Should I Supplement

[JoyM]

I’m a foster for our local shelter and was called to foster 5 one week old kittens. I had them for 2 days before the mother was brought in and I was able to reunite the little family. She appears to be fairly young and on the small side (not in weight- just over all size).
She is a great mom but I have noticed the kittens appear to be constantly nursing and will cry and fight their spot to nurse. When I got them, they looked great so I have no reason to think she wasn’t producing enough milk for them previously. They just seem to be quite desperate to feed constantly and are rarely just sleeping.
I’m going to get a digital scale tomorrow so I can track their weight (I should have already done that) but if they aren’t getting enough, it’s been a few days since they had a bottle. Would there be any downside to supplement with a bottle a couple times a day?

 

[StefanZ]

If in any doubt, you can and should supplement. Its difficult to overfeed a kitten, but very easy to underfeed...

Depends a little on what kmr do you use... and somewhat on your experience (there are dangers with clumsy handfeeding).

Goats milk is good, so is KMR in powder. Or a kmr based on goats milk.
Weighting every day is a good help we do strongly recommend, if you dont have the experience to see by weighting in hand and eye, alike very experienced cooks have...

I understand you do ask. When I began with advising online, about 20 years ago, we advisors on that swedish site had the idea supplementing by hand was problematic; because eating via bottle is easier then nurse. So once you began to supplement by bottle the risk was great the kitten would refuse momma... So we thought it was a once for all decision, and thus, it become a touchy fine calibrated decision, when to advise an all out handraising, and how long to dare to hope momma had enough with milk. I managed OK, but it was often sweaty!
But! Alas! This hypothesis is essentially wrong...
Kittens do always prefer momma if they have a momma. They will nurse for sheer pleasure and comfort if she is empty.

Thus: if you you deem the kitten needs supplementing / handraising, do so, and the kitten will also continue to nurse momma, if there is any such possiblility...

Good luck! J JoyM

 

[di and bob]

Weighing them would definitely be the way to see if they are getting enough to eat. It wouldn't hurt at all to supplement until you get a scale and see how they are doing. 1 week old kittens should be eating 6-10cc (ml) at each feeding. 1 ounce equals 30cc. so roughly 1/4 oz. Remember they always need 'burped' too, by rubbing their back. They should be gaining 10grams/day (1/3oz) to be healthy, 7gms or less is critical. good luck, bless you for helping this little one and her family!