Bottlefed kitten scratches at bottle when trying to feed

Welcome to TDK, and thank you for rescuing the little one.

Is he scratching or is he trying to knead? When a kitten feeds off mama cat, he kneads her tummy on each side of the nipple to make the milk come out. If that’s what it looks like he is trying to do, then wrap the hand you hold the bottle with in something soft (old fleece works great. Grasp the bottle close enough to the nipple so that the little guy’s feet can knead on the fleece.

Kittens don’t poop every day. They usually go every other day. Kitten Milk Replacement (you aren’t using cow’s milk, are you?) tends to constipate them a bit, especially the already liquid kind. Putting a little oil in the formula helps and using the dry KMR and mixing it yourself will also help.

I’ve added “orphan” and “handraising” to the links in the right hand corner – there is some good info on those threads.

How soon will we be seeing pictures of the little one? We love kitten pictures.

No, really, the frantic scratching is kneading. It just seems worse cause he’s hungry for food. Have you tried keeping his feeds on a schedule? Like every 3 hours, so he can come to know and expect when his food will come, so he doesnt get so frantic? With food its usually more of a mental thing if they’ve gone hungry for a long period of time in their lives, that they seem so eager for it all the time. Also, you should consider taking him to the vet to be dewormed. Its possible he could have parasites that are getting more of the nurishment from the milk than he is.

Aww such an adorable little Orangie! Thanks so much for rescuing him. Do you have a heating pad for him? He can’t regulate his body temp yet and they won’t feed or be able to digest food if they’re cold. Just put the heat pad to one side so he can get off it or put a hot water bottle with a towel on it so he can snuggle up.

He is absolutely adorable. I hope the vet will fit him in on Monday. It’s always comforting to hear that you are doing all the right things. Does he have a name yet or are you waiting for him to let you know what he wants to be named?

I’m glad he had a good check-up. He is just the cutest little thing. The picture of him with his Beanie Baby is darling.

What a little cutie-pie. Bless you for taking care of this special baby. He’s simply adorable. I hope you guys have many years together.

First check that the nipple isn’t blocked and that the hole is large enough. Then make sure the formula hasn’t gone ‘off’. (It’s not usually a good idea to make up a whole day’s formula at a time.) If both of those things check out okay, then he may be letting you know he’s about ready to start weaning.

If he’s ready to eat from a plate, make it a very swallow one like a saucer rather than a bowl. Start with just formula in the saucer. You will probably have to put him in front of it, then wipe some milk onto his little lips. If he’s ready to wean, he’ll figure it out within a day. Once he has mastered lapping milk, the you can make a mushy mixture of wet food and milk. Pick a mild flavor and stay with one flavor for a while. Switching what goes into the front end can make a real mess out of what comes from the back end.

I am no expert by any means, but I would not use a paper plate. The formula will soak into it too quickly and I’d worry about kitty getting the paper in his system. Doesn’t have to be a saucer… a plate of any kind would work. Just so the sides are not high, like a bowl.