Kitten still nursing at 13 weeks?

patchesandmama

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Hi, I'm new here but I've been searching this forum for the past few months since I figured out my cat was pregnant. So here's what's going on, she had 5 kittens on the 30th of May so they are now almost 13 weeks old. We rehomed 4 of them at 8 weeks old and all 4 of those were eating dry and wet food at that time(although one didn't start until a few days before they were rehomed, and thankfully they went to new homes in pairs). But the one we kept refuses to eat cat food. She won't touch the dry food, everytime I put new dry food down she runs over to it and smells it but then walks away. The same with wet food, she meows for it when I'm putting it in her bowl(so does mama so I think that's where she learned it from! Ha.) but again she just smells it and walks away, very rarely she will eat a few bites but then seems to lose interest.
But, my question is, is it okay for her to still be just only nursing at 13 weeks, will mama wean her when she thinks the time is right? Or should we get involved and separate them for awhile? Could she be not wanting to eat because of the other 4 kittens being gone?
Thanks everyone! :)
 
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patchesandmama

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Hm, no we haven't. Should I buy just a can of normal tuna and pour just the juice onto the wet food or mix some of then tuna in to?
 

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I would try the juice first.  The smell may be enough to entice both mom and kitten to eat.
 
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patchesandmama

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Okay thank you, I will try that! :) yeah, mama has no problem eating, she loves loves wet food ha.
I have one more question, the baby, her name is patches by the way, she cries when she is using the litter box. She has been doing it since she started using it. The other kittens use to cry to sometimes. Anyone know why?
 

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Your kitten may nurse her mama until she is 5 or 6 months old, and it's perfectly normal. She should also be eating solids now.

Do you know how much she weighs? She should weigh between 3-4 pounds.

You can wet the dry food with water or kitten formula to make a mush. She may find that easier to eat. Just leave it down for awhile and give her a chance to return to it.

Is she straining in the litter box or just vocalizing?
 
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patchesandmama

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Oh wow, I didn't know that they nursed for so long.
It looks as if mama is trying to weaning her now though, yesterday she wouldn't let her nurse at all so she just kept crying& crying because she was hungry& wouldn't eat the dry food we have out. So out of frustration I gave her some milk in a bowl and sandwich meat in another one(probably not good for her but I didn't have anything else to give her)
So today I have bought different wet foods to try to give her& see what she will& won't eat. & if she still won't eat I will be buying some more kmr for her tomorrow (we had to buy it once already with the other kittens, one of them was refusing to eat as well and mama was attacking him when he tried to nurse)
I also weighed her& she is 2 lbs& 5oz. Uh oh, I will now keep watching her weight to make sure she is gaining.
 
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patchesandmama

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&It seems like she is just vocalizing while using it, sometimes she doesn't go while she is there , normally she does though.
 

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She should weigh a good 3 pounds now. Try mixing the wet food with KMR and also try giving her the KMR in a dish to drink alone. It can also be poured over the kitten chow to soften it.

It sounds like mom is trying to wean her. Most kittens are eating solids and nursing occasionally at this age.
 
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patchesandmama

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Okay so I got some kitten food today, at first she wouldn't eat it but then I poured a little milk in it and gave her a taste on my finger and she start gobbling it down, she ate about 3/4 of a 3oz can, nowhere near enough, but it's a start. I'm going to try wet food without milk tomorrow& if she won't go for it then put a little milk again and get kmr the next day and mix that in instead of the milk.
I was reading that it's okay to give milk to kittens who are still nursing because they still have the enzyme to break down lactose? But that adult cats& kittens when they stop nursing shouldn't have milk?
 

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Kittens cannot digest cow's milk. All cats and kittens are lactose intolerant. I don't know how much you've given her, but she may get diarrhea. You really need to buy powdered KMR to mix up for her to drink with her food. It's very good for her too. I am glad she ate some wet food for you though.
 
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patchesandmama

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Yeah, I thought so. &then I read that(in some article I think) and I was just like wow, but I thought they weren't supposed to have it. She hasn't had any diarrhea yet so hopefully she won't.
I'm gonna go buy her some kmr today when I get off work. Yeah, I was so happy ha I was just like yay she's finally eating. Well thank you for your help :)
 
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patchesandmama

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Thank you, I hope so, the only other time she ate food was a few weeks ago, she ate some of mamas wet food& then walked away. Since she was the kitten we knew we were keeping all along I wasn't to worried that she wasn't eating food,I figured she would do it when she was ready, unlike all the other kittens who mostly started eating dry& wet food at 6-8 weeks.
I have another question, should I buy her stage 1 kmr or stage 2?
 
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patchesandmama

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Okay thank you, I bought her the stage 2 yesterday and mixed it with her wet food& she ate about 3/4 again yay seems like she will only eat if I mix that in though so I guess I will keep doing that for now& then decrease it as time goes :)

 
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patchesandmama

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Oops wrong picture, she was trying to burry her food with her toys. She keeps doing that after she's done eating, any reason why? She's trying to save it for later? Ha
Here's her eating :) lol
 

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Yes, cats have an instinct to "cover" their food. It stems from hunting in the wild and covering their catch so predators don't find it.
 
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