Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Cats & Kittens

1. 

   Duchess is estimated to be around 4 weeks, at least 3, but my vet and I have decided to leave it at 4 weeks. I've read that some momma cats start weaning their kittens and help them learn to eat solid food. Well I've introduced solid food three times, once last weekend and twice this weekend. She has had NO interest in it at all. The only problem is she only has a couple more days of KMR depending on how fast she eats it, and I'm thinking the KMR is not enough for her now.

   I've tried sprinkling some KMR on the wet food.
   Letting her smell the wetfood
   Leaving it in there while I'm watching her reaction.
   Putting it on my finger.

   I don't know what to do, but I do know that I don't want to buy another KMR because it is a big can and since I think it's time for her to start being weaned, I don't want to waste it. She is definitely growing and she is getting hungrier more often and eating more than she used to. If anyone could please give me any more suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it.

   Posted 1 year ago by Duchess&&Gabriel #

2. 

   Transition to solid foods takes some time and 4 weeks is a little young. It depends on Duchess mainly when she'll change. I had one kitten that changed to wet kitten food at 6 weeks and one that changed at 8,reluctantly.

   Posted 1 year ago by Buttercup #

3. 

   I had a similar issue with my kittens, until a vet visit. The Doctor said that they could start eating and opened a can of Hill's a/d canned food (It's prescription at the vet) They gobbled it down. What wet food are you mixing it with? Maybe they don't like the flavor of the new food. Also sometimes you have to put their face into the food even get a little on their noses and they'll be forced to eat it.

   Posted 1 year ago by kaitlyn #

4. 

   Buttercup, I know it is a little young, but I was told that she should start eating more solid food because her appetite is increasing. She is eating more than a a tablespoon in one feeding, and she wants to eat more often, and she was in good health when she taken to the vet, so I don't think something else is wrong. But I feel like she is starving when I do need to go classes since it's only formula. Perhaps I'll just buy some more KMR after all, and make it till 8 weeks... I don't plan on going cold turkey with her at all, just slowing down on the formula and transition to actual food.

   Kaitlyn: I'll ask the vet today when I go over. I am feeding her IAMS kitten food chicken. I think it's pate or something but it looks all chomped up. Is there another brand that is kitten safe that she may like more? I will continue to bottle feed just not as often if she starts eating more food.

   Posted 1 year ago by Duchess&&Gabriel #

5. 

   any kitten will love starting out on hills a/d. Only reason why i dont use it is because its expensive, and I usually have about 4 kittens at once, they eat me out of house & home. As for the kmr, I'm afraid you will have to get another tin. I always feed my kitties kmr and solid (i substitute water for kmr) food up to 12 weeks old. I believe my kitties need the extra nutrition, because they are usually feral kittens and had a bad start in life, they need a little more to set them up for life :)

   Posted 1 year ago by Skyron #

6. 

   start mixing the kmr with wet food. at first they will play with it and make a mess. eventually they will realize they are getting a full belly with the wet food. then it is very easy to wean them off the kmr...

   Posted 1 year ago by CSBM #

7. 

   I did buy another tin and it's really big so hopefully it will last for the next two weeks before I try a weaning formula. I am going to keep feeding her KMR for at least 8 weeks, I just don't want her to be so dependent on it since she is growing and she needs more protein than just the KMR. I hope Duchess will learn soon that wetfood is good to.

   Posted 1 year ago by Duchess&&Gabriel #

8. 

   DuM (since we have a DaM too...) - even human babies mix their foods... when you transition a baby from milk to solids/pureed foods, they can over lap for some time... the fact that she is acting so hunger suggests to me that if you mix liquid KMR with the wet food and introduce that to little Duchess a few more times she will figure out that it fixes the empty feeling in her tummy! It will take longer to digest, and probably help her sleep a bit more, as she will feel fuller longer. Don't cut out the KMR feedings abruptly, but taper them in quantity and frequency as she eats more and more of the solid food. Good luck and keep us posted!

   Posted 1 year ago by nawlins catmom #

9. 

   Hey everyone, I am still trying to wean Duchess off of the bottle a week later, and everything I've tried hasn't worked. And I don't want to starve her to death, but I have tried that one. Where I put in the food watered down a little bit with KMR and I leave her alone where she can't sense me but she will not eat it at all.

   When I'm with her I have stuck her face into the food, or just let her sniff it, and let her wait until she is pretty hungry but nothing works. I can't keep feeding her the milk but I also dont want her to starve. She is getting to the point where she is getting too hungry too often and there are time that I can't be there for 4 hours and she is getting hungry more oftenaround 3-4 hours. I don't know what to do.

   Posted 1 year ago by Duchess&&Gabriel #

10. 

    "water" the food with a lot of kmr, and if necessary use a food syringe to get it down her.

    Posted 1 year ago by CSBM #

11. 

    Are you using a really flat saucer to feed her from? That seems to help when you are first weaning them. It's messy, but it's easier for kittens to eat from.

    Posted 1 year ago by CheetahBoysmommy #

12. 

    here in sa we have babycat mousse made by royal canin. Its very yummy, and its the consistency of mousse (obviously), and you can mix kmr into it as well. When i have trouble weaning kittens, i take a chunck of that mousse on my finger and stuff it in their mouths. Kinda force-feeding, basically, but they get the hang of it really soon. They just have to realise that solid food = fuller belly.

    Posted 1 year ago by Skyron #

13. 

    
    

    Posted 1 year ago by Skyron #

14. 

    Have you tried to heat up the food for her, cats depend on smell at times to be hungry. Just a few seconds in the microwave makes it smellier, or try putting a bit of tuna water over the food, not a lot just a tiny bit.

    Pushing her face into the food probably isn't going to work, it surely wouldn't work with any other type of baby or adult that I know of. I know you care for her a lot to be trying so many things, patience may be the key with this. If you are stressed it transmits to the kitten too.

    Posted 1 year ago by AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew #

15. 

    Deb, I didnt mean that her face should be pushed into the food. I always put some food in their mouths with my finger, so they can taste it and see if they like it. I've never had to wean a kitty that willingly started eating solid food by themselves, I had to get them to taste it first.

    Posted 1 year ago by Skyron #

16. 

    Sky, no Duchess' Mom said that she pushed her face into the food. I know you wouldn't say that, sorry for the misunderstanding.

    Posted 1 year ago by AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew #

17. 

    Cheri: I did try that one too.
    Cheetah: I have, I always put her near it but she doesn't want to do anything with it.
    Azdebra, I didn't push her face into the food I meant that I put it close enough to smell it. That's what I meant when I said stuck in her face.

    But thanks for the advice though.

    Posted 1 year ago by Duchess&&Gabriel #

18. 

    what about a food syringe ? they have no needles and are easily obtained from the vet or www.drsfostersmith.com

    Posted 1 year ago by CSBM #

19. 

    Evening all! DM, while you look for the food syringe, you might want to try the bit of food on the finger into the mouth some more... you can open her mouth by putting gentle pressure on eiter side of her jaw with your hand... probably will need daddy to help hold her, and/or do the mouth opening.... then kinda scrape the food off your finger with her top teeth. good luck!

    Posted 1 year ago by nawlins catmom #

20. 

    Second Skyron, the Babycat Mousse is meant for little kittens and can help wean them. It's here in the U.S. too.

    Posted 1 year ago by pucca #

21. 

    or get a couple of cans of a/d from the vet...

    Posted 1 year ago by CSBM #

22. 

    Cheri I hadn't thought of a food syringe but that sounds kind of painful.., it sounds like I would be sticking something down her throat. I may have to get a couple of cans of A/D, at the rate she's going.
    NCM I already tried that and we couldn't get her mouth open because she was squirming so much.
    Pucca: I'll see about that and where I can get it.

    Thanks again, I'm still trying to wean her but it's hard.

    Posted 1 year ago by Duchess&&Gabriel #

23. 

    with the food syringe, you wouldn't be sticking anything down her throat, you would simply be depositing food in her mouth...

    Posted 1 year ago by CSBM #

24. 

    I've had a breakthrough!! I was able to get Duchess to eat some food! I put it on her bottle nipple and she licked some of it off!! Since she went to eat her formula but when she realized soemthing else was on it, she pulled the food off along when she took her mouth off. And then I put some food on the nipple again and this time she licked it off. So it wasn't much but it's a start. Thanks everyone though for giving advice and thoughts on what to do.

    Posted 1 year ago by Duchess&&Gabriel #

25. 

    Brilliant! We must remember that trick...

    Posted 1 year ago by jcat #

26. 

    Well she is taking some food of our fingers but that's only sometimes. Today she didn't do that, but last night she ate a lot of Daddy's fingers so perhaps it's a novel concept that helped. But I'm hoping she eats more soon she is starting to wear me into the ground.

    Posted 1 year ago by Duchess&&Gabriel #

RSS feed for this topic

Reply

You must log in to post.