Need help weaning!

I've been trying like crazy to get the kittens to eat on their own, but they simply refuse! They only want formula and they ONLY want it from a syringe!

f I put some wetfood on my finger and shove it in their mouth then they'll eat it and then eat the rest off my finger, but they won't touch it on their own. I've tried mixing it will KMR and everything, but nothing works.

Also, when I put KMR in a dish they will only step in it, they won't lick it, not even from my finger.

They will be 6 weeks old tomorrow. Should I be worried or are they still young enough to not be eating solid food? Are there any specific foods(wet or hard) that you would suggest I try?

Lately, they like to sniff some of the hard foods I offer to them, but the won't try and eat it, not even if I soak it in water or formula.

AAhhh, I REALLY understand what you are going through.
Sorry I have no answers, but at least we can share this ! I am in the same exact situation, my two 6 week old orphans don't even sniff the food in the bowl. The only difference is I have been giving them formula in a bottle. My vet told me it's about time to change that, so he told me to let thm go without milk for longer hours, and keep offering dry/moistened/wet food. Well, I did that too, and all I could get was a few moistened Iams Kitten being sucked out of my fingers. My friend who is a vet tech told me they will eventually start being interested in the crunchy food, and I decided not to stress anymore. I tried 6 different kinds of foods, and some human baby food too, no interest at all. I also tried different sizes and shapes of bowls ...oh well.
Good luck, and please post some updates !

Oh my - been there with my last orphaned litter. My friend took on 2 of them at 5 weeks old and put formula in a very shallow bowl to get them to lap. Once adjusted to the bowl, it was relatively easy to get them to shift to food.

The 2 that I kept on the other hand were overly spoiled. At 8 weeks old they still held firm to KMR feedings from a syringe. My vet tech baby sat them for a day and got them to eat. Her trick? She didn't give into them and gave them real food.

I've tried the "Starving technique" and it didn't work. I let them go over 9 HOURS without food and, like Meow_me, all I gt was a couple sucked dabs of food off my fingers and that was only from Yin. Yang would have nothing to do with it. Argh!

I read somewhere in another post to try syringe feeding them wet food. I'll give that a try. I sure hope they aren't still on KMR at 8 weeks! Yikes! That will get pretty pricey!

Oh my goodness! I think I spoke to soon, lol.

I just opened a can of Evanger's Holistic Pheasant Dinner(wet food) and the kitten gulped it right down! It takes me about 30 minutes to get to the store that sells it, but I think it may be worth the effort to go over there and grab some more. It's mushy, not chunky, so the kittens were able to suck it right up.

I didn't even have to offer it to them. I just dumpde it on the plate and put the kittens next to the plate. They were there for about 10 minutes sucking away! Woohoo!

I'll keep ya'll posted and let you know if they keep eating on their own.

Meow me, try and find some of this wet food, maybe it will work for you to! I have tried about 5 different kinds of wet food and this is the only one they've liked.

Well lucky for my kittens, they have a mummy to teach them these things, I haven't had to do anything (except redirect Links from eating litter to the food) My lot started on dry food, not wet, but they can't help but steal Ziggy's wet food when it's down!

Anyway, since the wet food is working, gradually mix some dry in with it so they have no choice but learn to chew, you don't want a cat sucking up food for the rest of it's life

Ziggy has never really eaten dry food on its own.

Going to the pet store........ be right back !

Oh my goodness! I think these kittens planned everything and decided that they would give in the day I finally broke down, rofl! I just offered them some dry food on a plate(I always have their dish full,b ut I've never given it to them on a plate because they always spill it) and they both munched it right down! Little boogers!

Oh yeah, and I offered them some formula on a plate as well and they both drank that too.

These little poops were just trying to stress me out!

Well, I'm glad they're eating now.

For others' reference. I gave everything to them on small(I think 6") leak-proof paper(or styrafoam, I'm not sure what to call it, lol) plates.

That's great news !
So I should have at least a little hope...
I am glad your babies started eating on their own...
I guess I found out what the problem is with mine... they seem to think of food ONLY when they see , touch and sniff MY HAND ! They actually eat from my hand, but from nothing else, like a cup, a bowl, the floor, anything. So I am getting even more frustrated ... Today my friend ( a vet tech) told me to close them in the shower with water and food, and leave until I know they ate, `a la starving style. I just did it, let's see who wins this time !

I had a bottle baby now 15 weeks, it took about 7 weeks before she started to eat on her, it just took time, she just loved her bottle

I gave both the kittens ONE syringe(about 15ml) of formula last night as a treat and for the very first time in a month and a half I got my very first full night of sleep. It was wonderful! In fact, I liked it so much that I didn't wake up for 13 hours! ROFL!

I just got done with the "eating out of my hand" stage, so that means you have less then a week to go, haha. Try putting a big glob of wet food on your finger, let the kitten start licking, then slowly bring him to the dish and lower your finger into the pile of wetfood already in the dish. Then, as you pull your finger away the kitten should alreday be eating off the plate.

It's messy, but it's the only way I could get the kittens to go to the plate.

This didn't work for me but it worked for my friend: She'd get them "primed" (so to speak) with a little bit of KMR from the syringe then put the syringe on the plate with the rest of the KMR. Their only option was to lap from the plate.

Frustrated .... frustrated.... nothing works.
All they see or sniff or eat from is my hand. They climb me and I keep putting them back in front of or sometimes inside the plate, and they go back to my hand. I leave the room and they can even walk over the plate and not see or sniff the food there. I closed them in the shower for a good 2 hours, when they were hungry, nothing happened. One of them is able to sip a little water, but that's it. I gave in today and went back to formula, but that's not enough and they are still hungry. Spoke to my vet and my vet tech friend, nobody knows what else to do. Argh. Just needed to vent.

As a last resort, can you get Rx Science Diet a/d? I don't know what it is about that stuff, but most cats LOVE it!

That was the first try of all... As soon as my vet told me they should be eating solids, he gave me 2 cans of a/d. They totally ignore it.....

Ok, I don't want to speak too soon but.... Yumi ate on her own yesterday and today !!! YAAYYYY !!!
Zoe is the biggest of the litter, so I guess she thinks she should be spoiled longer ?
Anyway, my hope is back !!!

Woohoo!!!! MAybe Zoe will follow Yumi's example.