can't get kitten to eat dry food?

Question

I have a 5 week old kitten I found last week. I can't get her to eat dry food no matter what I do. She will eat can food. If I mix the can with the dry, she just picks at it, and if I give her just dry, she'll leave it alone even if I soften it up with water.. I don't know what to do. Should I just leave the dry food out, and when she is hungy enough she'll eat it? I don't want her to starve!

by the way I found her on my door steps scared and hungry,so I took her in. She has been to the Vet. The vet told me she was 4 to 7 weeks old. she was 1.02 lbs. So I have no real way of knowing how old she is. I can tell you that with in the week that I have had her that she has grown.

Answer 1

She will eventually eat when she is hungry
However
you can try soaking the dry food in warm water so that its moist and then over a few weeks make it more dry until she is eating it totally dry

Answer 2

Some cats just won't eat dry food, there is nothing you can do about it, no matter how you try. I don't understand that one. I have two cats. One loves dry food and the other would starve if that was all she was left with. I've tried pouring tuna juice on the dry food, mixing it with other thing she likes, nothing works, so I just gave up and give her the wet food, it's just all I can do. Cats are their own bosses. I know that dry food is supposed to be good for their teeth, but you just can't force the poor thing to eat what she refuses. Give up, it's not worth the fight. You will learn, the cat always wins.

Answer 3

For the moment, you may want to keep her on wet food - five weeks is a VERY young cat, and dry food may be a bit much for her to deal with. At about 8 or 9 weeks, start mixing the dry food with the wet food, starting with only a VERY small amount of good-quality dry food. Gradually increase the dry food, and decrease the amount of wet food. You might also get some kitten formula from a pet store; she's very young to be without the nutrients she would be getting from mother's milk, and kitten formula will help to deal with that lack.

If you get a package of inexpensive styrofoam plates, you can change out the dish and not have to worry about contaminated food making your kitten sick. I raised a kitten from 4 weeks (he and his littermates had been abandoned by the queen), and this strategy worked well for me.

Answer 4

Just keep leaving the dry out for her, eventually she will eat it when she gets hungry. When she's a bit older (dont do it while she's a baby, wait until about 6 months, babies need their food), you can cut back on the wet food which should make her more inclined to eat. Always offer the dry first, even if it's mixed with a little water to soften it. Warm it so she can smell it. Wait to offer the wet food, don't do it straight away.

Answer 5

Are you sure she is 5 weeks? She might still be needing milk... you can go to your local feed store and look into some formulas and maybe bottle feed her for a bit.

If she is definitely old enough for dry food I would buy the smallest kitten food, mix it with either the gravy from the wet food, or mix some warm water with a bouillon cube and mix it with that a little.

Answer 6

You've got a smart kitten!

In spite of the recent recall, canned food IS BETTER than dry!

Dry food is full of carbs - canned food, the good quality ones - contain protein. Cats are carnivores who need to eat high protein, highish fat diets of meat.

Dry food does not clean teeth either - the ONLY reason to feed dry food is because it's convenient for the owner. It's no good for the cats.

Look through the list of high quality canned foods below - NONE of which are on the recall list. Your kitty can eat any of these and thrive.

Answer 7

I totally agree with Mrs. S. Dry food is not appropriate for that young a kitten and a quality canned food is much healthier for her for her lifetime. One 5.5 oz. can should be sufficient for her now and the dry food can be kept out for her to snack on when she gets used to it. The 5 oz can should be split into four meals at that age - she especially needs a feeding before bedtime. She may need more so give her what will satisfy her now.

You do not have to use "kitten" food. Wellness, Natural Balance, Felidae, Lick Your Chops, Blue, Avoderm, Innova are all superior foods with plenty of protein which she needs for her growth and health now. Those brands also have top quality dry foods with no by-product meat or corn (or wheat) fillers.

Answer 8

I would just continue to feed her the wet until she is at least 8 weeks old. You can try adding some warm water to the dry to soften it,when she is 8 weeks. It has been my experience that a kitten weighs one pound for every month old that it is. Good luck with your new friend.

Answer 9

Just keep feeding her wet. It's much better for her anyway. If you really want to, you can try switching her to dry later (8 or 10 weeks, 5 weeks is too young - if she was still with her mom, she'd still be on mostly milk now), but keeping her on wet would be better.

Cats need to get most of their moisture from their food (think about what they eat in the wild - freshly killed rodents), and cats fed dry often get kidney problems because they don't drink enough to make up for it.

Answer 10

Mix some wet food with your dry food, and see if she'll eat that. If she doesn't make the dry food like a wet food, make a mushy so it will be easy for her to eat, and so that she'll get used to the taste.