Need Advice for Bottle Fed Kitten

I'm looking for advice for a little guy I'm fostering. He's been to the vet due to congestion and is now on Clavamox and the prescription a/d diet in addition to formula. He's just over 5 weeks old, and at the vet 3 days ago, he was only 10 ounces. The rest of the litter is visibly larger and seem healthy. They were found in a parking lot, umbilical cords attached, less than a day old, so they may have never gotten colostrum. I've been giving him nutri-cal along with his antibiotic, a/d and formula. He plays, grooms himself, is starting to use the litter box. He's eating, and not dehydrated. But he won't gain weight or grow. He looks emaciated. I'm terrified of fading kitten syndrome

How much formula and A/D is he eating every 24 hours?

Is he still 10 ounces today?

He's eating a mixture of 25% a/d, 75% formula. He's eating between 3-5 mls every 4 hours. He won't take the bottle, so that is how much I'm able to force into him with a syringe. Yes, still 10 ounces. He doesn't appear to have any body fat, just skin and bones.

At 5 weeks old, he should weigh at least a pound. He's the size of a 3-week-old.

He needs literally two and a half times the amount of food that he's getting. At 10 ounces he needs a minimum of 80 mL's of food in each 24-hour period.

If he eats 3 mL six times a day (every 4 hours), he's only getting 18 mL's. If he actually consumes 5 mL's, he's still only getting 30 mL's. The rule of thumb is 8mL's of formula for every ounce of weight. So, at 10 ounces x 8, that's 80 mL's in 24 hours,.

So he's not gaining weight because he's not getting enough nutrition.

I suggest that you begin feeding him every 2 hours since he's in a critical state. I would give him 7 mL's of just formula at the first feeding, then 7 mL's of the A/D - formula mixture at the next feeding, and so on. This puts you feeding him around the clock every 2 hours, but hopefully it will get more into him, and you can stretch it to 3 hours, then 4 hours as he grows. It is critical that you get more into him. At the very least, get 80 mL's of just formula only into him for a couple of days. He may not like the A/D mixture, and at this point, simply getting the correct amount of formula will help. He should begin to gain weight immediately if you do.

Let me know if he will eat 7mL's of just formula at his next feeding. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

Thank you. Do you have any advice for force feeding him? I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, because he takes 3mls willingly, then everything after that is a struggle. He spits it out and makes a huge mess, and Ive stopped at that point because I'm worried about aspirating him his siblings are all over a pound and eating triple what he eats, and he started this about a week ago. He's fallen far behind in that week. I began the a/d at the vet's recommendation due to the weight issues, it sounds like you're saying the formula is what he needs to grow, not a/d?

Oh, the a/d will surely help him, but I think just getting the correct amount of formula in him would be progress. Was he taking a bottle before he went to the vet?

And no, aspiration is very bad. We need him to begin to eat willingly. Will he take 3 mL's every single hour?

No, he had already begun refusing the bottle when we saw the vet. His advice was that he is weaning age so begin a/d. I didn't feel like he was ready to wean since he was already so tiny and I wanted to measure to make sure he was getting some food into him since he's not gaining weight to be able to determine if he's eating that way. Even his little face is thin, he looks pitiful. I was able to get 5mls into him just now, I will try again in an hour.

Oh, yay! 5 ml's!

I agree that he's not ready to wean yet.

I think giving him just formula for now will suffice, until he gets bigger. He may have refused the bottle because he was sick. You might want to try it again.

Also, kittens usually love Gerber turkey or chicken baby food when he's ready. It smells good, is easy to lap up, and easy to digest. Good protein too.

Let me know how he does in another hour.

I appreciate how much care and concern you are giving him.

I hadn't considered that he lost interest in food because he was sick. The timeline fits though, I think you're right. I had just immediately jumped to fading kitten syndrome (always thinking the worst possible scenario). I tried the bottle again and he was only interested in chewing on it. After a couple minutes without getting anything into him, I went with the syringe and got another 5mls into him. I'm surprised, but today I've been seeing a lot of improvement in the congestion, so that could definitely have been the cause. I will pick up some of the baby food, if it's something he likes he might eat it willingly. I'm feeling a little optimistic now. I appreciate your help so much, and so does the little guy

Oh, I'm so glad he ate another 5 mL's! This is great progress already! 10 mL's in 2 hours. Way to go. Keep at it. He should start gaining. He may lick some baby food from your finger or from a spoon. If not, give him a few days of formula and try again.

This is what we are here for. I'm so glad you feel optimistic again. No reason not to!

Please keep me posted on his progress, and upload a picture so I can see the little guy! [emoji]128571[/emoji]

If he's congested, you can bring him into the bathroom and run a steaming shower.  It will clear the congestion for a while so he can eat more.

I'll pick up some of the baby food tomorrow and give it a try. I really appreciate all the help! He's eating hourly, my fingers are crossed! I'm trying to figure out how to upload a picture of him. I may have to pull out my laptop, I've been using the web browser on my phone.

Oh, gosh, he's so cute! [emoji]128149[/emoji][emoji]128062[/emoji]

His face is precious!

I'm anxious to hear what his weight is tomorrow.

It sounds like the hourly feedings are what he needs right now. He must be enjoying his formula without the a/d in it.

At some point you'll need to catch a couple hours of sleep.

I'm so glad he's doing better. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

He is a cutie! I kept at the hourly feedings for 4 hours last night, then did every 2 overnight. I'm off work today, so I'm keeping at the hourly now. He's much more happy with plain formula without a/d, so I'm going to give him a break from it for a bit. I haven't weighed him yet, but when I picked him up for his last feeding, I didn't feel his ribs as prominently as I was before. He is running around my kitchen tackling his brothers right now, which is definitely helping with my optimism

That's great! Looking forward to seeing the new weight.

Awesome!

It sounds like he's eating well. Definitely hold off on the a/d for now.

How much formula have you been getting into him?

I'm so glad you're home today. Who will feed him when you head back to work?

Let me know his weight tonight. Also, let me know if he likes the Gerber baby food when you get it.

Sounds like the little guy is doing better! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

I'm using a baby scale that doesn't measure grams, but it read at 10 1/2 ounces, so definitely an improvement! I was getting between 7-10 mls into him each 2 hour feeding, between 5-7mls now that we're back at hourly feeding. His little belly is nice and round, and he's taking his milk willingly now. Actually, he acts like he is starving! I feel so bad that he's had such a rough time. Up until they were 3 weeks, I had a friend who doesn't work taking over feeds while I worked. At 3 weeks I started feeds every 4 hours while at work so I could just come home and feed them on my break. I work only 3, sometimes 4 days a week, so it's been manageable. I will pick up the baby food this evening and see how he likes it. I work the next 2 days, should I have him stay with my friend to be on the safe side? Otherwise he would be eating only every 4 hours while I'm at work.

Wow! He's gaining already! I'm impressed.

I believe that he needs to continue to eat hourly right now, until he catches up, so if your friend is able to babysit and feed him and keep him safe while you are working, I think that would be best for the interim. Is it convenient to drop him/pick him up each work day?

Do let me know if he shows interest in the baby food. Warm it just a tad bit before offering it. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

So far the little guy is doing extremely well with the hourly feedings. He actually ate just under 10 mls in one feeding a bit ago, and then knocked out on me after, which was precious. He's a sweet little man, I'm relieved he's doing better now. He did eat some of the turkey baby food off my finger. I'm not sure how much got into him, he made a mess of it, but he definitely showed interest. My friend is able to kitten sit tomorrow, so he will be staying on the same schedule. She lives only a couple streets over, so very convenient. I appreciate the help so much, it's really made a difference for him. I didn't get much advice from the vet when I took him in, just the food and medication, and I was feeling pretty hopeless when I posted here.