Kittens won't eat dry food

[WebDragon]

Hello all! I adopted a pair of kittens, 3 and 4 months old respectively, just about a week ago. They've adjusted really well so far and do all of the things (toileting, playing, sleeping, etc.) as they should. They're also eating well too, but won't touch their dry food. I'm using the same brands and flavors their foster home had fed them, canned and dry. In foster care they had access to a big gravity feeder of kibble to free feed from all day, but now they are refusing the same kind of kibble. They always lick the bowls clean of their canned food, so I know they're hungry!

While I'd prefer to feed them a mostly canned diet, I would like to leave them small portions of dry food too, particularly overnight. My previous cat got dry food as a bedtime snack, and in a gravity feeder when I knew I was going to miss a mealtime or two, and I'd like to have the same options now.

They also don't eat crunchy treats, but I think they were only given the lickable tube treats in foster care. I'd like to use dry treats in puzzle feeders, etc. in the future.

Is it that the pieces are too big for their little teeth to crunch up? I'd appreciate knowing a good variety or two I could try with them. I'm switching between Whole Hearted salmon and Simply Nourish chicken and rice on different days. I'm able to purchase from Petco and Petsmart, if anyone can recommend brands from either of those retailers. Thanks!

 

[EllieBones]

Hello, so first of all, 3-4weeks is a bit too young for them to be way from their mother to be honest... really, 8 weeks old is when they're fully weined off of mums milk and onto solid food, wet food is easier for kittens to eat, theres a much stronger smell that goes with it too so that helps their appetite, maybe try to mix some dry food with the wet, or, mix dry food with gravy. Also, cats shouldn't really have a diet of just wet food with a bit of dry as a treat... it should be the other way around, the dry food helps to keep cats healthy, inside and out, wet food does have lots of goodness however, it is more of a treat as it can cause bloating and sickness when consumed all the time, I hope this helps.

 

[LTS3]

Hello, so first of all, 3-4weeks is a bit too young for them to be way from their mother to be honest...

You misread the OP's post. The kittens are 3 and 4 months old

wet food is easier for kittens to eat, theres a much stronger smell that goes with it too so that helps their appetite, maybe try to mix some dry food with the wet, or, mix dry food with gravy.

Kittens should be offered both dry and canned. They need a lot of food for growth. Not everyone can afford all the canned food a growing kitten needs so dry food helps with the budget a little.

Also, cats shouldn't really have a diet of just wet food with a bit of dry as a treat... it should be the other way around, the dry food helps to keep cats healthy, inside and out, wet food does have lots of goodness however, it is more of a treat as it can cause bloating and sickness when consumed all the time, I hope this helps.

No, dry food is not healthy. A cat can live on a dry food only diet to like 20 years old but won't necessarily thrive on it. It's kind of like a Human eating a very poor quality diet (for reasons they may not have any control over) and having multiple health issues throughout life because of the diet. You can read through Catinfo.org and other web sites for all things cat nutrition.

There are many people who feed only canned food and their cats are healthy.

Feeding a mix of both dry and canned works for most people who have to feed some dry.

Is it that the pieces are too big for their little teeth to crunch up? I'd appreciate knowing a good variety or two I could try with them. I'm switching between Whole Hearted salmon and Simply Nourish chicken and rice on different days. I'm able to purchase from Petco and Petsmart, if anyone can recommend brands from either of those retailers. Thanks!

Maybe? Try crushing up the dry food pieces a little. Place the food into a plastic bag and smash away with a heavy pot.

If the kittens still won't eat the dry, not a big deal really Just feed them plenty of canned food to satisfy their hungry tummies. Canned food can be left in a programmable timed feeder for the kittens to eat when they are hungry. Canned food is a cooked product so it's fine to let it sit out all day at room temperature. You can even freeze the food first and put the frozen chunk into the feeder to slowly defrost until meal time. Some programmable feeders have an ice pack feature to keep food cool and fresh.

Some cats just aren't into dry crunchy treats or any treat. Or they may not like treats now but will in the future. Just cats being cats If they like those lickable treats, give them that occasionally.

 

[Babypaws]

I mix wet food in with the dry….that might be an option

 

[WebDragon]

Thanks all for your advice! I'll try mixing the wet and dry food, or sprinkling some dry on top of the wet.

I had tried putting the lickable treat paste onto their crunchy treats - they licked it off and left the crunchies behind! Kittens being kittens