5w Bottle Baby Not Transitioning To Wet Food

[Sherryangelajones]

We have a 5.5w bottle baby who was orphaned/abandoned at about 3 weeks. We started mixing a little wet food into her formula at 4 weeks. A couple of days later, we offered her some food- formula mix in a dish. She did great for 2 days, as long as we kept our fingers close to the food. Then she suddenly refused to eat out of the dish. We've tried different dishes, different foods, different food-formula ratios. She wants the mix coming from the bottle. As she edges closer to 6 weeks, I'm starting to get a little anxious. She acts like she's feeling ok and cuddles and purrs, but she's not romping and playing as much as I think she should. She'll run to follow us through the house, explore, and climb on their little cat tree, but she's not being your typical kitten and tearing through the house and up the curtains. What's normal for this age? Maybe quiet, loving, and low key is just her personality?

 

[Sherryangelajones]

Here are a couple of photos to show how she looks. Her 9 week old sister in the background, who we adopted last week to keep the baby some company, is very much a typical kitten.

 

[FeebysOwner]

From what little experience I have, I wouldn't get terribly worried about the food situation just yet. Although, the six kittens I helped a neighbor with were eating some wet food by around 4-5 weeks, they also still nursed on their mother quite a bit. I know you said you have tried all sorts of food and bowls, but have you tried a small paper plate or a very, very shallow dish? Some kittens do better when they are served food on these kinds of plates/dishes. You can also try some Gerber Baby Food meats (no onions, garlic, etc.) and see if that might peak her interest.

This article really probably won't help you, but may at least make you feel a little bit better about this kitten taking more time than what you might think to be 'normal'.

How to Wean a Bottle Fed Kitten

Does she interact with the 9 week old at all, or play with her? You could try to engage them in play together to see if that might help.

It would seem to me that this kitten is still seeing you as her parent and wants to follow you as most kittens - especially those that are raised alone - tend to take more time to become more independent. I would think as more time goes by, and you can get the two kittens to interact more, you will begin to see some signs of a little more independence from her.

 

[Sherryangelajones]

I've tried small bowls, shallow cat dishes, and small saucer sized plates with different brands and types of cat food, baby food, dry food mixed with water. Unless it's offered to her in the bottle, she's not interested.

When the 9 week old wants to cuddle and sleep, she's all in. When it's playtime, the bigger kitty is too rough and baby freezes. If this is Only Child Syndrome, I'm ok with her taking longer. We just want her to be happy and healthy.

 

[Willowy]

Not a big deal yet. Some bottle babies take a while to get the hang of it. As long as she's taking enough from the bottle, don't worry about it for at least a couple more weeks. Try feeding her along with the older kitten, so she can imitate her.

ETA: definitely keep trying to get her to eat solids! Just don't worry about it yet .

I agree that Gerber baby food is good to start with, there are 4 meat flavors so you can see which one she likes best.

 

[FeebysOwner]

That picture is adorable!!!!!

Is she gaining weight appropriately? If so, just be patient, but do keep trying to get her to eat some food. Go back to trying to take some food and put a tiny bit in her mouth, even rub a bit onto her gums. Has she even started to bite on the nipple at all? If not, then she is just not ready to transition - that is usually the first sign.

The other thing you could check is to see if there is anything going with her teething - perhaps there is a tooth that is bugging her when she tries to eat that is not a problem with she is sucking from a bottle.

I trust you've already tried these different kitten glop formulas - but, just in case there is one or two you haven't...

How to Mix Formula for and Bottle Feed a Newborn Kitten

 

[Sherryangelajones]

They really are so precious even they're cuddling. Then Loki wakes up and beats the crap out of poor Jojo.

I haven't weighed her in a few days. The scale I bought is very unreliable, but I'll check her when I get home.

I've tried putting the food in her mouth, but she spits it back out. I don't want to keep forcing her and cause a trauma association. She does chew the nipple a little. I'll try to check her mouth tonight and see if I can see anything with her teeth.

Thank you all so much. I've had a pretty tough year (my mom died, and then one of my foster-to-adopt human kids started hearing voices, seeing things, and calmly telling her brother that she was going to kill him and DFCS decided to disregard the advice of all professionals involved and chose to move all 4 kids instead of getting her the help she needs and letting us complete the adoption...so unbelievably shady). I've poured a lot into this baby, and I really, really need her to be ok.

That picture is adorable!!!!!

Is she gaining weight appropriately? If so, just be patient, but do keep trying to get her to eat some food. Go back to trying to take some food and put a tiny bit in her mouth, even rub a bit onto her gums. Has she even started to bite on the nipple at all? If not, then she is just not ready to transition - that is usually the first sign.

The other thing you could check is to see if there is anything going with her teething - perhaps there is a tooth that is bugging her when she tries to eat that is not a problem with she is sucking from a bottle.

I trust you've already tried these different kitten glop formulas - but, just in case there is one or two you haven't...

How to Mix Formula for and Bottle Feed a Newborn Kitten

 

[FeebysOwner]

Oh, so sorry for all the stuff you have been going through!!

Yes, definitely keep a close eye on her weight. As long as it is progressing as it should, you can at least put aside that worry.

They really are so precious even they're cuddling. Then Loki wakes up and beats the crap out of poor Jojo.

Sorry to laugh, but really?!?! Crazy kittens to be sure! You will dance the day that Jojo takes a crack back at Loki!!

've tried putting the food in her mouth, but she spits it back out. I don't want to keep forcing her and cause a trauma association. She does chew the nipple a little. I'll try to check her mouth tonight and see if I can see anything with her teeth.

Hope there is nothing wrong with her teeth! But, even if you don't see anything, and this lack of interest continues about food, you might want to have her checked out by a vet (in case it's something brewing below the gum line).

You don't have to overdo it with the food, but keep trying with each feeding - at least once. You might also coat the nipple with some food - see if she spits that back out!!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Another (maybe dumb?) thought - what would happen if you take one of the nipples and make the hole bigger and put a little more solid-than-formula food in it? Or, is that asking for trouble? Sorry, it just came to me - maybe it shouldn't have!?

 

[Sarthur2]

Eh, many kittens don’t wean fully until 7 or 8 weeks, and even then will still nurse mom for months or until mom gets fed up.

As for playing, your 9-week-old is twice her size and plays at a level that is a bit much for JoJo right now. Keep an eye on the situation and intervene if it gets over the top. It can be stressful for the younger kitten.

You’ll want to get the older cat neutered soon if he’s not already. The earlier the better. Neutering and spaying is best between 3 and 4 months before hormones start up.

 

[Sherryangelajones]

Yes, definitely keep a close eye on her weight.

She's up to 18.2 oz. Her last weight 11 days ago was 13 oz.

You will dance the day that Jojo takes a crack back at Loki!!

Yes! We keep warning Loki that Jojo is built differently and will probably be stockier and heavier one day very soon!

Hope there is nothing wrong with her teeth! But, even if you don't see anything, and this lack of interest continues about food, you might want to have her checked out by a vet (in case it's something brewing below the gum line).

You don't have to overdo it with the food, but keep trying with each feeding - at least once. You might also coat the nipple with some food - see if she spits that back out!!

I don't see a problem with her teeth. We have an appt for her shots and a check up Friday. I'll have them look closely. I put the food on the nipple, and she didn't pay it any attention. She swallowed it while she was sucking.

Another (maybe dumb?) thought - what would happen if you take one of the nipples and make the hole bigger and put a little more solid-than-formula food in it? Or, is that asking for trouble? Sorry, it just came to me - maybe it shouldn't have!?

We've been offering her a food-formula mix (smoothie thickness) in the bottle, as well as on the plate/dish. She accepts it from the bottle, but refuses it from dish.

Eh, many kittens don’t wean fully until 7 or 8 weeks, and even then will still nurse mom for months or until mom gets fed up.

As for playing, your 9-week-old is twice her size and plays at a level that is a bit much for JoJo right now. Keep an eye on the situation and intervene if it gets over the top. It can be stressful for the younger kitten.

You’ll want to get the older cat neutered soon if he’s not already. The earlier the better. Neutering and spaying is best between 3 and 4 months before hormones start up.

We supervise them at all times, and as soon as poor Jojo looks like she's heading toward overwhelmed, we step in and remove her so she can get some cuddles and quiet play.

Loki was fixed last Wednesday.

 

[Willowy]

Ah, if she's taking smoothie-consistency semi-solid food from the bottle, let her have that comfort as long as she wants (well, within reason, lol). It might prevent her from developing nuisance suckling behaviors later on. She's within the usual weight range for a 5-week-old (a little on the lower side but still within normal range), so it must be working for her.

If she wasn't eating any solids I'd be concerned, but since it's just a quibble about the method of getting it in her mouth, I don't think there's a problem.

Mother-raised kittens often nurse for a long time so it's not so unusual. She'll eat from a dish when she's ready.

 

[Sherryangelajones]

So, it turns out that she's not averse to eating. She's averse to eating something we're not. She watched her daddy this morning, and then she climbed up and claimed his food (she has no idea how special she is that she was allowed to do that on his laptop!). I know we shouldn't let her eat that type of garbage, but we were stunned and wanted to see what she'd do. She ate a couple of bites, and then I gave her a bottle. Maybe we need to put her food on our plate and spoon feed her?

 

[FeebysOwner]

That's too funny!! So, why not try the spoon and see what happens? You could possibly eventually set the spoon in the middle of the dish to see if she would continue to eat from the spoon without someone holding it?

It might be that she just wants human food, and if so then you can try mixing a really small amount of 'this garbage food' in with her food and see she will eat hers that way.

You could also try pretending you are eating her food from a spoon and then offer her it that way.

Just a few different things to experiment with...

 

[Sherryangelajones]

Just an update that may help someone in the future. We tried everything with this girl:

Every wet kitten food available
Dry food
Moistened dry food
Raw hamburger
Raw chicken
Raw fish
Canned Tuna
Canned Salmon
Anchovy paste
Hills A/D

Cat dish
Saucer
Spoon
Fork
Big plate
Bowl
Floor

She turned her nose up at all of it. All she wanted was canned food mixed with formula and delivered through the bottle. The only time she showed any interest in food was when it was on our plate. Finally, right before 8 weeks, she attacked her daddy's plate of steak and baked potato. She rejected kitten food mixed with steak the next morning. That night, she tore up a saucer of Popeye's chicken and mashed potatoes I put beside my plate. Next morning: Picked the chicken out of a breakfast of chicken and kitten food. That night, my daughter made homemade chicken nuggets and homemade Chic-Fil-A sauce (mayo, BBQ, and mustard). Princess Jojo really liked the sauce on my plate. A week later, she's grudgingly eating kitten food mixed with softened dry food, but mostly only if I put a little sauce on it.

She's finally eating, but what a DIVA!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Too funny! And, very frustrating throughout the process! Glad she is finally eating what she is supposed to!

 

[Sherryangelajones]

You can just look at her and tell how completely spoiled she is!

 

[danteshuman]

First, she is beyond adorable!!!

I just wanted to add that kittens develop at different stages depending on when they were conceived. So if she was conceived 10 days later.... even if she was born 8 weeks ago, she would be doing everything like she 6 weeks & 4 days old.

That said it sounds very much like ‘hey you are my parents now I want to eat what you are eating!’ My suggestion? Put her (& her sister) in the kitten room with food before you eat dinner. The last thing you want is what my mom had with her spoiled bottle baby. That kind stole meat out of pans while they were cooking, walked over cutting birds, one time stepped in a pan that was heating up, walked all over the stove/counters and if she was interested..... she was a menace while you were trying to eat! That is why I suggest you avoid teaching her to beg/steal. If she seems interested I would give her a couple of kitten sized bites on a saucer, in the kitten room.

 

[mmeyers9]

so precious!

my babies are 8wks and still nursing with mama.

i bet she's just taking her time

 

[Sherryangelajones]

First, she is beyond adorable!!!

I just wanted to add that kittens develop at different stages depending on when they were conceived. So if she was conceived 10 days later.... even if she was born 8 weeks ago, she would be doing everything like she 6 weeks & 4 days old.

That said it sounds very much like ‘hey you are my parents now I want to eat what you are eating!’ My suggestion? Put her (& her sister) in the kitten room with food before you eat dinner. The last thing you want is what my mom had with her spoiled bottle baby. That kind stole meat out of pans while they were cooking, walked over cutting birds, one time stepped in a pan that was heating up, walked all over the stove/counters and if she was interested..... she was a menace while you were trying to eat! That is why I suggest you avoid teaching her to beg/steal. If she seems interested I would give her a couple of kitten sized bites on a saucer, in the kitten room.

Thank you so much. It's so hard to remember that the adorable behaviors we allow now will not be so adorable in 2 years...or 10...

We will definitely heed your advice!