Tips for feeding a 4mth old kitten who won’t eat, please.

SueDonim

I don’t think any of my own babies ever put on 200g a week, Callistemon!

She’s now not eating the Untamed food I mentioned last night. 😩 Her brother will gobble it all up, though, so it won’t be wasted. I don’t mind if she only eats kibble, that’s all our previous cats ate and it’s less messy, but it was her thinness that worried me. She’s definitely filling out more now. 👍

The others didn't SueDonim!
He was always hungry (and a skinny child).

I don’t think any of my own babies ever put on 200g a week, Callistemon!

She’s now not eating the Untamed food I mentioned last night. 😩 Her brother will gobble it all up, though, so it won’t be wasted. I don’t mind if she only eats kibble, that’s all our previous cats ate and it’s less messy, but it was her thinness that worried me. She’s definitely filling out more now. 👍

Oh well done SueDonim- maybe she was just a slow starter! Keep up the good work.Maybe she just prefers dry food- my late friend had about 5 cats who all just loved the dry food.

We have a cat who is nearly 17 and he has always been a fussy eater- he likes things for about 3wks then 'goes off' them so i try something else or retry one he has liked before- he seems to like the variety- but i noticed as he's got older he doesnt seem as keen on ones he ate previously, duck, tuna, he's gone off a bit- so i try to get packs with mixed varieties-eg. duck& chicken, tuna & lamb which he will have some of. I usually try get him the better ones- Iams wet foods or suchlike, but occasionally he likes whiskas or felix, he didnt even like fish at all till we took in a stray cat for a while( he must have told him what he's missing😆) and he has never liked beef! Try a different cat soup on your kitten as ours likes the chicken varieties but not the fishy one.He likes the catmilk, maybe your kitten needs tiny amounts to get used to it first? Just keep offering some.Also sometimes the type of bowl/plate is the problem. I used to use disposable small dishes for our cat as he liked them- but once got paper ones and he wouldnt touch his food! Now he prefers a small tray (like plastic takeaway containers, washed& well rinsed out) as he likes extra room it gives him. He's very fussy i think but we love him so it does'nt matter.

Glad to hear this SueDonim. 😺

That's nearly half a pound! Well done.

More than my babies put on in a week (well, one did, but he was always hungry).

Just an update to say the kitten has put on 200g this week - more than her brother! She’s still not eating much wet food but tucks into the Hills Kitten kibble. I’ve just had a delivery of Untamed cat food, and with a bit of persuasion she ate all that.

I’m a lot less worried now.

We've never had a problem with our 2 dogs as we just put kibble down all day 8am till 8pm and they help themselves. Refilled bowl if they empty it. Funnily enough they both eat twice a day - their choice, and both ideal weight too. You could try this for the kitten.

Clever little kitty - could it be she is simply training you? Could not resist, but I really would not worry too much, if the vet says she is healthy, that is the main thing. I remember having a kitten that would not eat once and we sprinkled small amounts of Kelp (powdered seaweed extract) onto her food,worked a treat

I have had a cat now aged two. He has always been a poor eater and I worried about him but he is heavy to lift up and the vet says he is healthy. Does she eat dried foods?

I had a foster kitten who wouldn’t eat so we warmed some sardines in the microwave and this worked ! It was the smell that got her to eat.

My sister’s cat was like this. Refusing to eat and going off food until she found out about whisker fatigue. You can actually buy whisker fatigue bowls to stop their whiskers being over stimulated while they eat.

My Mum was given a week’s supply of Wiskas fo r a survey and this resulted in her cat refusing to eat anything else but . My small dog had to hand fed for a few years - otherwise he didn’t eat. Then, on a whim, I decided to put his food and water on a tray in the sitting room or in the dining room - wherever I was at his feeding time. After that - no problems. It may have been a case of FOMO- the vet said. Have go.

I once had a cat who would only eat tinned tuna. Nothing else (except mice!). She was born to a stray in my home who gave birth on the day she arrived (of course we kept her and her kittens) but she would never eat cat food, unlike all the others. She was healthy but fussy (and lovely).

My current rescue dog refuses everything but freshly cooked meat. I tried only feeding her various kinds of tinned and dry food, from the most expensive which previous dogs loved to cheaper stuff, but she absolutely wouldn’t touch any of them. As you say your fussy kitten is interested in your chicken - you may have to bite the bullet, as I have, feed her chicken and ask your vet about any necessary supplements to ensure she has all the nutrients she needs.

Our adult cat had an ulcerated tongue - he spent quite a while on Royal canine kitten food - it was the only thing he could eat (always been a very fussy eater) and he thrived on it - quite expensive though. Hope your little kitty soon gains some weight

I was going to suggest baby cereal as well, mixed with the kitten milk. When I had babies 50 years ago it was called Farex and was mixed with formula, and a couple of other yummy ones which I used to polish off if the baby didn't eat it all. Luckily my cats are good eaters but my tiny maltese/schitzu is a different story. What he will eat one day, he won't even look at the next. Each day is a challenge.

She's been to the vet and all is fine now.

SueDonim said:
Thanks for all your thoughts everyone, it’s been very kind of you.

I have twice raised a kitten. If I wanted them to have something specific (like meds dissolved in kittenmilk) I would rub it on their front paws and then they would lick every drop of it 😊

RTFT Chino

Try raw minced beef, hand feeding her a bit at a time

RTFT, Gundy.

did she come directly from Mum to you?
ask what the breeder or the person having her before you fed and then mix the feeds or mix in a bit of kitten milk replacer in with the food.
We found some kittens by the side of the road and bottle feeding them first had a problem with one not wanting to switch over to other food.
I found that the Royal Canine kitten food stage 1 was always their preferred food.

Gundy

Please get her to a veterinarian ASAP! They may be able to diagnose what may be wrong.

It’s probably the food you are giving her - you’ve given her too many varieties (that she may not be ready for). She should be on ONE kitten kibble then gradually introduce her to a second (for variety). She’ll be on a kitten formula for the first year.

Don’t let her starve! Good luck 🍀

Gundy if you read back, the kitten was seen by the vet a couple of days ago.

Please get her to a veterinarian ASAP! They may be able to diagnose what may be wrong.

It’s probably the food you are giving her - you’ve given her too many varieties (that she may not be ready for). She should be on ONE kitten kibble then gradually introduce her to a second (for variety). She’ll be on a kitten formula for the first year.

Don’t let her starve! Good luck 🍀

It's not a good idea to feed a cat too much fish, apparently it causes quite serious conditions which can be fatal. My vet suggests no more than once a week for fish products, That being said most cats do like fish. My own cat was an abandoned kitten that I took on at 6 weeks old and he won't eat any wet food except Purina Mon Petit Gourmet in the red box.