I found a kitten yesterday and have decided to keep her.
She appears to be around 6 weeks old, so I bought dry kitten food for her. She doesn't seem to know how to eat the food, nor drink the water I put in a bowl for her.
How can I get her to eat? Am I feeding her the wrong thing?
2007-09-26 10:24:23 · 11 answers · asked by achen 3 in Pets ➔ Cats
feed her bit by bit of the dry food with your hands then gradually ease towards the bowl where her food is and place the food into the bowl. Hope this helps you !
2007-09-26 10:28:08 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Since you found her she may be younger than the six weeks that you guessed. Maybe she was still drinking milk from her mother. Buy some kitten milk which is sold in supermarkets with the cat food. After opening you will need to put it in the fridge and use it within the number of days specified on the pack. If she won't drink it from the bowl try buying a bottle for feeding young kittens. Try a pet shop or a vet. If she does drink from the bowl then that should be fine and leter introduce her to the wet kitten food. the dry kitten food should be introduced last as it is the hardest for them to eat and digest.
2007-09-26 21:54:22 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get some good quality canned meat for the cat. Wellness, Natural Balance, Avoderm, Felidae or even Max kitten (not the best).
Kittens naturally want to eat meat and that is what its mother would have weaned him to. You can also get some kitten replacer milk and give a little of that in a saucer. When cats eat meat they do not need to drink water.
Dry food is NOT good for cats. The kitten needs to be able to eat frequently when it is hungry so get the Wellness kitten dry food for him. Don't go with the cheap stuff. He will be much healthier on good food and you will make up the difference financially by NOT going to the vet!.
2007-09-26 18:57:11 · answer #3 · answered by old cat lady 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You should take her to the vet, especially if you plan to keep her. If she is only 6 weeks old, she would just now be weaning from her mother. Perhaps you can get a bottle and feed her milk from it. Also, I would put some water in the dry food and mash it around to make it easier to eat. She isn't use to eating solids yet probably. If you are going to keep her, she will need vaccinations. Plus, the vet can tell you how old she is and give you advice on getting her to eat and drink. Good luck!
2007-09-26 17:33:33 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i have taken a stray kitten in i took him to the vet he says he is abour 8 to 10 wek old i am probaly lucky because he will use a litter tray and i dont have problem feeding him i was told by the vet to give him two sachets of kitten food i give him felix and also kitten dry food so he can nibble in between i was told to give him a 4 small meals a day 2 sachets in all yours will probably need a little less being only 6 weeks it is quite normal for him not to want to eat as he has not long been away from his mum and only used to milk it is a gradual process some cats are intolarent to cow`s milk but you can get cat milk you could try him with that and temp him with a little food from your hand to start with you will find in a few weeks he will be eating you out of house and home believe it not i still have to tempt my dog with food out of my hand because she is spoilt
hope everything goes ok for you and kitty
2007-09-26 17:56:24 · answer #5 · answered by meg 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
she hasnt even been properly weaned yet!!! she needs replacement cat milk (KMR is really good) you should bottle feed her, and soften the kitten food with a little bit of water. since she's 6 weeks old already, u can take out the water from the dry food at about 9 weeks.
take her to the vet, and talk about vaccinations. good luck
2007-09-26 17:38:20 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can soak a little of the food in enough warm water to make a "mash" from it... you can offer it to her on a tablespoon... gently put the spoon up to her lips and it shouldnt' be long before she realizes it's something to eat.
Perhaps the kitten was "dumped" and isnt 6 weeks old? Maybe take her to the vet to see if she might need some kitten formula for a couple weeks?
She probably needs to be checked out anyway.
take care.
2007-09-26 17:30:33 · answer #7 · answered by letterstoheather 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
HI,make sure to give the kitten lots of cuddles and attention this way she will bond with you and begin to trust you .Try putting little bits of dried food into the palm of your hand offer it to her with one hand and stroke her with the other,try doing the same with water. Try her with a drop of cat milk. If she's not eating and drinking within 24 hours I would take her to the vets because she is very young and may become ill,kittens can go down hill rapidly when ill.Good luck.
2007-09-26 21:29:26 · answer #8 · answered by Kerry 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
1st. I would take her to the vet and find out for sure how old she is.
2cnd . Her teeth might be bothering her, so try a softer food. It does smell more, and it will entice her to eat better. Also, if her teeth are bothering her then it will be easier for her to deal with. See what the vet says though.
3rd. If she is younger she may need KMR, which is a kitten milk replacement formula. Again, I would see what the vet says for sure though.
2007-09-26 17:30:22 · answer #9 · answered by Jenn 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Feed her promise because alot of kitten food has wheat gluten in it, and they will develop kidney infections from this, so feed her from your fingers then it will start eating, maybe also nutritional milk from the bottle,wean her that's what I had to do with mine,I got her at two weeks old,now 2yrs old
2007-09-26 17:29:36 · answer #10 · answered by Sunshine 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋