First Time Owner NEED HELP PLEASE!!

sholay

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Hi,
On Sunday I went to a local pet shop and got the most adorable kitty in the whole store! Me and my girlfriend are first time kitty owners, we fell in love with a 3 month old Tabby which we lovingly call Pumpkin. She is perfect in everyway,

I drove her up to her new home, in my girlfriends dorm, and she loves it, she is very affectionate to my girlfriend and her roomy and of course me, she responds and has to the best of my knowledge adapted very easily.

The only problem now is that she hasn't eaten yet, when i first got her i went to out local petco and got Purina One kitten formula, she didnt budge, i even tried some kitty treats for her and still nothing. This morning i decided to call the pet shop where i got her from and I asked what type of diet is she on, they told me she was on a dry Iams Kitten Formula diet, so i went out and got the Iams for her, but still nothing, She drinks water just fine in her bowl but when it comes to food she just moves back in caution. is there anything i should do?
please help!

Thanks!!
 

mikonu

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She's probably just nervous about her new enviroment. Just leave the food out for her and when she's ready, she'll eat it.
 

KitEKats4Eva!

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I wouldn't worry about it too much - she sounds as though she's just a little bit nervous and quite often kitties won't eat for a few days when they are in a new environment. As long as she is alert and drinking and seems to have energy, I would just let her go until she is hungry enough to eat. Try not to pander to her too much in the way of food or you could end up with a very fussy little girl!! A good method is to feed the cat, leave the food there for half an hour and then take it away until next meal time. This encourages the cat not to expect to have food there to nibble on all day, and generally they will get into the habit of eating what's there when it is there, as they know it will be gone soon! You should be feeding her at least three times a day at this stage, while she is still so young. Try putting a little tiny bit of warm water in with the biscuits as well, to soften them up a bit for her.
 

sharky

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Give her about 3 days... sometimes they take a while to eat
 

hissy

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PLEASE don't give her three days to eat! Tempt her taste buds however you can, with tuna juice or sardine juice poured over her food. Try her with grated cheese, boil some chicken and feed her the shredded meat with broth (don't use spices) Make up some kitten glop I have yet to meet a kitten that didn't eat that. The recipe is on www.kitten-rescue.com Use cream cheese to dot her food, buy some Catsip milk, but get her to eat. Three days of not eating for cats is NOT wise. They are not like us, they don't eat when they get hungry, they can fall into a vicious cycle of anorexia quite easily. Put her in a quiet dark room, and feed her in there and put her litter pan far enough away from the food and water to be safe. Remember she has lived in a cage, is probably from a kitten mill, she may not even know what quality food is. Also get her to the vet to get her checked out.
 

pat

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Please...listen to Hissy, she's given you good advice. I would not advise waiting for a kitten to get hungry enough to eat, you can simply end up with a debiliated kitten. Cats who are not eating, truly not eating anything, need prompt attention, it's just not normal.

Please post a followup and let us know how it's going?
 
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sholay

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First of all I want to thank you for your help and concern!

I'm happy to report that Pumpkin took a snack out of her bowl, it wasn't a full meal but it was something, atleast she knows that its food!!

My girlfriend was very excited and i think it kinda scared her so she wouldnt eat just again but im guessing she'll eat again!

thanks again
 

jcat

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You could also try giving her some canned food, for instance, Iams has canned kitten food, too, which you can get in small cans (3 ounce). The food should be served at room temperature. Please get her to a vet for her first check-up, though, to make sure she's healthy and to discuss a vaccination plan with the vet.
 

hissy

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Also if you are bonded with her, try sitting necxt to her on the floor while she eats, She may just be a social eater and crave the company. Keep on trying to get her to eat. It is imperative that she keeps up her weight while she is ill.

Here is an article that will help you. There are ways to stimulate appetite before it get to late. A small amount of catnip is also a great stimulator for a cat with low interest in eating.

http://www.thecatsite.com/content/view/178//
 

cjandbilly

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I agree with Jcat... try canned food, make it easy to eat canned food that's finely diced meats, etc. If she doesn't eat after a while, you might wanna take her to the vet.

Good luck!
 

sharky

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Sorry guys my vet told me the three day thing... when i brought my little Zoey home
 

grapegal45

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When my kitties were sick I found that gently...not too hot, warming the canned kitty food helped tremendously as that brings out the smell A LOT! Stinky is good when they aren't eating well. Also, for whatever reason, they enjoyed scrambled eggs when they were sick and their appetites were down.
 

jcat

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Originally Posted by Grapegal45

When my kitties were sick I found that gently...not too hot, warming the canned kitty food helped tremendously as that brings out the smell A LOT! Stinky is good when they aren't eating well. Also, for whatever reason, they enjoyed scrambled eggs when they were sick and their appetites were down.
Good advice. The canned food can be zapped in the microwave, but even better, because of the added moisture, is to add a bit of warm water and stir. A lot of cats seem to enjoy hardboiled or scrambled eggs.
 

hissy

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cooked eggs are fine occassionally but don't make them a permanent part of the cat's meals, because they can cause health to go downhill.
 
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