4 week kitten help!

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Viewing 14 posts - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)
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  • #860186
    Adrian
    Participant

    Hi guys! So I have been hand rearing a kitten since she was two day old. She found abandoned in a carport. She is now 4 weeks and 16oz but I’m having trouble getting her to eat. She’s only eating about a tablespoon of formula and I’ve had to resort to force feeding her with a syringe because she hasn’t gained weight in about three days. Ive tried to get her to eat from a shallow dish but she wants no part in that. She also is getting really aggressive with her eating and has clawed up my hands pretty good. Is there any trick to get her to start eating again?

    #860199
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    Yes, get some soft pate style wet food. Most kittens are ready to start eating soft food at this age. You can take some on your finger or a spoon and place a small amount on the roof of her mouth and see what she does. Or you can mix it with her formula. Cut the end of the nipple off so the gruel can flow through. She will be much happier with solid food in her tummy and she won’t fight and claw at the bottle like she’s doing now.

    She may be ready to start using the litter box too. Make sure you get a box that she can get in and out of easily and put plain, clay, unscented, NON clumping litter for starters. Take her paw and dig in the litter. If you have any of her poops you can put some in there. Usually cats don’t need much prompting to use the box, they pretty much figure it out on their own.

    #860203
    Adrian
    Participant

    I have tried to feed her mushy cat food but she spit it out of her mouth and won’t even try to smell it if I put it in front of her face. I’ll have to buy some actual soft foods for her to try and hope she will start eating without being forced.

    She is already started in the litter box because she peed on me and my bed twice! Now when she wakes up and starts crying I’m quick to put her in it. I’m just using dirt from outside for her “litter” because unfortunately (though I’m trying to persuade otherwise) my parents say she has to go outside once she’s old enough. I make sure to clean her paws and bottom so that she isn’t ingesting any dirt when she cleans herself.

    #860208
    Alex
    Participant

    It’s important that she gets enough moisture. Wet food and water will help with that (rather than dry food).
    Like Kittyzee said, pate is good.

    Did you also try to give her kitten milk? Does she drink that?

    #860213
    Adrian
    Participant

    Yes she is still on KMR and for some reason late yesterday evening she decided to start eating again and has already gained a half ounce. I don’t think I have ever been so happy to see her inhale two tablespoons without a fuss.

    Maybe starting in a few days I’ll get her some canned food to mix with her formula and see if she’ll start eating that.

    #860214
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    Yes, persistence is the key here. Keep offering. One of the best ways to get it down them is the wet food/formula mix in the bottle with the end of the nipple cut off. You can regulate the flow by tipping the bottle up for faster, and down for slower. You don’t want it too fast when they are hungry and clawing at the bottle, they could aspirate the milk and cause pneumonia.

    #860281
    cindy
    Participant

    Some weaning foods I like are blue wilderness kitten chicken recipe pate style not flaked, royal cat babycat instinctive loaf in sauce, royal canon recovery rs(my vet said most vets office will sell this without a prescription, even though I think technically it is a prescription food), and beechnut chicken baby food. Other kitten food I find too difficult to eat at four weeks. Good Luck

    #860286
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    Sheba Perfect Portions pate style is very, very soft and has it’s own juice too. It is the most palatable for a kitten that I have found. And the little plastic containers are perfect for a kitten.

    #860311
    Adrian
    Participant

    Thank you for all the suggestions. I’ll check them out and see if she will start with soft foods. She has been drinking her formula and has gained 3.5oz so far! She still gives me a bit of trouble but i think she’s just been trying to tell me she isn’t hungry at that exact moment.

    #860314
    Kincaid
    Participant

    Nutro pate for kittens, Nutri Source, and Royal Canin Recovery are all FANTASTIC brands! Our Lilith loves them all, in every recipe available for kittens.

    Whole Earth Farms is also a very good brand, and we’ve started Lilith on their kitten kibble with good results. Good luck to you!

    #860340
    Alex
    Participant

    Ah, thats good to hear!!

    #860400
    Adrian
    Participant

    Me again. So I bought her the Sheba perfect portions and tried introducing it to her but she just looks at it and runs away. She still takes her bottle and I’ve even tried to put it in with her formula but she knows it’s in there and will run away. Is it maybe the smell of it? I got the Gourmet Chicken & Tuna (didn’t like it) and Signature Seafood (haven’t tried this one.) She’s 5 weeks today so I know she should be getting ready for soft foods.

    P.s. my parents say that there is a possibility that she’ll be able to stay in the house!! She has started growing on them and reminds my mom of a tortoiseshell cat we had for years so that’s helping her out. I had been hoping that she would cute her way into their hearts and be allowed to stay inside and it looks like that is happening. Fingers crossed.

    #860401
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    Yes, be patient. She is only 5 weeks old and most cats that I have hand reared are just not interested in food yet. Just keep trying. I put the food in a little saucer with the formula warmed up poured on top now and my kitten loves it. This is how you can introduce her to it, little bits at a time, and she will go for it soon.

    #860549
    Adrian
    Participant

    Woo! So she actually weaned herself by refusing her bottle a few days ago. She’s been eating the pate pretty good now but she’s starting to get diarrhea and I’m not sure what to do. She completely refuses to drink any formula by itself and will only eat the pate. Will giving her less watered down gruel help her? I heard that pumpkin helps like a fiber supplement since she hasn’t quite figured out how to drink water from her bowl yet. She’s still a rambunctious little kitten and is steadily gaining weight.

    Thanks for all the help!

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