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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / May 2007Feeding Bottle Baby Kittens
Does anyone know if A/D food is ok to feed bottle baby kittens? They like it mixed with their KMR but I don't know if it's ok for them. Thanks! It is usually better to feed kittens under 4 weeks formula only. After 4 weeks they may start to try eating wet food on their own so it shouldn't be much of a problem. A/D is extremely rich food though. It may cause diarrhea. You might try mixing the KMR with a finely textured specifically kitten food. Debbie B > Does anyone know if A/D food is ok to feed bottle baby kittens? They > like it mixed with their KMR but I don't know if it's ok for them. > Thanks! > Does anyone know if A/D food is ok to feed bottle baby kittens? They > like it mixed with their KMR but I don't know if it's ok for them. > Thanks! I wouldn't. I also don't think it's a good idea to rush weaning them. How old are the kittens and what teeth do they have? If they've gotten in their molars (usually come in around 5 weeks or so) you can mix some canned kitten food with a little KMR and see if they are interested. I've had kittens who refused anything but the bottle until 6 weeks or so and they did fine and in some cases did better than kittens who started on solids earlier. W > I wouldn't. I also don't think it's a good idea to rush weaning them. > How old are the kittens and what teeth do they have? If they've gotten [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > 6 weeks or so and they did fine and in some cases did better than > kittens who started on solids earlier. I have to post my warning here about latex nursing teats... Levi was drinking from his bottle at the age of ~4 1/2 weeks and I didn't realize he was chewing the teat until he swallowed a very large piece of it. It eventually passed, but it was a very tense few days of waiting and watching. Another person posted here not long before I did with the same experience and she was not so fortunate. Her kitten died from intestinal obstruction. Once kittens have teeth, nipples are dangerous for them. The emergency vet said it wasn't an uncommon occurence. I recommend having them begin lapping up their formula from a saucer as soon as possible.  SignatureLynne "We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly We are brave enough to bend to cry And sad enough to know We must laugh again" ~ Nikki Giovanni, 4/17/2007, Virginia Tech > > I wouldn't. I also don't think it's a good idea to rush weaning them. > > How old are the kittens and what teeth do they have? If they've gotten [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > -- > Lynne Oh my. I never thought of that, and I've raised (fostered) a lot of infant orphans for the shelter over the years. Good info. to file away for future use. Sherry I stopped giving them A/D and returned them to KMR and my home-made formula. I never got either of them to nurse from a bottle, so the nipple thing wasn't an issue. I use a 3 ml syringe and load it again and again. Normally my "bottle babies" (I should really call them "syringe babies") become very bitey/mouthy after they are weaned, presumably because they had no mom to scold them for nursing/biting too hard, but this little pair so far haven't been chewing on the syringe, they do a pretty good job of nursing off it, so hopefully I won't have the bitey problem when they are weaned. Thanks to everyone for all the good advice! > > > I wouldn't. I also don't think it's a good idea to rush weaning them. > > > How old are the kittens and what teeth do they have? If they've gotten [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > Good info. to file away for future use. > Sherry > I stopped giving them A/D and returned them to KMR and my home-made > formula. I never got either of them to nurse from a bottle, so the [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > the bitey problem when they are weaned. Thanks to everyone for all the > good advice! My little bottle baby was very mouthy, too, but I yelped and redirected him frequently. He still likes to give love bites, and sometimes I think he will swallow my finger, but he never bites down hard anymore. I guess they can figure it out with some patience. It's terribly sad when kittens lose their mother, but this little bottle fed boy is very affectionate with his people, and especially with me. I've had a lot of animals and loved them to insane degrees, but I've never been closer to one than I am to Levi. If I am ever in a position to foster, I am going to take care of motherless kittens. There is something really special about them. SignatureLynne "We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly We are brave enough to bend to cry And sad enough to know We must laugh again" ~ Nikki Giovanni, 4/17/2007, Virginia Tech > It's terribly sad when kittens lose their mother, but this > little bottle fed boy is very affectionate with his people, and [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > care of motherless kittens. There is something really special > about them. That's so sweet, Lynne. A very strong bond is formed when you go through what you did with your little Levi. This is the bond that most people don't understand. And when you extend that to how you care for their overall health and wellness, it strengthens the bond even when you don't have a special needs companion. YOu just want the best for them because they really do depend on us when they are domesticated. They don't know that a bottle nipple could block them because a mothers nipple can't block them, and in nature that's all they'd get. They might die if they chew on the leaves of a toxic plant, but under our care we control what is available for them to chew. We can keep them safe. In nature they'd hide and eat garbage. Domesticated they play and love. If you've ever seen a formerly feral cat figure out how to play when all they knew was how to survive, that creates a bond, too. SignatureCheryl >> I wouldn't. I also don't think it's a good idea to rush weaning them. >> How old are the kittens and what teeth do they have? If they've gotten [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > vet said it wasn't an uncommon occurence. I recommend having them begin > lapping up their formula from a saucer as soon as possible. I've always interpreted chewing on the nipple to mean they were ready to give it up and move onto eating from a bowl. Once they start chewing they aren't getting much formula anyway. W > I've always interpreted chewing on the nipple to mean they were ready > to give it up and move onto eating from a bowl. Once they start > chewing they aren't getting much formula anyway. I am sure you are right that he was ready to be weaned, even though he was so young. In retrospect I feel like I should have realized he was chewing, but he's such a voracious suckler that I'm not sure if I could have. Also, I had just gotten him from a friend who hand raised him and have never bottle fed a kitten before. That whole experience was very scary. Levi is 9 months old and still suckles, BTW. I don't let him do it very often anymore, unless I've been away from him for a long day. (Like today. He's suckling on my lip right now!) What's really odd about this lip suckling thing is that I was just at my mother's house and her 8 week old kitten, who doesn't suckle on anyone, suckled on my lip while I was there! It was the strangest thing. He was all over me the whole time I was there, and of course I couldn't resist the little cutie. I wanted to steal him and bring him home. :) SignatureLynne "We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly We are brave enough to bend to cry And sad enough to know We must laugh again" ~ Nikki Giovanni, 4/17/2007, Virginia Tech |
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