4 Month Old Kitten Boogie

[Cat Grrl]

Hi All: Just adopted Boogie and am trying to find food he likes. The foster mom was feeding him Blue Buffalo Healthy Gourmet Kitten Chicken (wet); and Blue Buffalo Kitten Chicken (dry).

Boogie does not really like the wet food and just nibbles it, leaves most of it. He is lukewarm on the dry food as well, though he will eat it, since I am free feeding him with the dry food. He has water available at all times. I am “serving” him wet food 3-4 times/day.

He would rather eat the 2 yo cat, Purry’s food, which is Blue Buffalo True Solutions Digestive care, not meant for kittens.

Does anyone know of a delicious and nutritious wet kitten food that has been given “paws up” from their kittens?

 

[Flybynight]

Hi,
Gorgeous kitten
I would stop free feeding dry. If dry is available all the time he is less likely to be interested in wet. Wet food is better than dry.
He may be interested in your other cats food as it is different. Does Blue Buffalo have another kitten food flavor? Cats can become bored of the same food/flavor.
This is a good brand:
Kitten | Paw Lickin' Kitten Variety Pack - Weruva | Because We Luvya

 

[TardisDance]

I’ve heard the exact opposite in that it’s best to free feed kittens until at least 1 years old since they need a ton of calories to grow and develop. Have you tried Fancy Feast pates?

 

[Flybynight]

TardisDance

Free feed dry food - no.

When my cat was a kitten, I fed multiple meals of wet food per day 4-5.
Granted our schedule allowed one of us to be home more for feedings. But automatic feeders are also an option.

I don't feed dry but if someone will feed dry it should be the smallest part of the diet not the largest, especially for a male cat.
Dry leads to weight gain, diabetes and also can contribute to bladder issues in males.

For cats, I believe start as you mean to go on. Best to avoid having a cat hooked on dry that you may want to for health reasons wean off dry later.

 

[tabbytom]

He would rather eat the 2 yo cat, Purry’s food, which is Blue Buffalo True Solutions Digestive care, not meant for kittens.

You can get food meant for kittens as they are formulated for their growth. At 4 moths old, he is still very much a kitten. Best is to feed him wet food as wet food is full of proteins and minerals that will aid in his growing up year. Feed him 4 - 5 times a day and feed him as much as he can eat at one sitting. Kittens eats lots as they burn off calories very quickly.

His adult teeth will all be in by his 7 month and at that time till he goes into adulthood, he'll go through a phase called 'Growth Spurt'. During this period, he'll tend too eat more than usual and his food intake will taper off after a few months after he passed his one year old.

If he's not eating the food you are giving him, you may also get food that is labeled 'For All Life Stages'. With this you can feed feed from now till he's an adult and you don't have too switch him over to adult food.

My boy is on wet food labeled 'For All Life Stages' since his rescue at 3 weeks old till now and he's already 6 years old.

BTW, Boogie is a very cute boy!

 

[TardisDance]

F FlyAwayBirdie yes, certainly wet is better, but if dry is all they are willing to eat, then it's better than starving the kitten. Ultimately, the best food is what your cat is willing to eat. There are low carb dry foods out there, i.e. I feed my cats Dr. Elsey's. It sounds like the adult cat is being free fed dry. Other than investing in a microchip feeder, it’s going to be difficult to police unless OP stops free feeding the adult cat. This of course is easier said than done (I have tried many, many times with my skinny kibble loving girl).

I would keep trying with the grocery store brands for wet food. There’s a reason why they are so popular. Pates are better because the gravies contain a bunch of carbs. There’s also smaller portion foods for cats that hate leftovers like Sheba Perfect Portions.

 

[ClumsyBear]

My kitten isn't picky, but he also isn't that interested in food. I try to rotate his wet food to different flavours every other day. I also mix brands. I can tell after 2-3 days of the same wet food, he's not so interested in it. But switching him up really catches his attention.

 

[Flybynight]

Agree, with ClumsyBear to feed a rotation of wet foods. Go slowly with a kitten though.