When will they drink from a bowl?

India

I agree…and I love to bottle feed them.

Out here kittens are fed cow’s milk, and they do survive…

If you tell someone in India that cow’s milk is bad, they will jeer at you and make you feel like a fool by narrating stories of how they raised kittens only on cow’s milk. Older kittens are fed with fish and rice, or whatever the family eats…even bread.

I have read a lot about how lactose in cow’s milk causes diarrhea. Therefore I have avoided cow’s milk. Human newborn baby formula is the only option I have.

There are pet stores out here, but they do not have KMR or the like. In fact, these pet stores advise you to feed the kittens with human baby formula. There is not much of a market for KMR or any kind of processed pet food (except for dog food).

Hey Soxsmom, thanks for writing. I’ll let the kittens enjoy the bottle for a little while longer.

Thanks Soxsmom

Hey Skyron, I think you have a point. I guess, just like human babies, they will refuse to be weaned from the bottle. So I will try to introduce the bowl whenever I can. And if they still refuse it, they can always be comforted by drinking from a bottle.

Thanks Skyron. Hope Stumpie is doing well.

Hello Khom,

Here are some pics that I shared on TDK earlier:

http://i977.photobucket.com/albums/ae256/willtoway/SDC11553mintfacepepperback.jpg

http://i977.photobucket.com/albums/ae256/willtoway/fastasleepinnewbasket.jpg

http://i977.photobucket.com/albums/ae256/willtoway/kissing.jpg

I guess the kittens were 2 and a half weeks old then. Some of the pics are blurry because they move too much and my camera does not catch moving pictures well unless I use the flash. Will try to get some recent pics.

I have already bought some shallow dishes that won’t topple over. I tried feeding them baby food with cereals in it. They rejected it right away. Maybe I should try baby food with chicken in it.

I live on the periphery of Mumbai City. You must be aware that it is called the financial capital of India. This is where Bollywood, the Hindi film industry is. It is the Hollywood of Indian movies, and therefore it is so named. It is also the city where the 11/26 terrorist attacks took place at the hotels Taj and Oberoi last November.

Hey Khom, thanks for keeping in touch.

I have been in Mumbai all my life. Yes, Mumbai is very packed indeed. This is because the villages are very much underdeveloped, and therefore people move to the cities in search of livelihood. Some places never close down and are very crowded even throughout the night and the next morning. That’s why I moved to the outskirts which is comparatively less polluted and less crowded. Commuting by train is just miserable; therefore I have set myself up in such a way that I do not have to use the trains.

I tried to introduce the bowl (actually a shallow dish) when the kittens were very hungry, but they flatly refused it. In fact, they ran away from it, jumped into their basket and stopped crying for milk 🙂 They repeat this behavior whenever I try to put them near the dish. So I had to give them the bottle.

Talking about cereals, there are many families in India that are pure vegetarians. Their cats eat chapatis. You may be aware that a chapati (or roti) is a kind of flat unleavened bread made of wheat dough. It’s a staple food. I guess the poor hungry cats have no other option.

Also, canned or bottled baby foods are rarely found in India. There isn’t much of a market for those. I tried giving them grueled fish, but they refused it too. I guess I’ll have to keep trying till they are ready for it.

Khom,

Good to know of your Indian connection. My kittens run from chapatis too.

In India, people love cats but they are very much ignorant about them. They do not know that cow’s milk is bad. That is why, most people feed their cats with cow’s milk when they are weaned. No one specially prepares any kind of food for cats. Most cats feed on leftovers from meals. So making puree or buying canned food is the last thing one would do. In fact, some of my neighbors find it strange that I prepare food for my kittens.

Out here cats are not vaccinated or spayed/ neutered. They are never taken to vets. They thrive on their own. It is survival of the fittest. However, things are changing.

Yes, I’m gonna keep Pepper and Mint. They are family now.

Both have learned to eat fish, chicken and egg yolk, and have just begun to eat liver. Mint is putting on some weight, but Pepper continues to be tiny. They drink water from a bowl, but will refuse to drink milk (baby formula) unless fed in a bottle. They love the attention and will continue to suck on the nipple till they fall asleep.

Here’s a video of them playing:

http://s977.photobucket.com/albums/ae256/willtoway/?action=view&current=mintandpepperplayingonsofa.flv

You may also find some pics on the site.