitten from would agree to do this until 12 weeks of age, I am more than sure you'll have an even healthier kitten in your home when that time comes.

I do however, understand how this may sadly, not be possible to do so. Therefore, my advice would be to keep a close eye on your kitten and if at any point you feel worried that he "doesn't seem right" - get him to a vet straight away (although I would suggest a different one than the one that told you 8 weeks was fine). A good vet would do a full health check and see if he is underweight or malnourished and then advise you on how to care for him properly in order to make him healthy and happy

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Birman lover
Proud owner of Bella.

Ok I posted on here for advise but feel I am being slated.....
I am NOT new to cat / kitten ownership by any means and have previously owned 3 cats all joining us at around 7-8 weeks with no problems.
Unfortunately some breeders do let their kittens go too early, I know that and some kittens need extra care & time to develop with their mother but when a kitten is weaned and confident they are ready to leave their mum.
Incidently, I just researched and came across this:
QUOTE"Advice on age Kittens can Leave their Mother


Q: A friend has very kindly offered us one ( or two) of his kittens. He is hoping that I will be able to take them when they are 4 weeks old ( they are now two weeks). Is this possible, will they survive and what should I be feeding them? I have some experience of very tiny kittens having worked in a rescue centre some years ago. hope you can help. Many thanks, Emma.


A: You probably know yourself that four weeks is really too young to separate kittens from their mother. It is possible to rear them from this age if the mother dies, for example, but it is a lot of work and does not give the kittens the best start. I would not encourage this at all - perhaps you could advise your friend to let the kittens stay with their mother until they are six weeks old as this would be much safer for them. Hazel Johnston MRCVS (Vet for PetPlanet)

There is conflicting advise as to what age a kit should leave its parent and if I felt this kitten was NOT ready to leave I would have been the first to say!

Not sure how you were attacked when all we said was can he go back to mum to have a better start? Younger kittens are much more of a worry when it comes to lethargy and being off food... They aren't vaccinated and havent had chance to get their strength up.

Sorry but trying to back up bad advice with utterly dangerous advice doesnt help. 4 weeks, unless abandoned, is abusive to remove from its perfectly fine mother. 6 weeks is not much better.

These 'breeders' you speak of are sadly people who just let their cats get knocked up for profit. A proper breeder will not let their kittens go at that age as they understand the reasons it needs to stay.

Anyway as greyhare said, if this kittens looks off at any point, it needs to go to a vet.

Sadly weaning and 'confidence' are just one of the things a kitten needs. It needs time with its mum and siblings to learn how to be a cat.

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We'll speak our minds if it helps inform people about things that may be detremental to an animals wellbeing.
This is what people do here... people ask questions, people awnser those questions and people inform others.
We're not having ago at you personally, but we can't just say nothing atall when a kittens been seperated too early (in the eyes of people who breed proffesionally and who take pride in their standards).
I'm sorry if you feel victimized... that's not our goal.
But our main concern is the animal.

I wish you good luck with your littlun.

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Our little furry family:

Dobby- Male CC Powderpuff puppy.
Maisey- Female grey & white fancy rat.
Lillian- Female albino, seal point fancy rat.