Tips to get a 7 week old to eat?

I need canned food suggestions! Apparently, Science Diet adult seafood, SD a/d, Friskies, & 9 Live have been tried.

I'm going to try super premiums. Just smear a little on the roof of her mouth. First I'll try seafoods....maybe Meow Mix tonight?

Otherwise I'm thinking:
Tiki Cat
Merrick(6 flavors)
Natural Balance
Evolve
AvoDerm
by Nature
Nature's Recipe
Pro Plan
Fancy Feast
That's what I've got on hand, I think a few more, just can't remember them...

Other ideas on how to get her to eat? Suggestions on canned food?

Mine foster kitten liked Maxximum Kitten Formula (Walmart) the best (and so did my older cats ), so I switched her from Chicken Soup for the Kitten Lovers Soul (since it was a 30 min. trip to get the CS )

As for canned, hmmm, mine like either anything shredded (small, soft, easy to eat) or the "mush" , and I used the Natural Life Chicken and Veggie Platter (mush), also from Walmart... you can try mixing the "mush" food (a canned food that you find he likes), with some pieces or smashed up pieces of dry (pretty much pulverized ) or soften the dry stuff with a little water. With my foster, I mixed some KMR and a little water with both the canned food and dry food, and that got her to taste it. I also put a little on her upper lip, so she would lick it off. Once she got a taste, instead of a sniff, she decided that maybe she would eat it. Good luck!

Well, she ate a little Meow Mix by force, but not near enough! I gave her some Nutri-Cal as she is sooo thin. I put a little on the roof of her mouth & she wouldn't even eat it! I wish I had some milk replacer, I will have to see if I have any left from Jade. I know I've got Cat Milk, so I'll try that in a little bit.

Off to post pics!

Natalie, this is apost MA said to someone else about getting their kitten to eat .......

Originally Posted by hissy

Try this (if it isn't to late) brew up some coffee, let it cool at room temp. Put a small amount of coffee in a syringe, and very slowly drip it on the kitten's tongue. Black coffee, warm not cold, just a few drips to see if it will jump start it. Add a small amount of Karo syrup to the next batch of formula. Be sure that the nipple is actually giving out milk (sometimes it plugs up) Nurse the kitten while it is in an upright position (some people tend to turn them over on their back and cuddle them while they eat) They have to eat while on all fours.

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Well, my last resort tonight was Kitty Kaviar from Pat...the bonito flakes. It worked! She ate about 1/3 of the Meow Mix cup before I stopped her. Can't have her over-eat when she's eaten so litte lately! Hopefully....I can wear her off the Kitty Kaviar & on to eating canned. She really has livened up since eating, too!!

Try Royal Canin Baby Cat - you can get samples. It's a dry food and all of my kittens were weaned with that instead of wet food.

NOOOO meow mix! Try some Fancy Feast. Or try some boiled shredded chicken.

You might have to get a little drastic and kinda force feed a few bites of food. Are you giving the canned food as a solid or more mushy? Try feeding the kitten on a paper plate and gently pushing its face into the food (mouth/chin) a few times so they have to lick it off.


Was just thinking; has the kitten been checked by the vet for any mouth/throat problems?

Has this kitten been wormed? That may be the reason she is not eating, no kitten 7 weeks old would normally refuse to eat any kind of food. If she is thin and not eating, I would suspect major parasite infection.

I recommend Fancy Feast Elegant Medleys. My cats only get that on occasion because it's not the healthiest food, but they always inhale it.

My foster kittens wont eat wet or dry unless they are mixeed together. If the dry isnt totally covered in wet they wont touch thast piece and if its only wet they wont touch it either.

I had an awful time finding a food that Tucker would eat. He was only seven weeks when I brought him home and within a few days of not eating more than a few bites at a time became very boney and lethargic.
I finally bought some Fancy Feast (the shredded ones w/gravy) and he gobbled it down! He loved it!
Now he also likes Merrick and Wellness. He's still really picky and they are the only wet foods that he likes.

ETA: I forgot to mention, if you can find any Wildside Salmon treats you can crush them into a powder between your fingers and sprinkle it on top of wet food. Tucker LOVES it!

She's been vet checked. Dewormed already over a week ago.

I gave her some Tiki Cat this morning & she ate it. Prefers seafood flavors. Tried plain boiled chicken, that was a no go. Tried gently pushing her chin/mouth into the food, no results. I've been putting the food into her mouth, but she still isn't very eager to eat.

I think I might call the vet's office to see if they have any other ideas?

In the meantime, get some of the Nutrical paste and force feed it - till she gets her act together!

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

In the meantime, get some of the Nutrical paste and force feed it - till she gets her act together!

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Already been doing that! It was the first thing I did when I got "Bones" home.

my name is sandy i am a ragdoll breeder and never had a problem weining my kittens i use royal canine baby cat solid food it is small enough for them to eat at 4 weeks they are eating it and love it try it you wont be dissapointed lol.

I cannot get RC locally at all.

I left out some Tiki Cat. Seems Confetti is not 100% confortable eating when people are around. It's gone now....so she ate about 2 oz earlier today. I'm about to give her the rest of the can.

I get my RC at the Petco on Plymouth Rd (off 394). Its in the little shopping center behind Target - where Blockbusters and the mattress company is. You can see it from the highway. Just take Plymouth Rd to the light and turn into Target's area (use the service road). They have the RC kitten food there.

Hmmmm....there is a Petco an hour away from me! Maybe I need to make a shopping trip there for some RC.

We fostered a kitten of the same age who wouldn't eat. Our vet told us to try the following: chicken broth diluted with water, baby food (veal was supposed to have the most vitamins). We finally had great success with raw chicken livers that we chopped up very fine. Just be forewarned that once they start eating them you can't chop them up fast enough. Also FYI some kittens will only eat the food if it is warm. For some reason they won't eat something they can't smell. Try warming up any kind of fish flavored kitten food. Good luck!