How do you get your kitten to eat wet food?

Question

I just adopted a kitten from the pound almost a week ago and they could not fix her because she got an upper respiratory infection. The shelter estimated she was about 3 months old but she looks a little smaller. She is getting better from the infection but in the beginning she would not eat or drink. We had to give her water through an eye dropper. Now she drinks water on her own and we bought her some formula that she drinks. She finally had her first p**p last night.But she still is not eating either wet or dry food. I have tried iams and fancy feast and she licks it but then turns her nose up at it. Should I wait until she is completely well and see what happens? Or is there some secret to switching her to wet food? I tried mixing the dry food with formula and she would not even touch it. Please help! Thanks:)

Answer 1

i would wait until she is completely better, she may not be able to smell the food very well. cats usually dont eat or drink what they cant smell. or she could not like those brands of food.  

Answer 2

I had a kitten that was just like yours and the only way i could get him to eat the wet food was if i mixed the milk replacement with the wet food.  

Answer 3

this may not be the best answer but i suggested to friend with a similar problem and it worked...

if the cat is now reassuring around you try putting a smudge of the food on your finger and the might sniff it and l**k it... if it does and likes it try doing it a few times and then see whether she will sniff that smell out and find the food laid out for her...don't try and put her near the food she'll eventually go in search for it herself.

but if she doesn't like it it'll be the brand your feeding her..

poor thing i hope she makes a full recovery.

Answer 4

RuneAmok gave you some very good advice. They only thing I can add is that the antibiotics can also cause the cat to not want to eat, but you MUST get some food into the cat. Food is nourishment and without it the cat will have a difficult time gaining health.

Sometimes when a cat has not eaten in a while, you have to 'jump start' their appetite by placing some food directly into their mouth.

You cannot afford to 'wait it out'. A cat who goes without eating for too long can become seriously ill.

Answer 5

Cats can be pernickity little fluffbag can't they.  My two were the same when I got them, I had to work my way through so many brands before I found ones they liked and typically, when it came to wet food it was the one that stank the most - I think it was the overwhelming smell that drew them to it!  

You can buy kitten wet food that has the chunks in really tiny pieces and it's swimming in gravy, this may tempt her....

One thing to keep in mind is that wet food = wet poops, dry food = more dry, compact poops.  I know, nasty image eh!

Answer 6

I had the same problem with my cat!he didn't want to drink or eat anything.now he is the biggest cat in the world.any way-did you try giving her some meat-she'll maybe eat it....and if she does you can try the with the wet foot.

if this wont work then search in google - maybe someone who had the same problem and may help you.

good luck

Answer 7

Try putting a little bit of tuna over the food.  My cat will do anything to get at tuna once it is opened.  Make sure it is in water, not oil.  

Answer 8

It's quite possible that the URI is still affecting her appetite.  The URI affects their ability to smell, and that is what draws them to their food.  That's why cats with this infection will often go off their feed.  If they can't smell it, they probably won't eat it.

However, it's still important that your kitty eat something.  These growing critters need lots of calories to fuel their tiny bodies.

Some of the tips I wrote about getting cats to try canned food may work for your kitten with its currently reduced sense of smell.

From my blog:

1. Buy the best. See http://www.catinfo.org/commercialcannedf... for suggestions, and also see my blog on identifying good foods http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-ytgWjlI5e... Although you don't want to feed fishy foods more than 2-3 times per week (http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?ac... ), you might want to get a few. The stronger smell may be more appealing, and perhaps you could use it as a topping on other foods as well.

2. Buy as many varieties as you can. Get different brands and different flavors. Also try different textures - some prefer mushy food, others prefer ones that are chunkier.  You just never know what's going to appeal to a cat.

3. Offer a teaspoonful or so of the new food in a separate bowl at feeding time. Do this at every meal. The idea is that kitty will finally realize it's food and will give it a shot. By offering just a small amount, you'll avoid digestive upsets should he or she be willing to give it a try.

4. If he tries any, note which brand/flavor it was. You may then want to focus on that brand or that flavor in other brands. But don't be fooled. The cat may eat it all up but then never want to eat it again. So before buying a case of a food that he seems to like, make sure he's going to continue going for it.

5. You can try putting a smear of food on his nose or mouth. That'll cause him to l**k it. If he likes it, he may try more.

6. Bribes. Crush some kibble and sprinkle it over the top. Try fish or liver flakes, parmesan cheese, a drop of soy sauce, meaty baby food (with no added onion or garlic), whatever it takes.

7. You can run the food (in a container of course) under hot or warm water or even nuke it for a few seconds to bring it to "mouse body temperature." This may also release the scent and that may draw the cat in.

Answer 9

That's interesting.  have you tried grinding up some chicken with gravy and giving that to the kitten?  Also, if you could grind up the wet food a bit more and get it into a baster or some sort of thing that you could stick in her mouth and squirt it in?  if she doesn't begin to eat soon, she could begin some real problems because altho she's at least eating formula, that can't last forever.  You could try not feeding her any forumla for a while and see if her hunger causes her to eat the wet food.

Answer 10

One thing I can say about cats is that you cannot force them to do something that they are not ready to do.  Just be patient.  She seems to be getting enough nutrients from the formula.  I would make a mush of formula and wet food or go get some baby food meat....made by gerber I usually get the beef or the chicken and mix it up and they eat it on their time table not when you are ready.   Sorry if this doesn't seem too helpful but like I said it is on their time table not ours.   Enjoy your kitten though.  Have fun!!!!

Answer 11

Open a can and give it to her.  Try a different flavor - maybe she doesn't like that.  One of my cats likes turkey and hates fish, and the other one will only eat fish flavors.  They can be picky!

Good luck!