Queen Not Feeding Her Kittens Enough / 5 Weeks Old

[Zyo]

Hello,

I have noticed that my kittens are underweight and boney. I rarely see the mother cat feeding them and I've tried to get their interest in diluted milk (and non-diluted milk) and tried kitten food.
I've locked her and her kitties in a room so she can feed them but she just gets up somewhere high away from them. I feed her separately from the other adult cats to make sure she gets nutrition to produce milk. I don't have a bottle or money for one to feed them myself.

Is there anything I can do? I don't want them to be hungry and die.

Thanks.

 

[Kieka]

Do you have access to goat's milk? Goats milk can replace mothers milk for kittens. If not you'd need to find the money for KMR or make your own with one of these formulas, Do You Need to Bottle Feed a Kitten? Here's How.

A bottle you can replace by asking for a syringe at a pharmacy or buying a cheap syringe at the store (take off the needle of course). If you live in an area with a clean needle program you can also ask them for one or if you have any friends in the medical field they can probably help you out. Just be sure to feed very slowly because you don't want to accidentally get milk in their lungs.

But it sounds like Mom isn't feeding them so it is up to you.

 

[Kieka]

How old are they?

I forgot to ask, if they are under four weeks they can't eat wet kitten food yet. Over four weeks you might be able to wean them. Try mixing goat's milk, or one of the KMR options with wet food to make a slurry. You can syringe feed it until they figure out how to eat on their own, but only for older kittens.

I forgot, you might be able to explain the situation to a vets office and get a syringe from them too.

 

[Willowy]

The subject line says they're 5 weeks old, right? It's definitely time to introduce solids. Use canned kitten food mixed with water or milk to make it a milkshake consistency (if you can't get kitten formula, canned evaporated milk or goat milk is fine. Fresh cow's milk usually causes tummy trouble). Dab a little on their noses or paws to get them to lick it off, and encourage them to lick it off your finger. If they're really hungry they should get the idea pretty quickly. They're too young for dry food though.

 

[Kieka]

The subject line says they're 5 weeks old, right?

Reading comprehension fail.

This link may help, Weaning