any advice appreciated!

Hello everyone! I am caring for 4 kittens I got yesterday. I think they are around 4-5 week old. I have been trying to bottle feed them but they just chew on the nipple. I also have tried moistened canned food. 1 or 2 have taken a couple bites but they dont seem too interested in either. I am worried they arent eating enough. Between the 4 of them, they didnt even finish a 2 oz bottle this evening. Any pointers or suggestions?? I have bottle fed before but had no problems. These are wild, but not so wild that i cant hold them.

My recent bottle babies took a minutes to get used to the bottle. I got them at the 3 to 4 week age range. They were chewing the bottle and it was cute but no milk. What I done was I made the hole a little smaller and I gave the bottle a gentle squeeze. They started sucking that way. That is the only way they will suck on it. And they still will chew a while and suck a while. Thankfully mine are eating wet food most of the day and are lapping up the kmr. I only bottle fed now when I see them trying to nurse on the rug I have for them.

Thanks for the response!! I actually tried a different food with some milk poured over and and they lapped it up!! I also started trying to train them to a litter box today and 2 of them have already went in voluntarily and used it! Whew!! Im relieved! Lol

Isn't it weird how excited you get when you see them poop or pee on their own. My two I have now are so funny they meow like crazy when they have to go and they do it all the way to the litter box, while they are doing their business and when they jump out. I hope they start calming down as they get more used to it.

louann1977 said:

 
Isn't it weird how excited you get when you see them poop or pee on their own. My two I have now are so funny they meow like crazy when they have to go and they do it all the way to the litter box, while they are doing their business and when they jump out. I hope they start calming down as they get more used to it.

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Amen to that. I've taken in lots of ferals who have worms or constipation problems over the years. One in particular had a wretched case of constipation....at the advice of the vet I cooked some pumpkin in chicken broth. I then mixed that with tuna packed in vegetable oil. That got things moving! But for days on end I'd been monitoring the litter box and watching him intently while he tried to poop. Such a relief when things are moving normally.

Lol yes!! I'm proud to update that they are eating great and using the litter box wonderfully!! BUT...I need some more advice! Lol!! Some of them have loose stools and when they poop in the litter box sometimes they step in it and get poop and litter all over their paws and sometimes their tails! What can i do about the loose stools?? Whats the best kind of litter?? I was using an arm and hammer brand but the little granules got all stuck in their fur and in return would fall out all over my floor while playing. Lol so i switched to a pea size clay litter. It does better but still sticks to them when they have the loose stools as i mentioned earlier. Any advice???

Also, Any suggestions on getting them to drink water?? They get kitten replacement milk and their food, but thats about the only liquid in their diet. I leave water out for them in a ceramic dish so they cant tip it over and spill it, but they just dont show any interest in it. Im slowly trying to wean them from the milk, so i dont want them to get dehydrated.

Hey! I have just went through getting kittens to eat on their own. My babies were lucky enough to still have their mom, but they were drinking on there own also at four weeks. What we did was mix kitten milk replacer in a saucer or low bowl (heck we used a Pringles can lid at first). I hear it helps if it's warm, but we didn't. Anyways, I put the milk saucer on my lap or close to the kitten, put a little milk on my finger and let them lick it of then slowly guided them to the milk. Every kitty is different though! Best of luck.

Our kitties started drinking water as soon as they started drinking milk on their own. Maybe if they take to milk from the saucer then you could try to dilute the milk a lot with water.

If they have loose stools they likely have worms or a bacterial infection. Have they seen a vet yet? At a bare minimum they need to be dewormed. If they've already been dewormed then what you're seeing is likely the worms working their way out. Not much you can do about the loose stool or type of litter except buy some baby wipes to keep their fur clean and be vigilant. As long as they are getting treatment for whatever is causing the loose stool and they are still eating and drinking well, they will improve with time.

Thanks everyone for the advice! I will try the different methods of getting them to drink. They havent been wormed yet. The wormer i have says not to use on kittens less than 12 weeks. I will call my vet in the morning!! Thanks!