NEW KITTEN, and he wont eat or drink?

Question

i bought a kitten today, brought him home and when my children went to bed he seems to be settling in, thing is ive put food and water out for him but he wont touch them, ive put some food on my finger, he dosent want it, yet he's meowing because i think hes hungry, any suggestions? thanks in advance

Answer 1

he needs time to adjust to his new home, I bet he will eat when everyone goes to bed, that is if he don't keep crying all night which is normal. Point is just give him time to adjust.

Answer 2

I had this problem with one of my cats when she was a kitten. Best to just leave the food out 4 it and it should eat and drink when hungry. Its in a new surrounding and probaby feeling very scared. A cat wont usually starve itself and should start eating when it ready. If it hasnt had any food or drink in a few hours. take it to the vet or it will become dehydrated. as for the meowing it could be just missing its mum. How old is the kitten by the way. It shouldnt leave its mum for any less than 8 weeks. If its any younger than that it may not be completly weaned and you should seek vetenary advise. Hope this helps

Answer 3

I got a kitten about a month and a half ago. He was 8 weeks old when I got him and also didn't want to eat at first. Whatever you do, DO NOT try to feed it cow's milk. They cannot digest it properly and your kitty may get a bad case of the runs. Your kitty might just be a little bit afraid. He is nervous about his new environment. Do you know what kind of food he was eating before you bought him? If you are using dry food, add a little bit of warm water or EVAPORATED milk to it and let it stand for 5-10 min, then mush it up with a fork. Your kitty may or may not be ready for solid foods. Depends on the age. I believe you can buy formula at the pet store. When my sister's kitty fell ill and wouldn't eat, her vet told her to feed it baby food (yes, human baby food in a jar--chicken). If he still won't eat/drink, I would take him to the vet asap. Little kittens can dehydrate quickly. Best of luck!

Answer 4

He is missing his mum and his siblings, in a strange place and different food....not fun. Did you ask whetherv he was weaned, and what food he had been eating?? Could you find out?? Whiskas kitten food is good, and not too rich so it wont make him sick. Squash it up with a little water so its nice and moist. Never give him cows milk- ever. Try cheap canned tuna, likewise well squashed, or a sardine- both are very smelly and attractive to small mogs. If he isnt willing to eat any of the foods suggested, I should ask a vet, as going without food, and especially liquid, can be fatal for small kits. Buy him small toys, like catnip mice and sprinkle catnip leaves for him to roll on. Good luck.

Answer 5

He may be meowing in distress because he's wondering where his mother and litter mates are. The breeder should have given you a blanket that has been in his old bed so that it smell of home, and a weeks supply of food to give you a chance to gradually switch his diet over to what you'll be feeding him.
He should have his own bed so that he has somewhere to sleep and settle.
Are you sure he's weaned? He should be weaned at 8 weeks, but do you know what an 8 week old kitten looks ike?
Try to comfort him, give him am old woolly jumper to snuggle into in his bed. Some people put a wind up ticking clock in the bed to mimic Mums heartbeat - make sure the alarm is disabled. He is missing his family and he's homesick.

Answer 6

Well how old is this kitten, And what are u feeding him are her? Try to temp the cat with some moist can food from a can they make it for kittens and also do not wait too long to call the vet it will not take long to the cat to dehydrate and get sick even if the kitten is not familar with its surroundings it should eat when it is hungry i have caught wild kittens and they are scared of humans but they ate. Maybe next time you will adopt a kitten form the Humane Society next time.

Answer 7

Don't worry. I've had and got lots of cats and none of mine ever ate in the first 48 hours. They've just left their mother and siblings and will take time to adapt.

The best thing I found was to leave it be. Don't keep handling it and let kitty walk around on it's own to adapt to it's new home. Within a week your new kitten will be acting as though he's been in your family for years. Leave water and food down at different times and if it's hungry or thirsty it'll go and get some.

Answer 8

try getting purina kitten chow in the yellow bag. all my cats love this, i call it kitty candy. try then softening some in a little warm water until soft. leave in the water as it will have the crunchy flavor in it and my cats like this. mix in some wet food. see if you new little one will eat this. you can also get some "cat" milk that will help give him some nutritian while you work on the food issue.
i have had to give some of my kittens gerber baby meat in the little jars, mine love the lamb flavor. i have not met a cat nor kitten whole can resist this on a finger. you can also mix some with the softened kitten chow. if he like this combonation then allow him to eat this and then slowly add in a little canned cat food, more and more each time, until you get rid of the baby food.
i still give my cats geber meat as a treat and when i pop the lid i get mobbed!! depending on how young he is his little teeth may not be strong enough to crunch the dry food. you might also need to have his mouth checked to see if he has any dental issues. kittens also lose their baby teeth so maybe if he is an older kitten his teeth might hurt. don't let non eating and drinking go on for more than day or two as kittens dehydrate very quickly
and need a constant source of protein for growth and cats bodies do not store protein like ours do. you could also try and switch wet food if he does not seem interested, he might not like that particular brand or flavor. you can also pour a little cat milk on top of the crunchies and wet food.

Answer 9

your kitten may be too young and not eating solid food yet and sometimes it is just the excitement of a new place my cats did the same thing and one was too young but i mixed his solid food with water and it was easier for him to eat if that doesnt work go to a pet store or vet and try a kitten formula and try to bottle feed DO NOT USE REGULAR MILK it is really bad for their digestive system. if all else fails a trip to the vet should certainly clear things up and also if it is the excitement then try giving him a room to himself it sounds mean but purina reccomends that giving a new pet a room to themselves shut off from the rest of the house with food and water and a litter box will help them to adjust to the new scents and sounds of your family and possibly other pets while feeling secure in the room just make sure that you give him 1 on 1 time with visitors so that he may get to know you at the same time without a stressful environment.

Answer 10

When the kitten gets hungry enough, he'll eat. Try putting a bit of canned food on his nose and see if he licks it off. He's just been taken away from his home and probably mother and siblings and he's scared. He'll come around in a day or so. If there's food and water he won't let himself stave to death. Good Luck.

Answer 11

try wet food, not solid. I have volunteered with cats at Petsmart a lot and I leave mushy, wet food for the kittens. I don't know for sure because I am just an assistant, but at Petsmart every saturday from12-4, there is usually a kitten adoption center. I think you should ask some of the workers there.