I just adopted my first Bengal kitten. She is 11 weeks old and has quite the stamina. But She doesn't eat much may 2-4 tbs a day (I've had her 3 days). I decided I wanted to feed her a raw diet and initially she was reluctant but very quickly learned to like it. Even so, I have to put the food right in front of her face to get her to even notice it. She will eat 5 or 6 small pieces then be done. I'll put the food in front of her again and she will eat a few more pieces but eventually she just walks away. I thought maybe it was the food but she does the same thing with the food the breeder gave me. She's very skinny in my opinion and is definitely not eating anywhere close to the 1.5 cups the raw diet supplement I use suggested. Any info on this or suggestions? Currently I'm studying for a medical school board exam so it's not a big deal for me to try feeding her several times a day but here in a few weeks I will start at the hospital and won't be able to do that anymore. I know kittens eat less but more frequently throughout the day but it's getting kind of crazy trying to get her to eat 10 or so times a day. Could really use some input. Thanks!

When I had a poorly old cat that would not eat, the vet advised that I warmed the food slightly so the smell was more intense to stimulate appetite. I have never had a kitten so would not know amounts and such though. Good luck with your baby

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Melissa

UK
Oscar - Rescue (Rascal!!!) Bengal

If you are worried about her weight it may be worth having her checked at the vet, but my two always prefer small frequent meals, even now. It may be she's had a bit of a growth spurt hence she looks skinny, mine would look very skinny and then fill out, eating loads and then shoot up again and then slow a bit with their eating until the next spurt.

I went home every lunch time to feed them when they were kittens and needed more frequent feeding, however I was lucky in that I work only 10 mins from home. There is such a thing as a microchip feeder now which may be useful for you. If you get her microchipped, and give yourself time to teach her where her food is, these feeders will only open when she approaches it when she wants to eat. This would hopefully keep her food fresher for longer so she can have her couple of mouthfuls each time, it will close again and still be fresh when she comes back again. Hopefully this could tide her over until you get home to give her fresh food.

My two were 14 weeks when they came to us and we're only eating a pouch of whiskas per day each, so it may just be that what she is eating is right for at her age. Not sure when kittens are weaned but she only has a little tummy at the moment.

Good luck!

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

If you've only had her a couple of days, the lack of appetite could be from the stress of going to a new home. But that should only last a couple of days. After that, check back with your breeder and see if they have any recommendations. If you have a scale, weigh your kitty to see if she's gaining weight. The thing is, she IS eating! All new kitties should be taken to the vet as soon as possible to have them checked out and to start a medical history on your kitty. They will let you know if she's a good weight and offer suggestions.

As for feeding while you're gone, we had another post here recently about that same thing. They had their kitties on a 3-meal a day schedule because they were gone a good part of the day. A kitten does need to eat more frequently. I think you're going to have to supplement her with a high-quality dry cat food and leave some out for her to enjoy while you're away.

My Raiden is 8 years old and it takes him forever to go through a can of cat food. He will eventually finish it, but he's eating every 15 minutes or so. I keep dry food down for him at all times. Good nutrition is so important in those first few months of a kitten's life.

The other thing is whether she's using her litter box several times a day and things appear normal on that end.

I adopted my two kittens at 4 months old. The first couple of days they didn't eat much if at all. They were very scared. By the third day they started eating and exploring the house. Soon after they were comfortable in their new home and ate like little starved piggies. Yours is still adjusting so be patient. have you taken you kitten to the vet yet for the first wellness check up? You should do that the first week after adopting a new kitten. Even though you have a timeline, the kitten needs to progress at it's own pace.

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

Well, there's no leaving raw food out all day long for the kitty (unless you have a refrigerated feeder). If the vet would recommend supplementing with something else because the kitty is thin and needs to put on weight, then I'd follow that recommendation. Maybe someone can come in during the day and feed the kitty. It's just super important in those early months. The most important thing is to make sure the kitty IS eating enough. Difficult to do when you're gone a lot of the day. There are cats who inhale whatever amount you put in front of them and others who nibble and leave and come back and nibble some more. Having a new kitten wait 8 hours to eat is a very long time. New babies can't wait that long.

The good thing is that this isn't permanent. The kitty will grow and the feedings can be more regular if she's eating quite a bit at each meal. If she continues to be a nibbler, then a solution has to be found.

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The little monsters 3

My one cat would eat very rare chicken wing, neck, liver and heart. I had to cook it slightly for her to eat it. Her sister just couldn't bring her self to eat it at all. She hovered over it and pretended but she barely touched it. She acted like it grossed her out, but she has a big appetite. She only wanted cat food. Maybe your cat just doesn't like raw food. There are plenty of good quality cat foods. I don't think you would be doing a disservice by feeding your kitty cat food. Getting nutrician into that growing body is the most important thing.

Are you feeding her what the breeder fed her? Did the breeder have any problems with how much she ate? Since you feel the kitten is underweight, perhaps at the breeder she wasn't eating either. I'd find some high-quality kitten wet food to give her. Find something that she likes and will eat with no problem. Kittens have tiny tummies so they may not eat a whole lot at one sitting. The other thing that might be a problem is a parasite of some type that's waning her appetite!

We're all suggesting you take her to the vet for a checkup!

Ok so here is the update. I took her to the vet and the vet didn't have any concern about her weight. She's 2.47lbs and 11 weeks old. She just looks super skinny but it could be that she's In a growth spurt stage like one of you mentioned. She seems to be doing better with the eating. The breeder said she may not rush to eat because she doesn't have the competition as she did with the other kittens. I have kept her hard food out that she had at the breeder and five times throughout the day I'll give her the raw food diet. She has not once touched the dry food which makes me think the only time she really ate with the breeder was in the morning when she gave them soft food. Fortunately I'm home for the next month and a half so I can keep up with her frequent meals. But once I start rotations I think I am going to have to get a high quality dry food to leave out just in case. I know she likes the raw food cause she makes that nom nom sound when she's eating. She just doesn't eat a lot at once. Thanks for the advice I really appreciate it!

Well, it has to ease your mind that your kitty is not severely underweight!!! There will be a lot of feedings and observations before you have to be gone for much of the day. By that time, you will better understand her eating habits and the amount of food she requires. Six weeks in a lot time. She'll put on some weight and get grow bigger. She sounds like a really sweet kitty! Congratulations.

I think every new kitten owner wonders if their kitten is eating too much or too little. I followed what the vet told me and my kittens were biting my feet they were so hungry! I upped the amount and included a bedtime snack and that silliness stopped. I think they act out to get what they need. They are instinct driven. If your kitten seems satisfied and happy, he is probably getting what he needs nutrition wise.

They can look slim and then they can look chubby. Then suddenly they look trim again. That first year they go through many growth spurts and changes. If you are feeding them the right amount consistently, it will all work itself out.

I personally think a kitten should eat as much food as they want. They are highly energetic and burn a lot of it off. Hope the OP here has lots of interactive toys for the kitty to enjoy while they are away, even though I think a lot of the time, the kitten will just sleep the day away and then be ready for some heavy play upon the owner's arrival home. Walk through that door, and the kitten is in full attack mode. So be prepared! Play time is necessary.