Kitten Does Not Drink

Question
I rescued a kitten 2 days ago from a shelter. He was an orphan who was found with no mother. They do not know his exact age but we are thinking he is about 6-7 weeks. I know Mother's teach then how to drink and it seems he did not have one around for very long. Has no interest in water so bought some of the kitten milk from the store. He is interested in it but has no clue on how to lap it up. He just sticks his face in it and tries to bite it like food. He eats canned kittie food but his teeth dont seem to be able to crunch up hard food. What can be done to teach him to lap up liquids?

Answer
Hi Stephen.  I would keep him on canned food only for at least another month.  Right now, he only has milk teeth (baby teeth), which are not meant for crushing hard food, as you are seeing.  At 12 weeks old, he will begin to grow in some of his first adult teeth, but I really recommend to wait until they get in their adult molars at 16 weeks before expecting them to eat much dry food.  

Also, canned food will provide him with most of the water that he needs.  Cats who eat an all canned food diet don't need to drink much water at all.  In fact, by nature, cats receive most of their moisture from their diets - one reason they survive so well in desert areas.  It's only due to the amount of dry food that we feed our house cats that they need to drink so much water.

It's encouraging that the kitten is making attempts to drink the kitten milk.  While he's not quite getting the idea just yet, it will come in time, so I would keep at it.  Most kittens have difficulty learning what liquids are when they're sitting in a bowl.  They misjudge their distance from them, they breathe them in by mistake (and sneeze it out), and they wear them all over their faces and paws. I would allow him to just explore the milk and go at his own pace, and stand by with a damp cloth to wash him up until he gets the hang of it.  As he begins to get the idea, you can start thinning the milk out with water, and hopefully he'll continue to accept it.  

Alternatively, you can introduce water to him using an eye dropper to put a couple drops into his mouth several times a day, and then show him the bowl of water by emptying the eye dropper into the already full bowl.  The motion should gain his interest.  Floating ice cubes can also make water seem more interesting.

Best of luck!

Jessica