Picky Kitten

[Mrs.O]

Hello all,

I am a new cat mom with a 4 month old kitten, Skeeter.

When Skeeter first came home he was eating Hills dry food for kittens. I have since gotten him on Purina dry food for kittens (more accessible than the Hills kibble) and giving him Fancy Fest wet food for kittens, turkey flavor once or twice a day. Now he almost refuses to eat dry food alone.

Before I was feeding him 3-4 times a day of his dry food. Usually mixing in half a can of wet food for lunch time or dinner. I have kept this going, and not sure what happened, but now if there's not wet food mixed in he barely touches his dry food. I have even tried going back to the Hills dry kitten kibble and he barely touches it.

He doesn't really complain because there is food in his bowl so he's not meowing in hunger but he's not interested either. He gets extremely excited when I begin preparing his wet food and he cleans the plate so I know he's enjoying it, I'm just not sure if it's healthy for him to be on a completely wet diet or if any of this is normal.

I am looking for any suggestions or advice if anyone has had experience like this with one of their cats. So far he's healthy and seems to be growing at a good rate according to the vet so he's eating well enough I suppose.

I'm just wondering if I should be giving him wet food every meal or if I should be trying to introduce other dry foods that might be more to his liking?

 

[verna davies]

Hello Mrs O and Skeeter, welcome to the site. I wouldnt worry too much as long as Skeeter is eating well and it sounds as if he is. Maybe he is teething and his gums are a little sore making the dry food more difficult to eat. Leave a small amount of dry out and see if he picks at it, if not stick to the wet for now.

 

[duckpond]

a completely wet diet is fine for a cat, some say even the best thing you can do. A kitten of this age needs all the food he can get. However there is a problem with mixing wet and dry together. Its ok to feed as a meal, then after 30 min or so throw it all away. Otherwise it grows a lot of bacteria, rapidly.

If he will eat wet food by itself i would suggest feed him a wet meal 3 or 4 times per day. Wet food by itself many of us do leave out for 3 or 4 hours. And keep a bowl of dry out, just dry, not mixed with wet for him to eat if or when hungry.

Fancy feast is fine to feed the kitten, every meal. As are other wet foods if you want to try some different brands, just make sure it says for all life stages, complete and balanced. The only kitten food i am familiar with in dry is the Merrick kitten food. we don't have bigger pet stores, and the Merrick kitten was the only one mine carried. Cats all seemed to like it and do well.

Good luck and enjoy your kitten!

 

[Mrs.O]

Thank you for the information. I don't usually leave his wet mixed food out, but this information is good to know. I will most likely move him to a wet diet, I'm not sure if you will eat it without dry food mixed in I'm just going to have to try it and see. Ultimately as long as he's eating food that is healthy and appropriate for him I will be okay with that. Thank you again I will most likely be posting again as I learn more about Skeeter.

 

[verna davies]

I have just found a way to get my fussy cat to eat. A bowl of dry food and a bowl of wet right next to it with small portions in each. He eats some wet then some dry then wet again. Odd creatures these cats.

 

[Mrs.O]

Update:

I have since continued to give Skeeter wet food, leaving some dry food out in a separate bowl, which he has shown little interest in. I have also tried switching dry food to Rachel Ray indoor complete, Skeeter has ate some, however only when the food was on the floor and I was was sitting on the floor with him. I'm not sure what this behavior is about, but I'm going to keep working on it because his mostly wet diet is turning out to be quite expensive.

Thanks everyone for your advice!

 

[duckpond]

you may need to try a few different dry foods, until you find one he likes. cats can be very picky about what they like.
I have taken in quite a few rescue cats, and feed several strays and ferals, sometimes they will not eat the "better" brands of food. i put some links to some that most all cats will eat. and these can be found most anywhere.
Cat Chow Naturals Original with Real Chicken & Salmon Dry Cat Food
Purina Pro Plan Savor Adult Shredded Blend Chicken & Rice Formula Dry Cat Food
Purina Beyond Simply White Meat Chicken & Whole Oat Meal Recipe Dry Cat Food