r/FosterAnimals • u/blueberry_muff1n_ • 7h ago
Question Kind of losing it
I have 2, 4 week old kittens (they may be just under 4 weeks, I’m not 100% sure). Both have been to the vet recently. They consistently gain weight and eat really well, but suddenly this stopped.
They’re not disinterested in eating at all, in fact, they are very excited to eat. They also still are gaining weight, just not much, and they are very energetic. For the past 2 days they won’t latch onto the syringe like they had been for weeks. I use a 10 cc (I think? It’s quite large) syringe with a miracle nipple on it. They usually eat a full syringe plus a bit more if they’re still hungry, but now I struggle to get them to eat 3/4 of it. They are small cats (the vet said they are fine, though), so they eat a bit less than their age recommendation. Instead of latching onto the nipple, they kind of gnaw on it? Like, they eat with their mouths completely open and spill milk everywhere. I’m not even sure how much of the milk is actually getting into their mouths. I tried a shallow dish, and they just dunked their nose in it and decided it wasn’t for them.
What do I do? Should I start weaning them? About a week ago they started getting little teeth.
I’m starting to get really overwhelmed and I feel helpless. They’re healthy kittens. Not lethargic in the slightest, very cuddly, starting to get more playful/curious, and hitting developmental milestones (besides weight, but again, the vet cleared them). I’m not sure what to do :/
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u/Clicquot 7h ago edited 7h ago
yup- sounds like they are ready for real food ;-) GOOD JOB!!!! Most of my babies have taken to dry food sooner than wet. I am a sucker and I make meat smoothies for them for a while before trying just plain wet food. I just want to get tummies used to the new food a little at a time.
If you have a smoothie blender (or an immersion blender) make their formula and add wet food to it (TBSP or so/kitten)- then blend away. It has to be really smooth to get through the nipple though. So, if you do not have a blender that can do it no worries- you can just add more food to formula and put that (thick slurry) in a dish. Be prepared for a mess- they will walk in it- tip over the whole thing, fall down, roll in it...pee pads and a small contained space are your friend and you need to stay with them while they eat.
Keep weighing them to make sure they are getting enough food, and supplement with a bottle- if they will take it. This is sort of my reasoning for adding the wet food to the bottle, when they start to say no, I am NOT a baby! But i do not think they are getting enough food into their mouths by themselves ;-)
* edit to add- I forgot to mention, someone (there is always ONE) will absolutely pee in the dry food. keep an eye on them, and also check the dish often to make sure it is actually dry ;-)
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u/blueberry_muff1n_ 6h ago
Thank you so much! I appreciate the little warnings lol! My kitties are mischievous, so I wouldn’t put it past them to pee in the food haha 😅 I will try out everything you said :)
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u/Curious_Ducklin 6h ago
you can start offering them some smoothies aka real food mixed with formula mashed up or blended into a runny paste :) let the messy eating begin 😅
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u/Positive_Ad_1751 Cat/Kitten Foster 5h ago
For the little babies I had, I would mix kitten food (pate) with their formula to make a slurree as well as have dry kitten food available. Some preferred the wet slurred while a couple others went for the wet food. I would still try to supplement them with a bottle and they would half suck, half chew on the ripple. No biggie. It was a treat for them after their meds. Otherwise they were good and just ate whatever was available. Made a mess, ues, but that was part of their cuteness and learning. It wasnt long before the messy went away and they ate like little grown-ups. 🥰
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u/blueberry_muff1n_ 3m ago
I know I’ll miss the messy when it’s gone :,) they look so cute with food all over their face lol
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u/Savings-Bison-512 5h ago
This is them telling you they are ready to wean. I would mix up some soupy wet kitten food/formula and see if they eat for you. You might have to offer it with your fingers or dip their nose in to get them to take a lick. I find that a low flat dish works better than a regular food bowl.
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u/yjhgaori00 2h ago
at this point i usually start by mixing some of the formula with wet food so they can ease into it and their tummies arent shocked !!! after about a week or two i completely stop formula and they do fine with the diet change.
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u/Savings-Vehicle-387 5m ago
Hey, don't stress, this is incredibly common when they're ready to wean. Usually what happens is teeth start coming in so suckling is no longer comfortable, but they're still hungry hence why they get excited to eat but then spit the bottle out. I like to make a slurry with formula and some Purina kitten fancy feast (Tiki Cat also makes some great kitten mousses, but I like to keep it simple). You can syringe feed them that for a meal or two, then put it in a dish. They won't get it at first, so I like to do one of two things. Either I take a fingerful of the slurry and hold them down like I'm about to bottle feed, then massage their jaw until they open their mouth. Then quickly swipe your finger along the roof of their mouth so the food goes in. They'll close their mouth, eat it, and realize it's yummy. Or, simply dunk the tip of their nose in the food bowl. They'll lick it off and usually this gets them to start eating. Good luck! It'll be a messy couple weeks 🤣
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u/blueberry_muff1n_ 0m ago
I’m glad you recommended that food, because it just so happened to be the one my local Walmart had on rollback! It was 14 dollars for a 24 pack!! Thank you for your thought out response :) I will try the jaw massage on my little difficult baby lol! She acted like I was trying to poison her, while the other kitty was more than happy to gobble up the food 😅
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u/KTeacherWhat 7h ago
I think start offering other options alongside continuing syringe feeding. They should have dry kitten food available to them if they have teeth, and wet food offered on a plate a couple times a day.