My 7-week kitten only eats chicken. How do I get her to eat cat food?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Cat | American Wirehair | Female | unspayed | 1 month and 17 days old | 2 lbs
I have an 7 weeks old kitten and will not eat cat food. Her 2 sister and brother eat cat food.she is runt of the litter.She has no energy but if I cook bake chicken she will eat until she gets full.I try cat with just chicken and will not eat.She is still nursing with her mother,but she slow down on the nursing alittle.
3 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on June 18th, 2017
Picky eaters can always be frustrating! By 7 weeks of age, Ryoko does not need to nurse from her mom, so any nursing may be delaying her need for kitten food. If possible, try to separate the mother cat from all kittens for several days. During that time, offer canned kitten food mixed with finely shredded chicken to try to tempt Ryoko to eat, then gradually decrease the amount of chicken mixed with the kitten food. If she does not care for canned food, you can try offering dry kitten food. She won't starve herself! I hope this helps and that all goes well!
3Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on August 13th, 2017
Since Marie is still young and nursing you do not need to worry too much about her not eating kitten food. Continue to offer kitten food throughout the day or just leave it in the enclosure where she is with her mother. It may help to soften the food with some warm water before offering it to her as well because the kibble may be too large or too hard for her to eat. I would not feed her chicken at this time. She may become too accustomed to it and then refuse to eat anything else when she is older. Chicken alone is not enough for a complete and balanced diet for a growing kittten or an adult cat. If you are trying to stop Marie from nursing you need to remove her from her mother, but do not do this until she is at least 6 weeks old. I hope this helps. Best of luck.
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on June 25th, 2017
That is very rare that a kitten this young will only eat people food. Even canned food such as salmon, turkey and chicken are often irresistible to kittens. I am not sure if you have tried high quality food brands like Royal Canin, Hills science diet or Innova (Evo), but those should be tried as well or you will have a hard time feeding Ryoko as she gets older. She also needs kitten food because it contains added vitamins and minerals including Taurine, which is vital for cats to have in their diet or they are at risk for developing heart disease. Here is more information on this disorder. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2420 I would also reference online homemade recipe websites to ensure you are feeding her a well balanced diet, in case you still need time to transition her to kitten food. Balanceit.com I am sure there are other websites available as well. Best of luck with your kitty and I hope you find something that will appease her and keep her healthy as a growing kitten. Take care.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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