Kitten Suddenly Not Eating Regular Kitten Food

[KyaraRose]

I'm very passionate about giving my kitten the best food possible, and I've researched. I do plan on trying a homemade diet for her, but it's quite daunting. So, I was suggested whiskas cat food cuz it uses real meat and not "meat by-products." Since they don't have a kitten formula (at least, not in Canada) I've had to find something else. Tried a local pet store PetValu, and they have a wet store brand that states "chicken" and not "chicken byproducts." Score. Of course, the only flavor they have for kittens is chicken, but there are a few for adult cats. She's been eating this fine for 5 or 6 weeks, not sure when i officially started feeding her this solely. But, suddenly, she's turning her nose up at it. I even added this turkey I found that I've shared with her and she loves. When I take the turkey out and put it on the floor, she'll eat it. But if it's mixed in with the kitten food, she won't touch it. I had bought a precooked chicken about a week ago and was adding that to her food, which she ate sparingly. But a couple nights ago, I made a bowl which I tonight had to chuck cuz she wasn't eating it.

Obviously, I can't feed her JUST the turkey meat, she needs other stuff. And I want to feed her wet cat food that has real meat in it, not "byproducts" and apparently that's hard to come by for kittens in Canada...

Do you have any suggestions? Can I switch to adult food and add something to give her the extra nutrients? Is a homemade diet easier than I read?

I warm up the food for her just a tiny bit, and even add extra chicken broth, and it worked at first, but doesn't seem to now.

There's an adult cat upstairs and she goes up there during the day, and I'm thinking she must eat up there, because there's a lot of poop in her litter boxes.... And I can't and don't want to ban her from going up there, and the lady upstairs refuses to remember to keep food away from my kitten... So... Suggestions to give her the kitten nutrients she needs without having to ban her from upstairs would be greatly appreciated. I am strongly wet food only, as well, so please keep that in mind.

Thanks.

 

[jcat]

She's probably sick of eating the same thing day in and day out. If you can't find an acceptable kitten food that you can alternate with the Whiskas (which isn't considered good quality, BTW), go for canned goods labeled as "For all life stages".

There are also some recommendations in this thread:
Best Canned Food For Kittens (canada)

Pet smart Canada has a list of available canned food that also includes some kitten foods: Canned Cat Food: Wet Cat Food Brands | PetSmart

 

[KyaraRose]

Sorry, Friskies. I keep getting them mixed up. Whiskas is what's being fed upstairs, and what my bf fed his exes cat before giving her back. I'm tired, as it's after midnight here (3 am currently). It's very annoying that I keep mixing them up. Yes whiskas has corn, which contributed to his exes cat being overweight.

 

[KyaraRose]

It's performatrin kitten formula I currently feed her. Couldn't remember the name. That's what she's sick of. They have many flavors for adults, though...

 

[lookitsria]

How old is the kitten? Sasha was eating Fancy Feast kitten formula from 6 months when I got her to about 9-10 months when she just stopped liking it... of course after I bought like 2 cases of the stuff! I bought a few other of the regular Fancy Feast flavors to see if she was just being picky... and she was. She gobbled up other flavors of Fancy Feast patte. Now I mix the kitten food with another flavor as to not waste the kitten food while still having her eat regularly. She'll be 1 in May and has been doing great!

 

[KyaraRose]

She's 3 and a half months. She'll eat table scraps no problem. And I'm sure she ate some vitamin c. She puked up small rock hard chunks of something earlier that smelled of weakened vitamin c... I told my boyfriend he might have to deal with feeding her for a couple of days since she's upset with me and I'm very depressed about it.

 

[Neo_23]

She's 3 and a half months. She'll eat table scraps no problem. And I'm sure she ate some vitamin c. She puked up small rock hard chunks of something earlier that smelled of weakened vitamin c... I told my boyfriend he might have to deal with feeding her for a couple of days since she's upset with me and I'm very depressed about it.

.
I wouldn’t let a cat take vitamin c pills. That could be dangerous.

 

[KyaraRose]

I didn't LET HER. He says his mom left a couple out on the counter, and can't ****ing tell her not to leave stuff out, she won't listen or care. She doesn't even ****ing care her cat is throwing up every day when she eats. She's still alive, so she's fine

 

[Neo_23]

I didn't LET HER. He says his mom left a couple out on the counter, and can't ****ing tell her not to leave stuff out, she won't listen or care. She doesn't even ****ing care her cat is throwing up every day when she eats. She's still alive, so she's fine

I feel your frustration. That would irritate me a lot too if someone was recklessly leaving harmful things lying around that the cat could eat. Could you ask your bf to talk to his mom?

 

[KyaraRose]

Actually, she had a scare with her grandson (his nephew). She left some ativan lying around and he took a couple and she was pretty scared. But she's "forgetful." Honestly, i don't really believe the forgetful business. Earlier she was refusing to hide her cat food when my kitten was upstairs visiting. He talked to her and asked her many times. Once, when we went out, I physically put the bowl of kibble up on the counter on the way out and when i got home it was on the ground and Tesla was eating it. And she willfully ignores her parents wishes, and that's all I've seen of her in the almost 2 years I've known her, so yeah, I don't believe the "forgetful" excuse. So if he talked to her, it probably wouldn't do any good. I feel I should ban her from going up there, but there's sunlight, and another cat to play with...

 

[KyaraRose]

And, as soon as Tesla meows at the door, she'll open it and not listen to us saying just let her meow

 

[Neo_23]

That's really sucky, I'm so sorry. Maybe the best thing to do would be to only allow her to go upstairs when you're with her and can supervise.

 

[KyaraRose]

Maybe. I'm just so depressed right now... I'm letting Tesla be wherever she wants right now, as she's upset with me for taking her to visit my mother last night. It was her 65th bday.

 

[Neo_23]

Maybe. I'm just so depressed right now... I'm letting Tesla be wherever she wants right now, as she's upset with me for taking her to visit my mother last night. It was her 65th bday.

She'll come around soon. I've had similar experiences when I've taken cats to the vet. They'll hate me for a few days but eventually they come around.

 

[KyaraRose]

Its just so heart breaking. I should never have a human child. When they became a teenager and started hating me, I'd be even more devastated

 

[Minxrat]

Cats don't hate you. They're very good at dirty looks though! I used to get frustrated when Poppy lay under the bed (so I bought a new one she can't lie under lol - needed a new one anyway) and sometimes it bugs me when she just lies downstairs but we can't control them unfortunately. But they don't hate you. Please don't be depressed, she's still a baby. Don't forget that girls usually snuggle less than boys so don't worry.

Poppy changed about 5 months old and although she's always near me, she only likes a cuddle in the middle of the night when she can climb on top and let me stroke her. I don't sleep much anymore lol. But Milo makes up for it as he's a cuddler.

 

[Minxrat]

PS mine are crap at eating too. Frustrates the hell out of me but I'm trying to feed an adult and a six month old at the same time. They share....

 

[KyaraRose]

I've got chronic depression and anything can set me off. I had 2 dogs growing up, so I'm not that used to an animal wanting alone time. I know I'm overly sensitive, but it's not something i can control unfortunately

 

[ssssupernova]

To answer your original question, yes you can feed a kitten some adult food, you just have to give more of it than you would feed an adult because adult food is not as nutrient-dense as kitten food.

Meat by products are not necessarily bad. Some by products include gizzards, organs and bone, which contain unique nutrients that a cat can't get from lean muscle meat alone.

It's recommended to rotate proteins and brands each meal, not just feed the same food all the time. This way you get a better balance of nutrients and keep your kitty from getting bored, refusing her food and leaving you stuck with nothing to feed her.

 

[CarmiesMom]

Do they have sience diet kitten food their i dunno what the ingridants are but my MIgnon was really sick as a kitten he stoppedeating drinking and playing at 8 weeks and so for the next week i fed him KMR and watter every 4-6 hours and then for the next week affter that was Science diet kitten food mixed with KMr and a small bowl of watter and finally three weeks affter getting so sick we were able to mix our purinia kitten dry food in with it He's now two years old nerly and other than the fact that the illness left him with impaired vison and a sensitive stomach he's happy and healthy