The kitten does not eat dry food - why and what to do?

A person who decides to start a kitten at home must solve several important issues. Where exactly will the pet live? Who will take care of him and clean the pot? What will have to feed a little fluffy resident? Many owners are sorely lacking time to cook something tasty for their cat, and they go along the line of least resistance - they include dry food in the cat's diet. Ready cat breakfast can greatly facilitate the maintenance of the animal at home.

But, if the kitten stubbornly refuses to approach the bowl with the proposed food, what should be done? Change the animal diet and translate to feed other brands? Or feed something else - for example, from the table or canned food? Or maybe it is urgent to run to the vet and show meowing hungry baby to him - suddenly the cat is seriously ill with something?

The weighty reasons why the caudate pet does not want to enjoy dry food and refuses to go to the cup with it, and will be discussed below.

Why the kitten refuses to eat dry food

A kitten may refuse dry food for several reasons. Some are related to the health and well-being of cats, others - purely domestic. First of all, it’s worth talking about household things that happen to every cat owner.

1. Did not like to taste. Cats, like humans, have their own taste preferences. She adores some things and will eat everything that they give, but something she cannot stand, and will not eat, even if she is hungry. It is possible that the reason for refusing food is simple - she does not like it at all. Maybe not the taste or the brand. In this case, simply replace the product. Take a little bit of different types of feed and offer your pet until it becomes clear what exactly you need to stop at.
2. Monotony Another reason why the cat stopped eating dry food was that she was tired of it. This happens when the kitten is offered nothing but granules of boring food. In addition, the same brand. In this case, you should just slightly diversify the cat's menu - give canned fish, soup, meat broth, or something milky - pap or sour cream.Shaggy pet won't refuse from meat pate or a piece of high-quality boiled sausage. You can always replace the annoying dry food wet. The more often to change the contents of the cat's table, the more pleasure it will be to have a kitten.
3. The product has gone bad. A cat is a creature that relies more on sense of smell than on other senses. It so happens that the owners pour too much food into the animal's cup, and the kitten does not have time to eat everything. After lying in a bowl for some time, the food becomes raw, loses its smell and becomes unusable. Of course, the animal that approached the bowl does not want to eat the spoiled product. And he can spoil the owners who love to buy products in large volumes. For a long time stored, the food absorbs extraneous odors, is saturated with moisture and becomes tasteless for the kitten.
4. Clean bowls. Not every cat owner keeps his dishes clean. And not every kitten will eat from the foul-smelling, unwashed dishes. It is not difficult - to wash and dry the cat bowl. And the cat will be nice.
5. Lack of water. Dry food causes thirst, so the animal alternates eating the food with a lacquer of water.Owners who do not care about filling a cat's bowl with fresh drinking water will always have a bad diet. Dehydration leads to a lack of appetite.
6. Stress. The kitten could upset something badly, knock it off, scare. For example, noisy guests came to their hosts. Or another animal appeared in the family, inspiring little purring with fear and making them nervous. And it is even worse - the owners moved to a new apartment, tearing the kitten out of the familiar world - now you have to get acquainted with others and get used to the new realities of life. Of course, the transferred nervous suffering will discourage the hunt to feed. The owners should do just that - start giving the pet something tasty, treat with fragrant canned food or something that the cat will not give up. If the general condition is not better, you should consult with your doctor, who will prescribe something soothing drops. They will help to overcome stress and bring the little cat's nerves in order.
7. Change of diet. The little pupil, having finished eating mother's milk, ate only the food prepared by the owners, drank the milk and ate the curd, and then suddenly they decided to transfer him to dry food.Such a decision will cause a strong protest in the animal, and it will consist in refusing the food offered.
8. Weather. The weather outside the window and the outside season also influence the appetite. Suppose in the summer, when it is hot, the kitten is reluctant and eats little. All the energy is spent only on fighting the heat, the body does not feel a great need for an influx of energy and the pet needs very little food. With strong heat, a good way out of the situation will be to change the time when the animal eats. It is better to feed him in the early morning hours, when it is not yet hot and late in the evening after the onset of evening coolness.

Health problems

Failure of a kitten to feed often happens for reasons related to the health and well-being of the animal. Here are the most common.

1. Poisoning. Cats are by nature very curious creatures, what can we say about small kittens that are trying to taste everything that comes to their eyes? Any bad product may well be caught and poisoning in a little cat. In this case, the cat will refuse any product.It is not necessary to feed him by force, it is better to take him to a veterinary clinic and show him to a specialist. He will select treatment methods and prescribe rehabilitation therapy.
2. Disease of the gums or teeth. The cat may well get sick with stomatitis. Then the feed pellets will cause pain to the animal, and it will begin to refuse this food.
3. Helminthiasis A kitten, especially if he likes to walk outside, can very easily pick up worms or some kind of parasites. The owner can visually determine their presence, but it is better to contact a specialist who will conduct the study and prescribe treatment.

How to solve this problem

1. With the help of a vet. If there is reason to assume that the kitten has some health problems, then you should go to a veterinary specialist for a detailed examination and appointment of medical procedures.
2. Agree with all the requirements of the kitten. If the kitten is stubborn in its reluctance to eat dry food, then you can go to meet him and feed the animal only those products that he loves and prefers to eat.
3. The best option is to teach a kitten to eat dry food. The previous item is impossible for those who work - the owner simply doesn’t have time for preparing the favorite cat food.For such people, the best option is to teach your pet, while he is still small, to dry food.

How to convince a kitten that dry food is good?

If it is known that a kitten's dislike for dry food is not associated with ill health, then it is quite possible to teach a small animal to feed on this product. It requires patience and perseverance.

1. First of all, you need to dilute the usual food with small portions of food. If the kitten just fed on mother's milk, then the granules should be soaked in water or milk. If it is already an older cat, you can soak the food in some other soft food they prefer.
2. If you can see that the kitten with pleasure absorbs the mixed feed, you can increase its share in the food.
3. Approximately in 5-7 days it is worth starting a little to add feed in not soaked, but dry condition.
4. Seeing that the pet eats the proposed, the next day you should try to give it only one dry food. If the kitten refuses, you still need to feed him some time with the usual food with the addition of soaked food. After again try to give it just dry.

To teach a kitten to dry food is an individual matter, then you need to monitor the pet's reaction, be patient and attentive. The one who loves his cat and wishes him only good can do it best.

Video: how to feed a monthly kitten