You have a beautiful litter of kittens. Unfortunately, one just is not growing or maybe even acting normally. Is there anything that you can do if your kitten is failing to thrive?

First, get the kitten wormed. Internal parasites can use up most of the nutrition that is taken in and stunt the cat’s growth. More than one round of worming may be needed if the infestation is severe.

Next, give extra nutrition to the kitten. Giving Kitten Milk Replacer (KMR) is a great way to get some extra calories into the little feline. You may have to use a kitten bottle or medicine dropper if the animal is unable to drink on their own.

Canned kitten food has more calories and is good for supplementing dry food and/or mama’s milk, assuming the kitten is old enough to eat it. Be sure to use a high-quality brand to get the most value. Also, ask your vet for vitamin formulations that can help give kitty energy and additional nutrients. You may have to assist the kitten by putting little bits of food into her mouth.

If there are several siblings in the litter, allow the little one some time alone with mama cat if she is still producing milk or provide food separately from the other kittens. Sometimes the weaker animals get pushed away from mama or the food bowl by more aggressive littermates and need you to intervene so they get the opportunity to eat, too.

Make sure that the kitten’s area is warm. Some will not do well if the home is kept too cold. Provide a blanket or bed for snuggling up in.

Unfortunately, about one in five kittens does not live to adulthood. Many of these have internal issues that are not survivable. However, the above methods have saved some kittens that just were not doing well for unknown reasons.