Time to wean

[Kallie kitty]

Little one is 7+weeks old and I feel hes ready for real food mom keeps leaving him for days at a time he cant get to where the food is because she keeps putting him back in the upper cabinets of my work table and to high for him to get down i know.hes hungry. Tryed to feed him wet dry food but wouldnt have any part of it

 

[jefferd18]

Start him out on a little amount of wet food and some warm milk. Never knew a kitten, or an adult for that matter, to turn their nose up at a little can of Fancy Feast.

I am more worried about hydration than food- he needs to be drinking from a dish by this time.

 

[vyger]

I think that is plenty old enough to start eating other food. A canned food that has a lot of juice/gravy is what I have used. "Shreds" is what the one I use is called. It looks like shredded cheese with a thick gravy.
The feral mom that I have been feeding had a litter of kittens this summer and they were to much for her to feed. She had six, so she very bravely decided to bring them to me to help. She brought them out of hiding and placed them in a bed by the door, all six. So I started feeding them shreds and it didn't take more than a couple of days for them to recognize the routine of chow time. If I had to estimate I would say they are now anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 the size of their mom. I have not weighed them so I don't know for certain. But even though they are eating both shreds and dry food the mom still nurses them. SO they all pile into the cat bed by the door, including the mom, and they nurse off her when they get the chance. How old is too old? I have no idea but she is their mom so I figure she knows what she is doing. After all she had enough sense to ask for help to begin with.

 

[ArchyCat]

Don't give your cat cow's milk. It will probably cause diarrhea,. Buy some powdered Kitten Milk Replacement. The dry form, and not Hertz. Mix up a saucer or two a day for your kitten. And also some kitten wet food and dry food. Good luck!

 

[jen]

Where is she going that she leaves him for days? Hopefully not outside... He is too young to be totally away from here but not at all too young to be introduced to kitten chow and canned foods. Mom may show him how to eat.

 

[Sarthur2]

Mom needs to be spayed. Try Gerber turkey or chicken meat baby food, first on your finger for him to lick, then on a flat plate. Most kittens go for it easily. See if he will drink kitten formula from a dish also. Keep working with him several times a day and he should catch on soon. He must eat!

 

[Kallie kitty]

Mom had completely stoped feeding him n i know hes hungry keeps crying and bitting at my clothes like hes trying to nurse an nipping at my fingers but want eat or drink like he doest know how tryed baby food kitten food kitten milk and nothing not even water hes never had to eat or drink moms been feeding him what should i do

 

[Ruby3440]

This may or may not work since I don't know the kitten, but I suggest taking about a spoonful or 2 of puré kitten wet food and mixing half of the spoon full with kitten formula or some water if you. Now either take a spoon or use your hands and try forcing a little bit of the watered down wet food into his mouth. I find some kittens don't eat it themselves at first and you have to force them to take a few bites. Now for the not watered down wet food that's for if he doesn't like it so watered down and prefers it more chunky.

With our last litter of kittens our runt wouldn't even touch the wet food. Eventually I took him and a spoon forced a little in his mouth and then after a few times everyday he would start to Chow down on the spoon. Eventually we were able to get him to eat it from the bowl and now they all eat hard food.

Sorry if there are any typing mistakes! I am using my phone.

 

[Sarthur2]

Try feeding kitten milk with a bottle or syringe. With a syringe, go in the side of his mouth not the front. He must be on his tummy. Give little squirts and let him swallow in between. Once he catches on he will begin to suckle from the syringe on his own.

If you cannot get anything into him he needs to go to a vet so they can show you how to feed him. He must eat!

 

[Kallie kitty]

My little man Jeff whos about 7 weeks old has recently been abandoned by his mom and never learned how to eat or drink hes only been nursed i got him to eat bit he still doesnt understand how to drink he bites at the water thin licks it off his face "funny to watch"what should i do to help him to keep him hydrated im adding kitty milk to his food

 

[Azazel]

Cats have naturally low thirst drives and typically won’t drink very much if they are well hydrated from their food. They are supposed to get their water directly from the food they eat (raw meat from a kill). This is why canned food is so important for cats. I would feed lots of canned food to your kitten that’s high in moisture. You can also add extra water to the canned food when you serve it. In general, a diet that’s primarily wet is recommended. It’s fine to leave out a little kibble when they’re young to make sure they’re eating lots, but I would recommend moving to an all canned diet when he’s older and also feeding mostly canned while he’s a kitten. Most cats on all canned diets will not drink much, if any, water because they are well hydrated.

 

[Kieka]

Kittens have even less of a thirst drive then adult cats since they are still geared towards nursing from mom. Your little guy will catch on but for now he needs to be fed exclusively wet food or, even better, a slurry of wet food and KMR. Doing a slurry increases the water content while still keeping the nutrition high (slurry is just wet food mixed with KMR until it is more of a paste or thick gruel texture).

On a related not, I would advise you to look at orphaned kitten behavior forums too. Kittens learn to cat and basic behavior from mom during their later weeks (6-16 weeks). Things like how to play and how strong they are. Biting and aggressive play are both common with orphan kittens. You will need to be mom on teaching him that hands are not toys and how hard he can bite or play with someone before it hurts.

 

[jen]

Why is the mother not being kept in a small room with her kitten to care for? She shouldn't be allowed to leave him for days at a time. She needs confined with her kitten. She is just going to get pregnant right away again if she is going outside or around intact males in the home.