My kitten is 9weeks old and was a bottle fed kitten, she is not eating well.

Question

She just nibbles on the dry kitten food,even if I add water to it.I went out and bought the replacement milk and she of course drank that but I need to wean her off.Any suggestions! Please

Answer 1

Try soaking the dry food in the milk replacement and offer her some wet kitten food as well. You can also add the milk replacement to that wet food and mix it up well into a "slurry" consistency. Sometimes they will take to that wonderfully.

Then you simply reduce the amount of replacement milk until she is eating full dry and wet food.

I've raised several bottle babies and this has worked wonderfully.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Try offering her some canned food a few times a day in addition to the dry food.Also,kittens are nibblers and have tiny stomachs,so it may seem that she isn't eating enough,but if she's growing and gaining weight,then she must be eating enough.Your vet can tell you for sure if she is eating enough.

Answer 3

keep her on milk until she starts eating hard foods, it wont do her any harm.  Instead of trying to get her to eat dry food, change it to kitten meat, tin tuna and pieces of chicken it's much better than dry, smells tastier and easier to eat. Once she eating properly then start to reduce her milk.  

Answer 4

Especially bottle-fed kits wean more slowly.  I think it is partly because nothing is as good as mother's milk and partly a comfort thing -- not enough cuddling time!

Nine weeks is fairly late.  Just take it slowly.  Do put out Small amounts and if you are wetting it pick it up after 15-20 minutes.  Throw it out and give her a small amount again every 2-4 hours to see if she is interested.  Also, do make sure fresh water is available all of the time.  

Answer 5

Try taking her off it day by day. To start i would give her wet food for about a week or so. then try the dry food.

Answer 6

try moving from the milk slowly (but not to slowly) into dried food mixed with the same brand of wet food. then slowly wean her onto just dry food. she isn't sick, some cats are just very finicky and/or stuck in their ways. more then likely the milk is a comfort thing for her as much as a food source, kittens who had to be nursed from bottles usually grow up slower, personality wise.