Hello I have two 5 week old kittens and I can not get them to eat solid food so I have been doing kitten milk supplement and feeding it through an medicine dropper...they refuse to take bottle and the mother is refusing to feed them.... any ideas for different methods would be appreciated.
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Trouble feeding little kittens
- Thread starter pez0903
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How long has their mother not been feeding them? It's possible that she is in heat and distracted, but will resume shortly. Please do not let her outside or around intact males until she has been spayed. She can already get pregnant again.
For the kittens, they must eat. Continue offering them wet kitten food mixed with kmr on small plates. They should get the idea eventually. Until then, give them a drop of food in the cheek at a time with a needleless syringe or a dropper. Feed them belly down and head up. Babies with moms won't take a bottle. They'll understand that you are a source of food soon.
For the kittens, they must eat. Continue offering them wet kitten food mixed with kmr on small plates. They should get the idea eventually. Until then, give them a drop of food in the cheek at a time with a needleless syringe or a dropper. Feed them belly down and head up. Babies with moms won't take a bottle. They'll understand that you are a source of food soon.
I always have much more success with a syringe than with a dropper. Get a 20mm syringe (without needle of course) from the pharmacy and fill it with formula, then introduce it to the side of the mouth and squeeze in little squirts gently so they have to swallow it. This way is both better for getting enough into them and you can measure how much they get.
At 5 weeks they should be starting more solid food, but sometimes if kittens are not getting enough to eat they will ignore all new food and just be desperate for what they know. So take it gently and keep trying, but don't force them. Try them with a bowl of formula first, to teach them to lap, then gradually mix it with ktten food into soup.
Weigh them if you can to ensure they are gaining weight, that is always reassuring.
At 5 weeks they should be starting more solid food, but sometimes if kittens are not getting enough to eat they will ignore all new food and just be desperate for what they know. So take it gently and keep trying, but don't force them. Try them with a bowl of formula first, to teach them to lap, then gradually mix it with ktten food into soup.
Weigh them if you can to ensure they are gaining weight, that is always reassuring.
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- #4
The mother has been not feeding now for about three days now. I have been feeding kitten supplement four times a day for the last two. The one is getting better still have to syringe her but she is getting stronger. The other one is holding on but he isn't as active as the other two. He walks around and he is getting out of the cage and goes and lays next to the heat register. They have purrs and they fight when feed but they will not take it from a plate or bottle. I am trying every thing I can think of to keep them going.
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- #5
Try feeding them Gerber turkey or chicken baby food. Most kittens love it and will lick it from a paper plate or your finger. It sounds to me like they both need more food, especially the one kitten. How much have you been giving them? Can you get Gerber? Five-week-old kittens need quite a bit of food!
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If you wrap them up in a towel like a burrito you may have better luck holding them still! They should both be fed by syringe for now. Mom can be spayed any time now.
At five weeks old they are old enough to lick Gerber food. If you continue to feed by syringe, you need to get more food into them. The one kitten sounds like it's starving. A 5-week-old kitten should weigh at least a pound. This means each kitten needs 128 mL's of formula MINIMUM per day. How much have you been giving?
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- #9
I took them to the vet... the one had problems from get go and he passed this morning the other one is now eatting from a plate and is eating about a half of can of wet cat food a sitting.... all the kittens have had free food rein since they started and mom quit feeding them.... hey are getting there but thank u for all the suggestions....I will do the gerber foods
So sorry about the little one, but glad the others are doing well. Thank you for the update!
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