Feeding an 8-week-old kitten

At eight weeks your kitten has just crossed one of the trickiest nutritional thresholds — moving from mother's milk to solid food. Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they need animal protein and specific nutrients like taurine that many cheaper foods simply don't provide in adequate amounts. Wet food is almost always the right call at this stage: it's closer in texture to what they've been used to, and it builds the hydration habits that protect kidneys for life. Before I point you in the right direction — is this a single kitten or part of a litter, do you know if there are any health concerns from the breeder or rescue, and what have you tried feeding so far?

That's completely normal — adult wet food is often too strongly flavoured and the chunks are too large for a kitten this young. She needs something formulated specifically for kittens under twelve months, with smaller pieces, higher protein, and the right calcium-to-phosphorus ratio for bone development. What brand was the adult food? And is she eating anything at all right now, or completely refusing solids?

Good sign that she's interested in the jelly or gravy — her instincts are working, she just can't manage the texture yet. Here's what I'd do: get Royal Canin Kitten Instinctive wet pouches. They're specifically formulated for kittens from two to twelve months, the pieces are very fine, the protein profile is solid, and the palatability is genuinely high — kittens take to them readily. For the first few days, mix a small amount with a teaspoon of warm water to make it almost pâté-like. Offer tiny amounts four to five times a day rather than one or two big meals. Her stomach is about the size of a walnut right now. Once she's eating confidently — usually within three to five days — you can dial back the water and offer it as it comes from the pouch.

If she's eating and gaining weight, you don't need kitten milk replacer — it's really a bridge for kittens under four weeks or those struggling to transition. Adding it now can actually cause loose stools because many kittens become lactose intolerant after weaning. Skip supplements too; Royal Canin Kitten Instinctive is nutritionally complete, meaning it's formulated to meet all her needs without anything added. The one thing worth doing is putting a shallow dish of fresh water near her food from day one — not a deep bowl, she can fall in. Building that water-drinking habit early is one of the best things you can do for her kidneys long-term.

Perfect. Give her a few days to find her confidence — some kittens crack it in 24 hours, others take a week. As long as she's gaining a small amount of weight each day and producing normal stools, she's on track. If she's still refusing solids after five days or seems lethargic, it's worth a vet check just to rule out anything underlying. But honestly, from what you're describing, she sounds like she just needs the right food in the right form.