is it okay to give 3 week old kittens softened dry food

[valentine445]

theres a feral outside who recently had kittens and i found them two weeks ago with their eyes open so im assuming they are about 3 weeks. i have been feeding the mama cat and the kittens got in the food and started eating it and i was shocked because they are so tiny and idk if i should let them but i moved the food to a higher place so the kittens cant reach it for now. but i was wondering if i could give them soaked dry food because they seem desperate to eat food besides from their moms milk and i figured that would be easier for them to eat. they are still on breastmilk.

 

[Antonio65]

theres a feral outside who recently had kittens and i found them two weeks ago with their eyes open so im assuming they are about 3 weeks. i have been feeding the mama cat and the kittens got in the food and started eating it and i was shocked because they are so tiny and idk if i should let them but i moved the food to a higher place so the kittens cant reach it for now. but i was wondering if i could give them soaked dry food because they seem desperate to eat food besides from their moms milk and i figured that would be easier for them to eat. they are still on breastmilk.

I think that at 3 weeks of age, they wouldn't be interested in other food than their mother's milk, but I might be wrong.
Is it possible they are older than 3 weeks? Say, 4 weeks? At 4+ weeks of age, they could be more interested in, and ready to, eating softened food.

Can you take a photo of those kittens? We could have a guess at their age from a photo

 

[valentine445]

I think that at 3 weeks of age, they wouldn't be interested in other food than their mother's milk, but I might be wrong.
Is it possible they are older than 3 weeks? Say, 4 weeks? At 4+ weeks of age, they could be more interested in, and ready to, eating softened food.

Can you take a photo of those kittens? We could have a guess at their age from a photo

these aren't very clear but they are the most recent i have

 

[di and bob]

Yes, they look older but are thin. I'd say 4-5 weeks old. They do need some food besides milk. Softened hard food would be fine, canned would be better, but if you are going to feed them hard later it might be better to keep them on it. I want you to realize that once you start feeding them, they rely on you to continue. You are an angel to help a mama out. Is there any way to get her spayed, do you have a low-cost place around? I have the exact same scenario, one cat showed up last fall, had a litter of three, three months later two, and was pregnant again! needless to say, I took her in by getting her used to the live trap and then trapping her, and had her spayed. my vet won't spay before six months, so had the 'teenagers' trapped and done, now I have the kittens left who are now 14 weeks old. I'll have to get them in the spring. So I have 6 cats now, 4 spayed. Since she only had one boy out of all of them, I would be swimming in kittens by now. So any money you spend is well worth it in the long run. Bless you, for caring about them.....

 

[valentine445]

Yes, they look older but are thin. I'd say 4-5 weeks old. They do need some food besides milk. Softened hard food would be fine, canned would be better, but if you are going to feed them hard later it might be better to keep them on it. I want you to realize that once you start feeding them, they rely on you to continue. You are an angel to help a mama out. Is there any way to get her spayed, do you have a low-cost place around? I have the exact same scenario, one cat showed up last fall, had a litter of three, three months later two, and was pregnant again! needless to say, I took her in by getting her used to the live trap and then trapping her, and had her spayed. my vet won't spay before six months, so had the 'teenagers' trapped and done, now I have the kittens left who are now 14 weeks old. I'll have to get them in the spring. So I have 6 cats now, 4 spayed. Since she only had one boy out of all of them, I would be swimming in kittens by now. So any money you spend is well worth it in the long run. Bless you, for caring about them.....

im actually still in college and i live in a place where vets are very costly so for now i can't afford it. I've called the people who organize TNR programs here but they said they are full for the next month and that too id need to save up for. and thank you so much for trying to get all those kitties neutered, you are helping the world!!

 

[Antonio65]

They are clearly older than 3 weeks, at least 5 weeks old. Maybe even 6 weeks, so no problem with kitten canned food or softened kibbles.

 

[valentine445]

They are clearly older than 3 weeks, at least 5 weeks old. Maybe even 6 weeks, so no problem with kitten canned food or softened kibbles.

oh sorry i didn't know because they were like the size of my feet haha, plus the only kittens that young I've had were fat long haired kittens so they look a lot larger.

 

[Antonio65]

No problem at all.
I have dealt with lots of very young kittens lately, so I learned how to roughly tell their age

 

[maggie101]

They do look 5 weeks. When I had kittens on my porch I fed them purina or fancy feast those brands have a stronger smell. I assume they are fed away from anything like people walking by or lloud noises

 

[maggie101]

If you have facebook ther are groups to join and post about the kittens or if you live in the us join nextdoor and ask if theres a rescue that can help. Runt of the litter may nurse a little longer.dry food does not have a strong scent like wet so try that first