Weaning Kittens - Advice please

[Tiggy's Mum]

How cute are they   I've got a mini massive soft spot for grey babies 

Good news on the poo front too!

[blackcat]

they're brown now, like his coat. He also wears mascara!! He, my dog and my other cat Esther are best friends, although Shadow does have stern views about Smidgen's tendency to use him as a trampoline 

[rollins]

they're so teeny - wee little mites. To think Smidgen was once so small

Your cat has absolutely beautiful eyes!

[blackcat]

they're so teeny - wee little mites. To think Smidgen was once so small

[rollins]

And some more

[rollins]

Oh yes we have pics - you just HAVE to have pics.

[Tan]

Hi Andrew 

Great news on the poo front  and solids Bet ya never celsbrated poos before   
 Do ya have any more pics hee hee we are suckers for  pic's and will drool all over them 

[Millys Mum]

Thats good to hear they are munching away. It normally doesnt take long for them to change.

Hurray for poos today 

[rollins]

Some excellent news - woke up today and came downstairs to an almighty smell - Smudge decided to leave a gift 

After giving them some wet food which they are both eating very well, Smokey decided to use the litter tray for her poo also - and they are booked into the vets for jabs and microshipping in 3 weks time - its all going very well.

[rollins]

Final update of the night guys

Both cats are now eating a big bowl of mushed up wet food that Karen has prepared, with about 1 teaspoon of milk, and they are both loving it.  I've also fed them a wee bit of chicken breast, and it has also been munched.  In fact, they tried to gnaw off my fingers thanks to the chicken juices.  I made sure to give them very very small strips, but Smokey was meowwing for more, and tried to steal some of her brothers.

So thats one issue dealt with - now I think its a matter of perseverance on my part.  I spoke to my sister who is a trained Vet Nurse, and she reiterated using cotton wool and warm water.

That should be their last meal of the day, maybe another small bit of chicken after they wake up from their usual after meal sleep.

[Gillian Harvey]

What dry food would you recommend instead of Go-Cat kitten? Iams perhaps?  We also have Whiskas Wet kitten food, which I plan on using as a main source of food for them, as with all my cats I prefer feeding them wet food.

I would think, if you have a preference to feeding wet food, (which is much better in terms of the amount of moisture compared to dry) then I wouldnt bother trying to wean them on dry food at all. You could maybe try them on the Natures Menu kitten, good meaty food for kittens.

[Tiggy's Mum]

Good news    There's lots of good advice on here from very experienced kitten rearers - stick with it and you can't go wrong.

[rollins]

Just a quick update

The kittens had a good sleep, and once they were up and about, we tried them on Wet food mushed with some cat milk - smudge has had a wee bit of the milk, but Smokey is eating a lot of the solidish food, which is great.

I've tried stimulating smudge with warm water and a cotton pad, and although he had a quick pee, we are still on poo patrol.  I'll try again with Smokey once she finished her dinner, and I've also got a wee bit of chicken breast that I'll cook for them for later on tonight.

[CurlyCatz]

Hi there, I a wee bit below you sort of, 35 miles north o aberdeen 

Anyway, you mentioned you are giving them kitten milk.  Is this the kitten formula milk replacement from your vet ??  Certainly I would be advising against the supermarket felix type cat milk "treat" which is just that -- a treat only and not substantial for kittens that have been sadly weaned far too early (such a pity your aunt didnt know she could have been spayed but the kittens left with her  )  You can get the proper milk formula from your vet over the counter and one brand of it is "cimicat" although i believe there are a  couple of other brands. (supermarkets do not sell this)

Many kittens are only starting to try solids at 6 wks so i wouldnt be panicking too much, also many kittens do go straight onto dried kitten food alhtough it is prob best if they get the offer of both.  I personally would also recommend one of the premium brands such as royal canin and hills etc (others have mentioned other good brands)  and you could use the supermarket wet kitten food IE whiskas etc.

I would always leave a bowl of the dried out for them to nibble on AND always water.  You could start the wet food off by mushing it up slightly and hand feeding them, also perhaps warming it up a wee bit may help get their interest.  You could even pick up a couple of cans of "hills a/d" from your vet as this is a very digestable type of convelesing food that is very soft  & mushy with no lumps (it can be syringe fed if nec to ill patients - altho you obviously would not be doing that )

[blackcat]

Noone warned me of this on my post below on kitten food and now i'm worried.

Actually if you read my first post on your thread, I did suggest it was not a good idea, although my reason for making this suggestion was because you seemed to believe it would stop them becoming fussy eaters. Both health and avoiding fussy eating habits are good reasons not to provide wide varieties in kittenhood (or adulthood to tell you the truth, because it causes similar probs)

Hello Andrew, and sorry for the 'by-the'way' above. Welcome to the forum and I am so envious that you once had the honour of hosting a scottish wild cat. How wonderful for you, and how sad to lose her.

Everyone here will give you lots of good advice and we are keen to hear all about your wee babes' growth. The stimulation recommended is best done immediately after food so they associate eating with voiding...

[Millys Mum]

Would it be better to use pureed wet food mixed with kitten milk perhaps?

Thats what i do and then introduce the dry afterwards. My current kitten wont eat dry food at all. If they are happily lapping milk offer an additional bowl of meaty milkshake and they will soon decide to try some.

If you get runny bums try felix kitten instead of whiskas as its not as rich.

Stripey- theres nothing wrong with using different foods aslong as your cats stomachs are happy with it. I use several different brands and have no problems.

[Christine (Blip)]

Sorry to hijack thread 

No, it is no hijack as the question is important to both of you - and many others too 

[stripeytiger]

As kittens  do have delicate tums choose a food and stick to it(if you can) there is nothing worse than keep changing a kittens diet. 

Can I ask why? Noone warned me of this on my post below on kitten food and now i'm worried. I thought that I was doing a good thing rotating a few brands every month or so, so that they ate a wide range.

Sorry to hijack thread 

[rollins]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Yep, I'm north of the border - Inverness to be exact.

Ideally, the dry food will be a training food as such, as I would prefer to use wet food eventually.  I'll have a look around the pet shop when its open tomorrow, and see whats available.  Would it be better to use pureed wet food mixed with kitten milk perhaps?  This way they would get used to a more stable and long term diet of kitten wet food earlier.

[Ela]

 

Teresa Pawcats is handrearing two little kittens and I shall draw her attention to this thread.

Sadly she is not alone, I don't think there is often a time during the year when we are not handrearing a kitten or two,  often more and I am sure other rescues must be the same.

[Ela]

Some people on here don't use Iams for testing reasons. I personally do use it as some of my cats have enjoyed it for years. There are a number of good quality foods, Hills, Burns James Wellbeloved,Techni-Cal to name but a few. If you put  these types of cat food in your hand and compare it with  Supermarkets own Brands, Go Cat etc, you will notice the difference. It is also surprising how little they need.

[Christine (Blip)]

  to Purrs, Andrew.  Judging by the clues scattered about your posts  , I am guessing you are from north of the border?  We have a large Scottish contingent on here.

It is a pity that Smudge and Smokey had to leave their mum so soon, but we are where we are.  Teresa Pawcats is handrearing two little kittens and I shall draw her attention to this thread.  I have not got the faintest idea about kittens, but she is one of our most experienced folk.

Look forward to hearing about Smudge and Smokeys progress.  But first, the poo question!

[Lindyloo]

Hi
If you wish to feed your kittens dry food I would suggest Hills kiiten variety though they are a bit young for a dry diet.
If you can get it(from a pet shop, supermarkets don't sell it) Denes kitten food is excellent I can thoroughly reccommend it. Small kittens are very susceptible to tummy upsets but  you very rarely have this problem with Denes. As kittens  do have delicate tums choose a food and stick to it(if you can) there is nothing worse than keep changing a kittens diet.  I fostered kittens for years and always fed Denes do try it if you can.
Lindyloo

[rollins]

Hello there

The reason they were taken from their mother was due to my auntie wanting her cat dressed ASAP.  I would have preferred to leave the kittens for another 2-3 weeks, but she insisted that they had to go at 6 weeks.

All the cats that I have owned (4 so far) have been neutered/spayed, and I'm phoning our local vets to get the kittens registered for their first shots at 9 weeks, with boosters at 12.  Before we even thought about getting kittens, I made sure we could afford all of their health needs, even going so far as to check the costs of vaccinations, microchipping (which both will get) and spaying/neutering.  I've also set up pet insurance so that any medical issues can be taken care of, and we have spent something in the region of £200 on toys, play area's and equipment, so please be assured that I take owning any pet with a great deal of commitment.

What dry food would you recommend instead of Go-Cat kitten? Iams perhaps?  We also have Whiskas Wet kitten food, which I plan on using as a main source of food for them, as with all my cats I prefer feeding them wet food.

They are both sleeping at the moment, but I'll try to stimulate them into pooing - I know that they were all doing it at my aunties house, so I'll try to get them into the habit here.

[Ela]

Welcome to purrs I am sorry your first reply is perhaps not what you want to hear.

Sorry to read about Rosie.

I appreciate you may not want to read this but they are far too young to leave their mum, no way should they have been taken away yet. Between 5 and 8 weeks the youngest kittens should leave their mum (unless something happens to mum).  What I suggest is you purchase some kitten food and mix it well mashed with water that has been boiled and cooled down. Then put a bit on you finger and put it to the kittens mouth then put some more on and gradually put your finger towards the cat bowl/saucer. I expect you will hate me even more when I tell you that cat dry food like Go Cat are not what many people call good quality cat food for a cat let alone a kitten and most certainly not suitable for kittens.

I suggest you damp some cotton wool and rub their little bottoms simulating mums lick and see if you can encourage them to poo.

I do hope when they are old enough you will have the neutered/spayed the reasons being:-

Quite simply there are far too many cats and just not enough caring homes. It's all very well saying Oh! I always get good homes for my cats kittens, if that is the case why are we always so full and have a huge list of cats waiting to come in and where are all the tens of thousands of cats/kittens that Cats Protection take in each year coming from? And why are tens of thousands more put to sleep each year? Sadly most of them come from those so-called good homes. If there were not so many kittens available the thousands of kittens/cats that are put to sleep each year may stand a chance of adoption, and that good home you managed to find may have adopted one that has now been put to sleep. We appreciate that some come into care because of the owners ill health or a death in the family but the majority are simply not now wanted. Of course we are just one rescue, there are possibly as many again if not more being helped by other rescues. Please don't be led into thinking that if everyone had their cat neutered/spayed they would die out, that is just not going to happen there are far too many irresponsible people for that. If there were a few less cats/kittens available would it be such a bad thing? Maybe just maybe they would be more valued and as a result of this perhaps we would not keep reading of the abuse and neglect so many suffer. Occasionally we are told I don't want my cat 'done' I want it to have some fun, another word for fun is amusing, it is not very amusing when your cat gets a life threatening disease just because you wanted your cat to have some fun, is it?

RISKS FIV & FeLV is rife; it is passed on from cat to cat by contact, usually sexual or fighting. Please don't put your cat at risk. It is NOT necessary for a cat to have a litter of kittens before it's spayed, indeed all Vets would agree that it is of no benefit to a cat at all.  It is just as important for indoor cats to be neutered/spayed as it helps to eradicate many forms of cancer, e.g. Breast, Ovarian, Uterine Prostrate & Testicular also enlargement of the prostrate and related infections. Cats are also safer from mammary tumours and will not acquire pyometra a life threatening infection. EVERY TIME A FEMALE COMES INTO SEASON IT INCREASES HER CHANCES OF BREAST CANCER.THIS ALSO AFFECTS DOGS. TESTICULAR CANCER IS COMMON IN UNNEUTERED CATS AS IS FELINE AIDS AND LEUKAEMIA. NEUTERING/SPAYING IS THE BEST WAY TO HELP YOUR CATS STAY HEALTHY. Vouchers towards the cost of this simple little procedure are available to anyone on a limited budget. Please ring your local Cats Protection or apply online for vouchers see www.cats.org.uk .

WE HAD 38 UNNEUTERED/UNSPAYED CATS TESTED FOR LEUKAEMIA & AIDS 35 WERE POSITIVE. IF ONLY ONE OF THESE HAD COME INTO CONTACT WITH ANY OF YOUR CATS MALE OR FEMALE IT COULD SO EASILY BE PASSED ON.

CATS LIVES HAVE BEEN SAVED MANY TIMES WHEN A VET NOTICED SOMETHING WRONG WITH A CAT THAT WOULD HAVE REMAINED UNNOTICED UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE HAD THE CAT NOT GONE FOR A NEUTER/SPAY.

 There are numerous reasons why we advise people to have the cats neutered/spayed however in addition to those we are constantly being asked to bring in kitten from people who originally adopted from farms for example one young lady asked us to take in a beautiful 8 month old when she found it was a boy and not a girl she said she could not gel with it. A while ago we were asked to bring in another 8 month old who had been taken to the vets to be PTS because it was constipated.

[rollins]

Hello there - first of all I'd like to say a big HELLOOOOOO to the forum - I'm a long term cat owner, and myself (Andrew) and my much better half Karen have had some sadness and also some happiness recently.

About 2 months ago, by beloved scottish wildcat Rosie passed away.  I've had Rosie since she was 5 weeks old (abandoned by her mother) and I was 13, so you can imagine the mess both of us were in.  We had recently bought a house, and Rosie was spending her 13th year with us - it was a good year for her, and I'm glad she had some peace and was spoled rotten also.

We had both decided that the house was a wee bit too quiet without a cat, so we have housed two lovely kittens, my aunties second litter.  They are fantastic wee creatures, and at 6 weeks old, are both taking to using a litter tray really well.  They have both got great personalities, and considering its only day 2 with us, have settled in better than we could ever had hoped.  Smudge is bonny wee boy, all grey with a wee bit of white on his nose, and Smokey is a wee cracker, she is grey with lots of white stripes and some white on her face.

I would really appreciate advice on weaning however.  At the moment, they are both taking cat milk fine, but I would like to gradually get them used to solids.  My plan is to use Go-Cat dried food, mixed to a paste with water, and then mixing with cat milk, gradually increasing the amount of dry to give the feed more texture.  After a few days of this, then going to finely chopped kitten wet food, mixing in more milk if need be and then gradually decreasing the amount of milk.

I'm just looking for feedback on if this sounds like the right way to go.  I know that there is no hard and fast rules, but would appreciate any adive.

Also, before I forget, they have ony used to litter tray for Number 1's - and they havent left any Number 2's yet.  We only got them at 6pm yesterday, but I thought that they would be at least one a day.  Is that due to the mainly milk diet, or because of the move to a new location perhaps?

Thanks very much for taking to the time to read - Cheers