- Joined
- Apr 15, 2015
- Messages
- 5
- Purraise
- 1
Hi everyone! I apologize in advance if this post is kind of long - I have no one else to discuss this stuff with!
My boyfriend and I adopted two 4 mo kittens, Wasabi and Fred, about three weeks ago from a reputable shelter. They're brothers who were found as strays, and we took them to the vet a few days after we brought them home and they got a clean bill of health. They're so great in almost every way, but Fred is a very fickle eater and I'd love some advice about whether I should be concerned.
The shelter was feeding them Fancy Feast kitten wet food 3x a day with access to Hill's Science Diet kitten dry food 24/7. I had planned on continuing to feed this combo until they transitioned to adult food to minimize stress on them, but now that's no longer an option.
When we initially brought them home, I fed each of them half of a 3-oz. can 3x a day. They never exactly cleaned their bowls, but each was interested in the food and ate over half. But as the days went on, Fred began snubbing the wet food more and more, until a few days ago he just stopped eating it altogether. He is still drinking well and picks at the dry food, and he has normal stool.
After doing lots of research into cat foods (a lot of which was done on these forums!), I decided on Wellness kitten wet food (the pink can with no grains) as the next kind to try. I brought home a few cans yesterday and gave them 75% Fancy Feast and 25% Wellness for lunch and dinner, and both cats just went crazy for it. They each ended up cleaning their bowls at each meal, which has never happened before!
So, of course, I'm super excited and think I've found the solution. Well, come today, Fred is again unimpressed with his wet food. For breakfast I did 50/50 Fancy Feast and Wellness, and they both ate pretty well. For lunch I again did 50/50, and Fred snubbed it completely. So for dinner, I tried straight Wellness, a half can to each kitten, and Fred ate about 1/4 of it and Wasabi ate about 1/2. (Wasabi has been a pretty consistent eater throughout all this, never really cleaning the bowl but eating a significant portion.)
So now I'm at a loss. Did I transition the wet foods too fast? Is it too early to tell - should I keep trying with the Wellness? Should I be worried at all since they have access to dry food and water 24/7? I mean they're obviously not starving, but I want my boys to have good food that they love!
They have pretty good energy, but they also do sleep a lot. Wasabi is more energetic than Fred, but I also think it's part of his personality - Wasabi is more playful and crazy while Fred is more even-keeled.
I grew up with cats but have never had kittens, so any and all advice would be greatly appreciated! And as a reward for reading all the way to the end of my post, here's a picture! Wasabi is lying in the sink, and Fred is sitting by the faucet.
Thanks!!!
My boyfriend and I adopted two 4 mo kittens, Wasabi and Fred, about three weeks ago from a reputable shelter. They're brothers who were found as strays, and we took them to the vet a few days after we brought them home and they got a clean bill of health. They're so great in almost every way, but Fred is a very fickle eater and I'd love some advice about whether I should be concerned.
The shelter was feeding them Fancy Feast kitten wet food 3x a day with access to Hill's Science Diet kitten dry food 24/7. I had planned on continuing to feed this combo until they transitioned to adult food to minimize stress on them, but now that's no longer an option.
When we initially brought them home, I fed each of them half of a 3-oz. can 3x a day. They never exactly cleaned their bowls, but each was interested in the food and ate over half. But as the days went on, Fred began snubbing the wet food more and more, until a few days ago he just stopped eating it altogether. He is still drinking well and picks at the dry food, and he has normal stool.
After doing lots of research into cat foods (a lot of which was done on these forums!), I decided on Wellness kitten wet food (the pink can with no grains) as the next kind to try. I brought home a few cans yesterday and gave them 75% Fancy Feast and 25% Wellness for lunch and dinner, and both cats just went crazy for it. They each ended up cleaning their bowls at each meal, which has never happened before!
So, of course, I'm super excited and think I've found the solution. Well, come today, Fred is again unimpressed with his wet food. For breakfast I did 50/50 Fancy Feast and Wellness, and they both ate pretty well. For lunch I again did 50/50, and Fred snubbed it completely. So for dinner, I tried straight Wellness, a half can to each kitten, and Fred ate about 1/4 of it and Wasabi ate about 1/2. (Wasabi has been a pretty consistent eater throughout all this, never really cleaning the bowl but eating a significant portion.)
So now I'm at a loss. Did I transition the wet foods too fast? Is it too early to tell - should I keep trying with the Wellness? Should I be worried at all since they have access to dry food and water 24/7? I mean they're obviously not starving, but I want my boys to have good food that they love!
They have pretty good energy, but they also do sleep a lot. Wasabi is more energetic than Fred, but I also think it's part of his personality - Wasabi is more playful and crazy while Fred is more even-keeled.
I grew up with cats but have never had kittens, so any and all advice would be greatly appreciated! And as a reward for reading all the way to the end of my post, here's a picture! Wasabi is lying in the sink, and Fred is sitting by the faucet.
Thanks!!!