Regarding kitten feeding

kaspar · Jun 7, 2008

Hiya,

We went to the vet today with out 6 weeks kitten. We asked vet about feeding and well, he told us we were doing it all wrong.

He told us that 5-6 weeks old kittens cannot and should not eat the solid or canned food ( even marked for kittens ). They can start eating such food only after 12 weeks old. He also suggested giving the kitten instead of KMR formula, simple goat milk.

So my question is, did anyone ever get such suggestion from a vet? I mean it's kinda weird to hear such things and all other folks from animal shelter told us we can feed our kitten wet kitten food no problem...

So lost... =/

PS: After all the shots and blood taken, she looks so upset now. Was asleep most of the day, every time we try to pet her she crawls away.

Is this normal behavior for the first vet visit? Is she simply scared or something else?

rotobay · Jun 7, 2008

Hmmm. I am fostering 2 6-week old orphaned kittens and my vet (as well as the rescue group I am fostering for) said to feed them dry and wet kitten food. In our case, we had to discontinue the kitten milk because (for some reason) it was giving them diarrhea.

So IME your vet is misguided....but I'm new at this, so maybe some experienced people will chime in here.

kaspar · Jun 7, 2008

Originally Posted by Rotobay

Hmmm. I am fostering 2 6-week old orphaned kittens and my vet (as well as the rescue group I am fostering for) said to feed them dry and wet kitten food. In our case, we had to discontinue the kitten milk because (for some reason) it was giving them diarrhea.

So IME your vet is misguided....but I'm new at this, so maybe some experienced people will chime in here.

That's exactly why we stopped giving her KMR formula milk, it was giving her diarrhea. Also we were able to give her goat milk he suggested no problem, but right now she's trying to dig it in with her paws as if she doesn't like it. *so lost*

*pepper* · Jun 7, 2008

I see no problem giving a 6 week old kitten canned food. Maybe mix some KMR in with it? I got Pepper at 7 week and she was eating canned food when I got her

kaspar · Jun 7, 2008

Originally Posted by *Pepper*

I see no problem giving a 6 week old kitten canned food. Maybe mix some KMR in with it? I got Pepper at 7 week and she was eating canned food when I got her

That didn't work either.

She would have a bloated tummy and crap all over the litter box ->diarrhea.

Dunno, I'm not entirely trustworthy of the doctor, even though he was recommended by the place we took her from. *shrug*

Again will appreciate any advice...she's walking around me hungry and keeps on sniffing and making faces when she sees goat milk

laureen227 · Jun 7, 2008

Originally Posted by *Pepper*

I see no problem giving a 6 week old kitten canned food. Maybe mix some KMR in with it? I got Pepper at 7 week and she was eating canned food when I got her

i think the canned kitten food will be just fine. KMR added to it will boost the calories & make it soupier, easier for them to eat.
if they can't tolerate even that much KMR, then add warm water.

*pepper* · Jun 7, 2008

Originally Posted by Kaspar

That didn't work either.

She would have a bloated tummy and crap all over the litter box ->diarrhea.

Dunno, I'm not entirely trustworthy of the doctor, even though he was recommended by the place we took her from. *shrug*

Again will appreciate any advice...she's walking around me hungry and keeps on sniffing and making faces when she sees goat milk

Have you tried Royal Canin Babycat? The pieces are extremely tiny and that is what I feed Pepper now and her poop is perfect (for poop anyway lol) It is made for kittens from 1 month-4months

kaspar · Jun 7, 2008

Originally Posted by *Pepper*

Have you tried Royal Canin Babycat? The pieces are extremely tiny and that is what I feed Pepper now and her poop is perfect (for poop anyway lol) It is made for kittens from 1 month-4months

Nope we feed her Natural's Selection for Kitten....by the way got rid of goat milk and tried with the wet food we used to give her. She wolfed it down in no time...Here's hoping that docs advice was bad.

goldenkitty45 · Jun 7, 2008

My kittens were eating canned kitten food around 7 weeks, but they were still nursing from mom, so it really was not much of the canned they ate. By the time they were 10-12 weeks old, they were not nursing very much and more/less on canned kitten food and nibbling on dry kitten food.

The vet is partially right - most kittens under 6-7 weeks old are nursing and don't even want the canned food. I'd mix the canned with some KMR and make it soupy. You'll have to do clean-up because the kittens do make a mess

kaspar · Jun 7, 2008

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

My kittens were eating canned kitten food around 7 weeks, but they were still nursing from mom, so it really was not much of the canned they ate. By the time they were 10-12 weeks old, they were not nursing very much and more/less on canned kitten food and nibbling on dry kitten food.

The vet is partially right - most kittens under 6-7 weeks old are nursing and don't even want the canned food. I'd mix the canned with some KMR and make it soupy. You'll have to do clean-up because the kittens do make a mess

The thing is once we mix KMR it doesn't matter if it's soupy, liquid or anything else, she gets diarrhea right away. No KMR, her stool is fine and she looks more "active". So as of right now I'm smashing my head against the keyboard as she goes in circle around me and tickles my feet with her whiskers and fur. :]

booktigger · Jun 8, 2008

i can't understand a vet saying they can't eat till they are 12 weeks old, not all mum cats can produce milk that long - I have a mum and 7wo kittens, and she barely has any milk (she is only 10 months though, bless her). All the kittens can eat both wet and dry, but i dont have any milk down for them, as I dont think they need it, mum is a decent size cat fortunately.

gayef · Jun 8, 2008

Being the sort who is normally open to listening to the whys of a given topic before summarily dismissing it as crap, I would speak to your vet again and ask him to explain his reasoning on this.

Otherwise, I would summarily dismiss it as crap. *smile*

So long as your baby is eating a good canned food formulated for kittens and so long as she is eating enough of it, I wouldn't worry about giving her the goat's milk anymore. You can give it to her as a treat from time to time if you like.

Poor little Lamb ... she had a rough day at the vet's what with all the needles and scary new smells and sounds. Hopefully, she will be right as rain today, but sometimes the shots can make them a little draggy for a day or so.

goldenkitty45 · Jun 8, 2008

If the kitten is reacting to the KMR or other kitten milk, then just feed him the canned kitten food. I'd still make it a little more soupy with warm water. Without the milk in it, more liquid should be fine and not cause the diarrhea.

mom of 4 · Jun 8, 2008

You are doing a great job as a kitten mom.
It sounds like your kitten doesn't tolerate KMR, so forget it. And she doesn't like the goat's milk, so forget that too.

In an ideal world, your girl would still be with her mother and still nursing in addition to getting introduced to solids. It sounds like the vet was trying to recreate that by suggesting the goat's milk. Since she doesn't like it, forget it.

Talley and Harper were 6 weeks old when we got them from the shelter. They were already eating dry food, so we just added in some quality canned. I like The RC Babycat dry for the tiny pieces that are easy for a kitten to break apart and swallow. They didn't tolerate KMR either. And they are doing quite well at 7 month old.

Just remember to make any food change slowly as they don't tolerate change well.

catkiki · Jun 8, 2008

I got my girls at 7 weeks and they were eating dry kitten food. Mama taught them that. I started giving them canned food too. I never had any problems and they didn't have diarrhea. They never have had a problem with that and they are 6 months old now. They only problem we had is they were very shy for the first 12 hrs and hid. Once they realized that they had a whole apartment to rule, they became the little princesses they are.

I think it helped that I took 2 kittens so they would keep each other company.

kernil · Jun 8, 2008

I think you should be able to feed wet, maybe mix it with some water... my little boy was eating wet food at 5 weeks old, At 6 he was eating dry too (Iams kitten formula). He did absolutely fine with it, and is now all growed up, and is big strong and healthy.

spookzilla · Jun 8, 2008

I have 6 week old fosters (and mom) and they started eating her dry kitten kibble on their own about 1-2 weeks ago (I free feed her as she eats a TON)--they decided on their own it was time. I also use Royal Canin baby cat and they all seem to like it. I also give them canned food once a day with water added to make it soupy. They are still nursing but are eating a lot of dry too.

Regarding kitten feeding

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