would switching to raw solve this issue?

[haleyrose99]

hey y'all! so i have two kittens about 3 mo old (2 mo 23 days), and i've been struggling hard to find food that they will eat. when i got them from the shelter, they told me they free graze with dry food (hills) and got pate wet food two times a day. i kept them on the same dry food from the shelter but i initially tried them on a chunky with gravy wet food (wholehearted grain free for all ages) instead of pate because i read that the shreds had a little more nutritional value and moisture. however, the problem started with my girl phoebe, where she got extreme diarrhea from the wet food. im still not sure if it was an intolerance to the brand's mix of the food and the ingredients in it, or if she is just allergic to either tuna or salmon. in any case, i took it out of her diet and gave her only dry food for a a couple weeks, plus a probiotic from my vet. after a bit she was back to solid poops, so i started slowly adding pate back in to see if that would safer, mixing the wet with the dry.

when i first started them with the pate (wellness complete health kitten, chicken flavor) it went really well! poops stayed solid and they both seemed to relatively enjoy it, even meowing when i made their food out of anticipation. however we're a couple weeks into it, and my cats almost refuse to eat the wet food now! i will also mention i had this problem with their first food as well, and i just assumed they didn't like it. i have to physically move it around in the bowl or put it on my hand for them to actually eat it. i've tried another flavor (whitefish), i bought a flatter bowl in case it was the whiskers on the rim, but nothing has seemed to make them want to eat anything without me immediately putting it in their mouths. they still free graze on dry food so they will actually eat something, but its been almost a week and i dont think i can hand feed them anymore or else they will start to expect it from me every meal time. my friend (who owns two cats) said they might just not be super food motivated, but they are still really young so i worry they aren't getting enough food. essentially, all of this essentially sent me down a rabbit hole of cat food.

for the last few hours i've been watching every video i can on raw food for kittens/cats, and i'm starting to seriously consider it. they are still pretty young so it would be easiest now from what i can tell, but i guess i would really love some input on if this is something that is safe for them. could their lack on interest in food be somewhat fixed by raw food? also, should phoebe's initial digestive upset be of concern when starting on raw food, or would it help? obviously i will ask my vet on monday during their next appointment, but i would also like some cat owner opinions as i know a lot of vet's don't recommend raw diets for a number of reasons, and i worry i'll be shot down if i bring it up. i'm also a worrier and want to be fully prepared before starting raw food before doing so, i know the basics of the portions/supplements but if there's anything i should really look out for please let me know!

any advice helps!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
Ask your vet if s/he knows a nutritionist or has one on their staff, or you could utilize this;
Diplomate Directory

 

[iPappy]

Don't be surprised if your vet tells you not to feed raw. Most vets will say that, and I understand their reasoning and viewpoints, but I don't always agree.
For a kitten, you might do best using something that's already formulated for kittens. Are you interested in feeding something pre-made, or are you wanting to do more of a DIY model? (I'd probably stick with something pre-made for now.)
How much dry are they eating? Some cats really like dry food and lock onto it as their preferred diet. Are you weighing them to make sure they're gaining?

 

[iPappy]

I think LTS3 feeds raw. Maybe they have some ideas.

 

[haleyrose99]

Don't be surprised if your vet tells you not to feed raw. Most vets will say that, and I understand their reasoning and viewpoints, but I don't always agree.
For a kitten, you might do best using something that's already formulated for kittens. Are you interested in feeding something pre-made, or are you wanting to do more of a DIY model? (I'd probably stick with something pre-made for now.)
How much dry are they eating? Some cats really like dry food and lock onto it as their preferred diet. Are you weighing them to make sure they're gaining?

i would be open to premade if it's what's best! but i am sort of on a budget and i've seen that diy can be a bit cheaper, but if's just for a short while i could probably swing it.
they still free graze on the dry food, maybe about 1/4 cup a day or less(?) but they haven't been eating that as much either from what i can tell. for wet food i was mixing 1 to 1 1/2 oz with about an 1/8th cup of dry food for each kitten. usually, they will eat maybe like 1/4th of this and then ditch it for hours unless i hand feed them. they tend to eat the pate out of the mix and leave the dry food if that's any indication of something?
and yes i'm having a scale shipped and it should be here in a few days! i'm not sure if phoebe has gained any weight (she was being medically boarded after a spay so she missed her vet appointment), but i know milo gained about 13 oz in the first month after i adopted him.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
If you haven't already ( I'm sorry, I'm not clear if you have), try feeding just the pate without the kibble mixed in it.

 

[haleyrose99]

Hi
If you haven't already ( I'm sorry, I'm not clear if you have), try feeding just the pate without the kibble mixed in it.

i haven't but i will next time i feed them! should i stop with the dry food, or keep leaving it out for them to eat when they want? i also am just unclear on when to stop free grazing

 

[Furballsmom]

Regarding feeding, and free-feeding, the kibble, you can definitely continue with that until they're at least a year old, possibly longer if they're a big breed that takes more time to mature .

Raw will not necessarily increase their motivation to eat, since it's basically just a different food, unless they really like it. (I think all kittens are eating machines, it's just finding what they like). I personally still haven't been able to cross that threshold of diy raw, even though the raw feeding folks say it's easy when you get the process down.

In any case, any new food would need to be introduced very slowly, it sounds like, for your little girl to be able to accommodate it. You could look into commercially-made raw to try, I had some luck with Purebites at one point but there are more companies and types on the market.

There's even a relatively new product (not raw) called Mouser made with mouse that you could look into as well. Or consider Weruva kitten food;
https://www.chewy.com/weruva-kitten-chicken-breast-formula/dp/342032

For cost concerns with commercial, try slowly expanding their menu so that you can eventually rotate brands, flavors and consistency. You may find that they like shreds

 

[Box of Rain]

My Desmond eats his DIY balanced raw diet with gusto!

He literally devours everything.

I find doing DIY quite cost-effective and believe that if one does it correctly, that it is an optimal solution. Desmond's coat glistens and is positive luxurious. We joke that he's the world's fanciest "alley cat." LOL

This teeth look great, his eyes are clear, he stay very well-hydrated, and he has vitality.

For what it is worth, we switched him over to raw the first day get got him. For his first meal, I actually made a platter with raw chicken, raw pork, cooked chicken, cooked pork, and an equal sized sample of the canned food he'd been getting at the foster family. He ate them in the order listed initially. From then on, we've done PMR.

I'd encourage you to go for it, assuming you understand how to meet PMR ratios (with approx. 6% edible bone) in addition to proper ratios of meat and organs in addition how to meet the need for essential amino acids like taurine (by either feeding taurine-rich proteins such as dark-meat turkey or by supplementing).

Doing PMR has a labor cost involved, but you can come out way ahead on out-of-pocket costs and (done properly) your cat will enjoy optimal nutrition.

Strongly recommend.

Bill

 

[haleyrose99]

Hey all!
I have two kittens who are about to be 16 weeks, and this is about my little guy Milo. His eating habits are so unpredictable it's driving me a bit insane, and I'm trying my best not to waste food. I feed them Wellness Complete Health, both chicken and whitefish & tuna for some variety, and Wellness says that per pound they should be eating 3/4 a can at their age. I've been feeding them every 6 hours and because he eats so little, I've been only putting half a can down, and even with a smaller portion Milo will just lick it a bit and walk away (he very rarely eats it all). I find myself having to coax him with a spoon, warming up the food again, or even putting a bit of treat on it, which doesn't always interest him either. I leave it out for an hour or two because he sometimes circles back to eat some/the rest of it, but if not I try to put it in the fridge to warm it up for their next meal. I guess it's weird to me because he obviously doesn't dislike the food (he has eaten a whole portion a number of times, either in the moment or after about an hour), it's more like he has no interest in it when I feed them. During the day and when I sleep at night, I leave out 1/4 cup of dry food for both cats to eat if they get hungry, but even that he really only eats in the middle of the night. I would really like him to be eating mostly wet food, but I think he's getting most of his calories from dry.

I keep seeing online that at this age they should be getting around 330-360 calories a day, but I guarantee Milo is barely getting 100, maybe 200. He weighs about 5 lbs (or I think so, my scale is super shitty) and has been steadily gaining, so I didn't consider him to be underweight or anything until I called the vet and she seemed shocked he weighed so little? I guess that concerned me a bit. I guess I'm just looking for some advice, someone to point out anything I may be doing wrong, or whether I should be concerned at all.
Thanks!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
I think maybe he's only partly ready for real food.

Try mixing it with KMR (kitten milk replacer) or goat milk, plus you need to be feeding them more frequently. If the KMR or goat milk doesn't work, try Fancy Feast kitten pate.

 

[haleyrose99]

Ah, is he underweight??
And I didn't even consider that! They were weaned a week or two before I got them from the shelter, and they told me he was eating wet and dry perfectly fine so that never occurred to me. He has been having this problem for a while though. I might be able to just follow the instructions, but how much kmr should I mix with the wet food/should I lessen the wet if I mix in kmr? Weaning it in of course (these kittens have sensitive tummies).
Also how often should I be feeding them? I was trying to do 6 meals a day, but I was /trying/ to get some sleep so I fell off the wagon. I can definitely try again though. Should I keep free grazing with the dry, even if he only eats at night?
Also forgot to mention (if this helps at all), he tends to only finish the wet food if it is the fish flavor, I assume because it's a finer blend? And it makes me wonder if he isn't eating the chicken because he would rather have fish.

 

[Furballsmom]

how much kmr

Try enough to make it a bit soupy, I think - see if he's interested. You might have to experiment a little to find the consistency he prefers.

Should I keep free grazing with the dry, even if he only eats at night?

Yes

how often should I be feeding them? I was trying to do 6 meals a day,

Try 4 meals, if you can manage more now and then it might help him but if he's been consistently gaining, you're definitely on the right track already, and your sleep is definitely super important .

 

[haleyrose99]

Try enough to make it a bit soupy, I think - see if he's interested. You might have to experiment a little to find the consistency he prefers.
Try 4 meals, if you can manage more now and then it might help him but if he's been consistently gaining, you're definitely on the right track already, and your sleep is definitely super important .

Okay, I can definitely try the milk! Is there a specific brand that you recommend?
And I will keep up with feeding every 6 hours, and until I get the milk I'll stick to the 1/2 can I guess? He never really eats more than that at once. It's so strange because he is playing, drinking, peeing, and pooping all very normally he just... doesn't eat
Is 5 lbs an okay weight for his age though? I'm just not sure based on the reaction from my vet, it's freaking me out a bit. Phoebe, my other kitten isn't even 5 lbs yet....

 

[Furballsmom]

What does he do if you mix some of the fish food that he seems to particularly like with the chicken?

Is there a specific brand that you recommend?

Get a can of powdered PetAg, Royal Canin, or GNC. Mix it daily as needed. Do not use pre-mixed.

Hopefully this helps. Unfortunately I'm not able to help regarding how much he should weigh although what I'm reading seems to show that he's ok weight wise for his age. I'm feeling very hopeful since you've indicated he's gaining - he may simply grow into being a smaller cat

 

[Sarthur2]

Milo is not quite 4 months old and he already weighs 5 pounds? He’s already a big guy for his age! Kittens only need to weigh 4 pounds at 4 months old to be in the normal range.

Continue feeding him whatever he likes and will eat 4-6 times a day, and leaving dry food and water at night. He’s doing just fine! When he has a growth spurt, he’ll eat more. In between, he’ll plateau and eat less.

Your vet does not sound experienced with kittens or their growth. Also, your kittens should be spayed or neutered any day now. I have mine done at 12 weeks. Best if they do not go into heat or begin to get their testosterone.

You’ve nothing to worry about. Your kittens are doing fine. They are self-regulating and eating what they want and need. Relax!