Food recommendations

Our two 8 week-old kittens recently stop touching their food. I have been feeding them wet whiskas junior until now. Just yesterday I noticed they were barely touching it and only ate it because they were very hungry.

What other food would you guys recommend? We've also tried beef but they didn't eat much of it either. I've tried adding a bit of milk on top but it didn't work as well. What are other things I could do to make sure they eat their food?

I've read online that change of environments can affect their eating habits, is that true? This weekend we had to take them with us to my girlfriend's parent's house (otherwise no one would feed them when we were away) and then back again to my place this monday. Could that have been a factor?

helloooo! yes changing of environment can affect their eating habits! cats do get sick of their food but it's advisable not to switch to many brands according to my vet. I have the same problem with my older cat, he stops eating wet food and only eats dry food (in the beginning he only eat wet food) for me, I'm giving them Royal Canin dry food and Felix wet food. The vet was telling me to invest smth good for them in dry food rather than wet food! I've also try brands like Purina, Sheeba, whiska... But for my cats, they prefer Felix Hope this will help!

It's also not advisable to feed cow milk as cats can't digest lactose. Since they are so young, a dish of kmr or goat milk per day might be nice instead.

Whiskas, I believe, has a lot of fillers. You might look for a food like royal Canin baby cat mentioned above or fancy feast that has meat listed first.

Fancy Feast makes a kitten wet food in turkey and fish flavor, which many of us use.

The adult Classic Fancy Feast pates are excellent as well for kittens.

Another question, at what age do kittens learn to drink on their own? Is it instinct or do you also have to train them? Til now we still let them nurse milk from a feeding bottle.

The reason we also bought them with us to my girlfriend's parent's house is so that they can learn from other cats, which did not really work as the older cats did not really like them.

I'm sure the kittens enjoy their bottles still. If they had a mom they would likely still be nursing.

However, at 8 weeks old they are old enough to lap their formula from a dish. Try it and let us know how it goes. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

We already tried it but they only sniffed at it. It's getting a bit difficult with the feeding bottle as they constantly chew at the nipple, they already chewed at least four in half. I tried using the smallest feeding bottle for babies I can find but they don't like it, I think it's because the nipple is too big for them and more hard than the ones you find buy at pet shop.

The good news is at least they ate a bit. I set out chicken liver last night and it was gone this morning. However they are still being very picky, I set out whiskas and chicken liver again this morning but they're only eating a little bit.

It's getting a little worrying. They haven't ate anything at all today. i bought a different brand of cat food, fancy feast and put out more chicken liver but they won't touch it at all. They are clearly hungry however as they keep crying at us.

Any tips?

A anima

Have you tried mixing the Fancy Feast with KMR to make a mush? It's easy to lap up and digest.

Are they munching on kitten chow too? That should be down all the time. You can pour KMR over it like a bowl of cereal. It softens it. Most kittens love it.

You can also try Gerber turkey or chicken baby food. Kittens seem to go for this too!

If they are chewing up the nipples it's time to stop bottles. It can be dangerous if they swallow a piece of rubber.

Just continue showing them their food. The mushier the better at first. And on a flat plate that provides easy access. Smear some on their mouths or let them lick from your finger. They should be eating on their own soon!

I haven't been feeding them dry food yet. Are Purina brands any good? I'm from the Philippines and we don't have a big selection to choose from. (given that animals are not really thought much of here)

I cant also find any wet food that isn't fish in groceries nearby I have to go to those big supermarkets to see if they have any.

My girlfriend is thinking of bringing one of our other rescued cats to my place to see if the kittens can learn the ropes from him. This particular cat was rescued by us about 6 months ago and he was about 3-4 months when we found him and has been staying with my girlfriend's parents (and they love him). He's not aggressive to the kittens when they first met. Will this be a good idea? They first met when we brought the kittens over to my girlfriend's parents house. Now we're bringing him to my place. I'm afraid he'll get stressed out by the new environment.

Do you have access to Royal Canin Babycat or Royal Canin kitten (dry and wet?) These are good foods to get them started on or the fancy feast kitten as mentioned before. The babycat dry has little kibble size so is suitable for when they wean.

It's not necessary to bring another cat over to teach them things, however if you choose to you'll need to do a slow introduction by putting him in his own room for a number of days to a week while he gets used to his new surroundings and smells. Feed the kittens and him on opposite sides of a door so they can smell and hear each other. Then after a few days crack the door open with a wedge just enough to allow them to see and touch each other with a paw but not get into each others rooms. Take blankets from their bedding and swap them so they can smell each other. Then start allowing supervised visits with each other. This can take days but sometimes it can take weeks.

Do you plan on keeping the older cat? Shuffling cats from home to home can be very stressful on them.

A anima

It's important that you get some chicken or turkey pate style wet cat food for the kittens ASAP.

Can you get Purina kitten chow? That is good too. If adult food, soften it with KMR.

Until you have proper food, you must continue bottle feeding the kittens for now.

Please ket me know how it's going!

Just an update, they're eating again normally, though I still have difficulty training them to drink. I'm not sure what made them start eating again. Their old eating behavior came back before I changed their food.

On a sidenote, I noticed of them has bits of food stuck around her mouth and nose that seemed to have hardened. I was able to clean the ones on her nose but I can't get the ones under her chin. I have been wiping her mouth and nose area with a tissue dipped in lukewarm water to soften the hardened food scraps. However she cries a little when I try to scrape it off. Any tips on how to clean it?

Use a warm, wet wash cloth and hold it on the hardened bits until they soften. It may take some time, but you should be able to clean her eventually.

They are very much eating well now, thank goodness. They eat anything I put down. The problem now is I think they're eating too much, is that a thing with almost 2 month old kittens? 

They cry out almost every three hours or so, sometimes even less. Should I control their food intake?  Though I'm not sure they're crying because their hungry or are just being playful.

They are probably hungry. You should leave dry kitten food down for them all the time and feed the meals of wet kitten food 4 or so times a day. Glad they are eating!

8-week-old kittens need to eat wet food 6 times a day. They are hungry because they are still growing very quickly. The need to gain a pound a month for the first 6 months. It's almost impossible to over feed them at this age.

So my kittens are almost three months old. I've been slowly reducing their cat food intake. I have been feeding them mostly chicken and sometimes fish that I cooked by boiling. Would that be ok in the long run?

I only feed them cat food when I'm in a rush or too tired. I have been using the Royal Canine kitten instinctive recently. Also I accidentally bought the version for adult cats last monday and fed it to them. Would that be harmful to them?

Hi, no, this is not ok. Cooked chicken and fish is not at all a balanced diet unless you are adding supplements like u-stew to it. In addition, kittens need food left down all the time. They need dry food access 24/7 and several meals of wet food per day.

They are currently missing out on nutrients that they MUST have in order to grow and thrive. Please put them back on cat food. Why do you want to feed them chicken and fish?

Anima said:

So my kittens are almost three months old. I've been slowly reducing their cat food intake. I have been feeding them mostly chicken and sometimes fish that I cooked by boiling. Would that be ok in the long run?

I only feed them cat food when I'm in a rush or too tired. I have been using the Royal Canine kitten instinctive recently. Also I accidentally bought the version for adult cats last monday and fed it to them. Would that be harmful to them?

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No its not harmful for eating occasionally. But it wouldnt be enough in the long run. for example probably too little taurin and fats.

And roughly the same answer re this with chicken and sometimes boiled fish.  Given sometimes is surely excellent, but not as main base for good. you must counterbalance it with more, not least a calcium source.  Some e-vitamine source is also useful. Also fat is necessary.  Among others but to begin and mention some.

Goats milk is excellent supplement, btw.

Anyways, cat food isnt the mandatory, but if you dont use the ready made cat food - wet or dry - you must know what you do, and be sure they get every nutrient.