Getting kitten to eat dry-food - How?

[Hreow]

Any ideas on how to convince my kitten that cat-biscuits are food? I've tried every brand and flavour I could find from the expensive to the ultra-cheap, left them a week or so each (not the same biscuits - new from the same box every other day) and he'll politely sniff them once and then ask for *real* food. Even after a 36-hour fast (vets orders) he's not interested. Not even mixed with things he really loves. It's not the crunchiness. He loves the dried meat we've occasionally made for him and that is a lot chewier/crunchier than kitten-biscuits.
Should I just give up and leave him to it? It would mostly come in handy for the "puzzle-feeders" I would like to give him to keep him occupied and un-bored when we need to leave him on his own more than a few hours.

[CJK]

my cats have always eaten dired food as wella s wet. But they wont eat them if left out for more than a few hours.
You could try mixing a tiny bit of dry food with wet, and slowly adding more until he eats then, then putting small amounts of dry down.

they certainly wont eat it if left down for days, it goes stale

[yola]

I had to wean my 1st persian off wet food as he was suffering terrible with furballs and I had to put him on furball formula biscuits. He too at first steadfastly refused them, but by mixing it with his wet food and gradually increasing the amount, he just one day took to it without any further fuss.

Good luck - but worth remembering that maybe your cat just doesn't like dry food!!

[bobbie3917]

if you kitten dont want it sorry but you cant make them
cats are not like dogs and will "give in"

if they have not been feed dry as kittens from there breeder then there is little to no chance for you to get them eating it now sorry

what was wrong with you kitten to be fasted for a 36 hours? (i wouldnt do that to a fully gorwn cat although a kitten)
how old is it?
Royal Canin baby is sort of most and chewy have you tried that?

[Hreow]

bobbie: He had colitis and yes I have tried RC. The breeder provided dry food, and siblings and mum who ate it, he just didn't follow their example. : / He wasn't too keen on solid food when his mum was trying to wean him, so I guess he knows what he likes and isn't keen to try new things.
I know I can't "make him", just thought there might be a subtle trickery that I hadn't thought of.

I'll have a go at mixing some in with his wet food again. He's very clever at picking it out as he eats, though. And then follow bobbie's advice and call it a day.

CJK: Hmm.. Didn't know dry food went stale that quick. I won't leave wet food down for long, but I thought dry would be ok for 36-48 hours. My past cats weren't that picky, so I hadn't considered that.

[CJK]

hope you find seomthing that works. James wellbeloved is a food all my cats ahve liked, if you go to thier website you can order some free samples of it, up to four bags, each bag is worth one meal.

[Donna]

Have you considered he might have a problem with his teeth or mouth? Maybe it hurts to eat hard chrunchy biscuits?

Just a thought.

[Donna]

Originally Posted by CJK

hope you find seomthing that works. James wellbeloved is a food all my cats ahve liked, if you go to thier website you can order some free samples of it, up to four bags, each bag is worth one meal.

#

Thanks for the tip Cj!!! Just ordered some samples!!!! Might as well see if these dry foods stop Misty throwing it back up, like the Gokat biscuits.

[Hreow]

The vet says his teeth are fine, and he will eat crunchy things, just not dry-food. Thanks for the JW-samples tip, but I have tried those as well. : /

Time to get over the parental-esque "but just *try* a taste, you *may* like it".

[dinahsmum]

Burns are doing a kitten food now (duck I think). Sure you can get samples from them too.
Maybe there is one he will like?