Is My Kitten Getting Picky With Food????

[KittyKat184]

Hi all,

I have been feeding my 8 9-month kitten Instinct by Nature's Variety Original Grain-Free Real Chicken Recipe Natural Wet Canned Cat Food. He used to finish the 3oz can or half the 5.5oz in 1 sitting. About a week ago, he started eating less. He didn't even finish the 3oz in 1 sitting and even though i give him half the 3oz, he still left a bit out. But whenever i give him dry Dr. Elsey's cleanprotein Chicken Formula Grain-Free Dry Cat Food, he eats it like tomorrow.

Is he getting sick of his wet food? Should i rotate his wet with some new flavors such as turkey or salmon? I want add this to his diet -> Instinct by Nature's Variety Original Grain-Free Real Salmon Recipe Natural Wet Canned Cat Food. But is salmon-based wet food as a regular diet ok tho? I heard that any kind of fish is not good for kitten.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Kieka]

I’d start rotating flavors some. The fish one you probably should limit to once a week. It’s the same reason doctors recommend pregnant women limit fish; mercury levels and quality of the fish.

 

[Kefa]

Just from my experiences with Homer documented in the Help! thread, I would not give him crunchy food at all if he is starting to refuse wet food. He may be less active, or need less food. At 9 months he is getting to the end of his growth spurt. Agree about the fish. Remember though that mercury is in the highest concentrations in fish that are higher on the food chain and live longer. Generally, salmon is lower than tuna:

How safe is salmon with respect to mercury?

 

[KittyKat184]

Thanks for the replies! I will rotate the flavors and probably won't give him any fish-based flavor. What happen if I rotate his food and he still refuses to eat?

 

[Kefa]

Refusing to eat at all and eating less are two very different things. Try to figure out how many calories he is actually consuming before pressing the panic button. There are other threads here and links on line that give calorie guidelines for cats. Also, check his litter box habits. Is he possibly having constipation issues? Or some other issue?

 

[orange&white]

Slowing of appetite is normal. My kitten was eating 50% more food at 6 months than she was at 9 months, and more at 9 months than she eats now at a little over 1 year old. It is a good idea to count her calories daily and weigh her at least once a month so that you'll know if something is not normal.

Rotating foods is a good thing, in case of formula changes or a food is discontinued. You don't want her "stuck" on one food.

 

[KittyKat184]

I usually feed him 2 3oz can which account total of 224kcal, then 1 tbsp of dry which 35kcal. So in total, he consumes 259kcal a day. Since his decrease in appetite, he only consumes 1 3oz can and 3 tbsp of dry (he refuses to eat his wet, but devours the dry) which is 217kcal. Does 217kcal/day sound right for his age?

 

[orange&white]

Is he a big kitty? I fed my kitten all she wanted until she was a year, and her appetite varied every day, but she was averaging 180 kcals/day at 9 months. She only weighed a little over 8.5 pounds then.

How much does your kitty weigh?

 

[EmmiTemmi]

Is he a big kitty? I fed my kitten all she wanted until she was a year, and her appetite varied every day, but she was averaging 180 kcals/day at 9 months. She only weighed a little over 8.5 pounds then.

This is really comforting for me to know. One of my 8mo boys has stopped eating as much as he used to and has been consistently under 200kcal/day for the last week and a half. Before he was eating around 250, and he's at 8.2lbs now.

My other 8mo boy has no end to his appetite, is over 9.5lbs, and will pack away well over 300kcal/day if I let him. (And he'll finish off whatever my other boy leaves in his bowl.) The difference in their appetites has been scaring me for a bit, but I suppose if your girl was averaging 180kcal at 9 months, then I won't be too worried about the lessening appetite of my one boy!

 

[KittyKat184]

Is he a big kitty? I fed my kitten all she wanted until she was a year, and her appetite varied every day, but she was averaging 180 kcals/day at 9 months. She only weighed a little over 8.5 pounds then.

How much does your kitty weigh?

He is 9.7 or 10lbs. With your girl having 180 kcals/day, I think 259 kcals/day is a bit too much for my boy then. Should i make it 200 or 220 kcals/day for him?

 

[orange&white]

He is 9.7 or 10lbs. With your girl having 180 kcals/day, I think 259 kcals/day is a bit too much for my boy then. Should i make it 200 or 220 kcals/day for him?

It may not be too much for him if he's really active. My kitten ended up only a little over 9 pounds at 1 year. Your kitten is pretty large, so he may need more calories. I'm feeding a backyard feral who eats 200 kcals/day plus extra in treats and she's only 7.5 pounds.

Every cat's metabolism is different. Count his calories, but mainly pay attention to his body condition, whether he is looking and feeling a little too thin or a little too chunky. You should be able to feel a thin layer of muscle over his ribs.

 

[KittyKat184]

It may not be too much for him if he's really active. My kitten ended up only a little over 9 pounds at 1 year. Your kitten is pretty large, so he may need more calories. I'm feeding a backyard feral who eats 200 kcals/day plus extra in treats and she's only 7.5 pounds.

Every cat's metabolism is different. Count his calories, but mainly pay attention to his body condition, whether he is looking and feeling a little too thin or a little too chunky. You should be able to feel a thin layer of muscle over his ribs.

IMO, he looks perfectly fine. He is not too thin and not too chunky and I really like his look right now. I want to maintain his body shape. Yes, I can feel a layer of muscle over his ribs. I probably will rotate the flavors and see if he will increase his appetite. I hope he just get sicks of his food ^^

 

[Kefa]

The vet just told me it's about the waist. Even though Homer has a bit of belly fat, he still has a distinct waist when viewed from above while standing. He eats 240 calories a day at 9 lbs. He is a very busy cat though. He has many daily chores and gym sessions.

 

[KittyKat184]

Kefa Loki also has distinct waist when viewing from above. I really like that look

I just fed him this morning, half 3oz can. Again, he refused to eat. However, when I hand feed him, he ate it all..... What kind of behavior is this? Like I didn't force him to eat, i just put the food in my hand and he just ate it all. I don't have time to hand feed him all the time tho . Basically, if i leave out the food, he won't eat or just eat a little, but when i hand feed him. What should I do???

 

[orange&white]

My kitten often worried me because she didn't want to eat breakfast a lot of days. She was just not a "morning person". I picked her food up uneaten after 30-45 minutes, and gave her extra food the next two meals. She always ate enough food to average her calories out over the course of the week.

 

[KittyKat184]

My kitten often worried me because she didn't want to eat breakfast a lot of days. She was just not a "morning person". I picked her food up uneaten after 30-45 minutes, and gave her extra food the next two meals. She always ate enough food to average her calories out over the course of the week.

I actually just found out that the company changed the formula and I think that's the reason why he eats less. Hmm... I might change another brand and see if he will like it or not.