Strange noise when kitten eats soft food

Hey everyone,

My 3 month old kitten, Persia, is making a strange sound when eating soft food. She tilts her head to the side and makes a strange sound almost like a crunching/grinding sound when eating soft food.

It's quite loud and I find it so strange because it is chunks of meat in gravy - why would she be making this sort of sound?

I'm starting to get a little freaked out and worried. I had just said goodbye to my girl Jasmine June 23rd and just received Persia on August 12th.

She's also quite small. Otherwise, she seems very, very healthy. And was checked by the vet on July 29th. Her teeth and gums seem to be fine.
Could it be some sort of behavioural thing? And I'm just overly worried?
She has a vet visit booked for Friday.

If a cat were to eat it's "natural" diet of mice, birds, etc. you would see that their head is tilted to the side and they are making a crunching noise as they chew through bones and cartilage. It is possible your kitten is mimicking or following instinct. Especially as the "meat" is in chunks. If you feed hard do you notice the same action or does the kitten do as most cats do and swallow it whole? :yuck:

If a cat were to eat it's "natural" diet of mice, birds, etc. you would see that their head is tilted to the side and they are making a crunching noise as they chew through bones and cartilage. It is possible your kitten is mimicking or following instinct. Especially as the "meat" is in chunks. If you feed hard do you notice the same action or does the kitten do as most cats do and swallow it whole? :yuck:

Hi 14+,
When she eats dry food (which, she doesn't have much of a taste for any more) I believe she does a similar sort of action. I've noticed she's developed much more of a taste for soft food now, even though she makes that sort of noise.

I have never owned a kitten before. Jasmine came into my life at 3.5 years old. And, I think after what happened to her I get a little panicked over things a bit more easily. If that makes sense.

Hi 14+,
When she eats dry food (which, she doesn't have much of a taste for any more) I believe she does a similar sort of action. I've noticed she's developed much more of a taste for soft food now, even though she makes that sort of noise.

I have never owned a kitten before. Jasmine came into my life at 3.5 years old. And, I think after what happened to her I get a little panicked over things a bit more easily. If that makes sense.

That's great she doesn't like hard food much. It really has no place in a cat's diet.
If you are concerned ask the vet when she goes in Friday. I don't think it's anything to worry about.
New to kittenhood. Mmmm......... Good reading for you then - www.catinfo.org.

That's great she doesn't like hard food much. It really has no place in a cat's diet.
If you are concerned ask the vet when she goes in Friday. I don't think it's anything to worry about.
New to kittenhood. Mmmm......... Good reading for you then - www.catinfo.org.

Hey 14+,
I tried grinding up the chunks in gravy and she still tends to do the same thing. She goes absolutely nuts for the soft food and sniffs around for it/devours it. I wonder she makes that sound, but I guess I will not know until I check it out on Friday.

Otherwise, yes she is following me everywhere I go. Loves to play with string. Is very, very sweet.

Thank you for sharing the link, 14+ :) That makes me feel better that you don't seem concerned. I've looked up in internet searches this might be a sign of kidney disease? But she's only 3 months old, seems out of bounds.

Cerena,I know when you lose one cat,you get a little paranoid,but like 14+ says,I am sure Persia is ok.
My cats will not eat anything chunks and gravy,only the pate type.
I am glad you got the little one off dry food,scrapping it all together is a great idea.
I hope you will keep us supplied with pics,she is such a sweet little thing.:cloud9:

More than likely she is rubbing her teeth together, and is "making" that sound . It is akin to something like a purr when she's really content or happy. I've had several kittens in my life, and at some point or another they did the head tilt , grind thing.
I think its just a natural instint. You'll find if you give her something she really dosent like much, but will eat , just cause its there, she wont do it as often.
least thats been my experience.
Hang in there, getting a new baby can make ANYONE paranoid. :)

Cerena,I know when you lose one cat,you get a little paranoid,but like 14+ says,I am sure Persia is ok.
My cats will not eat anything chunks and gravy,only the pate type.
I am glad you got the little one off dry food,scrapping it all together is a great idea.
I hope you will keep us supplied with pics,she is such a sweet little thing.:cloud9:

Hi chico,
My boyfriend actually mentioned to me that he thinks because she is in the age bracket where kittens lose/gain new teeth, that she might be making this sound because of the teething process. We took a look inside of her mouth, and found that one of her teeth seemed a little loose. So she might just be losing a tooth? And she is tilting her head away from that side of her mouth and making a slight grinding noise because of this. Does this sound plausible?

And yes, I've been reading that there are so many advocates of wet food. I had always been a fan of dry food after Jasmine passed because I thought they were superior in terms of oral health? So this is all new to me :) The link 14+ kitties supplied me was awesome! And explained a lot.

And yes, after losing one cat... you become so paranoid about the other(s). It's hard not to.

More than likely she is rubbing her teeth together, and is "making" that sound . It is akin to something like a purr when she's really content or happy. I've had several kittens in my life, and at some point or another they did the head tilt , grind thing.
I think its just a natural instint. You'll find if you give her something she really dosent like much, but will eat , just cause its there, she wont do it as often.
least thats been my experience.
Hang in there, getting a new baby can make ANYONE paranoid. :)

Thanks for lessening the worry, renegade :) It makes me feel a lot better to know that you're kittens have done something similar in the past. And it was a bit loud as well?
I'm totally new to kittenhood.

"teething" is a possiblity. come to think of it, the kittens I had that did it , were at about the losing a tooth age. try getting her to chew on some soft squishy cat nip toys...it should help the tooth come out . But I also had an kitten that made that clicking, grinding noise and tilted her head up into adult hood, and she did it even past teething age. It could possibly be a combination of teething and insticnt. lol.
either way...dont think you should worry too much.
Just mention it at her next check up. I'm sure the vet has heard it ALL.
lol.

Hey everyone,

Turns out Persia was not as healthy as I thought. The vet was quite concerned. Way underweight (1 lb 2 ounces), tiny, dehydrated, and the sound she was making caused the vet to believe she has problems with her jaw as the sound is abnormal.

Luckily, I voiced my concerns to the breeder who has told me she has no hesitations taking Persia back and caring for her from her home. She was very apologetic and understanding.

And, although Persia is simply gorgeous I feel much better knowing she will be with her mom. And with a breeder who will take care of her!

I am happy I listened to my instinct and got her checked out ASAP. now, she will be flying back home on Friday and I will take care of her until then.

As for the future, I hope Persia becomes healthy at home. And I will be corresponding with the breeder about her health. And, in terms of where this leaves me, the breeder is having a new litter this week. And we will try at it again, this time making sure kitten is healthy and ready for a new home with me.

Thanks everyone for being so caring.

I'm so sorry to hear that Persia is not that healthy and that you have to take her back to the breeder.

I don't know anything about breeders but this does raise warning bells with me about the breeder. As a new kitten owner with no knowledge about matters like what a kitten should weigh at a certain age, etc. you would have had no way of knowing that anything was seriously wrong but IMO the breeder should have been aware that there were issues (especially such obvious things as abnormally low weight for her age) before she released her to you nine days ago. Also, are they not vet checked and health tested before they are sold? Just my :2cents:.

Oh, I didn't realize she came from a breeder. :cry: I thought jaw issues later on and was going to address that with you. I suppose now things have changed. I pray Persia has a chance at life. :fingerscr

Hey everyone,

I hope that this will explain our circumstance better.

Regarding the breeder, as simple and unfortunate as it is, we both made a mistake. Prior to sending Persia here, she was checked by a veterinarian who said she was doing fine and that she was okay to be sent off. Because of this, I was insistent on having Persia shipped. The breeder expressed concerns to me about this, but we decided to make a go anyway. I have the vet records that verify this. If anything, Persia's first vet visit is where the poor judgement has sprung from. Trust me, the breeder is helping Persia and myself out quite a lot right now. She has paid for the vet visit that took place today and is helping me to book a flight for her safe return. She is not an irresponsible breeder and both of us just made an honest mistake by rushing a process that should have taken further consideration.

I'm sure that when I return Persia to the breeder that she will be kept safe and given lots of care. I think that returning my kitten will give her a better chance at life than I could possibly provide at this point.

Your explanation does clear up my concerns about the breeder. Glad to hear Persia was vet checked before coming to you and that the breeder is taking full responsibility for the costs and her care.

:pray::pray::goodvibes::goodvibes: that whatever Persia's issues are they can be taken care of and she will grow into a healthy little girl. So sorry it turned out this way. She is a beautiful kitty.

Your explanation does clear up my concerns about the breeder. Glad to hear Persia was vet checked before coming to you and that the breeder is taking full responsibility for the costs and her care.

:pray::pray::goodvibes::goodvibes: that whatever Persia's issues are they can be taken care of and she will grow into a healthy little girl. So sorry it turned out this way. She is a beautiful kitty.

Thanks, mikischo. Glad that cleared things up! And yes, I also hope that Persia will become healthy. Not only is she beautiful, but very sweet. Until her flight home, I will treat her with utmost care.

Thank you all very much.

Thread closed at OP's request.