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- Apr 20, 2014
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I'm a volunteer foster parent for a rescue organization. A couple of weeks ago I began fostering three kittens who were found in a field. They were healthy, five weeks old, and suspected feral. They were very easy to socialize; in fact, they only needed the one day to get used to my house that most cats/kittens need, so I suspect their mother was a friendly stray.
One of the kittens absolutely refuses to eat wet food. His siblings will chow down happily, but he will not. I tried a number of varieties, from Fancy Feast to Nature's Variety -- no luck. He won't take it from the bowl, my finger, and even if I get him to lick it he'll spit it out and walk away. When I got him I was worried that he wasn't eating, in spite of being in a small room, isolated with his siblings (my usual routine with fosters). I ended up trying raw food on a hunch (I feed my own cats a mix of wet, dry, and a balanced raw diet). He scarfed the whole bit down, and it was clear he was starved, because he frantically searched for more. Now he's quite happy on a raw diet, and gaining weight wonderfully. His brothers also enjoy a mix of canned wet food and homemade raw.
When I consulted the rescue (and their vet team) about his eating habits, they stated that he was nervous and that I should isolate him. I was already doing so, and it wasn't having much effect. By that time all the kittens were happy to run around a larger room, and not scared of anything. And it was clear that he had an appetite. They suggested that he'd eat the canned food when he got hungry enough, but he's five weeks old, and I wasn't willing to test that theory out on a baby. It's not something I believe works.
None of this would be an issue -- if he was mine to keep. But he's not, and I'm not sure if his adoptive family would be willing to feed raw (so many people aren't). There's also the trouble of the rescue organization I work with. They provide the food for the fosters -- Hill's Science Diet in this case -- and consider all other wet food "junk." I doubt they'd be happy with me feeding Oscar raw.
I'm worried about what will happen when he heads back to the shelter for adoption. I'm afraid they'll let him sit, starving, until he gets adopted, and then his adoptive family will be lost, trying to figure out why their new kitten won't eat wet food. I can't bear to think of him being hungry like that...
Is there any reason why Oscar would be refusing wet food? Surprisingly, he has joined his brothers on their discovery of dry food and will gnaw on that quite happily. It seems only wet food is the problem.
If it helps I've only tried the pate versions of food, because he's only five weeks.
Any help would be much appreciated.
One of the kittens absolutely refuses to eat wet food. His siblings will chow down happily, but he will not. I tried a number of varieties, from Fancy Feast to Nature's Variety -- no luck. He won't take it from the bowl, my finger, and even if I get him to lick it he'll spit it out and walk away. When I got him I was worried that he wasn't eating, in spite of being in a small room, isolated with his siblings (my usual routine with fosters). I ended up trying raw food on a hunch (I feed my own cats a mix of wet, dry, and a balanced raw diet). He scarfed the whole bit down, and it was clear he was starved, because he frantically searched for more. Now he's quite happy on a raw diet, and gaining weight wonderfully. His brothers also enjoy a mix of canned wet food and homemade raw.
When I consulted the rescue (and their vet team) about his eating habits, they stated that he was nervous and that I should isolate him. I was already doing so, and it wasn't having much effect. By that time all the kittens were happy to run around a larger room, and not scared of anything. And it was clear that he had an appetite. They suggested that he'd eat the canned food when he got hungry enough, but he's five weeks old, and I wasn't willing to test that theory out on a baby. It's not something I believe works.
None of this would be an issue -- if he was mine to keep. But he's not, and I'm not sure if his adoptive family would be willing to feed raw (so many people aren't). There's also the trouble of the rescue organization I work with. They provide the food for the fosters -- Hill's Science Diet in this case -- and consider all other wet food "junk." I doubt they'd be happy with me feeding Oscar raw.
I'm worried about what will happen when he heads back to the shelter for adoption. I'm afraid they'll let him sit, starving, until he gets adopted, and then his adoptive family will be lost, trying to figure out why their new kitten won't eat wet food. I can't bear to think of him being hungry like that...
Is there any reason why Oscar would be refusing wet food? Surprisingly, he has joined his brothers on their discovery of dry food and will gnaw on that quite happily. It seems only wet food is the problem.
If it helps I've only tried the pate versions of food, because he's only five weeks.
Any help would be much appreciated.
