My stray kitten we took in wont start eating solid food. help!!?

Question

she has teeth, and we thought she was about 3 weeks, but since she has teeth the vet says she may be about 4 weeks, she's been drinking formula for kittens since we got her about 5 days ago, and we've been told to start mixingthe formula in a blender with kitten wet food, which we did, my mom made it into a liquid mix with formula and a pouch of kitten wet food. But the kitten wont touch it, she refuses and so i can't just starve her so i give her formula which of course she laps up from the dish. How do I get her to start eating the wet food instead of formula????

Answer 1

Hello!

Have you tried dipping your finger into the wet food, and getting her to l**k it off your finger? Your kitten is -very- young, certainly not old enough to have left its mother. Kittens are usually weaned by 4 weeks, perhaps 5, depending on the tameness of the mother.

Perhaps the kitten is overwhelmed by the sheer volume of choice in front of it. Also since it does not have a mother to be its example, *you* have to be its example.

Try putting out a few nubbins of kitten chow along with the kitten formula. Day by day, increase the nubbins and decrease the formula, until, when the kitten is 6 weeks old, it *should* be weaned and eating the kitten chow exclusively.

I have had cats and kittens all my life, and this is how I have weaned them.

Good luck.

Answer 2

First: how nice a person you (and your Mom) are to be so caring.

Next:  don't panic.  Kitties (even babies) rarely starve themselves to death unless there is a serious medical problem.

try this:

Mix the formula with dry or canned food.

Hold kitty on lap (use towel or something to protect clothes).

Put "mixture" on fingers and place in/near her mouth.

she is still young and may really need to suck.

Answer 3

She's just not ready for solids yet.

Answer 4

I would place the formula and another bowl of dry food that has been moistened with the formula next to it.. (not blended)

and just wait.  eventually ONLY offer the dry food with the formula then go to dry with water.

You can mix some of the can food with the dry .

She may be younger than you think... 3 weeks is still nursing... so wait a couple of weeks and she might move over.

IF there is a surrogate cat that will take her and train her that will be best.

keep trying and offering... she will eat it when she is ready.

You wouldn't expect a 18 mo old child to eat steak would you... go at her speed.

good luck >^..^<

Answer 5

If your kitten is about 4 weeks old, what you can do is get a can of cat food, not the chuncky kind, but something like 9 lives chicken dinner, and dip a spoonful out and just put some in her mouth with your finger.

She will resist it at first but once she gets a taste of it, she will probably eat it.Also, little kittens dont know how to eat from a plate, so you have to help them learn, just like they had to learn how to drink the milk. After you feed her some from your finger and she starts eating, (be careful, she will bite you not meaning to), then put a spoonful on a big plate and sit her down on the plate and just push her head toward the food. She will resist to start with, but do it a few times and take some of the food and put it in her mouth, just a little to taste, and when she realizes what it is she will gobble it up if she's hungry. All kittens dont like that formula stuff mixed with wet food and mushed up. After she gets use to eating regular food you can change it up to what you want to feed her. But she will get spoiled to what kind she likes. Another thing to know is that all cats dont like fish, tuna and all that kind of stuff. My cats like liver and chicken and chicken flavored 9 lives. Also, some cheaper brands of cat food, just like cheaper brands of dog food, will cause diarrhea. So be careful about that also. Hope this was helpful. Catlover

Answer 6

shes waaaay too young for solid foods, she should still be drinking milk out of her mother...and at least for a couple more weeks.

Answer 7

As you don't know her exact age, be a little patient.  She may just be a little too young.  

Try mixing less of the food in the formula.  Start with just a tiny bit, then gradually increase the food and decrease the formula.

You might also help her realize that funny smelling stuff is food by putting a little on your pinky finger and sticking it gently into her mouth.  

Answer 8

I just went through this myself.. I am fostering a kitten that the shelter I volunteer at received. He WAS 4 weeks and is now about 10 weeks. He is giving me so much trouble, eating-wise.

But I DID get him to eat wet kitten food/kitten milk (KMR) by blending it and then putting a little on my finger then proceeded to have him l**k it off my finger. When he wouldn't do that, I rubbed the gruel on his mouth, which caused him to l**k it off. Needless to say, he loved it and proceeded to chow down from the bowl.

Weening an orphan kitten is hard and requires much diligence. Keep at it and don't give up. Hehe, just wait until you have to try and get him to eat hard food.

Good luck!

Answer 9

Add little pieces of sadnwich bread to the kitten formula. She will suck out the formula and then eat the soaked bread.