Kitten Feeding Question

Well as alot of you already know about Tiger & Lily I am beginning to get a little concerned. They were born on July 12th so that puts them at just over 7 weeks old and they are both healthy and very playful.
My concern is that they are not eating anything other then nursing from mom. Mom has been getting cranky every once in a while over the last few days but she still nurses them with no problems - Just meows at them and runs/walks away if she is not in the mood to nurse. The kittens are lapping water from their dish and I have a dish of dry kitten food, wet food mixed with water so its more like water ( hoping that they'd drink that instead of the water one day ) and I also mix up the dry kitten food with water so it is softer hoping they will try that and I have no luck with anything, and I also have a dish of cat milk out.
I have tried to put it on their mouths, have them lick it off my finger and I have pushed their little noses into the dishes and they both turn their nose up at everything I have tried!

I know they are not starving and sooner or later mom will refuse to nurse them but does anyone have any other suggestions on what I can try to get these babies to eat something!! Or if i should really be concerned at all?

Thanks!

Katch, I would try actual kitten soft food. I gave my babies Purina Pro Plan, but it may not be available near you...I know I can only find it at Petsmart. Anyway, try some Fancy Feast just the regular pate and they should go for it. I let my kittens free feed on the dry kitten food which was Iams kitten....they should be eating at least soft food by now and hopefully it will just be one switch and they'll be hooked!

Here's a pic of my herd eating the soft food....started using a dinner plate as the saucers weren't big enough to get 4 around each one LOL

awww thats so cute them all crowded around the food lol.

Yeah the only Petsmart that is near me is in Regina - around 2 hrs away so thats a little far to go. I have tried the fancy feast pate and they just looked at me like i had flipped my lid wanted them to eat that stinky stuff - lol. I have looked at all stores I've been in for actual "kitten" soft food and cant find any just for kittens. I thought of trying some tuna or something like that but not sure how it would be on there tummies and I dont wanna get them hooked to JUST tuna...they need to be eating cat food lol

I have the Iams dry kitten food available all day and night and they know where it is, they drink the water...every once in a while they go over and sniff it but they completely turn their noses up at it..actually do a little jump and run away like they think its gross lol

I'm wondering if maybe I make mom unavailable that they would have no other choice but to eat it but I do not want to be cruel but Im worried that if mom stops feeding them and I cant find something they actually like they wont eat - But again, Im probably just being a worry wart and if they are hungry they will eat?!?!? I dunno...

I use pie pans because mine are too numerous for a bowl too.

I feed my kittens raw BUT when I was feeding commercial food I fed my other kittens Wellness kitten food in a can. I would hold off on the dry because they are clearly interested in easy to eat food. You will have to put it on their mouths and force them to lick it off. Soon enough they should like the taste.
Personally no offense to anyone but I would skip Fancy Feast. It is not a high quality food and has all sorts of potential allergens in it.

Originally Posted by CC12

I use pie pans because mine are too numerous for a bowl too.

I feed my kittens raw BUT when I was feeding commercial food I fed my other kittens Wellness kitten food in a can. I would hold off on the dry because they are clearly interested in easy to eat food. You will have to put it on their mouths and force them to lick it off. Soon enough they should like the taste.
Personally no offense to anyone but I would skip Fancy Feast. It is not a high quality food and has all sorts of potential allergens in it.

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I have tried to "force" them to eat it. I have read other posts and around the internet and found that once they get the taste they will follow your finger to the food...not these little spoiled brats - lol

When I have tried to force it in their mouths they have actually "spit" it out and if i smeared it on their lips and nose...they will not lick it off..eventually mom comes and cleans them up

I have purchased every kind of wet cat food I've seen around here ...I even though maybe the "meow mix market select" may be something they'd eat cause it doesnt have the same smell and look of the regular wet food with the actual chunks of tuna or chicken...but no way

HAHA these 2 had been chasing mom down all morning so far trying to nurse...she had been hiding and I guess they found her!! She WAS all curled up having a good nap on the kitchen chair.... Thought it was cute and made my point of stubborn little babies only wanting momma.... brats...




I just caught the picture before mom jumped down and ditched Tiger & Lily . Mom actually went over to eat which is almost right beside where the chair is and rather then them jumping back down and maybe going to check out what mom was eating they decided to just sleep until they caught her again...

I am confused as to why the urgency to get them to stop nursing? They need to stay with mom until 12 weeks at least anyways so why hurry? You have plenty of time let them switch when they are ready and when mom is ready.

Originally Posted by Jen

I am confused as to why the urgency to get them to stop nursing? They need to stay with mom until 12 weeks at least anyways so why hurry? You have plenty of time

let them switch when they are ready and when mom is ready.

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Dont get me wrong, No urgency to get them to stop nursing at all! I was just worried as to why they dont eat any food. This is my first time doing this and I thought by now they'd be eating canned or hard food at 8 weeks.

They will be staying with mom for more then 12 weeks cause I'm keeping them both .......cant let them go lol

I know that babies will nurse for quite some time or at least as long as mom allows it but I though that most at this age are at least eating some kind of food

They'll switch over when mum is sick of them They may even be eating when you're not watching.

You can get some Gerber 2nd stage chicken or beef baby food, and give that to them off your finger. I bet they'll love that. Then get some regular tinned kitten food (no need to water it down, it probably ruins the smell and texture that they like), and add the Gerber to that. Start with lots of baby food, then start reducing the amount of baby food.

Otherwise, just let them be

Thanks Sarahp! I would not have thought about baby food?!?! lol

I quit watering down the canned food a couple days ago, figured that was enough of that.
I know they'll eat when they are ready and I am just being a worry wart. A friend of ours had kittens 3 weeks ago and thoes little kits are already eating hard food and thats what made me start worrying about my own.

Thanks for all the suggestions I know now that they'll do it when they are good and ready and not before lol

Lucia will have no part of nursing and has pretty much kicked them off the nipple. I guess she is a doting mother until the teeth come in. Then she is like alrighty now all head to the food. She still grooms them and cuddles but when they move towards the nip she jumps up and jumps up somewhere high where they can't reach her. She is tough love kinda mother I guess.