How to Get Your Kitten to Eat

To ensure your kitten develops properly, it needs proper nutrition. If you kitten stops eating for more than 24 hours, it can develop serious, or even deadly, health issues, according to PetPlace.com. Depending on the kitten's age, it may need bottle feeding to get it the nourishment it needs, since kittens are usually not weaned until about 8 weeks of age. Tempt your kitten to eat with specialized kitten food or kitten milk replacement formula.

Things You'll Need

  • Pet nursing bottle
  • Sewing needle
  • Kitten milk replacement formula
  • Canned kitten food
  • Blender
  • Shallow dish
  • Towel
  • Cat treats
  • Food processor
  • Meat baby food
  • Canned tuna
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Instructions

    • 1

      Bottle feed kittens 4 weeks old or younger, since they will still need to nurse at this age and cannot eat solid food. Take a pet nursing bottle and poke two small holes in the top of the bottle with a sewing needle that has been dipped in hot water. Mix up the kitten milk replacement formula according to the directions on the package --- if using the powdered form --- and pour it into the bottle. Heat the formula to 98 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit by placing the bottle in a bowl of hot water. Place the kitten on its stomach over a towel and place the nipple into its mouth. Squeeze a small drop of formula into the kitten's mouth. The kitten should start to suckle.

    • 2

      Feed kittens between 4 and 8 weeks old with a mixture of kitten milk replacement formula and canned kitten food. For kittens 4 to 6 weeks old, mix two parts of the formula with one part solid food and place the mixture in a blender until smooth. For kittens 6 to 8 weeks, mix two parts of the canned food with one part of the formula, stirring the mixture by hand. Spoon the mixture onto the edges of a shallow dish and place it over a towel. Place the kitten next to the dish and rub a small amount of the food onto the kitten's lips with your finger to tempt it to eat.

    • 3

      Give kittens older than 8 weeks old canned kitten food. To tempt the kitten to eat the food, place it on a shallow dish and heat it for a few seconds in the microwave to make the food smell more pungent and palatable to the kitten. Rub a small amount of the food onto your kitten's lips to tempt it to eat.

    • 4

      Place cat treats in a food processor and blend them into a powder. Sprinkle the powder on top of the canned kitten food for kittens 8 weeks or older. The scent of the treats should draw your kitten to the food. You can also add a small amount of meat baby foods to the canned kitten food to attract your kitten to the food.

    • 5

      Put a small amount of canned tuna into a shallow dish and mix it into canned kitten food. Pour a small amount of the water from the tuna onto the top of the tuna and canned food mixture. The aroma of tuna should attract your kitten to eat the food.