Is this normal?

tiffr

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I have 3 kittens that I have had for about a week and none of them eat the recommended amount. They gain weight well, but don't eat like they should. They are 2 weeks old but I feed them every 3-4 hours because they aren't hungry that often.

Should I start feeding more often and they will eat less?
 

ashade1

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How much are they gaining daily? Do these kittens have a mom, or were they abandoned?
 
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tiffr

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They were abandoned. I am bottle feeding them. I didnt have access to my scale yesterday but on 3/21 they were..
pig- 8.8 is
falks- 7.6 oz
hedwig- 7.8 oz
and 3/23
Pig- 11.2 oz
Fawkes- 9 oz
Hedwig- 9.7 oz
 

ashade1

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Their gains look good to me. I would just make sure that you are weighing them daily to make sure no one is loosing. Can you weigh in grams? It is easier to track smaller gains/losses that way.
 
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tiffr

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I don't know. I use a my weigh baby scale.
 
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tiffr

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I can weigh in grams. I will do that. How often should I weigh them?
 
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ashade1

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Daily is good for now! Make sure it is the same time every day! If one seems to be losing you can weigh twice a day to monitor them better, but it seems like you are doing a great job with them! Do you have pictures?
 

Sarthur2

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Very sweet! Their gains are excellent! They are right on target for 2 weeks. They should weigh about 12 ounces at 3 weeks, and 16 ounces (1 pound) at 4 weeks. They should then gain a pound a month for the next 5-6 months.

You are doing a super job! [emoji]128522[/emoji]
 
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tiffr

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I am fostering them through my local animal shelter and they had diarrhea when they were younger so they put them on a special food recipe with pedialyte, formula, yogurt and water. When i first got them, they were recovering from diarrhea and now they are constantly constipated. I mean i work for 2 days to get 1 poop out. When i took one in to the shelter/vet they said just stimulate longer and more frequently. I know KMR can cause constipation, but could this be making it worse?
 
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tiffr

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I am feeding them breeders edge. it is supplied by my shelter.
 

Sarthur2

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Add drops of olive oil to their bottles. You can also use the pediatric glycerin suppositories.
 
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tiffr

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Yeah I was going to add some oil but they are just getting over diarrhea so I wanted to give them some time.
 
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