How to get my frail kitten to eat wet food and use the litter box?

Monitor her for her cues that she is about to "go". This may be circling, sniffing around, pacing or squatting. Immediately place her in the litter box. If she has accidents, you can place the stool in the box or soak up the urine in a tissue and place it in the box. Litterbox attractants can also be used. Praise and reward her when she uses the litter box. Be patient and be consistent. To get her to eat on her own, discontinue hand feeding. Use a different plate or bowl. Warm her food slightly or mix in a teaspoon of baby food to stimulate her appetite. Again, be patient and don't give in. She will eat when she is hungry.

It may take your new kitten time to get used to her new surroundings. Try keeping her in a smaller area, like a bathroom, with her littler box and food/water. Being in closer proximity to them may encourage her to eat and use the box. You may also want to try offering her canned kitten food, as opposed to kibble. This may encourage her to eat more. When she does eventually defecate, if it is outside of the box, place the stool inside the box to help her learn where to go. If these tips are not working and your kitten is still refusing to eat or drink, you may want to consider taking her in to the vet to be checked out. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Fortunately, most kittens figure out how to use a litter box consistently pretty early in life with minimal training. Since kittens typically prefer to eliminate on loose substrates, including litter, they are often quite happy to head straight to the litter box. When first introducing the litter box, begin by confining your kitten to a small room or to a large crate with a litter box when you are not interacting with them. After meals or playtime, place your kitten in the litter box, as they are likely to go at these times. Be sure that your litter box is fairly shallow, as tiny kittens may struggle to physically get into a litter box with high sides. Small treats can also be given as a reward each time a kitten successfully uses the litter box.

Provide her several litterboxes. You may need to pick her up and place her in the litterbox. If you have a porch area, try placing a box there. As far as feeding, offer her a variety of wet and dry foods. If she fails to eat within 48 hours, you should take her back to your veterinarian. Ask about an appetite stimulant.

St four weeks old she might be ready for solids. You could mix some canned kitten food with milk replacer and put it on a flat plate to see if she'll eat it. If not you may need to talk to your veterinarian about bottle feeding or tube feeding. I would recommend keeping a very shallow litterbox close by and putting her in it periodically. Depending on how severely affected she is she may need some additional help, and your vet might be able to give some other pointers.

At 5 weeks most kittens would be starting to eat and toilet independently but they can be slower if the mother is too keen to help. I would start separating her from kittens for 3-4hours and then offer them warmed wet food to tempt their appetite. Syringe feeding with a palatable kitten food such as royal canin starter mousse can be helpful to get them eating and swallowing themselves

It does take time for kittens to get used to eating out of a bowl, and you'd done the right thing by putting wet food and formula milk together. I would mix them together with some dry kitten food to make a mush. Soak the kitten food in the formula milk to make it softer. The mush should be the consistency of oatmeal. Over the next two weeks, gradually increase the amount of dry kitten food and decrease the amount of canned food and KMR you use until Oreo is eating the dry kitten food only. Keep this kitten mush out at all times, and reduce the amount you bottle feed her so she get used to eating from a bowl. You may have to stick your finger in the mush and get her to lick it off, then bring your finger closer and closer to the bowl until she is eating out of the bowl.