Kitten and baby food?

[wrs2]

My new kitten is an awful eater! She hates dry food and isn’t a fan of her canned food. I gave her some canned kitten loaf by royal canine, which she loved, but it bothered her stomach even though it was mixed with the canned food from the shelter, and now she won’t eat it. I know baby food isn’t good for kittens in terms of nutrition, but just to get her to eat, would that be okay?

The vet said she needs a probiotic to help her stomach, but she won't eat any kitten food. She will eat the older cats adult food if she can get it, so she will eat. Just not anything 'kitten' food related.

 

[Columbine]

Its absolutely fine to feed your kitten a little plain meat baby food to get her eating, or to get the probiotics into her, but it shouldn't be her primary food source for more than a day or two.

Whilst kitten food is ideal for kittens, it's ok to feed her the adult cat food if that's all she'll eat. She'll just need more of it to make up the calories

Another option is to look for some food marked 'all life stages'. I believe Fancy Feast Classic patés are all life stages, but there are many others out there too. I'm not up on US cat food brands (I'm in the UK), so I'm not the best person for brand suggestions. Hopefully others will chime in on that subject.

 

[EmersonandEvie]

Try the Fancy Feast kitten pates. Most cats can't resist them! They can be found at Walmart, etc.

 

[lisahe]

Try the Fancy Feast kitten pates. Most cats can't resist them! They can be found at Walmart, etc.

Yes, our adult cats love those, too!

 

[Twylasmom]

My kitten eats dry kitten food, but hasn't liked any canned kitten food I've tried. However, he loves the Sheba pates.

 

[wrs2]

The shelter gives them fancy feast, but Piper doesn’t like it. She likes the turkey, but hates the ocean white fish one. She won’t touch dry food either. We put the probiotic in some baby food and she seemed to love it. She also stole a plate of adult food from one of her older sisters and loved that too... actually she stole 3 plates of food. Partially finished.

The adult food age ate wasn’t a pate. I am wondering if maybe she doesn’t like pate? That would be the complete opposite of my 1 year old Daisy, who won’t eat anything but pate. I have never had such picky eaters before!

 

[lisahe]

The shelter gives them fancy feast, but Piper doesn’t like it. She likes the turkey, but hates the ocean white fish one. She won’t touch dry food either. We put the probiotic in some baby food and she seemed to love it. She also stole a plate of adult food from one of her older sisters and loved that too... actually she stole 3 plates of food. Partially finished.

The adult food age ate wasn’t a pate. I am wondering if maybe she doesn’t like pate? That would be the complete opposite of my 1 year old Daisy, who won’t eat anything but pate. I have never had such picky eaters before!

"Adult food" is often just fine for kittens -- does the label on the stolen food say "for all life stages"? If so, feed it to Piper, too! Kitten foods are usually more calorie-dense than all life stages foods so you might have to feed her a little more of the "adult food" but far better that than her not eating anything! And it's far better than feeding her baby food with probiotics, too. Baby food (and then only the absolutely plain kind) is fine for an occasional treat or after an illness but, as Columbine said, it shouldn't be fed as regular meals because it's unsupplemented.

Some cats just don't like pates. Some cats change their minds about their preferences frequently. We've gone through this a million times with our cats and they've only been with us for about six years!

 

[wrs2]

I don’t believe it says all life stages, but I will have to look.

My other cats, 14, and my cat who recently passed at 19, ate anything and everything! My 3 year old likes the Sheba pate, not the cuts, but will eat pretty much everything else. These two young ones though...

I’ll have to see what brand make all life stages and if I can find any kitten food that is not a pate. She only ways 2 lbs at 9 weeks, so we really need to get her to eat. I’m just afraid that the adult food may bother if it isn’t changed over slowly and then she will have her stomach issues again.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I think as long as you can find a cat food that she will eat - even if all life stages - there is no reason to stop the baby meat food and probiotic. As long as she is getting other sources of food, the added baby food/probiotic is just a plus - and, will hopefully help her digestive wise!!

 

[lisahe]

I don’t believe it says all life stages, but I will have to look.

If the can doesn't say it, check the manufacturer's Web site, too, or contact them to check if there's nothing on the site.

A Weruva food we have on the cat food shelf, for example, doesn't say "all life stages" on the can but their FAQ (which is here) says they're fine for kittens. And then they mention the same basic calorie point that I mentioned above. What they say about protein is a good point: kittens need lots of good meat protein and those foods definitely have it.