Hand Feeding

[ModernCatLady]

Hello,
Thank goodness for this awesome site lol. My new kitten loves to eat I offer him canned food 4 times a day every 4-5 hours and give him 2 tbsp of KMR kitten replacement milk before he goes to bed. When he first got here which was on Sunday he ate all by himself and didnt leave any food in the bowl. Then on Tuesday I noticed he was pawing at the ground and looking away from his food so I hand fed him and he ate everything. Since then everytime I put the bowl down he will take a few licks and then meow until I hand feed him. Once I'm back to work it will be impossible to do this. Any tips on what to do! I dont want him to go hungry once I start work lol.

 

[danteshuman]

I would be careful what kind of habit you start or you may end up doing it for the rest of his life!

Perhaps feed him and sit 10 feet away reading while he is fed? Also a puzzle homemade feeder (made out of a water bottle) with dry food in it at night or when you are at work should help him not ‘starve’ why you are gone.

 

[kissthisangel]

Hello and welcome to TCS. I would agree with danteshuman about being careful with habits started now. If you are offering food often, don't worry if some is left. Kittens eat little and often, cats generally will often leave food "for later" especially in new environments. What if you don't feed them again, what if they are on their own, what if they get hungry after bed time, what if you don't get up in the morning, what if you go out and don't come back, what if someone else comes and takes the next food supply, what if what if what if!!!?

Don't worry about feeding the kitten too much at this point just keep an eye on his weight, make sure he looks healthy and is gaining weight, maintain exercise routines, burning the energy through play. Once your cat reaches 6 months or so a steady diet and measured meals might be more appropriate for him.

I'd focus on giving the cat attention in other areas, like playing, and grooming. If you can feed him by hand then he is very keen on interaction with you so make the most of that training him while he is young. Specifically the problem areas we have in getting our cats to do things are combing with a flea comb, looking at / cleaning teeth, looking inside ears, and finally, medication. Just pretending to do these things now when he is very little and loves the attention can help you in the long run

 

[She's a witch]

don't give in, ignore his meowing, leave hand feeding for special occasions like when he's sick. My girl is obsessed with spoon feeding, I know as I've been doing it to make her eat when she had a fewer, and now she reacts enthusiastically whenever she sees spoon in my hand.. but it's really not a good idea. He should finish the food by himself when he feels hungry again.

Maybe he got bored with the flavour he currently eats? You have to be careful when changing kitten's food, but maybe he'll be eating more enthusiastically by himself if he has some variety. It shouldn't be a problem with wet food.

 

[ArchyCat]

He is training you!

From what I have read on TCS and other places, you can not over feed a kitten. And a cat is not full grown until they reach a year old. Between growing and the high level of activity,. they require more food than an adult cat. And some breeds take longer to finish growing.

A rule of thumb I found is that you should feed a kitten enough food so that there are leftovers.