Eight Week Old Kitten Not Eating Food Yet

[Remi&RiRi]

Hello! We have had our kitten for about 24 hours now and he has not eaten anything. The breeder also said she was having trouble getting him to eat. He is doing good, very active at times, and then takes some short naps. I have tried feeding him wet food 3 times today. Im not sure if the flavor or brand of food could be something he dislikes but we currently have Royal Canin Kitten food from the can that says "Loaf in Sauce." First we tried just putting it on a normal small plate/dish, then we tried heating it up slightly so that it was warm, and lastly we tried to mix a small amount of water in is so that is was more of a liquid paste. I even tried to get him to eat from my hand or finger but he wouldn't go for it. I did manage to get a small amount in his mouth but he just kind of chewed and most of it fell out. We will point to the food, he will come over smell it, and then back away. I did put a little bit of the mixture in a small syringe and fed him a tiny amount as I didn't want him to get to hungry before I could bring him to the vet. I read that syringe feeding was okay if your kitten wouldn't eat but I also don't want him to rely on it so Im hoping it was just a one time thing.I have read that 8 weeks can be a little soon when it comes to being weaned off of milk so I could try kitten formula but I also have read that kittens should be able to eat wet food or even dry food at that age but I guess it just depends on the kitten. Any suggestions? Thank you.

 

[She's a witch]

You can mix the wet food with the kitten formula, that will hopefully get him to eat. But at 8 weeks, I’d want to rule out any health issues as potentially the reason why he’s not eating, as at this age they usually do. Is he behaving healthy otherwise?

You got him from a joke of a breeder if he sold you a not eating, 8 weeks old cat that’s very sad.

 

[GoldyCat]

At eight weeks the kitten is likely not completely weaned. Get some kitten milk (KMR) and bottle feed him for a few days, then start transitioning him to soled food.

 

[Kieka]

There are some stubborn kittens who will not fully weaned until 12-16 weeks. Not common but not unheard of, being able to eat wet food typically by a certain age doesn't mean that all kittens will. Offer KMR in a bottle and mix it with wet kitten food into a slurry. It is vital that the kitten continues to eat. As the kitten gets old you can cut the slurry with less and less KMR until it is wholly wet food.

Another option is to see if the breeder will take back the kitten for another month. This would be ideal in allowing the kitten to fully wean properly and kittens really should be with their mom until 12-16 weeks to ensure proper development. The 8-16 week stage is when kittens are taught manners and behavior by their Moms which missing can cause behavior problems later in life. However, if the breeder was willing to let him go home unweaned and at such a young age I would guess they aren't actually a breeder but a BYB and that might not be possible or wise if the mistreatment of the kittens is more pronounced then simply being misinformed about when to rehome kittens.

 

[Remi&RiRi]

Thanks to everyone who replied. Remi is now eating and we took him to the vet! I agree that the seller was not really a cat "breeder" or at least not a reputable one. She claimed to be a dog breeder in the past and she had a very strong accent so it was very hard to understand her regarding Remi's history. If I had my way I think it would have been best for him to stay with his mother longer to be weaned correctly but it was a weird situation where she was going to keep him because she was getting attached to him and basically claimed that if she was going to sell him to us that we should take him at 8 weeks so he could get attached to us... This definitely is not something a good breeder would do. She also claimed that he was litter trained but of course he is still working on that as well. The vet said they saw great things on the exam and that he just needs more time to be weaned. We are dedicated to giving him the best care and are glad we took him to the vet!