Very fussy kittie

[SpaceKitties]

Hi,

I've got 4 kittens, 3 of which are very good eaters with both wet and dry food. However my eldest (6 months) has only ever eaten dry food and certain brands at that. I'm starting to notice that although she is eating she doesn't seem to be growing at all. It's got to the point where she is now lighter than the 4 month old.

My main concern is her weight, health and development and am in need of advice regarding the best complete dry cat food to try her on.

We've tried whiskas, go cat, iams and some own brands. She likes the whiskas but doesn't eat much of it.

Many thanks in advance

[Mollycat]

I would be concerned about this if the kitten 2 months younger has overtaken her in weight. Have you spoken to your vet?

Kittens are gradually getting their adult teeth between about 10 weeks and 7 months of age, so your kitten could prefer kibble to soft foods while those molars are erupting. But not to the point of becoming undernourished.

Personally I would hesitate to give kibble to kittens before they have their full set of adult teeth but I don't have any science behind it, just a kitten's vulnerability to dehydration and the high carb content of dry food (and therefore lower protein)

Be sure to get the kitten version of whatever dry food you choose though because a kitten's need for protein and certain vitamins is much higher than those of an adult. If she really won't eat anything that's good for her you can try supplementing the lower quality food with real meat. But I would check in with the vet first if you haven't already because of her lack of weight gain, that's not good.

[booktigger]

If she will only eat dry food, you need a decent quality one, preferably not from a supermarket. I would get her checked over too

[fjm]

I too would get her checked, just in case. Failure to thrive can be an indication of several conditions including very basic things like worms. Having said that, there is quite a range of healthy weights and sizes in cats - Tilly has always been small and under 3.5 kilos.

Pippin likes Purizon from ZooPlus - I chose it for its high meat content, and there is a kitten formula.

[SpaceKitties]

Thank you all, she was spayed around a month ago and had a full vet check which was fine. I regularly worm all of them as I know how poorly it can make them too.
I'm going to get her checked over again though as it is quite concerning, everything else is fine she has shiny fur, is very active still and using the toilet regular too.

Thank you all again, I will also look into the food you recommended