Samson, my little fighter runt, trying to supplimental feed him, 3 weeks old and tiny, buying a scal

You  need to buy a good kitchen scale and weigh him. It's the only way of knowing if he's gaining. I would buy some syringes (no needle) and try to get him to latch onto the end.

Another idea is to supervise feedings and ensure he gets a teat and doesn't lose it.

Usually, at 3 weeks you can start thinking about adding some good quality wet food. Place a pea size amount onto the roof of his mouth.

Weigh him and his siblings...let us know how you make out.
 

you said to put a pea size amount on the roof of his mouth. are you talking about wet food? thank you

please answer me. you're my only lifeline right now and i'm worried

Relax, you've got a fighter runt, he is determined to survive, which means he should be fine with supplemental feedings, and NOT during the night.

He is still able to nurse off of momma cat so sleep....not necessary to get off the meds so you can wake up.

His rounded belly speaks volumes!

I've had countless litters in my rescue, have babies now, and I can tell you this, it's not the size of the kid that counts, it's his drive and will to live, and if he is a fighter, which sounds like yours is.

The small runts that don't make it are the ones who get bumped off of the nipple time in and time out, with no real supplementing.

They seem to 'give up the fight' and stop thriving, going downhill.

thank you so much. i gave him a pea size amount of wet cat food (friskies brand, will buy him better tomorrow at the feed store) and he ate it so i gave him 1 more and he ate it with some KRF (kitten replacement formula, i know you know this but i don't). THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!!!  will let you know how he's doing, Shawn

catwoman707 said:

Relax, you've got a fighter runt, he is determined to survive, which means he should be fine with supplemental feedings, and NOT during the night.

He is still able to nurse off of momma cat so sleep....not necessary to get off the meds so you can wake up.

His rounded belly speaks volumes!

I've had countless litters in my rescue, have babies now, and I can tell you this, it's not the size of the kid that counts, it's his drive and will to live, and if he is a fighter, which sounds like yours is.

The small runts that don't make it are the ones who get bumped off of the nipple time in and time out, with no real supplementing.

They seem to 'give up the fight' and stop thriving, going downhill.

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This is soooooooo awesome. Set my mind at ease. I looked and looked on google for something for my runt kitten. Only looked for about 20 minutes and "boom" I ran ito "The Cat Site" and I signed up withing 10 sec. And I posted on my page and there I got a reply!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  And they set my mind at ease! I'm even going to go back to college and get my vet tech license so I can work with animals. I think it's my "calling."  thank yo so much for being here!!!

Sending prayers your way, he is stunning!

keep calm hun and just use your own motherly instincts. if he has made to 3 weeks and still accepting food his chances are great, uv already been givin great advice, and best wishes to you and samson, please keep us updated...oh and piccies are welcomed lol x x

Katshawn69 welcome to the cat site!! ( TCS as it's called sometimes)

Here is where you will find lots of experienced people who can offer great first hand advice, some of us are well experienced in several areas, some are experts in particular areas, and all of us have great support to offer!

As for your baby, just continue supplementing with the replacement milk during the day and he will be fine, as long as he continues to gain at least 1/4 ounce a day he is growing and right on track.

You didn't mention whether you have experience in bottle feeding, so I wanted to mention this-It is extemely common for a bottle baby to inhale formula, which turns into pneummonia very fast and kills babies, so be sure to always have the baby positioned on all 4 paws, never flip baby over onto his back like holding a baby. That's probably the most common mistake made when bottle feeding babies, and only takes about 1 day for the pneummonia to come and baby will pass away.

Make sure the hole in the bottle nipple is small enough so that formula doesn't drip out, like you'd have to shake the bottle downward to see a drop come out.

If there is ever a time when feeding that you think he may have inhaled even the tiniest drop, there is a technique you can carefully do that can usually get it out.

YOU MUST BE VERY CAREFUL!!

If you suspect inhalation, you can immediately put the baby in both hands sort of cupped together, with the butt end in your palms closest to your wrists, the body will be in your palms, and the head between your fingers, holding snugly so that no parts can move, greatly supporting the head and neck so there is no injury/movement, and stand up, hold the baby up high, and in a swift motion, swing baby downward towards the floor, do this up to 3 times in a row, pausing for a few seconds in between.

If there was anything inhaled it will be pushed back up by gravity. You will see the formula bit in his mouth.

I don't usually recommend this unless showing my fosters the technique in person using one of my babies so they can actually see how to properly do this and not harm the baby, but now that I have given you the confidence that your baby will make it, I don't want something else to take him from you!!

Just be careful while feeding and you won't have to worry about this happening

Good luck, ask if you have anymore questions!

Seems like Samson is about 4 weeks now, this is great! He is growing out of the critical time in his kittenhood now, so you can breathe easier knowing this. 

Of course he is still fragile because of his small size, but things are looking great for him.

Be careful about not exposing him to other cat items, or outside where other cats go including grass, he must be vaccinated and dewormed beginning in a couple weeks. Then dewormed again after 2 weeks and his second vaccine 3 weeks after the first, then the third is 3 weeks after the second.

I wish you were able to feed him Royal Canin Babycat when he is able to eat on his own.

It's tiny bits for young newly weaned kittens and I SWEAR by this food. It's excellent, and your kitten will thrive! I have had countless kittens do a complete turnaround on this food.

Pink and white bag. Pricey, but they don't eat much at his little age.

Let me/us know if you have anything else you need to know about or any questions, we are here!!