Kitten Will Not Eat Dry Food, How Do I Get Him To Eat It?

[haleyyrenee]

I have a 16 week old kitten and he is refusing to eat dry food! When he was about 9 weeks old he got an infection from the raw meat the breeder was feeding him, and he lost quite a bit of weight. Wet food does not have many calories, so it’s important that he eats the dry food to get the calories and get his weight back up. I’ve tried three different dry foods (orijen, Royal Canin, and hills science), but he won’t even take one bite. Can someone please give me tips on how to get him to eat it? Or suggest a brand to try that kittens love? I’ve sprinkled it on the wet food and he just eats around it.

Thank you!!

(Before anyone tries to tell me he shouldn’t eat dry food or something along those lines, I am choosing to feed him wet and dry food based off of my vet for his weight, so I don’t need advice on that.)

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
Oh my word what a DOLL BABY!!!

Have you tried any of the purina brands?
Have you tried Instinct Raw boost?

Have you tried kitten glop?

Fortiflora?
Bonito flakes?

Also you could look into treats if you haven't already - purebites, orijen, meowtinis, meowables... Try those alone, if he eats 'em put some in with the kibble.

 

[haleyyrenee]

Hi!
Oh my word what a DOLL BABY!!!

Have you tried any of the purina brands?
Have you tried Instinct Raw boost?

Have you tried kitten glop?

Fortiflora?
Bonito flakes?

Also you could look into treats if you haven't already - purebites, orijen, meowtinis, meowables... Try those alone, if he eats 'em put some in with the kibble.

Thank you!! He is so sweet and precious! He won’t eat treats either! It’s so weird because my other two go crazy for treats. But he gobbles up wet food. I know he won’t eat it because of the breeder only feeding raw, and after the infection him and his littermates got she stopped the raw and switched to wet (still no dry food) so he isn’t used to it. I’ll try the Purina though! Maybe he will like the smell of that better than the others

 

[Furballsmom]

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There might be something here, either dry, or even wet with higher protein.

Bonito flakes are dried flakes of tuna - that might be something - either at Asian marketplaces where it may be cheaper or pet stores.

Do try some kitten glop, there are recipes on the internet - some have goat milk as an ingredient while you're working to get him into 'fighting' weight

 

[Azazel]

Just curious- how do you know the infection was from the raw meat? Did you test the meat?

 

[haleyyrenee]

Just curious- how do you know the infection was from the raw meat? Did you test the meat?

Yes. He was taken to a specialist. The water, meat, and stool was tested and all kittens were infected from his litter. I wouldn’t just assume it was the meat without knowing for sure and getting checked by the vet. Also, the strain of infection they all had(I don’t remember how to spell it), can only be passed through specifically raw meat. Humans can get it as well from raw meat. It causes vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy.

 

[Azazel]

Yes. He was taken to a specialist. The water, meat, and stool was tested and all kittens were infected from his litter. I wouldn’t just assume it was the meat without knowing for sure and getting checked by the vet. Also, the strain of infection they all had(I don’t remember how to spell it), can only be passed through specifically raw meat. Humans can get it as well from raw meat. It causes vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy.

I’m sorry to hear that. I’m asking questions because I genuinely want to know, not because I’m trying to make you justify yourself. I just want to learn because I feed raw and want to be safe.

Do you know where the meat was purchased and what protein?

 

[laura mae]

That's one cute kitty! I'd consider some sort of topper for the dry food. I have used Fortiflora as a topper for reluctant kitties and it seems to work for at least a while. It's a probiotic but with animal digest which is almost universally appealing to cats. You can also consider sprinkling a bit of parmesan cheese to see if that works.

What about cooked meat as a supplement to the canned food and the dry?

 

[haleyyrenee]

I’m sorry to hear that. I’m asking questions because I genuinely want to know, not because I’m trying to make you justify yourself. I just want to learn because I feed raw and want to be safe.

Do you know where the meat was purchased and what protein?

If I’m not mistaken, I believe it was beef but I’m not 100% sure. She gets it from a local butcher. She said it’s happened before and she is completely stopping the raw diet. She’s been a breeder for over 20 years and decided it’s just not best route for the safety of the kittens anymore. It can be deadly since their immune systems are so low

 

[Azazel]

If I’m not mistaken, I believe it was beef but I’m not 100% sure. She gets it from a local butcher. She said it’s happened before and she is completely stopping the raw diet. She’s been a breeder for over 20 years and decided it’s just not best route for the safety of the kittens anymore. It can be deadly since their immune systems are so low

Thanks for sharing the info. I wonder if the meat was pre-ground. I have been feeding raw for 10 years and never had an issue but I think everyone, regardless of what they feed, needs to always be aware of the risks. So sorry that this had to happen to the poor kittens.

 

[ritz]

For wet food, I would suggest food marketed for kittens.
And for kitten glob, good idea about using goat milk. Might also use KMR replacement and egg yolk--cooked based on your experience with raw feeding.

 

[lisahe]

For wet food, I would suggest food marketed for kittens.
And for kitten glob, good idea about using goat milk. Might also use KMR replacement and egg yolk--cooked based on your experience with raw feeding.

I agree -- wet kitten food is nice and caloric, perfect for putting on weight.

haleyyrenee , given that your cat seems to love wet food, maybe it's the path of least resistance to stick with that and just keep feeding? As many of us like to say, sometimes the best food is the food your cat will eat and, honestly, I think you're lucky that your cat loves wet food! I know you said your vet wanted the cat to eat dry food for calories but we put weight on our ten-month-old kittens by feeding them lots of wet food. The cats were horribly underfed and skinny when we adopted them and our vet just told us to feed them unlimited calories until they got caught up on their weight; we started weaning them off dry food shortly after we brought them home and got them acclimated. The vet really wanted them to get protein calories rather than empty carb calories. Beyond kitten foods, there are lots of "all life stages" canned foods that are pretty caloric, including Fancy Feast Classics or even Friskies. You can compare calories on this chart on a vet's site.

Anyway, just a thought! Personally, I find it a lot easier to work with what our cats will eat than to try to entice them to eat what they really don't want to eat. And feeding foods they loved was how we got them to put good weight on them when they were ultra-skinny! No matter what option you choose, good luck!

 

[Azazel]

I agree -- wet kitten food is nice and caloric, perfect for putting on weight.

haleyyrenee , given that your cat seems to love wet food, maybe it's the path of least resistance to stick with that and just keep feeding? As many of us like to say, sometimes the best food is the food your cat will eat and, honestly, I think you're lucky that your cat loves wet food! I know you said your vet wanted the cat to eat dry food for calories but we put weight on our ten-month-old kittens by feeding them lots of wet food. The cats were horribly underfed and skinny when we adopted them and our vet just told us to feed them unlimited calories until they got caught up on their weight; we started weaning them off dry food shortly after we brought them home and got them acclimated. The vet really wanted them to get protein calories rather than empty carb calories. Beyond kitten foods, there are lots of "all life stages" canned foods that are pretty caloric, including Fancy Feast Classics or even Friskies. You can compare calories on this chart on a vet's site.

Anyway, just a thought! Personally, I find it a lot easier to work with what our cats will eat than to try to entice them to eat what they really don't want to eat. And feeding foods they loved was how we got them to put good weight on them when they were ultra-skinny! No matter what option you choose, good luck!

Very good points -- putting on weight isn't a good reason to feed dry food. Yes, dry food is more calorie dense, but it's not about merely getting more calories, it's about getting the right kind of calories. Dry foods are packed with carbs, but kittens need protein. Feeding more wet food that is high in animal-based protein will be better than feeding calorie-dense carby dry food.

 

[lisahe]

Very good points -- putting on weight isn't a good reason to feed dry food. Yes, dry food is more calorie dense, but it's not about merely getting more calories, it's about getting the right kind of calories. Dry foods are packed with carbs, but kittens need protein. Feeding more wet food that is high in animal-based protein will be better than feeding calorie-dense carby dry food.

That's almost exactly how our vet would summarize it. She loves to say "meat."

Plus it's so much easier to get a cat to eat what it already wants to eat!

 

[Minxxy]

I have a 16 week old kitten and he is refusing to eat dry food! When he was about 9 weeks old he got an infection from the raw meat the breeder was feeding him, and he lost quite a bit of weight. Wet food does not have many calories, so it’s important that he eats the dry food to get the calories and get his weight back up. I’ve tried three different dry foods (orijen, Royal Canin, and hills science), but he won’t even take one bite. Can someone please give me tips on how to get him to eat it? Or suggest a brand to try that kittens love? I’ve sprinkled it on the wet food and he just eats around it.

Thank you!!

(Before anyone tries to tell me he shouldn’t eat dry food or something along those lines, I am choosing to feed him wet and dry food based off of my vet for his weight, so I don’t need advice on that.)

Your kitty is beautiful. It's awesome that he loves wet food . I'm glad he's feeling better. You might try Purina One Kitten Formula. I know it's not the best but our cats love it and would eat before anything else. If your kitty needs some kibble that would be a good place to start.

 

[haleyyrenee]

I agree -- wet kitten food is nice and caloric, perfect for putting on weight.

haleyyrenee , given that your cat seems to love wet food, maybe it's the path of least resistance to stick with that and just keep feeding? As many of us like to say, sometimes the best food is the food your cat will eat and, honestly, I think you're lucky that your cat loves wet food! I know you said your vet wanted the cat to eat dry food for calories but we put weight on our ten-month-old kittens by feeding them lots of wet food. The cats were horribly underfed and skinny when we adopted them and our vet just told us to feed them unlimited calories until they got caught up on their weight; we started weaning them off dry food shortly after we brought them home and got them acclimated. The vet really wanted them to get protein calories rather than empty carb calories. Beyond kitten foods, there are lots of "all life stages" canned foods that are pretty caloric, including Fancy Feast Classics or even Friskies. You can compare calories on this chart on a vet's site.

Anyway, just a thought! Personally, I find it a lot easier to work with what our cats will eat than to try to entice them to eat what they really don't want to eat. And feeding foods they loved was how we got them to put good weight on them when they were ultra-skinny! No matter what option you choose, good luck!

I am not arguing with anyone anymore.

 

[haleyyrenee]

Very good points -- putting on weight isn't a good reason to feed dry food. Yes, dry food is more calorie dense, but it's not about merely getting more calories, it's about getting the right kind of calories. Dry foods are packed with carbs, but kittens need protein. Feeding more wet food that is high in animal-based protein will be better than feeding calorie-dense carby dry food.

There are plenty of great quality dry foods! There are some good threads on google of which ones are good and which are full of bad ingredient. They are a lot more expensive, but there are brands with really good protein sources and do not contain tons of empty calories. He just needs a boost in his diet, because he is so behind in weight.

 

[haleyyrenee]

Your kitty is beautiful. It's awesome that he loves wet food . I'm glad he's feeling better. You might try Purina One Kitten Formula. I know it's not the best but our cats love it and would eat before anything else. If your kitty needs some kibble that would be a good place to start.

Thank you! I will try that one!

 

[Azazel]

There are plenty of great quality dry foods! There are some good threads on google of which ones are good and which are full of bad ingredient. They are a lot more expensive, but there are brands with really good protein sources and do not contain tons of empty calories. He just needs a boost in his diet, because he is so behind in weight.

I will respect your choice if you don't want to engage in conversation about nutrition, but if you are open to having a conversation I always really enjoy talking about feline nutrition because I think it's one area that many vets don't have a lot of expertise in and that owners have to do a lot of educating for themselves. I always learn a lot from having conversations and even disagreements with other cat parents.

If you are open to conversation I would be really interested in knowing which brands and varieties of dry food you are feeding that are healthy. My main concerns with dry food are (1) the lack of moisture which can contribute to many feline diseases and illnesses because cats don't drink enough water on their own (kidney disease, urinary infections, etc.), (2) the low amount of meat-based protein and high amount of carbs and (3) susceptibility to bacteria.

I think what lisahe was saying was that a lot of kitten wet foods are also very high in calories just like dry food, so an option might be to feed wet kitten food if she is still refusing dry.

 

[haleyyrenee]

I will respect your choice if you don't want to engage in conversation about nutrition, but if you are open to having a conversation I always really enjoy talking about feline nutrition because I think it's one area that many vets don't have a lot of expertise in and that owners have to do a lot of educating for themselves. I always learn a lot from having conversations and even disagreements with other cat parents.

If you are open to conversation I would be really interested in knowing which brands and varieties of dry food you are feeding that are healthy. My main concerns with dry food are (1) the lack of moisture which can contribute to many feline diseases and illnesses because cats don't drink enough water on their own (kidney disease, urinary infections, etc.), (2) the low amount of meat-based protein and high amount of carbs and (3) susceptibility to bacteria.

I think what lisahe was saying was that a lot of kitten wet foods are also very high in calories just like dry food, so an option might be to feed wet kitten food if she is still refusing dry.

I'm not arguing with anyone anymore.