First time foster, when to transititon kittens from formula to soft food?

Thank you and no they will not be rehomed before 8 weeks.  I may even have them a little longer.

I am glad to hear that I just need to be a little more patient. I just want them to go in the box (and they are some of the times)

I think they were dewormed, I got them last Thursday and they had diarrhea so I took them back to the Humane Society and they gave them medicine and then sent two doses home with me so I thought that was deworming medicine but I could be wrong. I can call them and double check. I think they are calling me this week so I can arrange to take them in for their first set of shots next week.

Tuesday's stool really improved after the medicine but now it is back to mush. I was hoping it was just because I started weaning them from KRM strictly to wet food (fancy feast classic chicken with KMR mixed in)  I will keep an eye on it and if it doesn't improve try the pumpkin.

Also, she is very tiny. I really did not think she was going to make it. She was barely a half a pound when I got her. She is now almost up to a full pound. But still so much smaller than her brother. But she does seem healthy otherwise.  She plays and eats and is so loveable.

Also, I have been leaving dry kitten food out. Tuesday does show an interest. She nibbles a few little pieces here and there. I am giving them IAMS kitten food for the dry.  I also just started leaving out a little bowl of water for them.

I was advised that they were getting plenty of hydration through the KMR and wet food, but I just want to make sure.

The kittens really need to be on a kitten-specific or all life stages canned food at this point. Fancy Feast kitten or Iams kitten canned food would be fine.

Try Kitten Attract litter. You can use it as is or spread a layer over the litter you are currently using. There may be occasional misses as the kittens learn to use the litter box. Is the litter box low enough for the kittens to easily get into? You can place an old phone book or something similar next to the box for the kittens to use as a step.

I have two boxes.... One is a 9x13 foil baking disposal baking tray which is low enough. The second is higher but I do have something they can climb up onto to get in. The boy used the big box on his own twice today. I am just not sure how often they should go... So everyte they eat and play I m expecting them to but they often just plop down and go to sleep without going. I am sure I will figure out.
Thanks for suggesting the litter attract...I will look for some and give it a try

The soft stool may be from the mush, or it may be from the medicine.

It is possible that they need an antibiotic for a mild intestinal infection. Is the soft stool yellow at all?

As small as the female is, you may want to continue bottle feeding the KMR to her for a while longer. She is much too small to be spayed right now.

Thank you for caring for these orphans!

When I was litter training I used  rubbermadec takealongs the oblong ones.  

http://www.dollargeneral.com/produc...83026&camp=PLAPPC-_-PID12283026&KPID=12283026

With her being so little this might be the right size for her. 

After they got their medicine (last Sunday was their last dose) her stool improved to thick toothpaste like consistency. It went from white (only eating KMR at that time) to brown.  It is definitely back to diarrhea but is still brown.  I just bought some plain canned pumpkin (not pie filling) and I am going to add that to her mush at the next feeding. I hope that will help.  I also called the humane society and left a message. I know weekends are extremely busy for them so I may not hear back until tomorrow or Monday.

Thank you

UPDATE: after a little bit of pumpkin mixed in with her mush 24 hours later no diahreea. I am so happy and once again thanks for the advice!

I have posted recently because I am a first time foster mom with lots of questions. This site is a tremendous help!!!
So now the babies are about 6 weeks. They are doing great. I am just wondering about how often and how much I should be feeding them?
I feed them wet food mixed with KMR ( thick oatmeal consistency ) around 7:00 am noon 5:00 pm and around 10:30 pm. I also give them some KMR on their plate which they love! There is a bowl of dry food out at all times and fresh water. The nibble the dry food ( just barely) and I dont think they really touch the water. WhAt is the next step I should be doing in the feeding process? Keep as is? Or something different?
Thanks in advance for your help.

Do they get anything else?   For example, are they still on the bottle KMR and get their major nutrition and fluid needs from it?

When I rescued Zelda she was six weeks old. The vet said it would be fine to just put her on regular kitten food, no supplements needed. I started her out with a half can of wet food and as much dry as she wanted. Pretty much the only difference in her diet now is that she's up to a full can of wet food lol, and she's now around four months old. So I would say you can probably cut the KMR, but you'll want to discuss it with a veterinarian first. You also may try mixing some wet with the dry food, or dampen it a bit with water. That's what my vet adviser me to do if Zelda had any trouble eating the dry food.

Stefan They only eat the mush ( mixed work KMR) 4 times a day. They have access to dry food and water 24 hours a day. I do give them just KMR ( not in bottle but in dish) once a day in Addition to the KMR they are getting in mush

lisareneeo said:

Stefan They only eat the mush ( mixed work KMR) 4 times a day. They have access to dry food and water 24 hours a day. I do give them just KMR ( not in bottle but in dish) once a day in Addition to the KMR they are getting in mush

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OK, so re water, they get all they need from the mush and KMR... That is why they arent thirsty.  But let the water be there accessible.  

Also, bottle babies are typically later with catching on eating real food - they have no momma or more advanced siblings to take example from.

So its just to continue and trying, and trying to teach them.  Perhaps so they lick from your fingers.

Minced meat is a classical.  Gerber baby food, the plain versions without garlic in it...

You can also change the KMR to goat milk - OK with bottled / cartooned.   I suppose its cheaper than KMR, even if it costs twice as much as cow milk,  and is a good supplementing nourishment.

New question..... I am thinking one of the fosters (Dexter) may not be feeling well. I don't know, I am so new to having kittens this age.

He seems to be eating and using the litter box fine. He just does not seem as active as usual and feels very warm. I don't know if that indicates a fever

or not...I am clueless. But I do not have a thermometer to take his temperature. I have a call in to the humane society, where I am fostering them from, to see if I can bring him in and they will take his temperature.  He is not lethargic but he is sleeping a lot more and when he is awake not playing like he is used to.  Help!!! Thanks

 (They are 6 weeks )

That is definitely a sign that he may be feeling under the weather. I think it's good he is still eating though, but having his temperature checked is a good idea.

My motherly instinct was right.... I took him to the humane society and they checked his temp. It was 104. YIKES.  They had me take

him to the local emergency vet where they can treat him more efficiently.  They are keeping him over night to give him antibiotics and fluids. Hopefully he will be ok and I can get him tomorrow.  He was sneezing for several days but that stopped a few days ago. Nothing appeared to be coming out of his eyes or nose.  They went in to the humane society on Thursday for B12 and I pointed out the sneezing and they didn't seem worried because there was no discharge. So, I hope he is ok.

Today, the vet said his lungs sound clear.  I hope the antibiotics kick in and he is feeling better soon.

Keep your fingers crossed.

I figured he was fighting an infection. Glad he is being treated. He will recover quickly. You handled it well .

Kittens are both doing well. Trying to transition to dry food. I have been mixing their dry food with KMR and now really watering KRM down and not soaking for as long. A bowl of dry food and water are always available to them. I give them the "soft " dry food mixture twice a day a canned food once a day.
Should I start cutting out the soft food mixture and just leaving dry food out and they will eventually just eat that all of the time? I do see Tiesday eating dry but do not see Dexter really eating just dry. I also notice they eat less of my mixture and their bowl of dry food looks like they have been eating bit it is hard to tell who is doing what when I'm not around.
My goal is to have them in their forever home around 9 weeks. The girl adopting them has been visiting them often and I know she can't wait to get them

Kittens need wet food and plenty of it. I would leave dry kitten chow down (and water) at all times, however, they need wet food more than once a day. Ideally, at 6 weeks, they should be eating wet food about 4 times a day. They need the calories.

Fancy Feast makes a kitten wet food, or any of their classic pates work. Protein is the first ingredient in Fancy Feast, and most kittens love it.

Ok, I will feed them the fancy feast 4 times a day. I just didn't know, thanks for the advice.