Baby multigrain cereal for 2.5-week-old hand-reared kittens?

I’ve been caring for a pair of kittens (Ginger and Bran) for just over two weeks now (started with 24-48hr post-birth when their queen apparently abandoned them underneath the steps of our vacation cabin; that made for an interesting vacation), and we had our first establishing visit with our vet who’s cared for all my dogs over the years (I’ve never had cats before). She recommended I add a teaspoon of baby multigrain cereal to each of their bottles from this point on to acclimate them to solid foods before transitioning to formula-softened kibble at 4wk. As cats are obligate carnivores rather than opportunistic omnivores, my plan was to put them on a grain-free kibble/canned diet (I have small children/toddlers, so a raw diet isn’t something I’m comfortable pursuing at present).

Does it make any sense at all to be adding baby cereal to their bottles? Is this just old school thinking (this is the same vet I’ve taken companion animals to my entire life; my parents took their toy poodle to her starting when I was three and she had an established practice then, so she’s been in the business at least 35yr). Is it worth continuing the cereal in their bottles or should I stop that and just transition to a mix of formula and canned kitten food before introducing kibble at 4wk? I’m very fond of these tiny squeakers, and I don’t want to potentially harm them.

Thanks for your knowledge and guidance!
Erynne

i don't see how adding grain to a kitten's diet could be helpful. they wouldn't be getting grain/cereal in the wild. when i'm weaning my foster kittens, i mix a little KMR with wet kitten food--grain free kitten food that is. i'm sure that vet has her reason's but i'm not sure what they are? is it just to make the food thicker? i also use gerber baby food meat sometimes also for the more reluctant kittens..

no I would not add grains. kittens eat formula/milk until 3-4 weeks. when you add solids you use canned kitten food-you do a 50/50 mixture in a dish to see if they will lick it up. most kittens nurse up to 8 weeks or more. Do you have kitten formula? Goats milk works too. no cow milk. No soy milk either. Remember when feeding them you don't hold them like a human baby otherwise they will aspire the liquid. keep belly down and head up. put the milk at the corner of the mouth-a drop at a time-let them swallow. some kittens will nurse off a bottle. just always keep belly down and head up.

pictures of the sweetie?

Thank you! It wasn't sitting right with me to give them grains; it's not a natural part of their diet and I can't see a benefit. Honestly, even with human babies, these processed baby cereals are so devoid of nutrition that they're not worth utilizing. I'll throw it out.

I do have kitten formula; they've been getting a premixed liquid kitten formula since they were a couple of days old (once I started caring for them). They've both been growing well, eating well, and eliminating well. I read everything I could find on caring for abandoned kittens in the first 48hr, so I don't feel completely out of my depth...but being told to add baby cereal into their feeds threw me.

My vet cautioned that canned kitten food could cause diarrhea; hence her recommendation of soaking kitten kibble in formula and giving them the mushy kibbles. Any truth to that?

Thanks!
Erynne

Here are Ginger and Bran having a little wrestle in their kitten box. Their eyes opened a week ago and I'm still charmed by those big, dark kitten gazes.

erynne

They are adorable! [emoji]128149[/emoji]

No, canned kitten wet food, such as Fancy Feast makes, does not cause diarrhea. You can make a slurry of kitten food and formula to put in their bottles or on a plate.

As another poster mentioned, Gerber turkey, chicken, and beef are also good to use. Easy for tiny kitten tummies to eat and digest, and it's meat, which cats love.

First ingredient in Fancy Feast kitten and adult classic pate wet foods is also meat.

The moistened kibble is good too. My kittens get both kibble and wet food. You should use a high-protein, meat-first kibble as well.

You are clearly doing a beautiful job with these gorgeous kittens! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

So cute!

They may not be ready to wean yet, so don't get discouraged if they don't lap it up right away.  Some kittens don't wean until 5 or 6 weeks.  When they do start to eat the solids, you can begin litter box training.  Use non-clumping litter in small boxes like the Fancy Feast box that holds 12 cans.

I'm planning to wait until they hit four weeks before starting on canned and kibble. They'll be three weeks Saturday, so I've plenty of time to let them be cuddly babies.

Thanks!
Erynne

Google isn't being helpful in this: in your experience, how long are the umbilical stumps on kittens damp/tacky before they begin to dry out? I'm trying to narrow down how old our kittens were when we first met them.

Thanks!
Erynne

Umbilical cords will usually dry and fall off in a week.

How are the kittens doing?

When we first found the kittens under the cabin porch steps, they all still had damp/squidgy umbilical stumps. I'm guessing that would make that day (Saturday) their likely birth day, since the cords dried out by the next day and began shedding by Tuesday or Wednesday.

Ginger and Bran are doing well, as far as I can tell. Energetic, taking their bottle well, creeping over to me for cuddles and clambering up my clothing in a desperate bid to get to my chest/face/hair. In fact, Ginger made a bid for freedom just a bit ago; I went into the 3/4s bathroom that is the current kitten room and Ginger was out of the cardboard box/kitten nest despite the top being folded closed. He was creeping around on the towels on the floor mewing. I've since laid the box on its side so, should he try that trick again, he can get back inside to the rice cuddler and his brother.

Bran might be constipated; he hasn't had a bowel movement in roughly 24hr besides one small, somewhat hard poo yesterday. I've tried rubbing his tummy a bit like you'd do with a constipated human infant and tried bathing his back end in warm running water while stimulating to go. My next step is adding a tiny bit of olive oil into his next bottle in five hours. Anything else I should try/be aware of?

Thanks!
Erynne

yes the olive oil will help. or you can try canned pumpkin. you only need a dash of it and water it down. in the future canned pumpkin works for diarrhea as well.

Those babies look so adorable! Do they meow a lot? So adorable-just want to hold them!

They mew anytime they want to be fed or cuddled. They usually settle after eating/eliminating/cuddling and go to sleep.

I went in to feed them this evening and Ginger appears to have had diarrhea. His hind end was crusty with diarrhea and Bran's front end was a bit splattered (washing his face sent him into a pretty pitiful sulk).

Is the diarrhea likely to have been caused by the addition of goat's milk to their diet? I started yesterday evening at a ratio of 1/3 goat's milk (mixed with water, since it's the canned stuff) to 2/3 kitten formula. I'll continue at that ratio to let his tummy adjust; is it the likely culprit? I suppose I'll also pick up canned pumpkin (plain, not pie filling!) if this continues through their before-bed feeding.

Thanks!
Erynne

What color is the diarrhea?

You could back off the goat's milk to see if it clears up.

The same light brownish/dark yellowish it's been the last three weeks. Just very loose and dribbly, almost nothing formed in it at all. Thankfully, it's not a continuous dribble; we'd be at the emergency vet if that were the case. He apparently had a bit earlier between feeds/cuddles, and then a tiny bit more when I was washing him off post-feeding (pre-cuddling, haha). It's not copious amounts each time, either; just a few dribbles. I'm watching for lethargy or dehydration, but he seems fairly normal (besides extra needy for cuddles right now; crawled out of the kitten box seeking me when I laughed too loudly in the bedroom connected to the bathroom the kittens are in. He kept mewing at the door until I finally went and got him for extra cuddles and petting (plus a quick stimulation for a pee).

Thanks!
Erynne

erynne

The poop is not normal. It should be toothpaste consistency. All kittens need deworming, and those with diarrhea probably need an antibiotic such as Albon for bacterial infection. Actually they all should be treated. I think you need to see the vet.

That's what I'm afraid of. :/ I have a CT scan scheduled for myself tomorrow, so I'm hoping the diarrhea clears on its own overnight...because I won't be able to get them to the vet earlier than late morning. Crossing my fingers for a miraculous recovery.

Thanks!
Erynne

Vet anytime tomorrow is fine. Would like to see them on meds before the weekend so they can begin to clear. If it's been around for 3 weeks it's not going anywhere on its own.

Good luck with your own appointment tomorrow!

I had thought brownish/yellowish soft but not liquid was normal stool for a kitten on formula milk only? This is the first day of truly diarrhea-y poo; everything else has been fa similar color but not so liquid.

Thanks!
Erynne

You are right. I thought you indicated it had been liquid-y and yellowish for 3 weeks. I must have misunderstood. Hopefully it will clear. I'm always very leery of yellow diarrhea in young kittens and so am overly cautious. Use your judgement.