My cat had her very first litter of kittens and they are a little over five weeks old, I read online that kittens should start to eat soft canned cat food at 4-5 weeks old, but they won't eat any.
My mom and I both tried putting some on our finger and putting it up to their noses so they can smell it, we've made them sit and watch their mom eat it like we were suggested to do online, we've mixed it with kitten formula and we've even put it on the end of their noses so they can lick it off, but even when they do they won't eat it off a saucer, spoon or our fingers.
We've also tried to soak hard cat food in the formula to soften it up to see if they would eat it, but they didn't. And we've also tried to entice them with Tuna, but they wouldn't eat that either.
The other day one of the kittens looked like it was trying to go poop so my mom told me to get the cat box so they can learn to use it, but they tried to eat the kitty litter, my mom and me got it out of their mouth before they swallowed it though.
Why would the kittens find kitty litter more appetizing then soft cat food that they're supposed to eat? Is there a special kind of soft cat food that we need to get, or can you give us any tips on what we can do? We're giving them formula right now, but we can't give it to them forever and I don't want them to starve to death.
We're giving them formula because the mom refuses to let them nurse unless she's asleep or eating, every time they try to nurse when she's awake and not eating she'll lie on her stomach so they can't reach the nipples, she'll beat them up or she'll run off. My mom has been using a syringe to feed them because the nipple on the bottle she got is too big for them to suck on, but one doesn't like to eat from it and seems to be malnourished and doesn't seem like she's going to make it.
We've been giving them the paste kind of soft cat food, we've tried the following brands of soft cat food; 9 lives, Frisky's and Ever Pet.
My mom and I both tried putting some on our finger and putting it up to their noses so they can smell it, we've made them sit and watch their mom eat it like we were suggested to do online, we've mixed it with kitten formula and we've even put it on the end of their noses so they can lick it off, but even when they do they won't eat it off a saucer, spoon or our fingers.
We've also tried to soak hard cat food in the formula to soften it up to see if they would eat it, but they didn't. And we've also tried to entice them with Tuna, but they wouldn't eat that either.
The other day one of the kittens looked like it was trying to go poop so my mom told me to get the cat box so they can learn to use it, but they tried to eat the kitty litter, my mom and me got it out of their mouth before they swallowed it though.
Why would the kittens find kitty litter more appetizing then soft cat food that they're supposed to eat? Is there a special kind of soft cat food that we need to get, or can you give us any tips on what we can do? We're giving them formula right now, but we can't give it to them forever and I don't want them to starve to death.
We're giving them formula because the mom refuses to let them nurse unless she's asleep or eating, every time they try to nurse when she's awake and not eating she'll lie on her stomach so they can't reach the nipples, she'll beat them up or she'll run off. My mom has been using a syringe to feed them because the nipple on the bottle she got is too big for them to suck on, but one doesn't like to eat from it and seems to be malnourished and doesn't seem like she's going to make it.
We've been giving them the paste kind of soft cat food, we've tried the following brands of soft cat food; 9 lives, Frisky's and Ever Pet.