How does one convince a 10 week old kitten that dry cat food is edible? I have tried adding water to the dry kibble, leaving it plain, and she still tries to "bury it". She eats canned food (and cheesies) with no problem, which is the problem as she is a little pig!
If you start a cat out on wet food, they'll of course never want dry food... But I have 2 suggestions for you... Start by mixing dry with wet 50-50...& SLOWLY reduce the wet food.
If that doesn't work, you can buy (or make) a can of chicken broth (UNSALTED) & use the chicken broth full strength, undiluted right from the can or box to wet the dried food.... But as it is with a child, If they get hungry enough, they'll eat! (I bet it's harder for you to watch him miss a meal or 2, than it is for him...)
* Make sure any time you give a cat broth it's UNSALTED because salt is bad for their kidneys. And use care when it comes to TUNA for humans OR tuna cat food... because tuna is LOADED with Mercury, & they are such little creatures, Mercury can easily reek havoc on their tiny systems. I give my cat tuna cat food no more than once a month.
-----> And here's a tip for all you cat lovers out there. Cats can't digest lactose, so everyone will tell you "Don't give milk to cats, It'll give them diarrhea" but the solution is the same for cat's as it is for humans. Lactose Free milk. I buy my cat Lactose Free whole milk. It's available in the grocery store sitting close to the regular milk. (it cost's about twice as much as regular milk) I don't over do it, but for a treat, I give my cat 3 or 4 tablespoons at a time.
Try mixing the dry food with cooked white rice. Most cats love rice and this may get her started on dry food. And here's another reason you shouldn't give cats tuna: most cats lack the enzyme necessary to digest it.
Mix it with the wet food. By the time she finishes the wet food, the dry food will have some of the flavor of both and be softer. Eventually, she will try it. Just like a child - if you keep putting something in front of them without pushing it, they will try it on their own sooner or later.
My husband and I have 5 cats and we have learned that the cats are like our daughters were...each one has their own personality and taste perferences.
Buy some "dry food for kittens" as IF you are giving them adult dry food IT is much too difficult for them to eat.
Remember too that they are just small babies and like our adult babies they require to be fed every 2 to 3 hours...
We have a bag of dry food folded back and sitting in the corner of the kitchen for the babies to eat when they want to right next to their water dish.
*****IF cats only eat dry food their poo-poo will not smell...but when they do eat canned food LOOK OUT FOR A VERY BAD POO-POO SMELL...
Our friend (who is also our vet) told us to never let the cats go more then 72 hours/3 days without eating. IF they do go that long then there is something wrong with them and take them to their vet to be seen immediately.
Always make sure their water is fresh & clean each day & also that their cat box is pooped scooped at least once a day.
Try different kinds of dry kitten foods as they are like us and have different taste too.
Good Luck to you and keep us informed on how your both doing...
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I was at vet on Friday and she said to start dry food. My 9 week old kitty hates it. I put in some regular milk (cap full) and she ate it. This was 6 hours ago, is she going to be sick?
I cant imagine why milk would make your kitten sick. Unless she has an allergy to it, which is pretty uncommon. If she does not like dry cat food, feed canned food. Canned food has all the nutrition of dry food and helps your cat to stay hydrated because it is moist.
I read something on the site about cats not digesting milk, that's why I asked. Kitty did not get sick. I've been feeding her wet food but vet said try dry it's better for their teeth. I got her at three weeks old and as I said I've never had a cat much less a three wk old kitten. We've been winging it from beginning and were both still here, so I'm gaining confidence as a cat owner. Thanks for responding.
My kitten is 12 weeks old. We got him when he was 4 weeks. His mom abandoned him. I bottle fed him KMR, but when we started wet food he wouldn't eat it. I mixed it with the KMR and he was okay with it, but to this day he won't eat wet food or dry food.
We started cooking chicken for him and occasionally giving him tuna. We tried mixing wet with dry, we tried putting tuna juice from can on dry, we tried just dry or just wet. He does not want to eat his food. So he still gets chicken or tuna, but mostly chicken. I know they say to just put some dry out and when he is hungry he will eat, but I'll go 8 hours or more without giving him any chicken and he still doesn't touch the cat food. What should I do.
If your cat will only eat chicken then I would do this:
I have a list of things I use for picky eaters. Some I have learned from Vets and some I just stumbled on.
Number one is all meat baby food in a jar (beef or chicken). Another is Fancy Feast can cat food. A lot of cats will eat this over any other canned food. Hartz Mountain Delectables Bisque is kind of a tuna slurry (at Wallyworld).
Another good one is b.f.f. tuna and beef babycakes in a pouch (higher end pet stores). If your kitty still will only eat chicken and tuna, that is not so bad. Cats are obligate carnivores. Most of the other stuff in canned and dry food is not doing them much good.
You can get cat vitamins on the internet if you feel meat alone isn't good. My 12-year-old cat has eaten only chicken (raw + some skin and bones and eggs) his entire life. I prepare the food from a recipe from my Vet. He is thriving. Good luck
My aunt's cat is in his teenage years, I'm babysitting him while she's in California. It's been four days and all he eats is milk. I have no problem what so ever, but he's super skinny and it makes him get diarrhea which stinks really badly!
I want him to eat dry food, but he eats three little pieces a day and he needs to gain weight! Someone please help its been years since I had a cat and I've tried putting wet food with dry food and he still doesn't eat it!Cat sitting is not always an easy job as cats are usually finicky about things like messing up their routine, being away from familiar things (home), and being away from their owner.
here is an article about giving milk to your cat and the problems it can cause.
www.thespruce.com/
I have these 2 beautiful baby kittens. One is eating dry kitten chow with no problem and the other is still drinking milk. They are 6 weeks old. The one that is drinking milk will not, absolutely will not, eat wet food or dry food.
He just turns his head up. He says nope! I need to know why. The other one doesn't like wet food either, sooo. Eek need assistance.Let the 6 week old nurse a few more weeks. He is telling you he is not ready for solids yet.
6 weeks is a little early for dry food. Some kittens will eat it, but not all. In 2 or 3 more weeks they should be a little more interested. You can try softening a little dry food with milk or water or broth to get them started.
Some years back now I had ginger twins, Simba and Honey. the first evening he was only interested in dry food and she scoffed down all the wet food I put out, plus some dry food. But from the next day he ate anything and everything while Honey insisted on only eating dry food. Both were healthy active cats.
I have had 2 kittens since they were 6 weeks old. I used baby pablum at first as the previous owner suggested for nutrients. Now they are onto dry kitten food mixed with cat milk. It's working, but what I'm wondering is why no one suggested using cat milk to wean the kittens.
They aren't having any issues just some stinky farts at times. I'm planning on giving them straight dry food soon maybe with wet food as they still have small baby teeth.I dont know why. Maybe the mother abandoned the kittens and they couldnt use her milk.
If the previous owner was not experienced in raising kittens then she may have given you bad information. That makes me sad for you and the kittens.
Have you established these babies with a vet yet? Perhaps it is time to get them in, get them checked out, get their vaccines and get a true expert's advice on how to give these fur kids the best possible start!
Prayers that all turns out well for everyone and that you have a lovely history together!
I have a 7 week old kitten and it has no interest in eating kitten food. I've tried dry food, I tried crushing it up.
I've tried wet food and it doesn't want anything, but to keep feeding off its mom. What should I do?Some kittens (and mothers) do not always want to do the weaning process so it is crucial that someone helps them succeed. I always tried putting some wet food on my finger and rubbing it around in their mouth (usually worked to some extent).
I found a couple of really good sites that tell several things to try that may help you through this process.
www.petmd.com/
www.askthecatdoctor.com/
This kitten may still need its mother's milk. 7 weeks is still young.
