Bottlefed kitten scratches at bottle when trying to feed

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  • #609642
    wendydelmo
    Participant

    Mine did that when they were ready to wean (and I didn’t know it) the first time I put canned food on a spoon and held it down to a plate with milk on it, Chubbie just took a lick, then started chowing down! By nightfall all 4 kits were eating solid food, and by the next night, no one wanted a bottle anymore!

    #609643
    CheetahBoysmommy
    Participant

    If you don’t have a plate or saucer that might work, try a Tupperware lid, or a casserole lid or even the lid to something wide like a peanut butter jar. Just make sure if you take the lid of food, that it’s really clean.

    One of the reasons you need a shallow dish is so his little whiskers don’t touch the sides when he puts his head in. Cats tell distances with their whiskers; when something touches them the cat knows the area is too narrow for him. Then he pulls his head back. Unless, of course, he is knowingly sticking his head into something to get to the people food/drink in it – then it’s ‘full speed ahead, whiskers be damned.’

    #609644
    Lisacat65
    Participant

    Thanks everyone. Well, I just tried to give him warm formula on a plate. I put my finger in it and put it on his mouth. He walked in it and off of the plate onto the floor. I tried this a few times, then ended up dribbling it into his mouth again from the bottle. I will keep trying to see if he is ready. I don’t know why he won’t suck anymore. He is now getting to where he wakes up from his nap and YELLS LOUDLY!! LOL, I hope that means he is healthy. I may have to put him somewhere else tonight so that I can at least sleep for 4 hrs. at a time. I don’t mind feeding him 5-10cc’s every few hours today, but I will be worn out if I don’t sleep tonight. He has to do better by this weekend because I will be at for for 12 hrs. on Friday and Saturday and I just don’t see my husband or teenage girls feeding him every 2 hrs. I just don’t want him to get sick. I love it when he runs-wobbles across the floor to me!! Thanks again.

    #609645
    Skyron
    Participant

    royal canin makes stuff called babycat mousse. Its a very soft meaty paste for weaning kittens. I always use it for their first 2 ‘weaning’ meals, it works a treat. They cant resist it, you can even mix it into their formula to give it more nutritional weight, so he’ll be full for longer. I always just take a blob of it on my finger and smear it on/inside their mouth so they have to lick it off and taste it. If you cant get the mousse, any soft wet food could also work, but just use small amounts, cause it tends to give them the runs . . .

    #609646
    Lisacat65
    Participant

    Thanks, I will look for the babycat mousse tomorrow at Petsmart. I bought some Gerber baby food “chicken & chicken broth” and mixed it with a little bit of warm formula and rubbed in on his mouth but he didn’t act like he cared. Oh well, I will keep trying. He actually just sucked a little bit of his bottle this feeding. I got him to take 10cc. I mixed his formula with pedialyte instead of water since he isn’t taking as much as he used to. Oh, I called and checked on his two brothers and they are doing fine. They are drinking from a bottle and using a litterbox. I need to buy some litter tomorrow, all I have is the clumping type and I read not to use that kind. I am glad to hear his brothers are doing fine.

    #609647
    Lisacat65
    Participant

    Hi everyone!

    I have another kitty question. I bought the nonclumping type of litter for his litter box. I put him in it and scratched his front paws around in it. Then he started to EAT the litter!! I don’t want to do anything to hurt this guy. Some of the litter chunks are kind of big, I think he could get choked on it. But, I read somewhere that the clumping litter can harm the kitten’s eyes and they may eat it. What should I do? Please help!

    #609648
    Buttercup
    Participant

    Oh the little dickens! maybe you should just use torn up newspapers or there is a litter made of that at Petsmart(forgot the name sorry) until the little silly is sure what to eat. He sure is a cute one.

    #609649
    CheetahBoysmommy
    Participant

    Kittens have a bad habit of swallowing litter, either off their feet or just ’cause they play in it. That’s one of the main reasons you don’t want clumping litter for a kitten.

    Try putting shredded newspaper on top of the litter. The paper won’t hurt him if he chomps a bit of it and the litter will absorb whatever he deposits. Plus he’ll get use to the smell of the litter and start to equate it with elimination.

    #609650
    Lisacat65
    Participant

    Thanks so much guys! I am going to try something different tonight. I am going to let him have some roaming around room in the bathroom. I am going to put the “newspaper” litter box in one spot, some kitten chow mixed with a little water and chicken baby food, and a nice warm sleeping spot. I hope he likes all of this. He tends to get mad now if he is put in his little carrier. Let me go shred some paper now! 🙂

    #609651
    ladysky61
    Participant

    OMG. Your kitten is sooo adorable. Who is the black cat in the photo on Catster? He looks like a sweety. Is he or she being nice to Lazarus? I hope this older cat can teach the younger one the ropes of being a cat:

    1) Meow cutely when you did something you shouldn’t have

    2)Train your servants to get up and feed you on YOUR schedule

    3)climb high on furnature to get a good view of your “servants” working

    4)the curl-up in lap and purr move

    #609652
    Lisacat65
    Participant

    Thanks everyone. Lazarus just ate 20ccs. from his bottle. I put him in his litterbox and he used it!! Yay! His stool is now runny yellow, but not a lot. I am still mixing his kmr with Pedialyte, so hopefully he will be fine. This morning, one of my other cats decided to king of make friends with Lazarus! He wasn’t hissing at him anymore and decided to groom him and clean his bottom! I posted this new picture on Caster.com. I am watching George closely with Lazarus because he gets very, very frisky sometimes and I don’t want him to hurt little Lazarus.

    Well, tonight will me a milestone because I have to go to work for 12 hrs! I hope my husband and daughters can handle Lazarus. Please keep us in your prayers!

    Thanks again everyone for the tips and help! I love looking at all of your kitty pictures. They are all beautiful.

    #609653
    CheetahBoysmommy
    Participant

    If George has decided he is going to be ‘mother’ to Lazarus, he will be very protective of the baby. Once the maternal instinct has been turned on in a cat (male of female), it almost always lasts as long as it would if the kitten was actually the grown cat’s real baby.

    #609654
    Lisacat65
    Participant

    You guys are SO smart and helpful! I mean it!! Lazarus is doing great! On Friday, I tried some of the canned Royal canin kitten food mixed with some warm milk. It was a great success! He is still eating it mixed with formula this morning! He had a great weekend with my family while I worked all weekend. Plus his big brother, George is still being nice to him and grooming him and gently playing with him. Also, his stools are more formed! Thanks for your great help!

    #609655
    JB
    Participant

    Yay, so glad Lazarus is doing so well. The picture with George is priceless, so glad he decided to step in and help with the baby. Lazarus will do so much better with a cat mentor as well as your loving care.

    If I didn’t tell you personally earlier –“I consider everyone who rescues a baby like this and bottle feeds a true Hero!” I am eternally grateful to the unknown (to me) person who did this for my boy who was orphaned at birth and is now the handsome speciman in my avatar.

    #609656
    libbykate09
    Participant

    Oh my goodness, Lazarus is adorable! I love the picture with the beanie baby and the one with George. Those are priceless. You sound like you’re doing an excellent job with him. 🙂

    #609657
    pucca
    Participant

    I love his little feet in the last picture, and his smile too.

    #609658
    DuchessMom
    Participant

    Although some of the questions have been answered, I would say that Lazarus may be ready for more wet food? Duchess originally ate about 3-4 hours, and then after awhile she started wanting to eat 2-3 hours when she was around 4-5 weeks which is the time I actually began weaning her. It did take about two more weeks but still she was more hungry because her appetite was increasing for regular food.

    I think you’re doing a great job, and I’m not sure how old Lazarus is now, but I’m sure he is doing fine. I’m glad he has a little helper. I hope he’s doing better.

    #609659
    Lisacat65
    Participant

    Thanks everybody! Lazarus is about 4 weeks old now. He has changed so much in 1 week! He really likes that Royal Canin canned food mixed with his formula! I only bought one can of it though. He will eat the Fancy Feast canned kitten food mixed with his formula, but he likes the Royal Canin better. I will have to go to Petsmart tomorrow and buy him a lot more. I ruined some of his favorite bottles and nipples on Sunday. I was boiling them and walked away! Bad, bad Lisa! Thank goodness my oldest daughter smelled the burning and took it off the stove! He still wants his bottle sometimes. I wish I hadn’t ruined them!! I still am so amazed how George has stepped in to help me out!

    #609660
    HuddysMama
    Participant

    George loves his brother Lazarus. They are so adorable, Lisa. Hugs for little Lazarus and big George.

    #609661
    Lisacat65
    Participant

    Thanks for the compliments! I sure do love my sweet boy kitties! I think that I might need to find Lazarus a bigger “litter box”. I have been using a pie plate, but he keeps jumping out of it, and looking elsewhere. I think I have some shirt boxes in the attic, I think that is a good size for him. I bought some “Kitten Attract” to lure him into the litter box, but if there is too much, he eats it. So, I have shredded newspaper with a little of the attract sprinkled in the bottom. I am washing some throw rugs that he used the bathroom on too. Maybe he will get the hang of it again. I can’t believe how fast he gets around now. I still can’t get over how much help George is with my little Lazarus! Thanks again, everyone for you help!!

Viewing 20 posts - 21 through 40 (of 62 total)
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