kittens refuse to eat food

i recently got new new kittens from a add on craigslist. the man saying his cat got pregant from a stray cat and he couldnt keep the kittens and if he didnt find them  homes hes throw them to the street or give them to the berger blanc. which everyone knows its the worst pound in montreal and they kill animals like crazy so i responded and went to go pick them up and theyre absoutly tiny! he said take them and go he didnt want them at all. he said theyre about 8 weeks old they walk and meaow are id say probaly that age but idk if at that age they should still be breast feeding. ive never delt with kittens before just adult cats and they dont seem to know what the food is im not sure what to do?

Hi!!!

If he hadn't been feeding the kittens their own wet or dry food, it's possible they were still breastfeeding at 8 weeks and don't know. They could be younger than that though -- do they still have blue eyes??

In the meantime, try to get some kitten replacement milk (KMR) from a local store; pet supply stores often have it, but I've also seen it in Walmart. You might be able to get them to drink it from a dish; if not, you can syringe feed it to them. Ask your vet for syringes ASAP if that's the case.

If you have wet food available, try opening a can and seeing if they'll eat it on their own. If not, take a bit and smear it around their lips/mouth area. This will stimulate them to lick it off, and they might decide they like the taste of it and eat it out of a plate, or off your finger. You can also syringe feed them wet food mixed with water.

If they're REALLY too young, they might also need help using the litter box. Let us know if they have blue eyes or not; if they do, they might still need help. Make sure to leave out litterboxes in multiple locations if you're letting them have the run of the house; I'd definitely keep them confined to a small room like the bathroom.

Good luck and keep us posted!!!

Oh, and THANK YOU for saving those little ones. :heart3:

Syringes you can prob also get at your apothece/pharmacia, as there are plastic such used for properly dosage of medicines.

Feeding with syringe isnt that difficult, but you must know how. The most important is NOT straight in, into the neck (they may get in the wrong place and suffocate), but at the side, in the corner of the mouth, slowly.   You can also try with a tea spoon, at the same place.

An good site for abandoned kittens is  www.kitten-rescue.com, you will perhaps find it useful.

Living in Montreal, you will surely find both good quality  kmr milk (mother milk substitute for cats) and good quality cat wet food and cat dry food.  Otherwise, useful emergency foods is  goat milk, and common baby food for infants, if you want them to eat real food...

Tx a lot for saving these smalls brethrens!   How many are they?

Good luck!    vibes to them and to you!   *vibes*

It sounds like theya re a lot younger than 8 weeks.  Are their eyes still blue?  And how much do they weigh?

Well-grown healthy 8-week old kittens have a big appetite and are into everything.