Major cat problems
I got a six week old kitten three weeks ago and I have a male cat
whose about five and a half years old. It's about nine weeks old now but the kitten has never ever eaten meat. It just smells the stuff and leaves it alone. The only thing it ever takes is mustard or a mixture of egg and milk. On the other hand, my male cat was healthy but within these three weeks it has gained so much weight I have trouble picking it up. I don't think he likes the kitten (in fact he's scared of it!) but we've kept them apart so I can't really understand the problem. Can someone help me please? |
My guess is that your older cat became anxious with the new kitten and
is eating more (compulsively). Did the weight gain coincide with the arrival of the kitten? Some cats will not eat meat and I believe there are three reasons for this: one, they are not familiar with it. If you make him taste it, he will likely change his mind. To make him taste it, all it takes is rubbing the meat gently on his nose and lips. Second, the meat might contain nitrates or nitrites. These substances are put on the meat to make it look fresh. Cats will not eat meat if they can smell these substances in the meat. In Brazil, it is against the law to use them as they may be carcinogenic. In the USA the same might hold true. Third, the meat may be even slightly spoiled and cats will usually refuse it if it is. Grinded meat spoils very quickly. My cats will not eat grinded meat no matter how hard I try to keep it fresh. I guess the bacteria come from the machine when grinding. I always wondered how and how often they clean those grinders anyway. If the meat is fresh and there are no nitrates or nitrites in it and your cat still won't eat even after you make him taste it, you might want to add a tiny bit of garlic or a finely chopped olive. Cats are probably just like kids. No matter how good something is for them, sometimes they just won't eat it. You can also try different kinds of meat. |
My guess is that your older cat became anxious with the new kitten and
is eating more (compulsively). Did the weight gain coincide with the arrival of the kitten? Some cats will not eat meat and I believe there are three reasons for this: one, they are not familiar with it. If you make him taste it, he will likely change his mind. To make him taste it, all it takes is rubbing the meat gently on his nose and lips. Second, the meat might contain nitrates or nitrites. These substances are put on the meat to make it look fresh. Cats will not eat meat if they can smell these substances in the meat. In Brazil, it is against the law to use them as they may be carcinogenic. In the USA the same might hold true. Third, the meat may be even slightly spoiled and cats will usually refuse it if it is. Grinded meat spoils very quickly. My cats will not eat grinded meat no matter how hard I try to keep it fresh. I guess the bacteria come from the machine when grinding. I always wondered how and how often they clean those grinders anyway. If the meat is fresh and there are no nitrates or nitrites in it and your cat still won't eat even after you make him taste it, you might want to add a tiny bit of garlic or a finely chopped olive. Cats are probably just like kids. No matter how good something is for them, sometimes they just won't eat it. You can also try different kinds of meat. |
I think it's kidn of imperative for kittens to eat meat. I would start out
with human baby food and warm it up a little so he develops a taste for it and then try some canned kitten foods with gravy in them since he might lick the gravy. He has to start eating or he's gonna get sick. Poor little guy. Candace (take the litter out before replying by e-mail) See my cats: http://photos.yahoo.com/maccandace |
I think it's kidn of imperative for kittens to eat meat. I would start out
with human baby food and warm it up a little so he develops a taste for it and then try some canned kitten foods with gravy in them since he might lick the gravy. He has to start eating or he's gonna get sick. Poor little guy. Candace (take the litter out before replying by e-mail) See my cats: http://photos.yahoo.com/maccandace |
We have a tomcat that refuses to eat anything that even faintly
resembles meat. He has been doing that since he was little. He is a big strong cat now. It is important though that the kitten eats! Maybe it likes dry food, if you add some water it might not be too hard to chew. You might want to try Hills kitten food it is the only thing my tom eats. Also if it refuses to eat at all, vets normally have some kind of nuritious paste that cats can eat and you could force feed it. As for the cat getting fat just feed it less or feed it dietary food. I would recommend to feed it less during the day and continue feeding it at night to avoid being woken up all the time. I tried putting the tomcat on a diet once and he would wake me up every 15 minutes to tell me "hey my food bowl is empty and I am kind of hungry -- do something...." |
We have a tomcat that refuses to eat anything that even faintly
resembles meat. He has been doing that since he was little. He is a big strong cat now. It is important though that the kitten eats! Maybe it likes dry food, if you add some water it might not be too hard to chew. You might want to try Hills kitten food it is the only thing my tom eats. Also if it refuses to eat at all, vets normally have some kind of nuritious paste that cats can eat and you could force feed it. As for the cat getting fat just feed it less or feed it dietary food. I would recommend to feed it less during the day and continue feeding it at night to avoid being woken up all the time. I tried putting the tomcat on a diet once and he would wake me up every 15 minutes to tell me "hey my food bowl is empty and I am kind of hungry -- do something...." |
DON'T give a cat mustard!
Get a high quality kitten chow -- needs the extra vitamins and nutrients for the first year of his life. If the kitten isn't eating GET IT TO A VET! They can get very ill not eating, or not eating properly, and "egg and milk" is NOT proper. Try some warm, not hot, baby food, chicken or turkey. Check the ingredients -- make sure there is no onion in it. Try some boiled chicken -- white meat, shredded into TINY bits. But get the kitten chow, and get the kitten to the vet. All new kittens need to see a vet, even more so when you are having problems with it eating. (GR81) wrote in message . com... I got a six week old kitten three weeks ago and I have a male cat whose about five and a half years old. It's about nine weeks old now but the kitten has never ever eaten meat. It just smells the stuff and leaves it alone. The only thing it ever takes is mustard or a mixture of egg and milk. On the other hand, my male cat was healthy but within these three weeks it has gained so much weight I have trouble picking it up. I don't think he likes the kitten (in fact he's scared of it!) but we've kept them apart so I can't really understand the problem. Can someone help me please? |
DON'T give a cat mustard!
Get a high quality kitten chow -- needs the extra vitamins and nutrients for the first year of his life. If the kitten isn't eating GET IT TO A VET! They can get very ill not eating, or not eating properly, and "egg and milk" is NOT proper. Try some warm, not hot, baby food, chicken or turkey. Check the ingredients -- make sure there is no onion in it. Try some boiled chicken -- white meat, shredded into TINY bits. But get the kitten chow, and get the kitten to the vet. All new kittens need to see a vet, even more so when you are having problems with it eating. (GR81) wrote in message . com... I got a six week old kitten three weeks ago and I have a male cat whose about five and a half years old. It's about nine weeks old now but the kitten has never ever eaten meat. It just smells the stuff and leaves it alone. The only thing it ever takes is mustard or a mixture of egg and milk. On the other hand, my male cat was healthy but within these three weeks it has gained so much weight I have trouble picking it up. I don't think he likes the kitten (in fact he's scared of it!) but we've kept them apart so I can't really understand the problem. Can someone help me please? |
02 heinä 2003 GR81 kirjoitti:
It's about nine weeks old now but the kitten has never ever eaten meat. Have you tried hand feeding ground meat? Offer warm (tbs size) chunk by bringing it close to her mouth and see if she accepts it. If she doesn't, open her mouth and put tiny bit in at that time and try later again, but eventually she should accuire taste for it. =) -- Jari Vuoksenranta "170 226 2245 3042 400" |
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