kittens still need to nurse?

mrslifeofreilly

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My husband and I adopted two kittens from a local shelter the other day. They are approximately 8-9 weeks old and have been eating dry food. The shelter told us they had been found at appx. 6 weeks and the mother rejected them. They have a furry cat bed that they loved, in fact, I believe they may think it is their mother. They knead it with their paws and lick it, as if trying to nurse. Does this mean that she stopped nursing them too early and they still need it? Should we buy the special kitten milk formula at the pet store and try to give them some? Any input is welcome. thanks a lot.

(also they have a bit of diarrhea because I think we didn't transition slowly enough from the Iams they were eating at the shelter to the Natural Balance we'd like to feed them, its slowing up now that we are feeding them only the Iams again)

Here are our new babies:
 

godiva

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I got Ziggy at 5-6 weeks old, and we mixed in KMR's Second Step formula with his food for the first week or so. He still sucks on soft beds or blankets nearly a year later... I have heard it really has nothing to do with being weaned early and that it is a trait of cats that have Oriental breeds in their background, but I am not so sure.

I think your kittens are old enough to be completely weaned off any kind of milk, especially if they have been eating on their own for a while now and seem to get enough food. If they weren't ever bottle fed, it is unlikely they would take a bottle now, and even then they'd chew up the nipple with their sharp little teeth. You could mix in 2nd Step if you wanted to be on the safe side, I know that Ziggy loved it.


They sure are cute!
 

beckiboo

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Garfield is 2-1/2 and he still sucks on his stuffed horse every night. His Mom was extremely ill with distemper when surrendered, so although he was with her long enough, she probably had been unable to produce milk as she was so ill. (She survived after a blood transfusion.) I believe it is due to not getting the nursing he wanted that he continues to suck. Of course dd encourages him by calling him when she goes to bed, and petting him as he sucks.
 

bengalbabe

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Originally Posted by Godiva

I got Ziggy at 5-6 weeks old, and we mixed in KMR's Second Step formula with his food for the first week or so. He still sucks on soft beds or blankets nearly a year later... I have heard it really has nothing to do with being weaned early and that it is a trait of cats that have Oriental breeds in their background, but I am not so sure.

I
They sure are cute!
Not true. The sucking behavior is because they were weined too early. Most likely the behavior will continue. The kittens don't need the milk at this age but they need to be with littermates and mother untill at least 12 weeks of age. There's nothing you can do about them being seperated so early though at this point. I let my kittens nurse untill they reach 12-16 weeks of age depending on when momma cat decides to wein them.
 
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