Should I supplement with KMR?

[TolkienTeacher]

Hello,

Newbie with a quick question...I have a kitten that I recently brought home from a friend. He's probably slightly young to leave his mom, but my friend couldn't keep them and they were completely outdoor animals near some busy roads so I figured better to take him a little early than risk him getting hit by a car or attacked by a neighbor dog or something. My friend thought they were born around the beginning of May so if he's eight weeks, it's RIGHT AT eight weeks (his eyes have changed color completely, but he's still mostly got the little triangle tail) and I know they were still nursing daily, but he's eating solid food and the mom had started making herself unavailable for them to nurse on demand. He's been doing fine going at a mix of kibble and wet food, but he'll also jump up with me and start sucking/licking at my fingers and kneading my hand like he's trying to nurse...should I mix some KMR in with his wet food for a while yet, or is this likely more a comfort thing?

Any advice would be much appreciated!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
I think some KMR wouldn't hurt

Is he doing ok otherwise or would a purr toy or heartbeat toy help?

Are you planning a vet visit?

 

[TolkienTeacher]

Hello,

Thank you for the quick reply! He's doing well otherwise--exploring the house and playing with my other kitten (that one's older, about four or five months) and the toys and scratching posts I have out. We've had a few accidents outside the litterbox, but after I showed him where they were a few more times, he seemed to get the concept. I do have a vet appointment for my older boy in a couple weeks for vaccine boosters and to schedule his neuter and they said I could piggyback the new baby on that appointment to get his first round of shots/dewormer.

 

[Furballsmom]

Good for them to allow that !

he seemed to get the concept

Smart baby

 

[Caspers Human]

Unless there are reasons, otherwise, it's almost always a good thing to add a little KMR to a kittens diet.

When my father was breeding dogs, he would start bottle feeding the pups, just at the time when they were starting to wean. Just a little, at first. Then, as the mother withdrew, more bottle feeding. Next, puppy food, mixed with puppy formula to make a gruel. Finally, they were transitioned to solid puppy food and bottle feeding ended. Even so, the pups got an occasional dish of puppy formula for them to lap up. By the time they were ready to go to their new homes, they would be eating only solid food.

It sounds, to me, like you are in that transition period like we used to do with the puppies...except with cats.

I don't know any reason why you couldn't do it the same way.

 

[Sarthur2]

Where is this kitten’s mom? Is she getting spayed now so she does not continue with litter after unwanted litter? I hope so!

Your kitten is a baby and still wants to nurse. Give him kitten formula in a dish to lap.

He may still want to suckle, so offer a plush toy that he may want to knead and suckle on. I’ve had cats who’ve adopted a suckle toy for life, and use them for life.

In lieu of that. I have a 2-year-old cat who still uses my lap to suckle once a day. Do what is necessary to meet his needs while he’s a baby. They usually outgrow this stage.

Thank you for adopting him!

 

[Adasha]

Cats get most of their “water” needed from their food which is why the canned cat food is so wet. Even still, I mix water in it. I rescue kittens and I add kmr to their food until they’re 12 weeks old. Then when they are sick or anything abnormal is going on, I put a bowl of it out. The mama kitty needs it, too. It has so many good nutrients. It can’t ever hurt them, so yes yes yes! It’s a night time treat here. We have water fountains, too.
Thank you for rescuing!

 

[TolkienTeacher]

Thank you very much for the advice everyone! I have been putting kmr in half their water dish at night and they've both been very excited. Baby kitten (his big brother is a Tux named Merlin, so of course I had to name the little gray and white Gandalf) has seemed a lot more settled, and stopped sucking at my fingers so much. I've got his first vet appointment next week (our vet is awesome in this area, you have to book an appointment weeks in advance, lol) so I'll ask her how long she thinks I should keep it up. Thank you again for all the advice!

 

[Furballsmom]

Baby kitten (his big brother is a Tux named Merlin, so of course I had to name the little gray and white Gandalf) has seemed a lot more settled, and stopped sucking at my fingers so much.

This is wonderful news, and their names are terrific!