Finicky 5mo

Lately it seems that the amount of cat food I'm chucking away is more than the amount my kitten eats. This AM I've opened a can of Ziwipeak (which I was hoping he'd eat), can of Friskies, pouch of Felix and finally a pouch of Royal Canin, but he'd simply nibble and walk away. In the end I just gave up and went off to work, making sure his bowl of dry food (currently use Artemis or Ziwipeak) is full.

At his age, would it be too detrimental for him to skip a meal or two?

I would not really want to skip a meal with a kitten. And leaving the dry out during the day when you are gone at work is a good idea, especially if you are gone many hours. Here is a great suggestion from another member that I and others have used so we are not tossing out canned food. Get some ice cube trays and pack the canned food into the compartments. Cover with alum. foil and freeze. After frozen, plop them into freezer baggies and label the baggie with the type of canned food and put back into the freezer. Just take out a little cube at a time to defrost and feed. As he gets older, you could then go to scheduled feedings and not leave food down all day. When my kitties were kittens, I fed four times a day, but I was home and able to do that.

You are feeding excellent brands and I love ZiwiPeak too. You can also try topper's, like Whole Life Freeze Dried Chicken. It crumbles very easily and most kitties love it. You could crumble and dust the healthy canned food with the Whole Life before you set the food down. The goal of this is to get the kitten digging in and finished up his portion of wet food.

Feralvr said:

I would not really want to skip a meal with a kitten. And leaving the dry out during the day when you are gone at work is a good idea, especially if you are gone many hours. Here is a great suggestion from another member that I and others have used so we are not tossing out canned food. Get some ice cube trays and pack the canned food into the compartments. Cover with alum. foil and freeze. After frozen, plop them into freezer baggies and label the baggie with the type of canned food and put back into the freezer. Just take out a little cube at a time to defrost and feed. As he gets older, you could then go to scheduled feedings and not leave food down all day. When my kitties were kittens, I fed four times a day, but I was home and able to do that.
You are feeding excellent brands and I love ZiwiPeak too. You can also try topper's, like Whole Life Freeze Dried Chicken. It crumbles very easily and most kitties love it. You could crumble and dust the healthy canned food with the Whole Life before you set the food down. The goal of this is to get the kitten digging in and finished up his portion of wet food.

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I agree! Great reply Lauren!

 You can also try topper's, like Whole Life Freeze Dried Chicken. It crumbles very easily and most kitties love it. You could crumble and dust the healthy canned food with the Whole Life before you set the food down. The goal of this is to get the kitten digging in and finished up his portion of wet food

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I've already tried topping up his wet food with his favourite treats, cheese, chicken, beef, tuna, and even olives and pita bread (for some reasons he loves pita bread), but it hasn't really worked. For the past two days I've set down some frozen food for him before I leave for work, and before I head to bed, and when I check in on them I find that he has more or less cleared the plate (thanks for the tip!), but I am unsure what to do when he turns his nose up to his food.

Cat food options are very limited here, and I've pretty much tried all the available brands. Could it just be that he doesn't have much of an appetite? He weighs in at just over 6lbs btw. 

Thanks for the help!

MereCat said:

I've already tried topping up his wet food with his favourite treats, cheese, chicken, beef, tuna, and even olives and pita bread (for some reasons he loves pita bread), but it hasn't really worked. For the past two days I've set down some frozen food for him before I leave for work, and before I head to bed, and when I check in on them I find that he has more or less cleared the plate (thanks for the tip!), but I am unsure what to do when he turns his nose up to his food.

Cat food options are very limited here, and I've pretty much tried all the available brands. Could it just be that he doesn't have much of an appetite? He weighs in at just over 6lbs btw. 

Thanks for the help!

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Hmm...if he does not have much of an appetite, I think it may be time for a vet visit! :nod:

Hmmm... I guess my question is;  when did you notice his appetite diminishing?  A long time ago or just real recently?  If you mentioned it already I'm sorry and didn't see it.  Also, is he eating the kibble left out during the day?  Missing a meal is not real good for a kitten.  I noticed someone posted the frozen idea which is an excellent idea btw.  If the diminished appetite has just recently developed it is possible there is something physically wrong and a vet visit might be in order.  I would at least call the vet.  Hope you get him eating real soon!
 

Sorry, I phrased my self incorrectly. What I meant to ask was whether I shouldn't be concerned that he is eating less than the guidelines, given that he is an active kitty, with a pretty much healthy weight. He's been finicky about food since I got him, and I've been trying things like sprinkling treats, tiring him out before meal times, mixing different cans of food, feeding him off the floor...

And I haven't been able to establish which flavours he prefers, because he'd gobble down a can one day, and then turn his nose up to it the next, and vice versa. 

is he eating the kibble left out during the day?

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Yes, he nibbles at it. When I'm home and I notice him eating nibbling at his kibble, I usually take him to the kitchen and set down a bowl of wet food. 

It's just frustrating, and he won't be a kitten forever. I'm afraid this will continue well into his adult years.