I am at my wits end!! I’m fostering for a shelter so I have the kittens until they are 8 weeks old. I’ve had them since they were 1 week old and they are pretty perfect with one exception - they refuse to wean. Occasionally the boy will eat gruel off my finger but forget eating from a dish. I make “meat bottles” where I mix their formula with canned food and give them a bottle and they love it but forget eating off a dish. I’ve tried baby food, a syringe, KMR in a dish, dry food soaked in KMR, etc. the shelter people tell me they’re just spoiled and to leave food out, but they won’t touch it! They will explore the water dish sometimes. I’ve even tried putting the food directly in their mouths which causes them to vomit dramatically. I’m afraid they’re going tk drink bottles forever. I’m losing hope. I’ve literally tried everything I can humanly think of. Any other suggestions would be appreciated. Do I let them cry it out human style? I don’t want them to go hungry. They ARE spoiled!
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5 week old kittens refuse to wean - PLEASE HELP!!
- Thread starter Eloise613
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Kittens wean at different ages. They may just not be ready to wean. Can you bottle feed for another week and try again?
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Kittens usually start the weaning process at around 3-5 weeks of age, but this is by no means a hard and fast rule. This article has some helpful tips, including what to do when the kittens aren’t showing interest in the food: Weaning: How To Get Your Kittens To Eat On Their Own – TheCatSite Articles
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Kitten lady also has some advice
www.kittenlady.org
Kittens definitely will not bottle feed forever... but some take longer to wean than others.
Personally I would just keep giving them a regular bottle (rather than the "meat bottle") for as long as they need it, and additionally keep offering wet kitten food, and/or baby food, and/or "slurry" of baby food + KMR at each meal time until they start eating it.
Weaning — Kitten Lady
www.kittenlady.org
Kittens definitely will not bottle feed forever... but some take longer to wean than others.
Personally I would just keep giving them a regular bottle (rather than the "meat bottle") for as long as they need it, and additionally keep offering wet kitten food, and/or baby food, and/or "slurry" of baby food + KMR at each meal time until they start eating it.
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They will come around to weaning so please don't force it. Plus if you are stressed the kittens will sense it and become that way too. My neighbor had one kitten who was still nursing when he was sixteen weeks old. (and that is an extreme not the norm)
They are not spoiled. They are babies who are not quite there yet. Most kittens wean much more easily at 6-7 weeks. Try again in another week. No use getting so frustrated. They will be eating well by 8 weeks when they go back to the shelter.
