Need suggestions on getting kitten to eat something else

So, I've got a kind of an odd situation. We have a new kitten, and we can't really be sure of the age.

My fiancée was at work when she found a kitten caught in a rat kill trap -- it had clearly been there for days, it's leg was already decomposing. The poor thing was skin and bones, near death. She got it to eat a tiny bit, and we finally got it to the vet. It was well under a pound, and the leg needed to be amputated -- but, it couldn't go through the operation until we got it's body weight up.

We were able to get it drinking KMR, which was awesome, but it wouldn't touch any can foods at all. We tried a ridiculous number of brands -- both store and boutique. Then I tried making it some chicken. It pounced on it. Well, the bone got infected, so we were in a rush to fatten the little guy, so I gave him all the chicken he could eat, along with the KMR.

To end the long story, he went through the operation about 2 weeks ago and came out like a trooper -- total change in attitude. He may have 3 legs, but he's speedy and now playing like a kitten should.

The problem is -- he'll still only eat chicken. Every once in awhile, he'll taste something else. He'll periodically eat a piece or two of the dry food we got him, but he'll go hungry before eating. We still have to maintain his body weight, so I added KMR 2nd step and have been continuing with the chicken -- while trying to get him interested in something new. I'd like to get him eating prepared food so that he has better nutrition, but, he literally won't eat any chicken unless I make it ... how weird is that? We got him the Tiki brand cat food that is nothing but shredded chicken, won't touch it.

Any suggestions? Btw, if you want to check him out, I uploaded a little clip to YouTube for my family  

 

I don't have any suggestions for feeding but wanted to say how wonderful I think you and your wife are to have saved this little guy and given him so much love and care.  

Firstly, you and your wife are wonderful for taking this little kitten in to your home and hearts, and for getting the vet care so desperately needed.  He is looking great, getting used to moving about, finding his balance and strengthening up his limbs for how he needs to move around.  Coping really well on his little scratching play zone.    Lovely to see the video, one cute guy. 

I'm guessing you have tried putting your home cooked chicken on top of a little prepared chicken cat food? The bigest worry is that he gets all the nutrients he needs as a growing cat, so any way to introduce him to prepared cat food is going to be good.  While you don't want to feed a lot of fish, and again it won't have the right balance of nutrients in for him - some of the small oily fish can tempt cats and they are nice and smelly so if he did take to them it might be easier to sneak some chicken, rabbit or other cat food underneath.  Canned sardines or pilchards are a good option and not expensive, just be sure not to get any that have sauce with onions in as they are toxic for cats.   If wet food is a complete failure then at least kitten kibble would give him more balanced nutrients than just home cooked chicken.  Keep trying, but it is hard as the little guy does need to eat and eat regularly.   If you want advice on how to get your home cooking a little safer and more balanced for him you could also ask for advice in the Raw and Home Cooked food area of the site, but it does need to be taken on with care, especially for a growing kitten.  You probably want to think carefully about whether that is the long term option you want to follow too.

Another option is to see if he will eat AD formula from the vet's office. While its not for long time use it may get him "ok" with the idea of eating canned food at least. It is very easy to mix with other food, so just mixing the chicken in with the AD might get him going.

Btw he sounds like my cats... picky to no end and guess what... as cat owners we are going to cater to their wants anyway.... and it sounds like he already knows this lol.

What a heart-warming story! You are great people. I have had success with getting orphan kittens to eat by giving them natural
Greek style yoghurt or salt free fromage frais (cream cheese) Those are between solid and liquid state and kittens seem to love them. If he seems reluctant you can smear some on his paw or whiskers. Do you feed your chicken to him in large pieces or minced up? You may have tried this but maybe giving it in smaller and smaller pieces and then gradually mixing in some chicken cat food might trick him into changing diet. Meanwhile, in order to give him more nutrients, the vet could give you a liquid food supplement that can be added to the KMR or squirted gently from a syringe into his mouth. He has been through a lot, he is probably just playing safe right now with food (and people) he can trust. He has obviously bonded well with you and I am sure that you will find the answer. By the way, from the video, I would say he is about 10 weeks old, certainly not more.

Hey all, thanks for all your suggestions. He's a smart little guy, and always seems to know when I'm trying to fool him lol If I put the chicken on top, he just picks it off and leaves the rest. If I mix it, he just stays away. We tried AD from the vet, and he wouldn't touch it. He's eating less of the KMR 2nd step now, too. Still eats all the chicken, though.

However, we had a bit of a breakthrough today. He ate some big bites of the Tiki Cat salmon ... even though he stopped before he was full. He's also started eating more dry food (Blue Buffalo Wilderness Kitten food -- hope that stuff is ok) and some of the Whiskas Natural Temptations ... normally I wouldn't really give the kitten this kind of stuff, but I know he needs more variety and vitamins. Any other suggestions for vitamin fortified treats?

Thanks for all the well wishes and suggestions! We're trying them all