How do i get my kittens to eat cat food?

Kimberlee

The kittens are 6 weeks old and should be eating soft cat food but they wont. Is there anyway that i can get them to eat it. I have had kittens before and they would already be eating hard food. Thanks to anyone that can help!



Antoinette

When I was raising kittens, I started the "first time feeders" on Iams KITTEN Formula ( dry ). I just set a flat-bottomed dish (square cake pan works great) out, with the dry food in it, and theyd "nibble" on it when they were hungry. I liked to use the Iams, because its TINY, and easy for them to chew! Later, I switched to Science Diet KITTEN, which was oilier, rounder, and smelled GREAT!!Some 6 wk old kittens mature more slowly, and yours may not be ready for the dry, yet. But, if you set the food out, and show it to them, Ill bet youll see it "go down" pretty quickly......once they get the taste of it. Just be sure to have a "non-spillable" bowl/pan of water nearby, so theyll have something to drink. Not too close, though...dont want food in the water!!Are you feeding them KMR, or is mom still nursing them? If theyre used to KMR, you can try putting a few bites of the Iams in the milk, and see if that helps with the transition. But........dont give up on the dry food.......its good for them, and they will eventually eat it. Hope this helps...........Good luck.......enjoy your babies!!



Hsiu

Cats are like humans and have their own individual taste buds. Change the brand of food. Buy a can and see if it will eat it. You might want to delude it with some warm water also. My cats likes it that way. He also wont touch the 9 Lives Bran and any other cheap brands. Finicky, Id say. Also try to change the bowls. Be sure the bowl is clean and doesnt smell of detergent. Try to put some catnip in the bowl. My cat will look at the bowl with a suspicious eye if I feed him something that was in the same bowl which he didnt like.



Catherina

If you find out how let me know my kittens are 7 weeks old and one of them is still only eating cat litter! The others went through the same faze but eventually got the drift. I just leave the food out for them all the time dry and moist and they copied their mum, but this ones a bit slow on the uptake bless.



Gracie

You should try to give them wet food, try different brands, try putting water or milk in the dry food, try to get the kitten and the grown cat food, see what ingredients and try and get cat foods without those ingredients, maybe they are not ready for cat food and still need warm milk, if so try and put out a bowl of warm milk and cold milk, I hope these help!



Cordelia

Science Diet and Iams are horrible foods. UGH! Just look at the ingredients, corn... by products. Just disgusting but do what you want and then make a spay appointment for your cat. To many cats and not enough homes for them. Do you realize that 75% of healthy cats are put down and thats not counting the ones that are feral. They suffer before they die, they get hit by a car, they freeze to death, they starve to death, ... its pathetic what happens to feral cats. Again please get your cat spayed. No homes for them.



Shizue

Have you given them the kitten food or the same as their mum. Theres lots of different kitten foods in the shops and Im sure youll find one that they like. Maybe they are just still enjoying their mums milk and will change over quite soon. Try giving them some chopped up cooked chicken they might like that. Like some babies they are all different.



Cherrie

Try a differnt kind of food, They may not like the smell of the one you have gotten for them. You might just try giving them kitten chow alone. I understand dry food is better for them and they will live longer then if they eat wet food.



Carletta

Maybe theyre eating something else that theyve found laying around the house? they will get hungry eventually and eat. also, if youre sitting their with your head over there shoulder, thats probably the reason!



Bill

Get some KMR (Kitten Milk Replacement) and gradually mix it with canned food, making a gruel. I have been fostering kittens for 2 years now (some were bottle babies) and this is what we do.



Gil

Um maybe try mixing it in with their kitten food? add more and more of it every day until they get used to it and eventually they just eat the dry stuff.



Cortney

First you open the cats mouth then you set it in there mouth or you taste it in front of them.