Kitten help?

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Hadzy

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So, my kitten is great with eating everything now except from kitten wet and dry food. As I mentioned before, we have about 14 different kinds from when we were desperate to try to get him to eat anything. Any idea on how to turn him onto what he's supposed to be eating?
 
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Hadzy

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I will try both of these things tomorrow, thank you!
 

verna davies

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Will he eat a little kitten food if you hand fed him, just to get him used to the taste and texture. I don't feed mine dry but they have a few pieces as treats and I throw them around the room and make a game of it. Anything is worth a try to get him started.
 
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Hadzy

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Will he eat a little kitten food if you hand fed him, just to get him used to the taste and texture. I don't feed mine dry but they have a few pieces as treats and I throw them around the room and make a game of it. Anything is worth a try to get him started.
I've tried hand feeding him both wet and dry and he just won't take it. And anything I've managed to get into his mouth, he spits right back out :/
 
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Hadzy

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So, tomorrow my baby will be 10 weeks old and thankfully in much better health! But he still avoids both wet and dry kitten food like the plague. We're feeding him tinned fish (sardines, mackerel, salmon) and boiled lamb and chicken in the meantime... alas, he avoids every type of kitten food we've tried. We've tried dousing it with KMR/water/mixing tiny amounts with the food we are already feeding him... and he just leaves the lot. It's the plain people food and water/KMR in separate bowls, or nothing at all.

Any advice here?

If I just serve up plain kitten food one day for the whole day, will he eventually eat it? It feels cruel to me to do that, which is why i haven't done it thus far, so I'm wondering what the procedure is here. Lots of sites online say kitten food habits begin to set at this age and I'm kinda scared that he'll never eat actual cat food....


Here's an updated picture of the lil punk!
 

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susanm9006

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He has to start eating kitten food soon so that he is getting the proper nutrients. I would mix a little in and let it sit for at least a few hours. He may change his mind if he gets a little hungry. You may also need to try different brands of wet food. Since he likes fish, try different brands of fish kitten food.
 

danteshuman

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I would try mixing it 1/2 chicken 1/2 blue Buffalo chicken or their tuna. You can try 4/5s chicken with a smidge of 1/5 kitten food. Then slowly wean him into eating a bigger ratio of kitten food. I would try a fishy kitten food.

You can also try letting him go hungry a bit ...... maybe 12 hours max.... but only once! I would try not feeding him for 6 hours or until he asks for food, then give him kitten food. Leave it out & just give him new food 4 times a day.

Kitten dry food also seems irresistible to all kitties.
 
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Hadzy

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Ok, I will try these suggestions! Thank you!

Re: the dry food- we have like 6 different kinds and he refuses all of them.... And like 8 different kinds of wet food and he hates all of them, too.

Hopefully this will change this week though! That's this week's mission. I'm am really glad he's eating now, though. 2 weeks ago it was a struggle to get him to eat anything.
 

danteshuman

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I hate saying this but have you tried cheap kitten food? It is like they know when it is healthy food! 🤣 However if it gets him eating, then you can try weaning him onto healthy stuff in a few months.

Is it possible he still feels sick? I don’t know what was wrong with him. If you are feeling queasy you don’t really feel like eating. A vet visit and maybe some antinausea meds might be needed.
 
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Hadzy

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I hate saying this but have you tried cheap kitten food? It is like they know when it is healthy food! 🤣 However if it gets him eating, then you can try weaning him onto healthy stuff in a few months.

Is it possible he still feels sick? I don’t know what was wrong with him. If you are feeling queasy you don’t really feel like eating. A vet visit and maybe some antinausea meds might be needed.
Looool, yeah, we have everything from cheap to gourmet kitten food, it's just he seems to hate anything that's specifically for him. Boiled meats are fine, and fishes out of tins, meant for human consumption... but kitten food? Nope..

I'm going to take him to the vet again soon. His meds have finished for the upset tummy, but you may be right about the nausea. I just don't see any other reason he'd dislike all the 14 types of cat food specifically, but favour plain meats and rice otherwise...
 

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my last foster kittens were about the same ... they needed de-wormer and an antibiotic and started eating after treatment was done ( antibiotics and dewormers make kittens nauseous ) - afterwards I gave them paste with probiotics. It was quite interesting - they went from not eating anything to gobbling food like mad. I am glad the little baby ended up with you! What a lucky kitten! As far as sleeping goes ... make sure you establish routines you want to keep for the life of the cat ... if you like sleeping with him - let him ... if your want him in another room - make him sleep there - they sell rabbit heating pads that work great and are safe under a blanket for him to sleep with if you are worried about getting cozy . I find that rescue cats make the best companions ... - your baby looks almost exactly like one of mine when he was little - so adorable!
 
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Hadzy

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Yeah, I'm definitely trying to get him used to his own space, haha. I don't mind him sleeping near me or in my room, but I also want him to be able to be comfortable even if I'm not home. The last thing I want to do is raise a kitten who grows up with separation anxiety.

Regarding his appetite and health, the vet is testing his bloods and droppings now because he's still not progressing as much as she'd like. Her thinking is that it's a persistent internal parasite, but she also is testing for FIV, which I'm pretty freaked out about. I hope he's not seriously ill, poor bubba. Thankfully I'm financially ok enough that I've got him insured and I don't have to worry about paying off vets bills- i can cover them, I just want him to be happy and healthy. it's been 2 weeks and I am already so attached, haha.
 
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Hadzy

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Update: the vet has ruled out FIV for now but has taken him in for emergency fluids today and tomorrow because he is severely anaemic. She also thinks he may have a GI bleed. I am devastated.

She was surprised at the anaemia because of his energy levels, so I guess that doesn't make me a terrible owner. I just feel so bad right now. I'm hoping he makes it through the next few days.
 
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Hadzy

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He doesnt have a GI bleed! Or FIV, it seems, it's most likely nasty parasites. He's been put on a course of infusions and a lot more antibiotics to get him through this. Hopefully this will help
 

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Well good news about the GI bleed!

Give him tons of cuddles and encourage him to pull through. Hopefully he will recover and start eating like a normal kitten..... you know like a hungry hungry hippo. I know those daily infusions sound/look scary but they don’t really hurt in the scruff. Plus they are easy to do. The vet can teach you; so you can do it at home (with the help of another person to hold him still.) 11E803B6-E998-4810-957A-690F4D6EB790.jpeg
 
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