Advice Needed For Bottlefed Kittens

Ok, thanks! We will try stretching out feedings a bit and see what happens.

I'm a bit confused on when to start kittens drinking from a dish and introducing canned food. If they are at least 3 weeks, have tiny teeth, should we be starting already? I read varying bits of advice. They are now eating 8.5 to 9 ml every four hours.

Some of them lap milk from our hands already.

You can try anytime! Some may take to it quicker than others.

Ok and are we better off trying before or after a bottle feeding? I hate to see them sputter but I guess we don't need to worry about it getting in lungs anymore?

Try before when they are hungry, but if they are confused, wait a week and try again.

Ok. We just finished a feeding, with 3 out of 5, drinking from a dish. We gave each their own dish and measured out milk, with a bit extra to allow for all that they got on themselves. They didn't quite drink all, so finished up with syringe. Is that the way to do it, or did they quit because they were full?

Oh, and one kitten pooped when I was stimulating it to pee!! Maybe the rest will get there.

It sounds like you did well and so did the kittens!

Is it possible that the kitten would eat its own poop? Its been 4 days since it pooped, I've given enema and suppository. Today it pooped all the water out and no poop. However, its healthy and active and eating as much as the others. Its not any fatter or harder in the stomach than any of the others.

Just let it be for now.

Alright, I will. 2 drank their whole amount from a dish this morning! Are they old enough for litter box and how do qe go about that? I put them in it, but of course nothing happens!

Sure, keep putting them in before and after meals. Take a little paw and show them how to “dig”! They will get it before too long.

Ok. Ha, I hope they will. They sit there and gaze around at this point.

They are young yet, but give it a week or two!

Cute little things are starting to use litterbox! How amazing they have the instinct to do on their own! At least 3 use it some of the time. We have gotten 3 of them to drink from a dish a few times, where they drank all their portion from a dish. However, for 2 days now, they don't take more than a few sips. Should we let them get hungrier or this is normal, for them to drink sometimes and not others? They are getting 13 ml every 4 hours. The biggest is 9.5 oz! They still aren't pooping. Maybe they just don't need to? Its been 3 days and still nothing today.

Continue to hand feed those who are not drinking all their kitten milk. Are you using oil in their food to help them poop?

Yes they get 1 tbsp oil in every 2 cups milk. Today I started adding more to each feeding as well.

So I still wonder about the pooping thing. They quite happily pee in litterbox, or elsewhere, LOL. I stimulated all 5 this morning and only 1 peed for me. If I give enema or suppository, how long after that does it take to fill the colon with poop again? If one sits in litterbox and looks like its pushing, is it practicing or is it constipated or just no poop at the door? They are slowly learning to lap from a dish, but aren't too fond of kitten food yet. The biggest is over 10 oz, smallest is 9 oz. 14 ml of milk every 4 hours and 4.5 at night. 2 tbsp oil in each qt of milk, plus 4 drops of oil in every feeding, for each kitten.

They may not need to poop every day. I’m not sure what’s going on when they get in the litter box as you describe.