[KK]

The kittens are now 4 weeks old. The two girls eat solid food just fine. I'm feeding them Advantage kitten wet food with some small pieces of dry kitten food mixed in. I put a plate in their playpen and they come right to it and eat. The boy kitten just walks around them trying to get them to play. He hits them on their butts and tries to wrestle with them while they eat. I've tried to get him to eat but he wont. He thinks it's still playtime.
After the girls are finished, I try to put a little more on the plate to see if he will eat after they are done and he wont. He waits until mom comes in and then nurses from her. And even she pushes him away after a bit. And he cries for more. Any suggestions as to what I should do? Any tricks that may work to get him to at least try solid food?
The amazing thing is, he's already litter trained. The girls are still having accidents or miss the litter pan. But he learned that quickly.

 

[stormy]

Hi KK,
My cat Spyder was just the same way. All of his brothers were eating at 4 weeks or so, but not Spyder, he just wanted mamas milk!
Well by about the fifth week I would start placing a little bit of the food in his mouth so he would get the idea, then he would eat some but I would have to do this at every feeding time, sometimes he would eat, sometimes not.
Still at 8 weeks, when they could be given to new homes, I was still getting him to eat this way! :roll: So I kept him (and his brother Chuckie, but not for the same reason) I was afraid to let him go to a new home with his eating problem...but he finally adjusted to eating on his own (at about 2 and a half months old)...and now he's the total opposite (he's 3 years old now), I can't keep him from eating, LOL!!! :lol:

Maybe your kitty just needs more time, but if you think there is a real problem, by all means have him checked by your vet.

 

[sentimentalgirl]

I also think he needs more time. I think every cat is different. Our Maugli is eating solid food by now, but her sister/brother still drinks milk from the bottle. They are both around 6 weeks old. There was a point when Maugli didn't want milk anymore and that was the time she started eating meat. I think you just have to give him more time....

 

[KK]

He finally ate some food this past weekend. On Saturday, I put down some KMR on a saucer and he lapped that up. So I dipped some dry food into the KMR and he ate it! So the next day I just gave him wet mixed with dry and he ate. it takes him some time still to figure out what the other two kittens are doing. but i'm just glad he's eating. because mom cat isnt feeding them as often anymore.