Why does my kitten refuse food and try to cover it like poop?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question. Congrats on your new kitten! Moving into a new home is stressful, and it sometimes can cause a decrease in appetite. In all honestly, I never recommend Blue Buffalo, it's frankly a terrible food, and I'm not surprised he's turning his nose up at it. Try a brand like Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, or Iams to see if he likes that better. If he doesn't eat that food, then a heath check with a vet is recommended right away. I hope this helps!

Yes, i would recommend reverting to her original food which she preferred as long as she was doing well and gaining weight on it. Changes in diet are ideally gradual over a week to reduce the risk of refusal or stomach upsets

Some cats tend to do that. Mine do it when they do not like their food. So you may want to try some other brand of canned kitten food. Or canned kitten food if you have been feeding dry food. You should also put the water fountain/bowl a few feet away from the food as cats do not like to drink water that is near their food.

She looks like a healthy little kitten, so I think she's probably OK and just being picky. If possible, I would contact the former caregiver and see what they were feeding. Sometimes they reject food that they are not familiar with. If you've done that already, or it is not possible, then try to feed a few different foods. She is old enough that she can eat 100% kitten food, so you can buy a few different cans of food at the pet store. Fancy feast is always a favorite. Don't feed too much at one time though, or she could develop vomiting/diarrhea. They also stop eating sometimes when they are feeling sick. If you notice some eye or nose discharge, or anything else concerning, then you may need to get her to a vet for evaluation. I hope that helps.

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.

Choose one brand of food, or a couple flavors of the same brand, and feed that exclusively. Pick a food that has a named protein source of animal origin. Avoid by products or meat meals. Stay away from store or discount brands as these typically contain low quality ingredients and more fillers. Feed on a consistent schedule as opposed to free feeding or allowing grazing throughout the day. Do not constantly change diets if/when your cat does not eat. This can create a finicky eater and may lead to gastrointestinal upset.

It's definitely good to get her to eat the Whiskas food, because this has necessary nutrients for a kitten that she may not get from the other food. However, the other food has good nutrients and is appropriate for a cat. They also likely taste better than the Whiskas, so that's likely why she is not eating the Whiskas. Getting a cat to eat a food that they don't want is difficult, but there are a few things that you can do to get her to eat. Below is a link to a good article that explains why this happens and how to help get her to eat her food. https://www.petcoach.co/article/my-pet-is-a-finicky-eater/ I hope that helps and all is well with Mini.