4-6 week old kittens diet

We are fostering 4 to 6 week old kittens for the shelter we volunteer at. They came in as ferel kittens without their mother unfortunately and right now they have us feeding both wet and dry food, but I don't think they are eating much of the dry if any. How much should they be eating? We feed them 2 to 3 times a days and split a 3oz can between them, but they only eat maybe a quarter of their half. But usually less than that. Does this sound about right for their age?

I also started feed them KMR which is the milk replacement as they were trying to nurse off of us. So I will offer that once a day usually after work in addition to their second meal. One of them seems to be doing fine, eating and drinking plenty of the milk. The other one not so much of either and he's the one I'm concerned about. When we are in there with he meows constantly which makes me think he's hungry, but he won't eat much. Should I go out and maybe buy a different wet food for him? The shelter gave us fancy feast kitten food. Obviously they won't be giving us or them the high end stuff because it is expensive, but I don't mind trying something else in the meantime. Also would that even be a good idea because once we take them back in 3 weeks they will get what the shelter gave us.

For the most part they both seem to be happy and healthy. They play and love attention and do not seem ferel anymore, I just want to make sure they are getting enough food or being offered the right stuff.

I like Fancy Feast Kitten. For kittens that age I usually mix it with kitten formula to make a soupy mush. I still give them a bottle to try to prevent later suckling behaviors. That's always worked for me.

Definitely mix with the formula, works like a charm

you can also try some meat baby food. Chicken and Turkey flavors without onions. My kittens alway loved that. Mixing it with the food is also a great thing. Their teeth aren't that great yet so the hard food might be to much for them. IF he wont take a bottle get a syringe and give him drops of the kmr in the side of his cheek. He may take to that better. 

I agree that they need to be eating more - kittens at that age should be eating almost constantly.  You have some great suggestions above.

We tried doing the bottle and they weren't interested. So i poured it in a shallow dish and they devoured it. Ill definitely try to mix the two together, thats not a bad idea.

But yeah thats what Ive been worried about and thinking that they keep meowing because there hungry, or because they want attention lol. So eating wet food alone, how much should each of them be getting? A 3oz can each?

A kitten is supposed to get double what a older cat gets more often. I would feed them every few hours. The mix of Half milk and half food. You give them as much as they want. And if they are meowing a lot they are hungry. You can also give them a stuffed animal to cuddle with they may even try to suck on it.

Is there any way you can weigh them regularly? That is really the only way you can be sure they are thriving properly.

Yeah right now they are roughly around 1 and a half to 2 pounds, or at least thats what our scale registers them as. So according to that they may be a little older.

Also I shouldve clarrified...I gave them the milk replacement 3 days ago and they devoured it. But since then not so much. Ill offer them food 3 times a day but they only take a few bites barely putting a dent in what I give them. I tried mixing the milk and wet food and they still did the same, just took a few nibbles and that was it.

I also cant tell if they are eating the dry, so I may fill the bowl half way so i can tell whether any is being taken.

JennyR said:

Is there any way you can weigh them regularly? That is really the only way you can be sure they are thriving properly.

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Sorry...hit the wrong button and didnt quote you in my last response

Have you tried pouring the formula over the kitten kibble? It softens it and makes it easier to eat. The kittens' weights sound good for their age. Are they in a room where they can play and explore? Or are they crated? The crying either signals hunger or they want attention. The Gerber turkey or chicken baby food is a hit at my house for weaning kittens, but it's not cheap. Kittens eat small meals about 6 times a day at this age, with dry food available 24/7. Weaning fully can take a couple of weeks. They should catch on and begin eating more. Do they use the litter box?

sarthur2 said:

Have you tried pouring the formula over the kitten kibble? It softens it and makes it easier to eat. The kittens' weights sound good for their age. Are they in a room where they can play and explore? Or are they crated? The crying either signals hunger or they want attention. The Gerber turkey or chicken baby food is a hit at my house for weaning kittens, but it's not cheap. Kittens eat small meals about 6 times a day at this age, with dry food available 24/7. Weaning fully can take a couple of weeks. They should catch on and begin eating more. Do they use the litter box?

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Yeah that was something I just noticed, they are going to the bathroom a lot. I actually need to start scooping twice a day because of how full it gets after one day. So maybe they are getting enough and I'm just worrying too much.

It just doesnt seem like they are eating much. There is so much left over after they are done so Im starting to put at least half in the fridge. Their usual routine is eat for about a minute then both climb up my leg meowing

I leave them in our bathroom with the door shut since we have 3 cats ourselves that are older

Im usually not home from 8 to 4 Mondays through Fridays so during that time I cant do every few hours. Lately Ive just been offering the wet, now wet mixed with the KMR, and leaving it for about an hour or so while Im getting ready for work. Then taking it up before I leave. Today I left it out so they will have access to it while Im at work. Is this ok to do during the week while Im at work?

Maybe they just cant eat much at one sitting so this may help then eat every hour or so when they get hungry.

Yeah, that should work. They have tiny little tummies so they can only eat so much at a time. Hopefully they'll eat it today and be satisfied.

Willowy said:

Yeah, that should work. They have tiny little tummies so they can only eat so much at a time. Hopefully they'll eat it today and be satisfied.

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Yeah Im looking forward to going home today to see if they have eaten anymore of it. That was one thing we were thinking is maybe their tummies are small and can only eat that small amount. So hopefully leaving it out longer will help.

That's a great idea to leave it down! They sure are cute!

They are so cute. Leaving the food down will help. I always left down dry food so mine has access to it at all times and scheduled wet food meals three times a day. With them being a little bigger they should be fine with the kibble. 

Louann Jude said:

They are so cute. Leaving the food down will help. I always left down dry food so mine has access to it at all times and scheduled wet food meals three times a day. With them being a little bigger they should be fine with the kibble. 

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Yeah I leave the dry out all the time for them, they just don't seem interested in it. We've had them for a little over a week now and I have not had to fill the dry food up at all, it's almost full still. Ive seen them take a bite of it here and there, but its basically take 2 bites and they are done with it.

They seem to be liking the milk replacement, I offer that 3 times a day and they lick that bowl clean within a few hours. Ive also been leaving the wet food out while Im at work and over night. They still arent eating it all but they are eating some of it. But they do seem to have gotten slightly bigger since we've had them so I guess they are getting enough food now.

It sounds like they are doing fine. They will eat more as they get bigger. It's good you are leaving out the milk and the wet food.

sarthur2 said:

It sounds like they are doing fine. They will eat more as they get bigger. It's good you are leaving out the milk and the wet food.

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Good news, they have both gained about a pound in the week that I've been giving them the milk they are little fattys now lol.

About what age or weight do they need to wean off the milk? They are about 2.5 lbs now, and maybe 6 to 8 weeks old according yo the shelters estimate