# 11 week old kitten still won't wean!



## Sherylina (Sep 17, 2012)

Hi all,

We have an 11 week old foster kitten at the minute who is STILL not weaned.

The vet has found no deformities or anything wrong with him which could cause this and pronounced him healthy but we are really running out of ideas. We have now seperated him from the Mum in the hope that now he can no longer rely on Mums milk he will get hungry and give food a try.

We have tried various different brands in jelly, gravy, pate style and dry food. We have tried all of these with and without kitten milk mixed in. We have tried warming the food up in the microwave and we have tried raw food. We have tried putting the food on his paws, nose and in his mouth at which point he acts like we have poisoned him!

It's as if he is disgusted by the smell and look of kitten food. He will also not lap kitten milk - only water :confused5::confused5:

It has got to the point now where he literally runs and hides when we bring out a new dish for him to try. Has anyone come across this before and have any tips?


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## Polski (Mar 16, 2014)

I hand reared a kitten (Jasper) that would not wean. Me and the vet tried everything but I had to keep him on the bottle as he simply refused all foods offered no matter how it was mixed. (a mere pinch of food in a bottle of milk was rejected)

At 15 weeks old I looked after a kitten while someone went on holiday and she came with James WellBeloved kitten kibble...I never had dry food in the house and didn't even think to try dry as I don't like it, but...Jasper did...the bottle was dropped a week later at 16 weeks old. He still wont eat wet food and only eats 2 brands of dry food one flavour from each brand. (although I have recently bought porta 21 and hes not refusing it sooo maybe thats 3 foods he will eat now!)

Im not saying dry is the perfect solution but better than being on the bottle forever more!


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## Sherylina (Sep 17, 2012)

We have tried dry, not James Wellbeloved specifically but at least 5 different brands


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## Polski (Mar 16, 2014)

I guess you keep trying different foods but you may have to put him back with mum if hes wont eat at all or drink baby cat milk...Like my vet said you cant starve him to death to prove a point. At 15 weeks old he was having so much milk to sustain him it was ridiculous.


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## wicket (Aug 22, 2012)

Have you tried hills a/d recovery food ? never had a kitten refuse it yet, you could pick up a tin from your vets  I would stop trying with a plate and just drop some on the floor, I have a youngster (not one I bred) who refused all wet when on a plate but started picking from the floor when she thought I wasnt watching. Try not to get stressed as cats sense it.


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## chloe1975 (Mar 17, 2013)

Is he the only kitten? I find single kittens take longer naturally to wean as in my experience they tend to learn more from other kittens than their mum. I have recently been through similar with a litter of kittens i have handreared as they took weeks and weeks. What I will say is that he will do it when he is ready and you can't force him. I thought the little girl I had was never going to try the food, like yours she recoiled in horror at the thought, but suddenly one morning decided that actually she would try and we haven't looked back. I have been using royal canin babycat mousse for them which seemed to do the trick but Hills AD or Royal Canin recovery might be good alternatives as they have a similar consistency. I had to hand feed to begin with on my hands and fingers, its messy but helped the process.


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## Sherylina (Sep 17, 2012)

Literally a few hours after i posted this he had a try of Weetabix mixed with kitten milk, we then mixed microwaved cat food into the weetabix/milk mixture and although he did eat around the food at first he did try some and today he has had some cat food by itself 

So pleased!


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## Sherylina (Sep 17, 2012)

Well i thought we had turned a corner but he is now avoiding the kitten food again and was sick last night  Probably the weetabix mixture making his tummy a bit funny but he is continuing to eat that.

Don't know what to do for the best tbh, don't know whether to continue with the weetabix as at least its something in his tummy but i do know cats aren't supposed to be no a grain based diet.

I've ordered the royal canin babycat mousse someone mentioned, will give that a try thank you.


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## peecee (Jun 28, 2010)

Sherylina said:


> Well i thought we had turned a corner but he is now avoiding the kitten food again and was sick last night  Probably the weetabix mixture making his tummy a bit funny but he is continuing to eat that.
> 
> Don't know what to do for the best tbh, don't know whether to continue with the weetabix as at least its something in his tummy but i do know cats aren't supposed to be no a grain based diet.
> 
> I've ordered the royal canin babycat mousse someone mentioned, will give that a try thank you.


Maybe try a small piece of raw chicken to see if he will like that?


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## ForeverHome (Jan 14, 2014)

Possibly an inspirational moment I've just had on another thread, I hope this might help. When we got Misha she was barely weaned and didn't eat from her dish, so I sat patiently with her taking the food from the dish in my hand and let her lick it from my fingers. I had to do this for a week or so if I remember right and gradually she took to it. She also didn't know how to lap and I can't remember how we taught her to do that, but she never did like milk anyway, though she licked yoghurt from my fingers all the rest of her life.


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## spotty cats (Jul 24, 2012)

peecee said:


> Maybe try a small piece of raw chicken to see if he will like that?


Agree, I would try raw, my kittens all toddle over to mums raw at 3 weeks and don't look back. I wouldn't remove mum, that will probably just stress him and mum won't keep feeding him when she's had enough.


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## Steve Fouracre (Dec 21, 2019)

I think I would get a second vetinary opinion. Could be a throat or gut blockage or deformity?


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Steve Fouracre said:


> I think I would get a second vetinary opinion. Could be a throat or gut blockage or deformity?


Hello Steve and welcome 

This thread is over 5 years old and I expect the problem has been resolved.


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