Can I feed kittens Whiskas cat milk or Infant fomula?

[cuteminicute]

I guess all the pet store are closed now..I was trying to bottle feed kittens, but they just don't suck it.

Called 5 vets already, most of them said only bottle feeding will save kittens, but the problem is kittens don't like bottle feeding..

 

[arlyn]

No.
Here's a recipe for a wonderful homemade kitten formula.
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46295

You need bottles specifically made for newborn kittens, and try a little (just a tiny bit) of karo syrup on the roof of their mouth to stimulate a suckling response.

 

[tnr1]

Originally Posted by CuteminiCute

I guess all the pet store are closed now..I was trying to bottle feed kittens, but they just don't suck it.

Called 5 vets already, most of them said only bottle feeding will save kittens, but the problem is kittens don't like bottle feeding..

It is imperitive that you feed them...make sure you are feeding them in a prone position...sitting with all feet on the floor so that they do not get formula in their lungs.

Here is another site for taking care of babies:

http://www.safehavenforcats.com/newborn.htm

Katie

 

[wookie130]

Yes, do NOT hold them on their backs like a human baby. DANGEROUS! They will have no choice but to like the formula you bought, as they need to eat small meals every couple of hours, if not more. They'll eat it, as soon as you get the hang of it, and know the basics.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE read www.kitten-rescue.com

It is an excellent web site, and will answer so many of your questions.

 

[wookie130]

No baby formula. You must get KMR (kitten replacement milk), which I know you can get at Wal-Mart, and also at many larger grocery stores. Call around to these places immediately. They need to eat, and soon, or they will die...that is a certainty. Have you called a vet about Momma's inability to nurse?

You must call around about KMR, and leave immediately. I am not trying to scare you, but 3-day old kittens absolutely need to be kept on a rigorous feeding schedule...they will starve to death and become weak quickly. Please also purchase a kitten bottle.

Good luck!

 

[beckiboo]

Sometimes if they won't take it from the bottle, they will take the kitten formula from a syringe. You can get a syringe at the pharmacy...they are often used to measure liquid medicines. (Be sure there is no needle attached.) Then you just gently squirt a few drips at a time into the kitten's mouth.

 

[cuteminicute]

Originally Posted by Beckiboo

Sometimes if they won't take it from the bottle, they will take the kitten formula from a syringe. You can get a syringe at the pharmacy...they are often used to measure liquid medicines. (Be sure there is no needle attached.) Then you just gently squirt a few drips at a time into the kitten's mouth.

I did, I got two syringes from vet, they still don't like it.

 

[arlyn]

Are they warm enough?

If they get too cold, they won't eat.

Have you tried getting them to suckle a little formula off of your fingertip to get them started?

 

[starryeyedtiger]

Never Never give a kitten formula designed for a human infant, but it is ABSOLUTELY safe to give it Wiskas cat milk---i even recommend it!....i have used it for over 300 foster kittens ( i prefer it to KMR, but there are other people who prefer KMR to Wiskas- it's just a personal preferance- both are safe and will help give kittens the nutrition they need)....and have never had a problem from it- as a matter of fact, it is a lot easier to use because it is in liquid form ....and at 3 in the morning every little bit helps---i've found storing left over milk in empty baby food jars in the refridgerator helps keep the milk fresh, plus you can measure it out in advance.Also, you can put it in a little dixie cup and heat it up for a few seconds in the microwave- just test it first to make sure it is heated evenly and throughly to room temperature/ body temperature. So please do not stress yourself out over feeding them the Wiskas- i have done it over 300 times and i have never had a complaint against it...all of my foster kittens prospered and flurished!!! However if you do prefer to use something else your your little furbaby i recommend KMR or www.kitten-rescue.com 's recipe for kitten glop. But remember first and formost....

WARMTH is one of the most important things to your new kitten- it needs to be kept at a comfortable and warm temperature at all times!You can keep your kitten warm by making a rice sock. ---fill a clean sock with uncooked white rice or white beans until the sock feels firm. Tie a secure knot in the open end and place the sock in the microwave for 60 seconds. Test the temperature before you put the sock heater in with your kitten. Make sure the sock is not too hot. If your kitten is cold, you can curl the sock around him)

Also, stop trying to use a kitten bottle....i have found that syringes (without the needle) in them are much, much easier to use on a kitten, not to mention, you can measure out the amount of formula they are recieving better with them. You can pick up free syringes at local drugstores or grocery stores with pharmacies in them...petco and superpets also sells them.Also, don't be discoraged if they don't catch on right away- even some breastfeed animals and babies are slow to catch on- the key it to be consistant with your feedings. Also be sure not to overfeed the kittens, a sign they've been overfeed would be bubbles forming from their noses during/after feedings- that is very dangerous because you could drown the kitten from giving it too much milk...it can fill their little lungs..so during the feedings, be very patient and slow...and stop when they are full. also, don't forget to "burp" the kittens so they don't get gas. put them up on your shoulder( always on their bellies...never on their backs) and lightly pat them between their shoulder blades.

If you do decide you're more comfortable with the bottle than a syringe (and it may just be you didn't have the nipple adjusted correctly or to the kittens liking), here is some helpful advice from www.kitten-rescue.com. I really think you will be better off using a syringe though...they are much easier

Feeding Techniques
To feed your kitten, use a dropper, syringe, or ideally, a specifically designed nursing bottle, available from most grocery and pet stores. If you are using a bottle, the size of the hole in the nipple is critical for success. If the bottle is turned upside down and formula dribbles from the nipple, the hole is too large. Use of this nipple may cause choking and formula ending up in your kitten's lungs. If the bottle is turned upside down and formula comes out only after considerable squeezing of the bottle, the hole is too small. Use of this nipple will result in your kitten becoming discouraged and refusing to nurse. The hole is the proper size if the bottle is turned upside down and formula drips slowly from the nipple.
The nipples supplied with a nurser bottle or kits are not pierced. To pierce the nipple, wet it thoroughly inside and out with the boiled, cooled water and then heat a small pin or needle in a flame until it glows red. Quickly pierce the top of the nipple and remove the pin. Test the flow of the bottle and repeat the process if the hole is too small. Rinse the nipple thoroughly with more boiled cooled water, making sure to squeeze some water through the hole.
Warm the formula to body temperature - about 100oF. Do this by immersing the bottle in a cup of hot water or by removing the nipple and warming in the microwave for a few seconds. Shake the bottle well after warming to make sure there are no hot spots in the formula and check the temperature. It should be warm but never hot. Never re-use formula that you have warmed. Discard it and use fresh formula for each feed.
Place your kitten on it's tummy( NEVER ON IT's BACK) on a soft surface such as a blanket or towel and gently place the nipple into his mouth. Tilt the bottle up slightly so the nipple is full of milk. He should automatically begin sucking. If he refuses to take the nipple, place a little dab of Karo syrup on his tongue to stimulate his sucking response. Never squeeze formula into his mouth as this can cause choking. Feed your kitten until he is comfortably full, not until the stomach is tight and distended. When he is full, small bubbles of formula will form around his mouth and he will spit the nipple out. Now you must burp him, just like a human baby. Hold him on your chest, lap or shoulder and gently rub and pat his back with two fingers until he burps.

Kitten Feeding Schedule

Birth to 1 week: Feed every 3 hours (8 feedings per day)
From 1 to 3 weeks: Feed every 4 hours (6 feedings per day)
From 3 to 4 weeks: Feed every 5 hours (5 feedings a day)
From 4 to 5 weeks: Feed four to five times a day.
Total Formula required per day
Birth to 1 week: 24cc
1 week: 32cc
2 weeks: 54cc
3 weeks: 80cc
4 weeks: 104cc
5 weeks: 128cc
As a guide, a kitten should drink about 8cc's of formula per ounce of body weight per day.
For example, a kitten that is only one or two days old, will need 24cc divided into 8 feedings, which is 3cc per feed. He may drink a little more or less but you'll know if he's receiving enough formula by monitoring his weight gain.

-----

I sincerly recommend you visit www.kitten-rescue.com as Wookie130 has alredy recommended! It is very very helpful and informative and will definitely answer a lot of the questions you may have. It helped me through many nights of endless feeding sessions with foster kittens. I hope it can help you too. Also If there's any other questions you may think of i'd be more than happy to personally try to answer them for you. Just drop me a line if you need anything. Good luck!

 

[cuteminicute]

Thanx a lot everyone,

Really really appreciated!

 

[wookie130]

Have they eaten???? This can take some patience...but they MUST eat now!!! Yes, keeping them warm is absolutely the first and foremost important thing...and then the feedings! How is momma cat?

 

[starryeyedtiger]

I hope today is going more smoothly for you with the kittens feedings. Please keep us posted and let us know if there's anything else we can help you with. Also, I was curious how many kittens your feeding, if there is a momma kitty involved at all, and if there is, is she's nursing them at all, and how old they are- so that we can give you more accurate advice and tips according to their age and situation. I'm assuming they're quite young from what you've already written, and will be on formula for a while. But since i'm thinkig about it now and thought you might like some helpful ideas when you get ready to wean them, i'm going to go ahead and post this for you so you can use it when they get to be a few weeks old and are ready for more age appropriate food. i have a wonderful suggestion for helping you switch them from formula to solids when the time is right... gradually start introducing them to baby food....specifically Gerber- the ingredients in Gerber seem to do better with kittens than some of the other baby food i've tried, and i have tried quite a few...Get the Gerber in the Stage 1 jars. I suggest using Turkey, Beef, or Chicken- make sure it is meat!!!....cats are carnivorious...and i would suggest not using Ham because it can upset their stomaches. You should keep allowing the kittens to nurse their momma until the momma weans them if they are with their momma, but go ahead and seperate them a few at a time and let them sample the baby food---but please make sure they are always kept warm and never allowed to become chilled.Try letting them lick a little bit of the baby food off your fingers, and then put it in a small, shallow dish...i suggest warming the baby food to room temperature/body temperature---remember cats are natural killers, and they prefer their cusine to be "blood temperature" as it would be if it were fresh kill.- i've never meet a kitten that didn't like baby food, not to mention it will give the momma little bit of a reprive from nursing, especially if they are constantly fighting over nipples, or if you're hand feeding them, it will allow them to be more satisfied and happy with their feedings,as they are getting older and would naturally be weaned off their momma if she were there. Once they begin eating more baby food and less milk, then introduce them GRADUALLY to soft food while they're beginning to wean from their mother/ dropper---but do not stop giving them milk completely, remember, everything should be a gradual transistion so as not to upset their digestive tracts..., once they are ready for a bit more of a challenge, try moving them off of the baby food and introducing them to soft kitten food- i personally prefer the Wiskas Pouches, they stay fresh and i've found that the majority of my foster kittens loved them, however...use whatever kitten soft food you feel most comfortable with...keep giving them a little milk while making the transition, but work them up so that they're eating more soft food than they are drinking milk. Then, when they are ready for an even yummier challenge, i would suggest buying some Wiskas kitten milk or KMR ...heating it up a bit and mixing it with Purina Kitten Chow...until the consistancy is that of a kitten "mush"....allow them to begin to eat that. It will give them a taste for solid food, while slowly adjusting them off of the formula. Then when they are ready, you should gradually transistion them off of the kitten "mush" and onto solid Purina Kitten Chow.....remember...slowly and gradually is key! That is the best way i've found to wean kittens without upsetting their digestive tracts or weaning them too soon, and It has worked very well for all of my former and present foster kittens.I hope that helps you when the time is right....if you need anything else, feel free to let me know, Especially if you need anymore advice while they are still very small and being hand feed. You and your furbabies are in my thoughts today!
Best of Wishes!

 

[PeanutOllieLuna]

Never Never give a kitten formula designed for a human infant, but it is ABSOLUTELY safe to give it Wiskas cat milk---i even recommend it!....i have used it for over 300 foster kittens ( i prefer it to KMR, but there are other people who prefer KMR to Wiskas- it's just a personal preferance- both are safe and will help give kittens the nutrition they need)....and have never had a problem from it- as a matter of fact, it is a lot easier to use because it is in liquid form ....and at 3 in the morning every little bit helps---i've found storing left over milk in empty baby food jars in the refridgerator helps keep the milk fresh, plus you can measure it out in advance.Also, you can put it in a little dixie cup and heat it up for a few seconds in the microwave- just test it first to make sure it is heated evenly and throughly to room temperature/ body temperature. So please do not stress yourself out over feeding them the Wiskas- i have done it over 300 times and i have never had a complaint against it...all of my foster kittens prospered and flurished!!! However if you do prefer to use something else your your little furbaby i recommend KMR or www.kitten-rescue.com 's recipe for kitten glop. But remember first and formost....

WARMTH is one of the most important things to your new kitten- it needs to be kept at a comfortable and warm temperature at all times!You can keep your kitten warm by making a rice sock. ---fill a clean sock with uncooked white rice or white beans until the sock feels firm. Tie a secure knot in the open end and place the sock in the microwave for 60 seconds. Test the temperature before you put the sock heater in with your kitten. Make sure the sock is not too hot. If your kitten is cold, you can curl the sock around him)

Also, stop trying to use a kitten bottle....i have found that syringes (without the needle) in them are much, much easier to use on a kitten, not to mention, you can measure out the amount of formula they are recieving better with them. You can pick up free syringes at local drugstores or grocery stores with pharmacies in them...petco and superpets also sells them.Also, don't be discoraged if they don't catch on right away- even some breastfeed animals and babies are slow to catch on- the key it to be consistant with your feedings. Also be sure not to overfeed the kittens, a sign they've been overfeed would be bubbles forming from their noses during/after feedings- that is very dangerous because you could drown the kitten from giving it too much milk...it can fill their little lungs..so during the feedings, be very patient and slow...and stop when they are full. also, don't forget to "burp" the kittens so they don't get gas. put them up on your shoulder( always on their bellies...never on their backs) and lightly pat them between their shoulder blades.

If you do decide you're more comfortable with the bottle than a syringe (and it may just be you didn't have the nipple adjusted correctly or to the kittens liking), here is some helpful advice from www.kitten-rescue.com. I really think you will be better off using a syringe though...they are much easier

Feeding Techniques
To feed your kitten, use a dropper, syringe, or ideally, a specifically designed nursing bottle, available from most grocery and pet stores. If you are using a bottle, the size of the hole in the nipple is critical for success. If the bottle is turned upside down and formula dribbles from the nipple, the hole is too large. Use of this nipple may cause choking and formula ending up in your kitten's lungs. If the bottle is turned upside down and formula comes out only after considerable squeezing of the bottle, the hole is too small. Use of this nipple will result in your kitten becoming discouraged and refusing to nurse. The hole is the proper size if the bottle is turned upside down and formula drips slowly from the nipple.
The nipples supplied with a nurser bottle or kits are not pierced. To pierce the nipple, wet it thoroughly inside and out with the boiled, cooled water and then heat a small pin or needle in a flame until it glows red. Quickly pierce the top of the nipple and remove the pin. Test the flow of the bottle and repeat the process if the hole is too small. Rinse the nipple thoroughly with more boiled cooled water, making sure to squeeze some water through the hole.
Warm the formula to body temperature - about 100oF. Do this by immersing the bottle in a cup of hot water or by removing the nipple and warming in the microwave for a few seconds. Shake the bottle well after warming to make sure there are no hot spots in the formula and check the temperature. It should be warm but never hot. Never re-use formula that you have warmed. Discard it and use fresh formula for each feed.
Place your kitten on it's tummy( NEVER ON IT's BACK) on a soft surface such as a blanket or towel and gently place the nipple into his mouth. Tilt the bottle up slightly so the nipple is full of milk. He should automatically begin sucking. If he refuses to take the nipple, place a little dab of Karo syrup on his tongue to stimulate his sucking response. Never squeeze formula into his mouth as this can cause choking. Feed your kitten until he is comfortably full, not until the stomach is tight and distended. When he is full, small bubbles of formula will form around his mouth and he will spit the nipple out. Now you must burp him, just like a human baby. Hold him on your chest, lap or shoulder and gently rub and pat his back with two fingers until he burps.

Kitten Feeding Schedule

Birth to 1 week: Feed every 3 hours (8 feedings per day)
From 1 to 3 weeks: Feed every 4 hours (6 feedings per day)
From 3 to 4 weeks: Feed every 5 hours (5 feedings a day)
From 4 to 5 weeks: Feed four to five times a day.
Total Formula required per day
Birth to 1 week: 24cc
1 week: 32cc
2 weeks: 54cc
3 weeks: 80cc
4 weeks: 104cc
5 weeks: 128cc
As a guide, a kitten should drink about 8cc's of formula per ounce of body weight per day.
For example, a kitten that is only one or two days old, will need 24cc divided into 8 feedings, which is 3cc per feed. He may drink a little more or less but you'll know if he's receiving enough formula by monitoring his weight gain.

-----

I sincerly recommend you visit www.kitten-rescue.com as Wookie130 has alredy recommended! It is very very helpful and informative and will definitely answer a lot of the questions you may have. It helped me through many nights of endless feeding sessions with foster kittens. I hope it can help you too. Also If there's any other questions you may think of i'd be more than happy to personally try to answer them for you. Just drop me a line if you need anything. Good luck!

I have a new born kitten I found in my garage under my walking lawn mower all I can find is whiskas cat milk is it safe for newborn kittens ?by the look of it it's only a day or two old

 

[Willowy]

You can use human baby formula for kittens, but it must be mixed using twice as much powder as the label recommends. And this is only in a pinch, if kitten formula is unavailable. You should switch to KMR as soon as possible. Do NOT use Whiskas cat milk as formula. It's fine as a treat but it's just plain milk, not complete like formula.

Anywhere that sells Whiskas cat milk should also have KMR. Ask a clerk if you can't find it.

 

[StefanZ]

If you dont have anything else, you can begin with this whiskas butch switch over to kmr or goats milk when you can.

Goats milk is ok alternative raw goats milk has even an edge sometimes

I have a new born kitten I found in my garage under my walking lawn mower all I can find is whiskas cat milk is it safe for newborn kittens ?by the look of it it's only a day or two old

 

[Sarthur2]

Agree! Get to a pet store and buy PetAg powdered kitten milk. You can use the Whiskas in a pinch, but switch asap. It is not a complete formula as stated. It's treat milk.