Food for 5 wk kitten

Hello! My kids found a kitten in our backyard May 10th. He was super skinny and not moving around too much. We brought him in the house and the neighbors gave us a can of food to get him by until we got to the store. We mixed a teaspoon full with a little water and he had no problems eating it. We fed him every few hours. On that Monday we took him to the vet. They estimated him to be around 4 weeks old. They did a check up and tested him for parasites. The test came back negative but we still treated him for worms just in case. He weighed 1.2 lbs. They told me that I could continue to feed him wet food every few hours and Royal Canin babycat dry food. They also said it wouldn't hurt to mix some formula in with his food since he was so young. I did try to mix in dry food, even after it was softened a bit with water, but he spits it back in the bowl. I am feeding him 1 1/2 Fancy Feast kitten food 3 oz can and about 3 teaspoons a day of milk replacement. He has a very round belly now and gobbles up all of the food I give him. I have tried giving him more in case he wasn't getting enough and noticed he will eat everything I put out for him. I am getting worried because he seems to be getting fat. Some people have said that he will stop eating when he is not hungry but I find it hard to believe. I thought maybe he was eating it all since he was obviously starving when we found him and just doesn't know when he will get his next meal. I have been feeding him at about the same time everyday and about every 3- 4 hours. I think he weighs about 2- 2 1/2 lbs now. He is going to the vet on Tuesday for another worming and to get weighed. The vet just tells me to go by the amount of food on the can for his age. She also thinks he should be able to eat dry food. Isn't he still too young to be able to crunch the food? How much can food should he eat at this age and how often? He does sleep through the night from about 12-630 so no feedings then. Do kittens normally get the big belly when they are growing or do I need to feed him less?

Thanks in advance. I haven't had a kitten since I was a kid and never seen one this young, yet alone tried to take care of one this small. Sorry so long, just want to do everything right.

Kim

Hello and welcome!

Thank you sooo much for taking this little one in.

A big belly on one so young is normal. He needs to eat as much as he wants. Kittens require a lot of food at this stage of their life all the way up to about 6 months. It's better to allow him to remain on wet food and adding the water is great. Here is a great site written by a vet about cat nutrition and a lot more. http://www.catinfo.org/

Good luck with your new addition!

Thanks for your reply! There was no way we could just leave him out there. He is doing so much better since we brought him in. I just want to make sure I am not over doing it on the food. His belly is pretty big and he looks like he is waddling. His poops look formed and regular and he is peeing a lot. He is very energetic and growing so that's good. I plan on giving him wet food and possibly mixing in some dry later on to make it last longer. I have read a lot this past week about the benefits of canned food and water intake and it seems pretty logical and a simple way to help avoid kidney problems. Thanks for the link for the website. I bookmarked it! Looking forward to talking with everyone and learning a ton about cats!!

Kim

Chiming in to say Hello and to second Katluver.  

Tx for saving this life.

Good luck!

Welcome to our Forums!

Hi there,

Thank you for taking in this poor little baby.. 

Kittens do need alot of food intake, therefore feeding 3-4 times a day is ok for a kitten. Have you considered raw diet? Kibble isn't really a good diet i would say, but it's actually much cheaper and convenient. Canned will always be a better choice if you won't want to feed kitten raw diet. 

Hope you are enjoying with your baby!!