Foster kitten not eating

sammyjammy

Hoping for a little advice before I contact the shelter tomorrow morning, I have 4 eight week old kittens to foster, they've been with me four days now and although lacking in social skills three of them eat and drink well, the fourth is a fair bit smaller and I haven't seen him eat more than a tsp of food in that time, when the others play he just sits and watches.

Any ideas of what I can offer him to eat to tempt him? I've split him up from the others at eating time but hasn't made any difference. I've also mushed up his kitten food thinking maybe the lumps are too much for him.

MovingForwards

Tuna? Strong smelling and hard to resist.

Are you playing with him?

Pollycat

There's usually a runt of the litter and it sounds like it's him.

On holiday last year, we were feeding a Mum with 3 kittens, probably a few weeks younger than the ones you have.
One kitten was clearly the runt: smaller, less willing to play-flight, last to the food plate.
By the end of the 2 weeks, he'd caught up and was just as lively - and eager to eat - as the other 2.

Hope it's the same for your little guy.

Connie_Anaya

Maybe you should switch to another kitten food. I fed my 2 kittens with Iams proactive health but they didn't like it, so I switched to Purina Pro Plan. You can read more about it on popular.reviews/kitten-food/#6_Purina_Pro_Plan_Kitten_Food

Fen1

Contact the shelter. They will have the best advice for you. They may want to take him to the Vet. Have they been health checked?

I volunteer for a small rescue, and all the volunteers keep in close contact with each other, especially the fosterers. Do you not have that support system? I don't understand why the rescue isn't your first port of call.

seashore22

Fen1 wrote: »

Contact the shelter. They will have the best advice for you. They may want to take him to the Vet. Have they been health checked?

I volunteer for a small rescue, and all the volunteers keep in close contact with each other, especially the fosterers. Do you not have that support system? I don't understand why the rescue isn't your first port of call.

Perhaps it's not an official foster. Having said that, I would definitely be contacting my nearest animal shelter as they are best placed to give advice. MSE can be great, but this is one of those cases where going elsewhere is better.