How to wean a kitten?

haileey23

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I have a kitten I've been fostering (mom abandoned her) and since I've been bottle feeding her she drinks about 3 ounces every 12 hours. That's a lot of kitten formula! I want to start weaning and I think she's around 6 weeks old... How should I do this while keeping her healthy? When she's hungry she's extremely irritable and will bite/scratch me hard so when she's hungry it's practically impossible to not feed her. If I put her in a pen temporarily she will hurt herself and if I put her in another room she tries frantically to get out usually hurting herself in the process! Before I bottle feed her I give her canned food mixed with water and that takes the edge off of her hunger but she loses interest quick and will continue screaming at me (in cat), climbing my legs (literally), practically anything to get my attention.

How can I wean her in a healthy way?
 

Willowy

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Mix some of the formula in with her canned food so the taste is familiar (also for extra nutrition---I usually continue that until 8-10 weeks). Start feeding less formula, cut back a little at a time. Maybe add a little chicken baby food (or the canned food if you can make it smooth enough to fit through the nipple) to her bottle so she gets used to the taste of meat.

What canned food are you feeding? I've had the most success with Fancy Feast Kitten and I hear that Royal Canin Babycat is also good.
 
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haileey23

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Mix some of the formula in with her canned food so the taste is familiar (also for extra nutrition---I usually continue that until 8-10 weeks). Start feeding less formula, cut back a little at a time. Maybe add a little chicken baby food (or the canned food if you can make it smooth enough to fit through the nipple) to her bottle so she gets used to the taste of meat.

What canned food are you feeding? I've had the most success with Fancy Feast Kitten and I hear that Royal Canin Babycat is also good.
I've been feeding regular friskies adult and on the side Iams kitten food! Sadly they don't sell fancy feast anywhere near me so I haven't been able to get it. She loves wet food but seems dissatisfied even after she eats all she can. I've been cutting back milk and feeding her wet food before bottle feeding and it's been working! I haven't weaned a kitten before so I really don't want to hurt her health. I have other kittens her age but not bottle feeding. Would it be beneficial to mix KMR with their wet food too? They are underweight and their mothers abandoned all of them. Only one wasn't weaned, but they definitely didn't get the nutrition they needed.
 
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