My son brought home a 3-4 week old kitten that he found at his grandma’s house. We’re trying to feed her formula via bottle but she just chews on it, she takes some by syringe but only a max of 6 ml when by weight (11.6 oz) she should be taking closer to 14 ml a feeding. She very interested in a gruel made of wet food and formula as long as she can lick it off our fingers though. Is this okay? Is she ready to start weaning herself? She’s peeing and pooping just fine and her gums are still pink.
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Kitten not eating recommended amount of formula
- Thread starter mommykidd
- Start Date
Yes, it sounds like she is ready to begin weaning, especially if she has her baby teeth and is beginning to chew on the nipple. She will get all she needs from her gruel, which you should offer initially about 6 times a day. As she grows she will eat more at each feeding and you can eventually cut back to 4 times a day. Begin leaving dry kitten chow for her to snack on between meals.
She’s adorable!
She’s adorable!
Seconded that it sounds like she is ready for gruel. Good luck!
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- #4
Thank you, it’s been a while since I’ve done bottle babies so I looked online and it kept saying no food until 5 weeks but I thought I remembered doing this around 3.5 weeks before.
Yes, it sounds like she is ready to begin weaning, especially if she has her baby teeth and is beginning to chew on the nipple. She will get all she needs from her gruel, which you should offer initially about 6 times a day. As she grows she will eat more at each feeding and you can eventually cut back to 4 times a day. Begin leaving dry kitten chow for her to snack on between meals.
She’s adorable!
Its a little early as they usually arent interested in cat food before 5 weeks. But if she takes so she takes. And its OK, It shouldnt be any medical problems out of this. I know cat food had been tried even earlier, in desperate cases with orphans where the rescuer hadnt no kmr nor goats milk.
Wet food is more energhy tight than kmr, so the absolute amount will be less.
I wonder, how often are you giving her the food, 6 ml at a time? If you could give her 6ml but more often? This is often the trick.
As overall rule, the time table on most kmr bottle labels is too seldom. What they recommend are the minimum, comfortable to the owner.
We here on this Forum, recommend every 2 hours as standard, with variations according to necessity and possibility...
Of course, a healthy 3-4 weeks may have longer interwalls. between feedings. IF her appetite is good enough. But if itsnt, then you must willy nilly try with shorter intervalls.
Ps. Please send my greetings to your wonderful son with his heart in the right place!
Wet food is more energhy tight than kmr, so the absolute amount will be less.
I wonder, how often are you giving her the food, 6 ml at a time? If you could give her 6ml but more often? This is often the trick.
As overall rule, the time table on most kmr bottle labels is too seldom. What they recommend are the minimum, comfortable to the owner.
We here on this Forum, recommend every 2 hours as standard, with variations according to necessity and possibility...
Of course, a healthy 3-4 weeks may have longer interwalls. between feedings. IF her appetite is good enough. But if itsnt, then you must willy nilly try with shorter intervalls.
Ps. Please send my greetings to your wonderful son with his heart in the right place!
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- #6
We were going off her hunger cues, but today I’m going to implement a mandatory 4 hour feed. Yesterday she was sticking to 4 hours pretty much all day until it got dark and then she just snuggled in her box with her bunny that my mom bought her to keep her company and slept. This morning she was cleaning her bunny and looking for a nipple on its ear so I made her bottle and she ate 4 ml and fell asleep. I’m thinking she just doesn’t cry until she’s starving and then gets tired as soon as she gets food in her tummy.
I think a strict schedule is the right way to go!
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- #8
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- #9
One more update: she’s now drinking 8 ml every 3 hours and a tablespoon of gruel a day from a spoon. She’s gained 1/2 an oz every day bringing her up to 12.5 oz. However she hasn’t pooped in two days, I added a couple drops of olive oil after reading that on another thread. She’s still peeing and has gotten very playful and exploratory with her environment. Should I be concerned about the lack of poop or should I just add the olive oil and wait for it to work?
Have you tried stimulating her? Some little ones still need help when they are that young.
Kitten Care - View All — Kitten Lady
Kitten Care - View All — Kitten Lady
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- #11
We stimulate before and after every feeding. She was pooping but she hasn’t the last couple days. She doesn’t seem distressed or even bloated. Today she decided she’s tired of being in her box and demands to follow my son or myself through the house during our chores. She also wanted more gruel today during our lunch time and refused her last bottle except for a couple sips. We offered it between every bite of gruel.
Wow! I’m impressed! She’s doing great!
I would keep adding olive oil and wait a bit. It’s probably the addition of gruel that’s changed things.
I would keep adding olive oil and wait a bit. It’s probably the addition of gruel that’s changed things.
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- #13
Awesome! 
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- #15
She just surprised me by pooping on her own. We’ve been stimulating her while she’s been sitting in a litter box ( my son’s idea to train her early) and when I say her in it after her last bottle she started digging so I gave her a moment and she dug a hole and pooped in it! I went ahead and stimulated after to make sure her bladder was empty, but yay Jewels!!!!
