Kitten eating litter/Kittens won't eat

Diamondflowerx231

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I've given my Cat's 3 week old kittens a litter box as recommended to litter train them but I've had to take it away from them as they kept trying to eat the litter. This wasnt just curiosity though, its been a few days since I took it away so I thought I'd try them with it again and once again I had to take them out of the litter and take the litter out of their mouths. I'm pretty sure this isnt just curiosity which is what google is telling me and I'm a bit worried that my kittens have litter in their system (its non clumping though).

Can anyone give some advice on what I should do to stop them eating it or should I just wait another 2 weeks or so?
 

Sarthur2

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Just wait another 2-3 weeks. They are not ready yet, and mom should still be cleaning them. Wait until they begin eating soft foods around 6 weeks old.
 

vince

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They're just experimenting about what to eat. Once they've started weaning, they'll have a better idea of what not to eat. Wait awhile.

Lots of kittens go through this.
 
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Diamondflowerx231

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My now 5 week old kittens won't eat any food except tiny bits of chicken I have to hand feed them. I've been leaving them with kitten food for a couple of hours at a time but they wont go near it. However, I still have a problem that I can't give them a litter box because they eat the litter. How can I get them to eat food instead of litter?

P.s litter is non-clumping so i don't it's too much of a threat but still not good
 

Kieka

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Are they still nursing from Mom?

Kittens might start experimenting with food around 5/6 weeks but they usually won't be solely eating solids for a few weeks. Mom will usually wean them over a few weeks and they will get more interested in it with time. Offer different wet kitten food to both mom and kittens and they will follow Moms lead. It sounds like they like the chicken because it is being fed to them, if yoy offered wet kitten food on a finger I bet they'd go for that too. I'd hold back the chicken for now since you don't want them to snub kitten food and chicken isn't a complete food.
 

missymotus

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While most kittens are eating well by 5 weeks it’s not uncommon for some to lag behind, as they won’t be ready for adoption for 8-10 more weeks you have plenty of time for them to figure things out.
Don’t offer them chicken, give them proper kitten food, may need to mix it with formula to help get them to lap it up, or offer balanced raw and they should copy mom eating.
Our (registered) kittens all toddle over to mums plate of raw at 3 weeks and start tasting, they are interested in what she’s doing.

Change the type of litter you are using, there are a number of kitten safe varieties on the market.
You cannot just leave them without a tray or you’ll wind up in quite a mess once they’re eating better and mum isn’t toileting them.
 

Sarthur2

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They are young yet to fully wean, and most wean between 6-8 weeks when they have their mom.

Start with kitten pate mixed with kitten formula to make a slurry, and feed on a flat plate. Over time you can reduce the amount of formula once they are eating well.

When they are eating slurry consistently you begin putting them in the litter pan before and after meals and other times throughout the day. When they are ready they learn quickly. They sound not quite ready yet.
 
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