Weaning questions.

Hi, Our kittens have started to eat small amounts of mushed up food now. Well i say 'kittens' but really its only Gem our tabby female thats eating. She only eats once a day but she really tucks in where as Oscar the black male isnt interested at all. He'd much rather have his mum's milk all the time. I have tried tiny bits of chicken to tempt him and also tried smearing the kitten food round his lips to try to get him to lick it off which he does but hes not interested otherwise. I'm not too worried as i know some kittens take to it sooner than others but i am slightly worried about his milk intake. Dee Dee is reluctant to feed them as much as before and sometimes he cries and when she comes over to groom him all he wants is to nuzzle in and Dee Dee walks away meowing at him. He follows her and it makes me a little sad. I'm just worrying that he won't thrive like Gem is? Any advice?

how old are they now?

they'll be 5 weeks tuesday

have you tried adding a small amount of kmr to his food ? it might help . they dont normally feed as often at this point , but like you say you know kittens do things at different times and stages. i would just keep doing what your doing and just add a bit of kmr to his food .

they should just be beginning to be weaned right now, if they aren't interested yet that is okay as long as they are still nursing. I just leave dry kibble out for the mother and when she is ready she will show them the food and litterbox too for that matter. But they still need to be with her for 6-7 more weeks so there is plenty of time for them to wean on their own.

They both use the litter tray, I have seen Gem wee and poo in it but i've only seen Oscar wee. I will try the food and milk replacement idea like Tasha suggested and hopefully that will kick start his appetite. These kittens will be staying with me till they are 12 weeks old so plenty of time to get him up and running.

let us know how it goes.

Most of my rex kittens were introduced to solids at 5 weeks, but it was 6-7 weeks before they really were interested. I'd still offer it, but as long as the one is nursing he's ok. Maybe in another week he'll be more interested in it.

Fudge's kittens will be 6 weeks on wednesday! They have just this last week started to show an interest in Fudge's food and help themselves quite often!! I just left them to do it themselves.All are litter trained too...apart from one lazy boy that keeps weeing on the floor!!!
Glad to hear yours are well Sparkle......They sure are a handful now they are climbing everywhere aren't they?!

yes they are!! Ornaments and pictures are flying everywhere. They are soo gorgeous though. They are 6 weeks old today and they both use the litter tray which i find adorable (sad huh!) . The tabby girl eats once a day quite readily where as the black male isnt interested at all. He will lick kmr off of my finger or a bit of jelly or gravy but other than that he turns his nose up. He'd rather find the scratch post and hang off of that all day!! I weighed them both yesterday and he's actually an ounce heavier than his sister so i guess he isnt suffering on his liquid only diet!! She weighs and a pound and a half and he's one ounce heavier than her. Are their weights about right for their age??

For the average kitten you can expect about a pound or so per month old -

Charlie will be about 12 lbs when grown. He's 7 months old and weighs a little over 8 lbs - right size for him.

I have no idea!! I haven't been able to weigh them for about 2 weeks because they just jump right off the scales and i cant get a reading
Besides that,i can tell they are growing like mad!!
They sure are fun,fighting and hanging off everything!! I have got new homes for them all.....but really regret not keeping one back!! anyway still have a few more weeks of fun yet!
How about yours? are you keeping? How about some new pics?

The tabby female has a home but the little black male doesnt yet. I wish i could keep them both. I didnt expect to feel like this about them.

i fed anne today came back in the bedroom to find candy tucking in on the food shes only a little over 3 weeks . stripes sniffed then snezed then walked away lol. so i will be more watchfull with the dry food at the moment as i think there still a little young.

I know exactly what you mean! i really feel terrible now that i got homes for them...they have such colourful characters and are so much fun.The house will be very lonely without them.

hi guys, thought i'd give you an update. The situation is still the same with my kittens, i'm not sure whether to be concerned or not? The little boy still isnt interested in food at all but he will lap lactol replacement milk from a medicine syringe. He will drink that quite readily but when it has mushed up food in it he'll spit that out and just have the milk. The little girl is feeding greedily several times a day and growing fast. He is growing but she has taken over from him weight wise. I'm worried now that he isnt thriving as much as she is. He seems to sleep more and is a bit more timid than her. They will be 7 weeks old on tuesday? Any ideas??

i dont know what to suggest , have you tried the baby food ? anything with meat , but without veg oinons ect..

hi, panic over!!! he tucked into some mashed up kitten food last night. and several times today. He will only eat it off of a spoon but at least its a start. I am very relieved!! He has a large appetite aswell

yeaaaa thats great news ,