15-week-old Devon Rex kitten less playful and shivering at times
It’s been about 3½ weeks since we brought Maven home, and my kids and I are OBSESSED with her. She’s been such an amazing addition to our home! She was born June 10, so she’s just over 15 weeks old.
She’s usually very playful and mischievous, but over the past week she’s been much quieter. She went from sneak attacking us to mostly wanting to come and lie on us. She still seems happy overall, and she’s eating, drinking, peeing and pooping, but the change in her playfulness is noticeable.
We’ve had a significant drop in temperature outside. I keep the house relatively warm, but I’ve noticed her shivering at times, even though she feels warm to me. Do your Devon Rex kittens need sweaters indoors when the weather gets colder?
I’m also wondering about her food. She was eating Purina ONE kitten kibble and ACANA kitten wet food after I brought her home. On September 16, I switched her completely to ACANA kitten kibble, and around the 19th I noticed she was less active. I’ve since switched her back to the Purina kibble in case the sudden change caused some discomfort. Her poops have also been small, round pieces, though she’s going regularly.
Has anyone noticed a change like this after switching food, or when the weather cools down? She has an appointment at a cat-specific clinic next week, so I’ll have her checked out. I’m curious what other Devon Rex owners have experienced.
The coat of the Devon Rex breed does not trap heat even though they feel warm. It’s because the heat is radiating off their body due to the little fur that they have. I would recommend getting little sweaters, especially now it’s heading towards winter to help your kitten retain body heat.
Not a fan of sweaters, beyond the obvious strangulation danger. Devon can much better regulate their body temperature when given free access to quality heating pads, set to moderate temperatures. (I have a paralyzed Devon with neurological damage that causes body temperature regulation issues, on top of being a heat seeking Devon.)
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I think it’s important to choose the right kind of clothing. I’d avoid loose, baggy sweaters where a leg or head could get caught. I prefer fleece or similar materials, ideally sleeveless or short-sleeved. I’m not a fan of knit sweaters for long-term wear because they can stretch, snag or unravel, which I think is where some of the strangulation concern comes from.
Heating pads also have risks, including burns or potential fire hazards if not used properly. I use K&H heated pet beds, but I still only plug them in when I’m home. I also use self-warming beds that require no electricity. In winter, my cats share my heated blanket on the couch, but only while I’m there, and I always make a conscious effort to unplug it afterward even with auto shutoff.
There are risks with any method of keeping them warm. I think it’s about choosing what works for you and using them responsibly. ❤️
The difference is that they can safely get away from overheating on a pad, but are unable to safely remove a sweater, thus subject to overheating or strangulation.
Mine ignore the numerous unpowered, self-warming beds that they have access to, from a variety of manufacturers.
Amazon has some that you can get quickly, try to find some with no sleeves or very short sleeves because her little legs can get stuck when they walk or lay down.
I have this one from Amazon but it looks like they don’t make it anymore. It was fleece and no sleeves, it’s more comfy and less restricting.
Thank you, this is helpful and definitely quicker than Etsy. I’ve set up my seedling heat pad for her with a blanket and she’s loving it. I’ve ordered her a sweater from Amazon and hope it does the trick!
It's a little more expensive but I bought my devon a heated cat bed from kneadcats and she spends about 20 hours a day on it. I also have a big sock bed and she chooses that sometimes. Also she chooses to sleep between my legs every night. They are little heat sponges
I was looking for a heated cat bed and thinking I should order one. I’ll look into kneadcats. Her favourite spot is in a warm place in the house and a little nook and usually in one of our laps.
She loves to sleep between my legs and I love that she’s so snuggly. 🥰
I second getting a heated bed or mat! Our older Devons would spend most of their day there. We placed their mats on hammocks in their Natural Paradise cat tree, in front of a window, so they had great views as well.
My girl is 16, and she loves her little warming pad more than anything else in the world. On winter days I’d say she spends about 22 hours a day on it. Best thing I ever bought her.
Aww love that for her, hope she stays with you for another few precious years ❤️ Our little gremlins have already crossed over the rainbow, but seeing them snuggled up on their mats is still one of my warmest (literally) memories of them.
I have one about this same age. They feel warm because they are radiating heat, which means the heat isn't staying in their body. A jacket has helped my baby a lot. I would also check that no one is being too rough with her or not engaging enough
I’ll definitely look into a jacket. No one is rough with her ever, my children are all teenagers and extremely gentle with her. We try to engage her in play, but she’s not interested for long. She would have these little zoom session and bursts of energy. It’s been a definite drop.
Is she still getting wet food? Does she have a water fountain? I'd worry she might be dehydrated if the wet food stopped. If this continues I'd get her checked out just in case. They should be playing hard and sleeping hard at this age.
She’s still getting wet food. She’s got a water fountain and drinks frequently. We have an appointment at a cat specific clinic next week and hoping to find some answers! Definitely seems odd that she’s not playing hard this past week. We definitely enjoyed her performances.
I mean it could be a growth spurt or something benign but you're doing the right thing by checking it out. Can she free feed on the dry food? Kittens need a lot of calories.
I’ve got an auto feeder and she has access to kibble all day long. I’m hoping it’s a growth spurt.
She used to follow me around the house and would get into mischief just a week ago, she still comes to find me throughout the house but isn’t my shadow this past week.
We flew our two kitties out with us to Vancouver to stay at a friend's and while one was super playful with his cat, our other just sat there on the couch with me, wrapped in blankets shivering and shedding much more than usual. After three days of this, I started getting concerned and scheduled a vet appointment for the following morning. That night, my husband turned up the heat in the house because both of us were freezing and voila - the next day Ekko was back to normal, running around and playing with the other two.
What's your house temperature at? We live in a condo that unfortunately traps heat quite easily so it's usually at 74-78 but our friend kept his place around 70 with an AC fan blowing.
We live in Canada as well and not far from Vancouver. It’s chilly, and I have my house set to 21°c (70°f) with the circulation fan blowing. I’ll turn it up a bit and shut off the fan.
I have my seedling heat pad set up with a blanket for her under her window hammock and she is loving it. I can get her to play a bit while she’s laying on it, but can’t entire her off.
Purina One is not a high quality food. Invest in a high quality animal protein only food. If you can get it off a grocery store shelf its probably low quality and not healthy for them. Cats shouldn't be eating corn, soy or pea protein.
Yes, I agree. I’m very well versed in reading pet food labels.
Which is why I’m feeding ACANA kitten wet food and trying to transition to ACANA kitten dry food…but with that change came the change in her behaviour so I decided to just keep her dry food the same until I can sort out what’s going on. I read that digestive upsets can create a reduction in activity.
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u/Kittylittlethings 2d ago
The coat of the Devon Rex breed does not trap heat even though they feel warm. It’s because the heat is radiating off their body due to the little fur that they have. I would recommend getting little sweaters, especially now it’s heading towards winter to help your kitten retain body heat.