How Should I Deal With My New Kitten Not Wanting Its Food?

[EggSandwich]

Okay, hello for those who remember me from a few months ago.. finally got my new kitten!

I do believe the previous owners were feeding it table food, and I don't know how to get it into the habit of eating cat food.

The first time it ate when it was with us was when my father dropped some steak. Ever since then, the only thing its been having was CatSip milk (which states on the back that it is more of a treat than a meal..) and of course water.
I do wish the store we went to had some mother's replacement.. I'm not sure if it's completely weaned, or.. (it is apparently 8 weeks old). The previous owners did say it was eating kitten chow, however.
This morning I was eating a bowl of cereal, and the kitten flipped. MEOW! MEOW! It tried jumping onto the counter and everything. (It couldn't make it because of the way the stool was designed.) My mom and I rushed off to the store to eventually find the CatSip. The kitten did this again when I had other food, but not as much.
So, I have tried giving it dry kitten food, a "Pate" style cat food, and some stew looking wet meow mix, all to no avail. (I even tried drenching dry food in CatSip.) The last time I tried giving it anything it didn't even smell it.

So, (sorry for rambling) my questions are:
1. How can I get it to start liking its own food?
2. Is there a better type of kitten food I can get? What does your cat like? (Something from Chewy.com would be more convenient.
3. How would I go about weaning it, if that is what it needs?

(edit) 4. What would you recommend for a healthier diet in the future.

Thanks for listening to my rambling.. and hope to hear from you soon! I'll post some pictures on another thread.. perhaps in the intro section.

EDIT:// It cleaned a small (clean) ash tray with some of the CatSip, mixed with the wet pate style food, and some kitten chow.
The exact brands of food I'm feeding it are as follows:
Everpet premium kitten food.. chicken flavor
Olive's meaty pate.. with real chicken and tuna
and of course the CatSip.

EDIT 2:// Kitten just ate some of the dry kibble (Everpet stuff) out of my hand.. it did NOT sound pleasent to be chewing on, though. I'm going to soak some of that in water.

 

[lisahe]

Congratulations on bringing home the kitten!

A question first: how long have you had the kitten? A lot of cats are hesitant to eat when they first move into a new home so maybe your kitten is still just getting acclimated? What, BTW, is the kitten's name?

I'm utterly clueless on weaning but I can recommend Nutro Natural Choice's canned soft loaf kitten food (this stuff). I buy that occasionally for our now-grown cats. A lot of picky cats seem to love Nutro Natural so it might be worth trying. Our cats also used to especially love Wellness Core's kitten food (this stuff). You can probably buy Fancy Feast kitten food at the grocery store; I never fed that one to our cats but Fancy Feast is generally thought to be appealing to most cats, too.

As for getting your cat to want to eat, sometimes it helps to crumble treats onto the food. Our cats will eat just about anything with a little Pure Bite dust (preferably chicken) on it... sometimes a little crumbled kibble will help, too.

Based on your edits, it sounds like the kitten's starting to eat, if only slowly. With kittens you usually want to feed them as much as they'll eat -- they need to get lots of calories and protein into them since they're growing -- so it's great that you're keeping at it. I hope the kitten continues to eat! Good luck!

 

[EggSandwich]

Congratulations on bringing home the kitten!

A question first: how long have you had the kitten? A lot of cats are hesitant to eat when they first move into a new home so maybe your kitten is still just getting acclimated? What, BTW, is the kitten's name?

I'm utterly clueless on weaning but I can recommend Nutro Natural Choice's canned soft loaf kitten food (this stuff). I buy that occasionally for our now-grown cats. A lot of picky cats seem to love Nutro Natural so it might be worth trying. Our cats also used to especially love Wellness Core's kitten food (this stuff). You can probably buy Fancy Feast kitten food at the grocery store; I never fed that one to our cats but Fancy Feast is generally thought to be appealing to most cats, too.

As for getting your cat to want to eat, sometimes it helps to crumble treats onto the food. Our cats will eat just about anything with a little Pure Bite dust (preferably chicken) on it... sometimes a little crumbled kibble will help, too.

Based on your edits, it sounds like the kitten's starting to eat, if only slowly. With kittens you usually want to feed them as much as they'll eat -- they need to get lots of calories and protein into them since they're growing -- so it's great that you're keeping at it. I hope the kitten continues to eat! Good luck!

We've not decided on the name, since we've only had her for around 1 and 1/2 day. to be honest we aren't even sure if it's gender. Considering that, she has been adapting quickly. She was eating the dry food, but it sounded like she was chewing on jawbreakers, so I put some water in it, and now she won't touch it. Whoops, haha.
Thanks for the recommendations and I will be trying them out!

 

[lisahe]

Ah, got it on the name! I'd wondered about the "it"... Have you already taken the kitten to the vet? That would establish the gender. Plus it's important to get a distemper shot if it hasn't already had it. (We had a kitten die of distemper when I was little so this is something I always think about when I hear about kittens.)

As for the eating, yes, if you've only had the kitten for a day and a half that probably explains the odd eating. It can take a few days (or even longer) for a kitten to settle in, adapt, and eat well. And really start tearing things up.

 

[EggSandwich]

Ah, got it on the name! I'd wondered about the "it"... Have you already taken the kitten to the vet? That would establish the gender. Plus it's important to get a distemper shot if it hasn't already had it. (We had a kitten die of distemper when I was little so this is something I always think about when I hear about kittens.)

As for the eating, yes, if you've only had the kitten for a day and a half that probably explains the odd eating. It can take a few days (or even longer) for a kitten to settle in, adapt, and eat well. And really start tearing things up.

Yeppers, today kitten is playing all over the stairs. Very funny to watch her topple her ribbon up and down the stairs. (we're pretty sure its a girl.. I looked under the tail) Kitten will not be going to the vet for about 4 days (gotta wait until pay day..) but seems quite healthy, and there are no plans of kitty leaving the house. I am nervous to leave her all alone though, she mews and cries.. little guilt tripper! The previous owner did say, however, that it had no shots.. so we'll have to get those.

 

[lisahe]

It's great that you're already planning the vet visit -- and all the shots. (I know it all adds up... it's not cheap!)

Even better to hear the kitten's having so much fun and staying inside. I hope she keeps eating!

 

[maggiedemi]

I remember your other thread. What kind/color of cat did you end up getting? What country are you in? I don't recognize those foods you mentioned. When Demi was a kitten he ate Purina Kitten Chow and Fancy Feast Classic & Friskies Pate. Is the kitten chow you are feeding shaped like tiny little X's? Don't worry, it's okay for them to crunch it.

 

[mizzely]

I don't recognize those foods you mentioned.

EverPet is a Dollar General brand, and I think Olives is 9 Lives

 

[EggSandwich]

I remember your other thread. What kind/color of cat did you end up getting? What country are you in? I don't recognize those foods you mentioned. When Demi was a kitten he ate Purina Kitten Chow and Fancy Feast Classic & Friskies Pate. Is the kitten chow you are feeding shaped like tiny little X's? Don't worry, it's okay for them to crunch it.

Brownish grey tabby kitten, with some cinnamon brown behind the ears. We might end up calling her Cinnamon because of that, or something of the sort. I live in the United Staes. Everpet is indeed a Dollar General brand.. It is shaped like little hearts rather than X's. We'll probably end up getting some better food brands, like the stuff Lisahe mentioned.. I want a healthy little kitty. So far, she seems to favor chicken flavored things.

 

[Ardina]

With very young kittens, they sometimes don't recognize new food as edible. With wet food, you can let her lick some off your finger or if that doesn't work, you can rub some on her gums to help her understand that it's food. With dry food, you can crumble it up and do something similar.

 

[EggSandwich]

With very young kittens, they sometimes don't recognize new food as edible. With wet food, you can let her lick some off your finger or if that doesn't work, you can rub some on her gums to help her understand that it's food. With dry food, you can crumble it up and do something similar.

Yeah, we put some of the cat milk she likes in with some of the Pate and the kibble, and she now will eat it without the milk, so that's what I'm thinking.

 

[Willowy]

Try Purina ONE kitten food for the dry food. It's a small kibble that's easy to chew, and much better quality than a store brand. I've never met a kitten who wouldn't eat it. Fancy Feast kitten food is also popular, although Friskies is fine too.

Usually with new kittens it's best to stick with what the former owners were feeding for at least a couple of weeks. But of course sometimes that's not possible and you have to experiment a little.

 

[susieqz]

when all else fails, get friskies.
people here think it's junk food but all cats love friskies.

 

[maggiedemi]

Is that her in your picture? I love the name Cinnamon.

 

[mizzely]

when all else fails, get friskies.
people here think it's junk food but all cats love friskies.

There are actually many people on this site that love Friskies and recommend it all the time. If my cat wasn't allergic to chicken, that's what I would feed!

 

[lisahe]

There are actually many people on this site that love Friskies and recommend it all the time. If my cat wasn't allergic to chicken, that's what I would feed!

Friskies pates are very decent foods! And they're perfect for feeding hesitant cats. (Largely because they, meaning the foods rather than the kittens, smell so much!)

And what a sweet kitten, EggSandwich !

 

[EggSandwich]

Here's a thread with more photos of her. She is now eating pretty well! The only issue I have now is that she wants to go to the bathroom in the corner of the carpet!

 

[Willowy]

Put a small litter tray (the trays that canned cat food come in would work) on that spot. Little kittens can't hold it for long so you need to provide a lot of options. You want to establish the habit of using a litterbox, even if that litterbox isn't exactly where you want it . You can move it, or remove it, when she's older.

 

[EggSandwich]

Put a small litter tray (the trays that canned cat food come in would work) on that spot. Little kittens can't hold it for long so you need to provide a lot of options. You want to establish the habit of using a litterbox, even if that litterbox isn't exactly where you want it . You can move it, or remove it, when she's older.

Yeppers, we will put a little box there. I also put a scratching post near that corner, because she was scratching at the carpet as well. This house is pretty new (to us) and I think the previous owners had a cat.. that wasn't taken care of. (We found claw damage in the basement.. wouldn't put it above them that the cat would of went to the bathroom on the carpet a few times.) Do you think it has something to do with that? I don't know that an 8 week old kitten would be territorial, but I won't rule it out. Another possibility is that the litter box is a little close to her food.. maybe that's an issue as well. I moved the food a little further out into the kitchen, and the litter box can't really go further in the tiny bathroom. We'll figure something out.