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Need help getting kittens to drink from bowl

post #1 of 3
5/11/10 at 7:14am
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I have three orphans who are five weeks old and I have had them since a day or two old. About a week ago I started introducing them to a bowl with formula in it. One kitten (Beefy) loves the bowl and doesn't want the bottle at all. Another kitten (Mighty) wants nothing to do with the bowl, but will suckle from the bottle very nicely still. But the third baby (Taco) wants to just chew the nipple of the bottle and wants nothing to do with the bowl. I go through a new nipple about every two days because she chews it until the top breaks off, which can be dangerous. I keep an eye on the condition and get a new one out when it starts ripping. I make sure to just keep pressure on the bottle so as she's chewing, she still gets the milk...but its driving me crazy that she does this and will not suck anymore. I have tried different ways of getting her to drink out of the bowl, but she just will not comply. I would think maybe she is too young still, but her sister only drinks from the bowl now. Any suggestions....and also should the kittens be offered fresh water at this age, or is the formula still all that is needed?
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post #2 of 3
5/11/10 at 1:18pm
At five weeks they can definatly be trying solid food, so try smudging some on their faces, and they'll catch on since they have to lick it to get it off. They can be transitioning to water, but I'd say still give them some milk formula once a day or so until you're sure they've caught on
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post #3 of 3
5/12/10 at 11:17am
You can try syringe feeding, maybe a mixture of their milk replacement with wet food, so it goes through the syringe easily and has the taste of what they are used to. You can get how many cc's information if you google "how much should I feed 5 week old kittens?". It depends on weight, and age. Once the babies get a taste of the wetfood and learn to like it, they may take to the bowl much easier. Also, I have always used a plate for food for kittens; that way they don't have to reach in at all, they just kind of stand there legs splayed, and smoosh their face into the food.
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