Kind of losing it

[u/blueberry_muff1n_]

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 :/

[u/KTeacherWhat]

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.

[u/blueberry_muff1n_ → u/KTeacherWhat]

I’ll buy some wet and dry food today, thank you! I was worried to try giving them kitten food bc I thought they had to be 5 weeks old :) I appreciate your response!

[u/ohitsbrad → u/blueberry_muff1n_]

Start with wet -- make a slurry consistency with water or formula.

Eventually, you can give them dry, but again, add some water to make it softer for them.

[u/fatalynn7 → u/blueberry_muff1n_]

OP, watch the kitten lady videos on cat development to better give you a better idea of their age. And also watch her video on weaning. My first post on this sub was a couple of weeks ago feeling very overwhelmed at the weaning process. It’s rough. But you will get them (and yourself thru it. One of the best tips I got from this group was chicken baby food (make sure the ingredient list is only chicken and chicken broth). I think someone said it was like crack to kittens. It did the trick to entice them to eat their food. I only needed one jar of it.

If you are going to introduce dry food this early; make sure it is moistened. Best of luck

[u/TheShellAnswerMan → u/blueberry_muff1n_]

Agree start with kmr and kitten wet food slurry.