Dealing with a fussy kitten can be an infuriating experience for any pet parent.
Getting to grips with your young feline’s dietary habits is often difficult enough without them turning their nose up at everything you put in front of them.
Perseverance is key.
During your little feline’s formative years, it is imperative that they are fed a nutrient-loaded diet in order for them to develop into strong and healthy cats.
For fussy eaters, though, a little more care and attention is sometimes required when it comes to mealtime.
5 diet staples for a fussy kitten
- Wet food. Wet food is often the more appealing choice for fussy kittens (in comparison to kibble), due to its high animal protein content, and moisture. The richer odour can also make it more palatable, and if you want to strengthen that aroma – while enhancing the flavour – try adding a little warm water to the bowl. When feeding Encore complementary wet food, we always recommend making a bowl of Encore dry food available for your cat to enjoy as well.
- Fishy flavours. The majority of felines are naturally attracted to the smell and taste of fish. So, if you’ve been feeding your kitten a diet heavy on chicken or duck, why not give them a seafood surprise. Recipes like our Tuna Fillet with Sea Bream in Broth Tin, or our Tuna Fillet with Prawn in Broth Pouch, all contain the high-quality protein and essential nutrients your kitten needs to grow up big and strong.
- Natural ingredients. Recipes made with 100% natural ingredients are going to tantalise your kitten’s taste buds far more than any additive-filled alternative. Not only that, they’re far easier to digest, too.
- Healthy treats. While we would never advocate feeding your kitten a diet consisting solely of treats, they can be a great way of enticing a fussy feline back to the bowl. Encore’s Chicken Fillet with Rosemary isn’t just an irresistibly tasty snack, it’s also packed full of
- Water is vital to keeping a feline’s body purring all the way through to later life. While kittens will absorb plenty of moisture from the food they eat, it is still vital you provide fresh drinking water daily. If your fussy feline is avoiding their water bowl, then try placing a few more around the house. Failing that, a filtered water fountain may pique their interest.
Will a kitten starve itself (and is there any potential of this happening)?
A kitten would never starve itself internationally, but if they don’t like the food they’re being served, they could accidentally end up on a hunger strike.
And that’s an extremely worrying position for a cat of any age to be in.
Going a single day without food is likely to result in your feline becoming malnourished, weak, and potentially very poorly.
If you’ve tried everything to try and get them to eat, but they’re refusing to take a bite, contact your vet immediately.
Remember, a loss of appetite isn’t always just down to a kitten being a finicky eater, it may be a sign of a serious underlying disease.
This list is as long as it is varied, so, again, your best bet is enlisting the help of a medical expert to get to the root of the issue.
Never lose your temper
Shouting at a food-shy kitten is never the answer.
Yelling will only bring on feelings of stress and anxiety, which will invariably lead to additional issues.
Be patient, go slow. Once you’ve ruled out medical issues, try different foods, different techniques.
It may take days, even weeks, before your kitten settles into a routine they’re comfortable with. But if it means they are going to be happy and healthy for years to come, all your perseverance will have been worth it in the end.
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