Troubles with a New Kitten?

Question

I am having trouble with a kitten my grandmother bought me over the weekend.

He's a six week old gray male, with patches of white. He won't eat regularly. He didn't eat at all on Saturday, which is the day I got him, and it took me until last night to convince him to eat a little of his cat food, along with a little bit of warm turkey from a pot pie.

And now today he won't eat again!

Is it normal for a kitten new to a house not to eat?

Thanks for all the help guys!
If he hasn't eaten by tomorrow I'll make an appointment with my vet to see what's goin' on, until then I'll just be patient and keep him well cuddled.

Oh dear.
This kitten had two siblings which were adopted by my cousin, and one of them died, the other had to go to the vet to get a shot of Amoxicilin.

I already made an appointment and will be taking him to our vet in a half hour.

Thanks for your help guys, but I guess it really is best, with serious cases, to speak to a professional.

Answer 1

It's not normal for a little kitten to not eat. He's very young so this is serious. If you can take him to a vet for a check up, that's the best thing to do. He may have worms or other digestive problems. Next best thing to do, buy baby food for him and feed him a teaspoon or so at room temperature or slightly warm - but get only the 100% meat kind like beef or chicken. Let him lick it off your fingertip. Unless they're really sick, most cats can't resist baby food meat. Make sure he's drinking water and urinating okay. If he's not, please take him to the veterinarian as soon as you can.

DON'T use an eyedropper to force food in a kitten's mouth unless you know for sure how to do it right. NEVER put liquid or food in the back of a cat's mouth. If you must forcefeed, place the food or liquid in the front of his mouth only, otherwise you could cause him to choke.

Answer 2

start with some cat milk that you can buy at the grocery store and use an eyedropper to feed him. Get moist cat food and put a little on his nose, he will eventually lick his nose and then want more. A new kitten will take a while to eat away from its mother, it probably wasnt weaned correctly. You have to feed a kitten 3 times a day. Dont overfeed a kitten, they will eat till they burst (not kidding). You also have to make sure it goes to the bathhroom. You may have to take a warm washcoth and rub its butt for a few minutes to make it go ( the mother does this for weeks until the kitten goes on its own). It sounds gross but you have a kitten and you need to take care of it right.

Answer 3

Yes this is completely normal, it may even be a couple of days until you find that your kitten will open up to his new home and eat. This is all part of the new adjustment time. Kittens are very territorial and this poor kitten was taken away from it's only known territory and put into a new one. So don't worry, he will adjust and start eating. But you shouldn't give your kitten any human scraps, it's really unhealthy for your pet and kittens are very susceptible to urinary tract infections and the diet the cat is on, is very important. Get kitten soft food and mix it in the hard food until he adjust. Good luck.

Answer 4

Although he may be 6 weeks old, he may not have been ready to leave mommma. I had rescued a kitten once that was so young that it's eyes were not open yet. When I started to take her off the bottle, I got real soft canned cat food and pinched it between my fingers and kind of force fed her till she understood the concept. Once she did, I still finger fed her for about a week, until she figured out eating from a plate. I also added a little of her formula to the food to make it softer on the plate. Day by day I added less milk and started adding dry food to the mix until she was totaly on dry food. Be sure he is at least drinking, you may need to use an eye dropper to make sure he is getting something.

Answer 5

Cats are fairly tempermental and a change of residence could be enough for them to go on a "hunger strike" for a few days. However, we're talking about a 6-week-old kitten that really isn't old enough to be away from his mama. Get some kitten formula (available at your vet's or Wal-Mart), and try feeding him some in a bowl. You can also get a bottle to bottle feed him but at 6-weeks-old, he should be old enough to drink from a bowl. You can also try softening his dry kibble with some of the formula. If he still hasn't eaten or drank anything in a few days, call your vet. Good luck.

Answer 6

Make sure you're feeding him a kitten food, not a cat food. He'll need kitten food until he's one year, because it has a higher fat content, and that's very important for his developing brain.

Sounds like he's adjusting, lonely and mopey. Do you cuddle with him a lot? Are there other cats or animals he must deal with in your house? I'm betting if you give him enough attention he will eat soon, but like the others said, take him to the vet if not.

You know it does sound a little soon to be taken from mom, I got my twin girls at 11 weeks. But I bet he'll be okay if you're patient.

Answer 7

you do not have any corporation in any respect getting a kitten or a cat if that's going to likely be situation to the abuse and shortage of care you're featuring. certain, putting a kitten outdoors is abusive. no one might want to get any animal that they can't look after precise - extremely no longer those who elect one on a whim and commit to motel to manipulative skill to "convince" unwilling kin. What in the international do you elect with a kitten no matter if it shouldn't connect the kinfolk? - the entire kinfolk - no longer basically one little female. Disgusting.

Answer 8

This isn't really that normal. They need to consume a lot of calories in order to grow. Try using Just Born Milk Replacer for Kittens from Pet Co. We had to use the puppy style for my pomerainian and he eventually gained weight because after a while we weaned him off of it and onto full normal food with out the formula mixed in.

Answer 9

He's still very young ... perhaps he wasn't properly weaned.

Your local pet store should carry " kitty milk " ... it can come in a variety of ways: as a liquid in a small carton or as a powder which you mix with water. This site will give you an idea of what to look and ask for:

http://www.vetamerica.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=43

At his age, it's crucial that your kitty have some sort of daily nourishment ... if he won't lap up the kitty milk, I would definately get him to the vet.

Good Luck !!!!

Answer 10

It's normal. You better stick to kitten food in the beginning, and make it mushy by putting water in it, theyh have baby teeth. If s/he won't eat at all, put something nutritious in an eye strainer, and put it way in the back of their mouth so they hve to swallow.

The kitty is just getting used to his surroundings- don't make loud noise, leave it alone, and have a nice cozy blanket for it to sleep.