11 week old kitten wants to be hand fed.

Ak423

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My kitten had a fever and needed antibiotics (clavamox). It's been almost 2 full weeks since his last dose and he still refuses to eat out of a bowl or plate. I've tried several different foods, different plates and bowls, different dish soap, the floor, using his regular dish that has his dry food, a piece of clean cardboard, and warming his food. He seems really interested in it if i put his paws in it, he even traces his steps and licks the floor, but he will only eat if it's in my hand. While he was on the antibiotics, he didn't want his food. I could only get him to drink kmr and he'd sometimes (rarely) eat his dry kitten food mixed in with it. But now, even offering him the kmr, he will only lick it off my finger. Nothing in the house or neighborhood is different. The only thing I can think is he got used to being babied while he was sick. He eats every 6 to 7 hours. I've tried feeding him again in an hour, then again the next hour, and even gone as far as making him wait until his next feeding time, unless he showed signs of being hungry sooner but even then he only eats out of my hand. How do I change this behavior or what else can I try?
 

FeebysOwner

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Hi. Are you saying he will eat dry food from a dish? If so, perhaps you can add just a tad bit of wet food to the dry, and continue to add more as appropriate. If not, I can only suggest to try placing some of the food on a popsicle stick or tongue depressor (in lieu of your hand) and see if he will eat it that way, or perhaps a spoon. It will be a long arduous process, but if either work, you can then try to place the popsicle stick or spoon on a flat plate, perhaps even setting it on your lap to begin with - or how ever best mimics your nearness to him now. From there, start adding more food onto and around the stick or spoon and see if you can get him to transition to the plate.

I know you tried a piece of clean cardboard, but maybe try a small paper plate instead. I have no idea why this works, but have heard many stories about its success.

Hopefully other members will come along soon and offer you better tips!
 

gilmargl

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At 11 weeks old he should theoretically still be with his mother. His illness would have also put him back a couple of weeks. The fact that he only eats from your hand is probably a symptom of his condition and not the problem. At the moment, he needs just a bit more mothering. Accept that he needs you to feed him and, before you know it, he will get his appetite back and eat from his dish. Try giving him some baby food - perhaps chicken (without salt), early-stage kitten food or buy something from your vet for convalescing cats. (Here we have "Recovery" and "ReConvales". This may seem expensive but you won't need more than one tin or glass for a kitten. As soon as he feels better, he'll eat normally.

After a serious road accident, my adult cat couldn't swallow. Although four weeks later, she appeared somewhat better and the vet said she should be eating normally, she still only fed from my hand. We kept feeding her by hand and another four weeks later she was eating from her dish and started to put on weight.

Just be patient! Good luck - I know that feeding by hand is a messy job!
 

di and bob

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I think so too, that he is still not feeling well and will eat normally in time. Some illnesses take a long time to recover from, but if he goes another week, I would take him back to the vet and see if maybe the antibiotic he had was not the right one for his particular bacteria. Sometimes they need a steroid injection too, to take care of things. If it is a virus, an antibiotic will not work at all, and it may be just running it's course. I would try to get as much KMR or goat's milk into him as I could, that should keep him going until he feels well again.
 
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Ak423

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An update: He is doing a lot better now and is starting to eat more from paper plates, thank you FeebysOwner for the recommendation. He's also acting more like he was before he got sick and boy is he a handful, he's got a stash of socks around here somewhere. Thank you to everyone for the advice and kind words. I greatly appreciate it!!
 
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