No KMR, Just Born or Kitten formulas available where I live

jue55

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I live in Barbados and we do not have KMR or Just Born available here.  I have recently taken in a new kitten she is 4 weeks old and was abandoned by her mom.  Are there any baby formulas that are safe to feed her.  I have tried her on wet cat food and she will not eat it not sure what I should feed her.
 

eb24

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I live in Barbados and we do not have KMR or Just Born available here.  I have recently taken in a new kitten she is 4 weeks old and was abandoned by her mom.  Are there any baby formulas that are safe to feed her.  I have tried her on wet cat food and she will not eat it not sure what I should feed her.
First, thank you for taking this little girl in! I have been to Barbados and know the feral cat population is a problem there. She is very lucky to have you! 

At four weeks she should be able to eat on her own but you may need to show her. Whatever you decide to use dab some on her lips and/or on her paws. When she licks it off she will realize how yummy it is!

As for what to feed there are a number of things you can try in lieu of preprocessed kitten milk. Goat's milk is easy to feed through a bottle if you need to until she catches on to eating on her own. You can also find a recipe for homemade kitten chow here: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/46295/recipe-for-kitten-formula-kitten-glop

She may not be eating the wet canned food because a) she doesn't quite know how or b) it's too thick. Make sure you are using a pureed variety and water it down with some warm water to make it really soupy. You can do the same thing with canned baby food. Just double and triple check the label that it is an all meat baby food (chicken and turkey are popular) and that that there is absolutely no onions or garlic in it (which are highly toxic to cats). 

Know that you can sustain her for a short period on goats milk or human baby food but not long term. In the next week or so she needs to be eating food formulated for cats (or a properly done raw diet) to ensure she is getting all her nutrients. Also, make sure you have dry kitten food available at all times. It may take her awhile to start up on it but she should eventually. Don't water the dry food down as it grows bacteria very quickly. 

I wish you the best of luck in getting this lucky little girl to eat on her own. Be patient and remember they are a bit messy at first so try to feed her somewhere where clean up is easy (like on the hardwood floor) in case she gets more on her body than she does in her mouth! 
 
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jue55

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Update on Ellie Smudge -  Ellie is now 7 weeks old and is a bundle of energy stalking and attacking everything in sight right now her sights are set on my fingers as I type.  So I have two questions for you guys.

1. From looking at the pictures does anyone have a clue what colour she will be? bearing in mind that she looks almost bald in the pics but her coat seems to be white or grey only turning black at the tips she actually has no thinning of her fur or bald patches it is just in photographs that it looks that way.

2. Ellie decided last Saturday on her 7 week mark that she did not want to bottle feed anymore but she is not lapping either.  She has not lost any weight.  She is at the moment eating 3 (well fed) mouse sized portions of raw minced meat a day,  and although her dinner (3rd meal) has been put down for her over an hour ago she has not touched it.  I am wondering if she is getting enough nutrition as she appears very skinny.  Is there something else that I should be feeding her.

Well my fingers are becoming too much for her to resist I fear that if I want to keep them I am going to have to stop typing.
 

smitten4kittens

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She is a little cutie!
 A raw diet needs to be carefully supplemented to make sure it has everything she needs nutritionally. Minced meat alone is missing some key ingredients cats need. There is a raw food forum in the nutrition section where they could help you with this. You could start a new thread there to get the info you need.
 
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