What are your tips to get an 4-5 wk. old orphaned kitten to wean? (kittens, eating) - Cats - - City-Data Forum

HappyFarm34 · 09-21-2017, 08:01 AM

Few days ago, my brother found an orphaned kitten. It looks about 4-5 weeks old and weighs .6 ounces. He/She doesn't look too terribly underweight. The kitten is had gained a bit of strength in 2 days starting to run around a bit and being curious of its surroundings in the house.
I think it's going through a growth spurt now since it was eating a lot this morning from the bottle. It wouldn't lick any of the milk from my finger or small saucer bowl.

Is it too early yet to make a slurry, a mixture of kitten formula & wet canned food? I was thinking of putting some inside a bottle to try to encourage it to wean or put some on the nipple part. Only issue it looks tiny for its age. Should I wait it out a bit longer? The kitten already has its 2 teeth on top & bottom. Not sure if its a girl or boy.

Edit to add... I have a 4yr. old neutered male cat. He isn't too fond of the kitten and hisses a lot. And a 5yr old small, friendly dog who is curious about the kitten

jaynarie · 09-21-2017, 12:17 PM

Call your vet and see what they recommend.

My cat was caught in a fence around 4 weeks old. A coworker found her and had planned on keeping her, but they decided against it. They had had her around a week at that point. I volunteered to take her. I took her to the vet on the way home because I wanted to make sure she was OK and I wasn't sure what I should be feeding her. (They had been feeding her cheap canned food; they thought she was older than she actually was.) The vet determined she was younger than initially thought- at this point about 5 weeks, meaning she was eating the garbage canned food at 4 weeks. I cannot remember what food he recommended, but it was a dry food. If I remember correctly, it was a softer dry food- not crunchy. It came in a resealable bag. Sort of like how treats can come, just a bigger bag- maybe a pound or so.

I know I'm not much help, lol. It has been over 8 years. But what I'm getting at is there are options outside of a formula or milk. If it is small for its size, I would definitely explore options. From someone who knows (or can at least remember) these things!

greatblueheron · 09-21-2017, 02:24 PM

Try KITTEN FOOD, dry, a good brand ie Iams etc.

I too ended up with a young kitten...vet said it was fine, they don't eat a lot since they are so tiny. But they grow fast!

Milk is not usually recommended, as many cats are lactose intolerant.

Ggod luck

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Quote:

Originally Posted by HappyFarm34

Few days ago, my brother found an orphaned kitten. It looks about 4-5 weeks old and weighs .6 ounces. He/She doesn't look too terribly underweight. The kitten is had gained a bit of strength in 2 days starting to run around a bit and being curious of its surroundings in the house.
I think it's going through a growth spurt now since it was eating a lot this morning from the bottle. It wouldn't lick any of the milk from my finger or small saucer bowl.

Is it too early yet to make a slurry, a mixture of kitten formula & wet canned food? I was thinking of putting some inside a bottle to try to encourage it to wean or put some on the nipple part. Only issue it looks tiny for its age. Should I wait it out a bit longer? The kitten already has its 2 teeth on top & bottom. Not sure if its a girl or boy.

Edit to add... I have a 4yr. old neutered male cat. He isn't too fond of the kitten and hisses a lot. And a 5yr old small, friendly dog who is curious about the kitten

cheesenugget · 09-21-2017, 05:23 PM

Your kitten still needs milk while being weaned. It is not ideal to wean him this early, but sometimes there is no choice. Does the kitten have teeth or gums with little teeth coming out? If it has teeth and it is walking steadily, the kitten may be ready.

Buy a KMR (Kitten Milk Replacer) from your local pet store. Petsmart carries the liquid cans or you can mix the powder yourself. I personally prefer the cans because the sweet smell and taste can entice them to try.

Buy kitten canned food. I used Petsmart brand Authority. It comes in 6oz cans at a great price and good ingredients. Kittens eat A LOT. This is normal. And they must eat a lot until they reach 10 weeks old. A sick kitten is a kitten that won't eat and usually too late to save it.

Mix the canned food with some KMR milk. Add a little bit of water if needed to create a slurry mix.

Feed this mix 4 to 5 times a day. Six ounces per meal for 2 kittens. They should be excited to eat, finishes their food, and excited for more at the next feeding time. Again, this is normal. Babies eat a lot, poop a lot, sleeps a lot and do it all over it again until 8-10 weeks. By then, feedings would go down to 2-3 times a day, each portion getting smaller as the kitten grows. The kitten will tell you when to cut back as they will choose to eat less and less and prefer to play and rumble instead. If it eats less but it is not active, the kitten needs a vet asap.

Start supplementing them unlimited amount of kitten dry food by 5 weeks old when their teeth have mostly come out. This helps them gain some weight as well and keeps the kittens eating. Withdraw all dry food by 3 months. Stay on the wet food for the rest of its life.

NY Annie · 09-21-2017, 06:28 PM

If the kitten has not pooped, you have to help it. You take a warm moist cottonball and rub it's anus, much as the mother would - firm but not hard. It needs the stimulus.

If it only has 2 teeth, I think it is much younger than 4 weeks old. Basically, it's 1 pound per month. At 1/2 pound, it's probably closer to 2 weeks, if that. It definitely needs some KMR and/or goat's milk if you have farms nearby - or a healthfood store. With all the kittens I have rescued, I have kept them on goats milk to 2 months - and introduce canned kitten food around 5 weeks - not as a slurry, but with some milk gently mixed in. I also give rescues a single drop of baby vitamins daily.

BTW, you can get KMR (Kitten Milk Replacer) at all pet stores and at Walmart. I use a syringe or dropper for the tiniest kitties, a bottle if they are able to suck it from the syringe (not all tiny ones can - especially if they have been abandoned or dumped). You can get the syringe or dropper from any of the pharmacies if you tell them it's for an abandoned kitten (including Walmart) - usually for free. If abandoned, the kitten may be handicapped in some way - check for breathing - if it's raspy, the kitten may have an upper respiratory infection and cannot drink well or enough and needs an antibiotic. Also check the eyes - if there is oozing - even a small amount - the kitten needs an antibiotic. The last 3 babies I rescued all had eye infections but have recovered nicely after a course of antibiotics. I still have 2 of them and they are now approx. 6-7 months old. 1 was adopted! YAY

Royal Canin makes a "baby kitten" food - different than the other canned kitten foods, it has no grainy texture. Some kittens, especially those abandoned or dumped, cannot eat the grainy and/or little bits. I feed baby kits every 2 hours until they reach a full pound, increasing the time between feedings by an hour until 6 weeks old. They still need to eat 3 x a day until a couple months old. You can switch them to regular kitten food after they have reached a couple pounds.

Make sure you keep the litter box clean or the kitten will refuse to use it and it will get reinfected with worms if it does use it. ALSO, the kitten needs to be wormed. Not "if" it has worms, it needs to be wormed. You can go to any feed/pet store and buy wormer. Do not overdose for worms. There will be instructions on the bottle.

Keep your eyes on the kitty's stomach. If it gets warm and hard, it may be bloat. If you don't know how to handle bloat or have someone around who does, it is an emergency.

"babycat instinctive 1st stage easy start"

HappyFarm34 · 09-23-2017, 12:32 PM

I'm just so frustrated right now. When I make the mixture of kmr formula and iams and put it in the bottle, it thickens up making it hard to go through the nipple even after the bottle is set in hot water to warm it up to room temperature. Kitty refuses to try eating out of a bowl and doesn't show any interest in licking it off my fingers.

I haven't tried royal canin canned kitten food.

I know it's at least 5weeks old. I has 4 teeth, 2 on top & 2 on bottom. I'm afraid it's not going to take its nutrition then end up dying

Its been pooping n going potty in litter box

tla921 · 09-23-2017, 05:42 PM

If you haven't done so yet, take it to the vet. I would keep feeding it from the bottle as much as it wants. One of our cats was found in the exact same condition as yours, except she was malnourished. We kept her separated from the other cats and fed her from the bottle until she started to really gain weight and strength. I think the vet prescribed a high calorie supplement at the time. She eventually weaned from the bottle and started to eat regular kitten food. She is a healthy yet small 13 year old lady.

HappyFarm34 · 09-23-2017, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tla921

If you haven't done so yet, take it to the vet. I would keep feeding it from the bottle as much as it wants. One of our cats was found in the exact same condition as yours, except she was malnourished. We kept her separated from the other cats and fed her from the bottle until she started to really gain weight and strength. I think the vet prescribed a high calorie supplement at the time. She eventually weaned from the bottle and started to eat regular kitten food. She is a healthy yet small 13 year old lady.

my mom told me not to take it to the vet because she thinks it would be a waste of money since the kitten is still quite young

NYC refugee · 09-23-2017, 09:59 PM

The money for the vet now might keep the kitten alive for the next 15 years or more, so it's not a waste of money. They will have a good idea of age and proper feeding and after paying for the appointment you can call with questions if something they suggested is not working out.

You can poke the hole in the bottle's nipple a little larger to let the thicker slurry through, but not too much bigger or kitty is going to choke. And if s/he won't lick your fingers, you can try to spread a bit in their mouth and see how that goes. You can wipe the kitten a little with a damp washcloth so they get the idea to groom themselves. Once they will lick you can sometimes put a bit of food on the top of a paw and they'll groom it off.

NY Annie · 09-24-2017, 05:51 AM

If the KMR is too thick, add more water. Also, don't hold kitty on its back, it needs to be on its belly, as if it were nursing from the mother.

Google for videos of how to bottle feed a stray kitten. If it isn't drinking by now, it may be because the kitty is not well. You need to get the kitty to a vet - now. You can find a low-cost vet by contacting one of the animal rescues in your area - contact the animal shelter in your county/town or go to the nearest PetSmart or Petco and ask the person taking care of the kittens for a recommendation or the name of someone who can recommend one.