5 week old kittens refusing food and litter box. Any tips or advice appreciated

[sugarwookie]

Food- I have four kittens that are healthy from what I can tell. We've been weighing them every week and they are within normal ranges for their age. I have a problem getting them to eat food and not rely on momma. She's still feeding them, so I don't think they're going without. The only thing I've gotten most of them to eat a little of is the Tiki Cat Thrive that comes in small pouches. Other than that we have tried KMR mixed with mousse and it doesn't seem to be working.

Is this natural? Do I need just to leave food out? Is there some trick to getting them started eating on their own?

Litter- Momma cat is long-haired, so before the babies came I switched to a pellet litter as the clumping litter was sticking to her legs. She uses this okay (I hate it!) but the pellet litter we've put out in shallow pans is not being used. I don't think they like it on their feet. I've read you should not use clumping litter, so I'm at a loss as to what I should do. I've read articles on this site, but it doesn't seem to have the info I need.

It would mean a lot for anyone who has had issues with the above to post anything helpful. I'm at my wit's end and one of the kittens peed on the floor today.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
In case you haven't seen these, they may have something to help;

How To Train Kittens To Use The Litter Box – TheCatSite Articles

Weaning: How To Get Your Kittens To Eat On Their Own – TheCatSite Articles

 

[maggie101]

When I rescued peaches she gobbled up wellness core chicken,turkey,and chicken liver.more expensive now. I use arm&hammer slide clumping litter.very little tracking,no dust,unscented. I have tried other kinds of litter but tracking and odor worse. The kittens are old enough to have canned or dry food. It does not have to say for kittens. No different than adult

 

[LTS3]

5 weeks old is a bit early to start weaning. Just let the kittens wean off mom at their own pace. Offer some dry and canned kitten food daily in case they want to give those a try. Most kittens are at least partially weaned around 8 weeks old and fully weaned by 12 weeks old.

Same with litter box training. It takes awhile for kittens to learn how to use the litter box and to use it consistently. Try this litter: Dr. Elsey’s Kitten Attract® Cat Litter - the litter cats love™

You seem to be rushing to get the kittens weaned and litter box trained as quickly as possible. Is there a reason why?

 

[sugarwookie]

Hi, no rush at all. Everything I've read online says to start at 4 weeks, so I thought I was behind. From what I've read the Dr.Elsley says not to use under 8 weeks old. Am I missing something? I purchased non-clumping coconut litter today and set it out close to them. Two (at least) have peed on the floor.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[sugarwookie]

When I rescued peaches she gobbled up wellness core chicken,turkey,and chicken liver.more expensive now. I use arm&hammer slide clumping litter.very little tracking,no dust,unscented. I have tried other kinds of litter but tracking and odor worse. The kittens are old enough to have canned or dry food. It does not have to say for kittens. No different than adult

I'll pick a can of that up tomorrow. I want to avoid clumping litter for now. My last car are everything we put down see we went with pellets until he learned

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!

Am I missing something?

No, you're ok.

This is from one of the articles I posted above;

Kittens usually begin to try different kinds of food between the ages of 3 to 5 weeks. It's a time window and not an exact date, and different kittens - even if they are littermates - can start at different times. You should let nature take its course and allow the mother cat and the kittens to determine the pace of weaning.

There will be a period of several weeks during which the kittens are likely to mix feeding on their own with nursing. That is perfectly ok, and you should not try to stop them from nursing. The mother cat can sense when it's time to push the kittens away, and you can leave that part to her.

And here's from the other;
Litter box training of kittens should begin at the same time you introduce them to kitten food. This is usually between the ages of 3 to 5 weeks.

 

[maggie101]

When theyreready one litter for kittens is yesterday's news. It's been a long time so I don't remember everything I did when I first got her. Litter boxes were 3 pack of small cardboard litter boxes at petco, for kittens
Peaches was found in a hole. I guess she was weened since she was eating and loved the litterbox. She treated it like a playpen

 

[GoldyCat]

5 weeks is very early to expect kittens to start eating solid food or use the litter box. I think you'll have better luck in 2 or 3 weeks.

 

[Sarthur2]

Agree with GoldyCat . They are not ready yet. When they are - in the next 2-3 weeks - it will happen quickly. Put doggy pee pads or newspaper all around the litter boxes for now. Be patient!