Feeding kitten

[lilly-micheif]

Hello I hope you all well?
As some of you know I have been bottle feeding my only kitten and all was goin well up till last nite as in 8 hours she has only had 16ml and it use to be double that and not sure why also she is tying to bite me a lot

 

[feralvr]

I hope someone will come along fast to offer you some more help than I can. Check out and click on the following link www.kitten-rescue.com

Please look it over as it will most definitely have some extremely life saving information.

 

[tulosai]

Hi!

How old is your kitten? Is  he or she still gaining weight or has he or she also started to lose weight if you know? is he or she showing any other unusual signs or symptoms other than eating less?

if he or she will still eat but is eating less at each feeding, I would try to increase the number of feedings.If you cannot do that, you can get a baby dropper or syringe (depending on the kitten's age) and force feed him more formula. There are videos on this on youtube that are very good, but the real trick is to make sure you are placing the food in his cheek and not coming in from the front to reduce the odds of the cat choking.  If the kitten is old enough (4 weeks or so) it is possible that you can introduce him to solid food at this time too and he might eat some of that especially if he is not showing any other signs of fading (though many kittens first think it is a kind of toy and just make  a mess more so than eating the first few times).

Hopefully others will be able to chime in with more info, especially if you can answer my questions about his age and state of health other than this.  good luck and thank you so much for helping this little guy.

 

[StefanZ]

I have now PM ed  LillMischief and asked for more info, including the biting on the  fingers part.

The background story is further down  this forum page, here the two links I paste in:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/269694/advice-plz#post_3461071

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/269415/kitten-help

It was difficult, lets hope the new difficulties will be won over.

*vibes!*

 

[lilly-micheif]

Hi my kitten is 4 weeks and 5 days old she was feeding every 2 hours last week and was gaining weight good but the last feed she wouldn't take much so we started feedin every 3 hours and was taking 15/20ml every feeding then from 8pm till 2pm she only took 20ml in all them hours but her last feed which was 20mins agoshe took 16ml str8 away

With the biting she only bites me on the finger but I was thinking if I should start feeding her food?

Thank you every one

 

[tulosai]

Hi again 

Based on what you've said I think it would be okay to see if trying to feed her solid food would help. If she does not take to it you can try mixing it with some formula and seeing if that will help her to recognize it as food.

If that still doesn't work,  I think it sounds like you may have to start force feeding her (though it sounds like from the last feeding the problem may be improving?).  You can do this just using formula, or, given her age, you could also do it by mixing a bit of wet food with some formula.  she is probably old enough that you can use a syringe, which tends to be a bit more effective in my experience than a baby dropper, but a baby ropper works too as I said above, it just takes longer an a bit more effort.  Just squirt a bit into her cheek at a time.

It is very important that you keep track of her weight in all of this.  At her age it is still very important that she be gaining weight every day.

Again good luck and please please keep us updated and let us know if you have any questions.  there are a lot of knowledgable people here and I know more of them will stop by to help!

 

[StefanZ]

With the biting she only bites me on the finger but I was thinking if I should start feeding her food?

 

You can try and begin with more solid foods now yes.  If she eats, all well.  If not, you are still back on where you are.

- I mean, beginning of eating solids is often not easy, but if she is getting weaker, she wont eat solids.

You must play it by ear being there and seeing the exact situation.

I wonder, one possibility may be, she being larger, the hole in the nap is too small.  And she gets impatient, as she doesnt gets enough quickly enough.  So, she both tires with the result as she isnt getting enough, and bites you on your fingers, being eager to get more?

How does it sounds?

If so, you can try and enlarge the hole, so she can suck in more and easier at one time.   Also, begin with the solids.  I suppose and hope you know how to begin?  If not, ask or read on in other threads.

If it is none of these easy variations, I agree with Tulosai - you may have a crisisis sailing up, and must consider if to forcefeeding, etc.  Also using a dropper, as it is easier for her.

  And if a crisis sailing up, you dont have much time, its hurry!

Make sure she has it warm - have glucose handy.

If you do have access to a good vet who can weak kittens, consult him too.

Please continue to report!

Good luck!

 

[catwoman707]

EXCELLENT call StefanZ!!

I was just about to say, it is VERY likely, due to the age now, this kitten is getting extremely hungry and wrestless with the tiny younger aged hole size in the nipple!

At about 4 weeks old, they get very curious about what mom is eating, and start checking it out. Your kitten is nearly 5 weeks old and has a much bigger appetite to fill.

Biting your finger confirms this to me.

Put some pate (only!) canned food in a shallow dish, like a saucer as long as it has a lip at the edge, pour some formula on it and mush together. Zap it in the microwave for a very short time, depending on your microwave, about 10 seconds or so, to make it nice and warm but not hot at all, and set the kitten in front of it, of course put a towel down first because you can be sure he will be all up in the mix, it gets everywhere the first week or so of eating solids out of a dish.

At first he will not really know what to do, so coax gently but smearing a bit on his mouth, or even very slightly put his face (not nose) in the dish to get it on his mouth.

He will quickly get it!! Occasionally I will even put a bit in his mouth so they will understand. (some are slower learners

Gradually you will be putting less and less formula on it, always provide fresh water once he is eating well out of a dish.

 

[german longhair]

My kitten wouldn't really eat canned food at the beginning, so I started feeding them raw meat cut in teeny pieces -and they loved it! It seems to come very natural for the kitten to eat it.

It's also easy for a start to feed them some chicken only baby food

 

[lilly-micheif]

She had a few bits of meat twice and about 7ml of milk every three hours she has put on weight and is not sleeping as much

 

[lilly-micheif]

image.jpg

• lilly-micheif
• Jan 4, 2014

Layla

 

[laralove]

Layla

Awwwww.... adorable! And that's my daughter's name! But we spell it Laila. 

 

[lilly-micheif]

Hey just a bit of a update Layla has been taken between 4 - 7ml every three hours and have a bit of meat 3 times (a small lump) but I'm not sure if that enough for her?????
I'm abit worried any advice ????

 

[StefanZ]

The only sure way to know is to folloow the changes in weigh.  If she goes up = gains, so she goes up.

I presume you DO take weigh??

If there is no problems with salomonella at your place, have raw egg yolk in, either with the meat, or with the kmr she gets.  Very nourishing and contains much useful fats.

If you DO have salomonella, you can give boiled yolk too, but it is not so easy to take.

 

[lilly-micheif]

Yes I do take her weight every day she goes up by 8 - 9g but I've read that at 5weeks she is ment to be 350plus and Layla is only 310 and will b 5weeks 2moro.
My bf is sayin I'm worrying for no reason but I just don't want to lose her after all I've done to this point

 

[shunra]

I think that having reached 5 weeks with a kitten that's only a little bit on the small side you are doing pretty well.

 

[StefanZ]

8-9 g is quite below the average, we use to say 10+, quite a few healthy ones have raising of 30 a day.

But if she was smallish, with very bad beginning,  I think it is OK anyway.  As long as she does gains this.   You can use this as her norm.  Does she gains her normal 8-9 or better - = OK, if it s drop more than one day = bad.

Although you do have right, she is still fragile.  Her margins are narrower than in an average, healthy kitten.

Good luck!

 

[lilly-micheif]

We lost her mum when she was two weeks old and she lost 25g in the two days after that but since then it's been up to 8g a day

 

[shunra]

We lost her mum when she was two weeks old and she lost 25g in the two days after that but since then it's been up to 8g a day

Those two weeks will have made a lot of difference as she has had the colostrum and her mothers card when she was most fragile, but you have worked hard to get her from there to here.  Hopefully as she eats more and more solid food her weight gains will increase.

 

[StefanZ]

Her being smallish, and gaining OK but below average, means also she eats is in lesser amounts than  the average kitten.

So you cant look at the usual tabells  on how much they shall eat and how big portions

As long as she gains and seems to be OK, it should be OK.

The only extra advice is really, to to give her food more often but in smaller  portions.  Which you do.

Good luck!