Weaning question/possible URI

Kitten just turned 4 weeks today. We have bought Wellness Core canned kitten formula to mix with his formula when we wean him. A few days ago we attempted to teach him to lap his formula from a bowl (we barely put enough in to cover the bottom so he didn't suck it up his nose) , but he just shoved his nose all the way to the bottom, trying to suck it up and ended up sucking it up his nose anyway, making him sneeze. It freaked me out so we didn't try again until today when we mixed some canned food with his formula. He did the same thing; sucked it up his nose and made himself sneeze. So I just put it on my finger for him to lick off and he did okay with that. Why won't he just lick the gruel up? He just keeps trying to suck on it. Also, he is not yet trying to pee or poop on his own. We introduced a litter box (pine nonclumping litter) a couple days ago but he doesn't even attempt to pee his own. Just when I stimulate him. Is this normal?

Also he has been getting his teeth in for about a week now, so they're coming in nicely. But he doesn't try to chew or anything. He just bites when he plays with us. But he likes the gruel we made him. He just isn't eating it right and it worries me.

Hello and welcome!!

No need to worry, this is the norm for newly weaning kids, up their nose is the start, also chewing/nawing on the edge of the dish.

Next it will be getting in the dish, be ready for gruel to be everywhere, in ears, eyes, fur, paws, it's cute and fun but not so much to clean it up! 

He won't inhale it because it goes up his nose, just sneeze it out as he has.

Offer him the dish of food each time he is hungry, I gently push their faces in it so they will clean it off and it hits them, oh this is good, and dive in, sucking at first but soon enough they 'get' the right way to eat it

Some aren't quite ready to start weaning at 4 weeks, and need it pushed to 5 or so.

He is too young to have a large area now, even a single room is too much space. He needs a very small space for litter box training, start by crating him at night with the box and food and water and a sleep space with soft bedding.

During the day that box must be right under his nose for him to use it. They are just learning control, so when the urge to go strikes, they go, but if the box is not more than 2 feet in any direction, he will go.

If you watch him closely you can tell when he is about to go, snatch him up and set him in the box, sort of digging his paws in to the litter.

When he goes, praise and pet him lavishly. 

He is kept in a large plastic container right now, obviously no lid lol. I am way too paranoid to let him roam in a whole room. He's so tiny still! I believe he is 14.4oz. He has a heated blanket and a towel to go on when he gets too hot. We keep the litter box in there. But he has like zero interest in it and he wont even pee on his blankets. He doesn't try to go at all until I stimulate him. And he tries to suck on the side of the dish. He likes the taste of the food though, so do you think he is ready to start weaning? Should I make it a thicker consistency? Because the last gruel I made was very thin, maybe like 1/6 of it was the canned food.

Sure I would try a thicker version.

The thing is, he doesn't have mom to watch use the box, but it helps to put his poop in the box too.

Okay I will try that. Thanks so much for replying! I put some of his pee in there but he hasn't caught on lol. I'm just worried he will choke if it's too thick because be is still trying to suck it up. He hasn't got that he needs to chew it lol.

I would say not too thick, for instance if you scooped up a spoonful and tipped it, it would still run off.

Thick milkshake.

If he does choke he won't really be choking, he will gag it up if he doesn't swallow it.

A bit thinner than pudding

Okay thank you!!! One more question. I don't know if you'll know or not but how long do you think I could safely keep his opened can of kitten food in the fridge? We only put a little bit in each feeding, so it will take him forever to eat a whole can. But I know it's a lot easier for bottle babies to get sick and I have no idea how long it takes the Wellness food to grow bacteria. Any idea?

If you take the wet food out of the can and put it in a plastic container with a lid it will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Do not store it in the can. Warm it slightly before using.

Your kitten does not sound quite ready to wean yet, or to use the litter box. Many kittens do better with both at 5-6 weeks. It's important in the meantime that he continue to get his bottles.

Also, at 4 weeks, your kitten needs out of the box. He needs to begin exploring in one room that is kitten-proofed, preferably under your supervision.

Okay we tried again last night but he just shoved his whole face into the gruel. I'm really worried he is going to get pneumonia now. He sucked some up his nose. He seems okay, but I'm freaking out. We've decided to wait another week to try again because he means a lot to me and I don't want to hurt him. Do you think he will be alright??? Also after we feed him we let him out for a while to play and cuddle with us. He's such a sweet little thing.

I think he's probably ok and you don't need to worry! As said above, this is normal!

But it was like a soupy slurry, so it was liquidy. I'm worried he inhaled it.

emmaleesmith90 said:

But it was like a soupy slurry, so it was liquidy. I'm worried he inhaled it.

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I think he probably sneezed it out. In the future, make it less liquidy so he can lap it up. More like milkshake.

I tried to suck it out of his nose, with my mouth. Because I was panicking. And he just looked at me like I was crazy. He seems okay but since it was liquidy I am worried he inhaled it into his lungs. He doesn't realize he needs to lift his nose out of the gruel. I mean he SHOVED his entire face into it. My boyfriend just let him but I freaked out when I saw it and pulled him away from it. I'm freaking out.

emmaleesmith90 said:

I tried to suck it out of his nose, with my mouth. Because I was panicking. And he just looked at me like I was crazy. He seems okay but since it was liquidy I am worried he inhaled it into his lungs. He doesn't realize he needs to lift his nose out of the gruel. I mean he SHOVED his entire face into it. My boyfriend just let him but I freaked out when I saw it and pulled him away from it. I'm freaking out.

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Yes, it's normal to feel worried and overprotective. I think you need to take a deep breath. Your baby is ok. Keep feeding him off your finger, and off of your finger in the bowl. The likelihood that he inhaled even if he put his face in the bowl is low. He's still ready to wean.

Okay you made me feel a little better. I'm just paranoid now because he aspirated his formula when he was just a couple days old. He didn't get sick from it though, thank god. I am definitely going to wait another week before we let him try the bowl again. So you think he will be fine? Are there any signs I can watch for over the next couple days, if he did inhale it? Should I get him checked out by the vet?

emmaleesmith90 said:

Okay you made me feel a little better. I'm just paranoid now because he aspirated his formula when he was just a couple days old. He didn't get sick from it though, thank god. I am definitely going to wait another week before we let him try the bowl again. So you think he will be fine? Are there any signs I can watch for over the next couple days, if he did inhale it? Should I get him checked out by the vet?

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He does not need to go to the vet unless you notice symptoms of respiratory illness - sneezing, coughing, congestion, any clicking in the lungs. It sounds like he is ready for solids and I wouldn't hold him back if he's eating off your finger.  

Well he sneezes at least a few times a day, but he has done this since he was about a week old. He was on a two week course of antibiotics (amoxi drops) for a urinary infection and it didn't affect the sneezing. There's no other symptoms, so I think maybe he just has allergies or something. But I will continue to feed him gruel from my finger, every other feeding. Just not from a bowl yet.

I suggest you give the bottle and wait a week. He does not sound ready to me at all. If he's not ready at 5 weeks, wait until 6 weeks. It's a process and there's no sense rushing it. He does not need to have it up his nose. It's unnecessary and something you should not be experiencing or worrying over. [emoji]128528[/emoji]

Okay I would rather wait longer instead of rushing him. It's so stressful. Sarthur2 do you think he will be alright though? Since he did get it up his nose.