new kitten isn't 100% healthy.....

[jeanswithatwist]

collected new kitten yesterday (around 4 months old). took her to the vet as a precaution being a cautious fellow. Turns out vet said she has conjunctivitus in both eyes (one more than the other) and a bit of a cold . So we are giving her eye drops and will go back again in a week (she has been vacinated against cat flu, fortunately). Vet was mortified when i told him the diet she had been on. She is so used to eating inappropriate food that we are finding it really hard to get her to eat regular cat/kitten food, so have to work really hard to wean her off the other stuff and find her something that she will eat. dd and i have just been shopping and bought LOADS of different tins of food, all recommended by the vet (he also has a cat!). bit fed up really, could have been a million times worse but still a little worried. He thought she seemed find overall ie heart sounded fine, ears/teeth/coat good

[Crossfitmyarse]

What on earth was she being fed on?

[jeanswithatwist]

bottled water, t bone steak, cheese, bisto gravy to name but a few (plus some adult wiskers although i have tried her with that and barely touches it) although i have just given her her first helping of dried (cat food) chicken moistened a little with water, she seemed to really like it. i am thrilled, really

[bonzo77]

My cat arrived like that. Especially the eyes. The eyes became a recurrent issue. Vet said it was probably a herpes virus which would lie dormant and flare up throughout her life. We could get her tested and treated but would be £££. In the end we left it, wiped her eyes with cooled boiled water and the problem has been gone since she was around 18 months (now aged nearly 5).

[notapizzaeater]

My kitten came with cat flu she wouldn't eat any food as she couldn't smell it properly. The vet suggested we warmed it in the microwave to make it smell "better"

[shaska]

It's bisto kitten!

It sounds like you're doing your best, and I'm sure she'll come round. I had a half persian who lived 18 years on nothing but raw offal and the absolute cheapest, worst quality cat biscuits as that was all she'd eat, so I think they can be fussy. But you do need to get her off the bisto...

The moistened dry food sounds like progress, and don't worry if she turns up her nose at other things. One thing I would say is don't feed her anything you're not prepared to keep feeding her, if you know what I mean! That's how I ended up chopping hearts and kidneys every day for my entire youth...

[jeanswithatwist]

some great tips thanks. shaska i never gave her bisto....breeder did although i am little partial myself.. i admire your routine of food preparation for your cat in the past, i can't see myself doing that though tbh, more of a tin/packet opener

[shaska]

Oh I'm sorry, no I didn't mean to imply you did, I just remembered you posting on an earlier thread about the breeder giving her bisto and it tickled me. Especially with her colouring, imagine the gravy stains!