Weaning 5 week old kitten…

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  • #833700
    Taryn
    Participant

    I started weaning my little guy at 4 weeks, and he took to wet kitten food like he’s been eating it since he was born! He doesn’t necessarily bottle feed, more like dropper feed. He never took to a bottle, so we fed him with an eye dropper. I got him to drink his kmr from a saucer a couple of times but he just doesn’t seem to care to drink his kmr that way. He will however eat his wet kitten food with his kmr mixed in, but he won’t even try to drink any water. He is now 5 weeks old, and was wondering how can I get him to drink water? Am I trying to start him on drinking water too soon? I still feed him his kmr in fear of him getting dehydrated. Just looking for some advice, I would love to get him completely off of kmr and onto kitten food and water!

    #833704
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Welcome to TDK land Taryn,

    Concats on rescuing your wee boy. He’s getting enough liquids from the milk so it’s not critical to get him on water right now. All kittens develop at their own pace so it may be couple weeks before he drinks water. Here’s some go to links that TDK meowmies use very often.

    http://messybeast.com/handrear.htm
    http://www.safehavenforcats.com/newborn.htm

    Chaos’ Guide to Constipation

    If you have any concerns, let us know and keep in touch. You should put your guy’s pic on Add Your Kitten post. You’ll need a program like Photobucket.com (it’s free).

    PG

    #833706
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    Taryn, don’t worry about the water. Just provide it and he will figure it out. If you are feeding him wet food with the kmr, that’s good because kittns usually aren’t weaned until about 8 to 10 weeks. He will get the moisture he needs from the wet food and kmr. If you are feeding him dry kitten food WETTED with the kmr, then make sure you take it up in a few hours as it will grow bacteria, and make him sick. Dry food for a male cat isn’t recommended anyway as it can cause crystals to form in the bladder which can cause a Urinary Tract Infection and other problems. Sounds like he is doing great and there’s nothing better (and easier) than feeding wet food with the kmr mixed in!

    #833707
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    Oops PG, we posted at the same time! We are on the same page though!! 😛

    #833783
    Taryn
    Participant

    Thank you so much!

    Another question, you said dry food isn’t ideal for male cats due to crystals forming in their urine? Should I steer clear from dry food when he’s an adult? I’ve actually had two male cats pass away from crystals in the urine causing a blockage. Our first one we didn’t get to the Vet in time and the second one was terrible miscommunication between the veterinarian and the other workers and unfortunately had to put him to sleep. I absolutely do not think I can take another cat getting a blockage, resulting in surgery. So I want to make sure my little boy gets the best of everything!

    #833784
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    Taryn, I posted a link that has a lot of information for you in feeding your cat. I have another link, but it’s not on this computer, so I will have to post it later. You asked me about steering clear of dry food when he’s an adult. I feed my boy a MEAL of it in the evening. I do not free feed any of my cats. They get wet food, water present at all times, and an evening meal of good quality dry food. Dry food all the time sucks the moisture out of your cat. Cats get most of the moisture they need from their food, whether it’s raw, wet, etc. So sorry to hear of the loss of your cats to crystals, it can be a devastating process for you and your cat.

    http://feline-nutrition.org/

    #833788
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Taryn,

    You can keep him on Goats’ milk until he’s weaned.

    Once my girl was diagnosed with struvite crystals I put on her on Royal Canin Urinalysis dry food. That was 4 years ago and she hasn’t had any problems since then. It’s a prescription food and expensive. If you can’t afford Royal Canin then get Purina one special care urinary tract adult cat. I’ve heard it’s a good food too. Both encourage cats to drink more water. Both can be purchased at Petsmart.

    As KZ said you give him wet food for breakfast and a serving of dry food at night. You should have at least 2 sources of water in the house. Please don’t use plastic bowls as they can have BPAs. Here’s another link that may help you.

    http://pets.webmd.com/cats/guide/cat-urinary-tract-problems

    Keep in touch. You haven’t told us your guy’s name/

    PG

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