6 week old kitten not eating/diarrhea

[mushroomsoup]

I’ve had this kitten since he was around 2 weeks old and he used to eat from the bottle perfectly fine. Recently he has been chewing on the bottle nipple and not sucking at all - just chewing and clawing at the bottle like crazy. I keep seeing that this is a sign that he is ready to start eating wet food, but he refuses that too.
I have tried mixing the kitten wet food with milk, water, plain, on my finger - he will refuse to even let me rub some on his mouth. I also got some chicken baby food and the first time he tried it, he licked some off my finger and from the lid. He has refused to try it since, and struggles when I try to rub some on his mouth to get him to taste it again. I‘ve also tried the turkey and beef baby food, which he also is not interested in.

I‘ve been mixing some kitten food into his bottle and he would eat it fine, but now he won’t even properly suckle from the bottle (just chews on bottle before giving up.) I’ve also tried multiple nipples with different sized holes and different ratios of milk:wetfood, but he bites regardless of the flow or mixture.

Looking for suggestions on how to get him to eat again

 

[jefferd18]

,He is gaining weight and otherwise acting like a normal healthy kitten?

I ask this because I too had a similar problem with a little one that was the age of your kitten last summer. She was the runt of the litter and wouldn't nurse from her mother like her siblings did. Yet she was bright eyed, very curious about her surroundings and could follow the movement of my finger as I slowly wagged it back and forth in front of her. However it bothered me that she always cried like she was hungry but then would never attempt to nurse or eat any of the food I put out.
I tried to give her some warmed up formula and the first time she took it just fine, the second time she fought me like a tiger. I finally took her to my vet and he weighed her and said there were no red flags and that she was probably eating the wet food when I wasn't looking. She was not starving. She was at an age where exploring had taken over eating.

 

[vince]

You might try putting out a dish of dry food for him to graze on if he gets hungry. Sometimes little ones will eat odd things when experimenting on what to eat. Dry food gives him an alternative and it can always be there if needed. He's not trying to eat cat litter, is he?

 

[mushroomsoup]

,He is gaining weight and otherwise acting like a normal healthy kitten?

I ask this because I too had a similar problem with a little one that was the age of your kitten last summer. She was the runt of the litter and wouldn't nurse from her mother like her siblings did. Yet she was bright eyed, very curious about her surroundings and could follow the movement of my finger as I slowly wagged it back and forth in front of her. However it bothered me that she always cried like she was hungry but then would never attempt to nurse or eat any of the food I put out.
I tried to give her some warmed up formula and the first time she took it just fine, the second time she fought me like a tiger. I finally took her to my vet and he weighed her and said there were no red flags and that she was probably eating the wet food when I wasn't looking. She was not starving. She was at an age where exploring had taken over eating.

Yes he is gaining well! He is very energetic and runs super fast. Loves to play and explore, just doesn’t want to try the food : ( He was found alone and the mom had passed away, so I don’t have any siblings to compare him too. I also don’t have any food left out though, so he isn’t sneaking it.

 

[mushroomsoup]

You might try putting out a dish of dry food for him to graze on if he gets hungry. Sometimes little ones will eat odd things when experimenting on what to eat. Dry food gives him an alternative and it can always be there if needed. He's not trying to eat cat litter, is he?

I will try leaving the dry food out for him, but any time I showed him before he had no interest. Do you have a brand you recommend? He isn’t eating litter, thankfully. I’m with him all day and have never seen him even give it a taste.

 

[jefferd18]

Yes he is gaining well! He is very energetic and runs super fast. Loves to play and explore, just doesn’t want to try the food : ( He was found alone and the mom had passed away, so I don’t have any siblings to compare him too. I also don’t have any food left out though, so he isn’t sneaking it.

First of all, thank you for taking him in and caring for him. Summer kittens have it rough with there being so many coming into this world during the warm months. My own vet is eighty cats over his capacity right now. If you hadn't come along and took him in I would hate to think what would have happened to that little guy. Thank you.

The world is a new and exciting place for him right now. Can you leave some wet food out for him?

 

[jefferd18]

I will try leaving the dry food out for him, but any time I showed him before he had no interest. Do you have a brand you recommend? He isn’t eating litter, thankfully. I’m with him all day and have never seen him even give it a taste.

Kittens don't have the best sense of smell, so the smellier the food, the better. I would leave both dry and wet food out for him. He's at an age where he wants to play and explore, so try letting him eat on his own timeline.

 

[mushroomsoup]

,He is gaining weight and otherwise acting like a normal healthy kitten?

I ask this because I too had a similar problem with a little one that was the age of your kitten last summer. She was the runt of the litter and wouldn't nurse from her mother like her siblings did. Yet she was bright eyed, very curious about her surroundings and could follow the movement of my finger as I slowly wagged it back and forth in front of her. However it bothered me that she always cried like she was hungry but then would never attempt to nurse or eat any of the food I put out.
I tried to give her some warmed up formula and the first time she took it just fine, the second time she fought me like a tiger. I finally took her to my vet and he weighed her and said there were no red flags and that she was probably eating the wet food when I wasn't looking. She was not starving. She was at an age where exploring had taken over eating.

Also I forgot to mention, he will get some KMR+wet food mix down but not after a struggle of him chewing and having to take multiple breaks and him eating a bit at a time. That is why he is still gaining, it is just very frustrating (I think for the both of us.) Every feeding he chews more and more at bottle and it gets harder and harder to feed him. Just wish he would try the food more if he wanted to chew somethin that bad haha!

 

[mushroomsoup]

Kittens don't have the best sense of smell, so the smellier the food, the better. I would leave both dry and wet food out for him. He's at an age where he wants to play and explore, so try letting him eat on his own timeline.

Do I not have to worry about the wet food going bad after sitting out? I try giving him smelly food and he won’t give it a whiff most of the time. Do you have a specific recommendation of what to try?

 

[jefferd18]

Also I forgot to mention, he will get some KMR+wet food mix down but not after a struggle of him chewing and having to take multiple breaks and him eating a bit at a time. That is why he is still gaining, it is just very frustrating (I think for the both of us.) Every feeding he chews more and more at bottle and it gets harder and harder to feed him. Just wish he would try the food more if he wanted to chew somethin that bad haha!

He's not going to have any incentive for trying any food as long as you are still bottle feeding him. Just contain him in a room for a few hours with some wet and dry food and see if he doesn't nibble here and there. Unless there is something seriously wrong with him, and it doesn't sound like there is, he is not going to let himself starve. You have to trust him a little bit right now.

 

[mushroomsoup]

He's not going to have any incentive for trying any food as long as you are still bottle feeding him. Just contain him in a room for a few hours with some wet and dry food and see if he doesn't nibble here and there. Unless there is something seriously wrong with him, and it doesn't sound like there is, he is not going to let himself starve. You have to trust him a little bit right now.

I only give him the bottle feed him after trying to feed him multiple times, then a few hours later if he still wont try it, I give him the bottle. I will try leaving him in the bathroom with the food out instead of hand feeding him. I hope he goes for it, thank you.

 

[mushroomsoup]

I only give him the bottle feed him after trying to feed him multiple times, then a few hours later if he still wont try it, I give him the bottle. I will try leaving him in the bathroom with the food out instead of hand feeding him. I hope he goes for it, thank you.

I worded the first sentence poorly, I apologise.

 

[jefferd18]

Do I not have to worry about the wet food going bad after sitting out? I try giving him smelly food and he won’t give it a whiff most of the time. Do you have a specific recommendation of what to try?

No, if it was left out in the heat for days on end that would be one thing, but a few hours in an air-condition environment is not going to spoil the food. Do you realize what cats eat when they are outside and roughing it?

 

[mushroomsoup]

No, if it was left out in the heat for days on end that would be one thing, but a few hours in an air-condition environment is not going to spoil the food. Do you realize what cats eat when they are outside and roughing it?

That is true I didn’t think of it that way. I just saw some sources saying not to leave it out for more than 20 minutes. I guess I’m just paranoid.

 

[jefferd18]

I only give him the bottle feed him after trying to feed him multiple times, then a few hours later if he still wont try it, I give him the bottle. I will try leaving him in the bathroom with the food out instead of hand feeding him. I hope he goes for it, thank you.

You have thousands of years of instinct working there with that little guy, just give him a chance.

My pleasure.

 

[jefferd18]

That is true I didn’t think of it that way. I just saw some sources saying not to leave it out for more than 20 minutes. I guess I’m just paranoid.

No, you are being a loving and concern kitty cat parent.

 

[Sarthur2]

He’s teething and in between suckling and eating. It’s a frustrating stage!

I doubt he’ll eat dry food yet unless it’s softened with formula. Leave a bit of that out and also leave a teaspoonful of Gerber chicken or turkey baby food out on a flat plate and see if he goes for either.

If not, continue with the bottle as you have been doing. My guess is he’ll figure it out in the next week or so.

 

[mushroomsoup]

He’s teething and in between suckling and eating. It’s a frustrating stage!

I doubt he’ll eat dry food yet unless it’s softened with formula. Leave a bit of that out and also leave a teaspoonful of Gerber chicken or turkey baby food out on a flat plate and see if he goes for either.

If not, continue with the bottle as you have been doing. My guess is he’ll figure it out in the next week or so.

I will try that! I feel like every week one thing gets solved just for another thing to come up, but I’m hoping you’re right about it being in the next week or so - I don’t know how much more clawing my hands can take Although, I know when it’s over that I will look back fondly on the bottle feeding. Hopefully he goes for the baby food again!

 

[mushroomsoup]

The good news is, I’ve been able to get him to start eating small amounts of chicken baby food mixed with pate wet food. Not too much at a time, but he is trying a decent amount. I am still giving him the bottle after he eats the wet food (which he eats less from). The bad news is, he is now having diarrhea.

He used to have issues with constipation when he was younger and only on formula. I had to take him to the vet a handful of times for help with that. Now that he is starting to eat the wet food, he has done a complete 180. He has had diarrhea once so far, and I wanted to ask if that is normal when he is trying the new food? I have a vet appointment lined up for him and will be checking the state of his stool every time he uses the bathroom.

Ah, really every time it seems like I’m getting over one hurdle...another issue comes along. He really loves to keep me worried about him.

 

[Sarthur2]

It’s probably from the change in food. Stay away from any fish flavors. His system may just need time to adjust, but a vet check is always a good idea!