any tips on weaning kittens? **update, the runt died**

[NewChickenMom]

my 6 kittens that i'm hand raising (see my other post) are starting to get teeth in. i tried giving them some canned kitten food and they just walked in it and got it all over them. i dipped their mouths in it and even tried spooning it in, they want no part of it. they also started going to the bathroom on their own so i've added a litterpan.

i've tried everything to get them to start eating solid food, they just wait for milk and i'm scared their going to starve, any advice?

 

[Crest Acres Girl]

I actually dont use canned kitty food, i use dry kitten food soaked in warm milk formula

when its nice and soft i give it to them. I leave it there and they will eventually eat it. Good luck

 

[Mrs.Puff]

We've had lots of kitties. Give them some DRY catfood alongside their milk. Some people wet the dry food with the milk. You want them to eat DRY food, as wet rots teeth and makes them stinky. Eventually they will eat the dry food. They'll get hungry for something solid. Lots of cats just refuse to eat wet food. They hate it.

 

[NewChickenMom]

ok, i'll try a dish of dry food and see how it goes. should i cut down the milk feedings? or give them less?

 

[Mrs.Puff]

I'd cut the milk. Don't worry. kittens really aren't very picky. You've got other cats too right? Feed the kitties next to the big ones, so they'll imitate them.

 

[Bec]

What we used to do with our orphans is get a jar of Beechnut (not gerber) Baby food the stage one strained chicken (not dinners) The chicken is easy to digest and it smells really good. They really don't have to chew it, they can just lick it. You can add some KMR (or whatever you are using) . Try putting a spoonful of the chicken in the middle of a saucer and pour a little bit of the kitten milk around it. They are already used to the milk so when they lick the milk, they will get the taste of the chicken in there too. A tip about dry kitten foods, it is a little bit expensive, but Eukanuba Kitten food is good (10 or under). Even if you use it for the first bag, it is easy to chew and crumbles easily. You can take your fingers and crumble it over the chicken, then they will get used to that. Then you can start to offer a bowl a dry next to the saucer.

They are at an in between stage and it will just take patients- need more than just milk, but they are not sure what to do with real food! Just make sure they are eating one or the other. Some kittens eat off the plate right away, some can take 6 or 7 weeks to be comfortable with it. With such a big litter, you will have a variety of ones that want to right away and others who don't. They will all do just fine, it will just take time, they are just little babies learning!!

Good luck and I am sure they will be just fine.

 

[NewChickenMom]

i dont know why, but i just went in to check on them and the runt is dying. the others all seem healthy and active, am i doing something wrong?

i feed them 12cc KMR every 8 hours and they have dry kitten food to eat from all the time.

 

[sdshoars]

i'm sorry about the little one, but sometimes there is just nothing you can do. don't be hard on yourself, if the other ones are active and doing well, you are probably doing just fine.

 

[Akane]

Have you taught them to drink from a dish yet? They will have trouble getting the concept of eating food off a container if they are still only getting it from a bottle or syringe. Also they will be able to feed themselves and you won't have to worry so much about them getting the right amount or being there to feed them at the right times.

Here's my little 4week old I scraped off the road.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/aqh88/cats/Squeak/DSC00573.jpg
She was drinking from a dish within 2 days. I just had to dump her chin in it a few times.

After that start mixing some cat food into the milk in the same container. Canned or dry works you just soak the dry longer. They'll go to the bowl or plate they recognize as having the food, smell the milk, and take a bite. Within a few days they understand that cat food is what they should eat and you can start cutting the milk down every day until they are eating plain catfood. Dry food may still need to be softened with water for awhile. At that point you start diluting the milk with water until they are drinking water and eating cat food with no milk. Should accomplish that by 6weeks at least.

A couple 5 weeks olds that lost their mom when they were 3 weeks:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/aqh88/cats/kittens/P1010001.jpg

For the runt up his energy level with some karo syrup mixed into the warm milk and try to get him to eat more. Getting him onto solid food would probably help.

I use a formula for goat kids mixed a little stronger than the directions for goats for my kittens. You can get a big tub of the powder for mixing from a feedstore. I found it just as good if not better than kmr as well as more cost effective and much much better than the canned stuff you can find at walmart.

 

[Bec]

Goats milk is very good for kittens and easier on their digestive systems.. Goats milk is a better source of milk for them, but KMR is just fine.

How old are your babies?