Evening all,

Please can someone offer me some HELP!!!

I have 4 and a half week old kittens and i have read that i should be starting to wean them, i have been offering them kitten milk and also kitten meat mixed with milk but only one has taken to the milk. The rest continue to try and feed from there mum but she is losing interest and isnt spending much time with them. I have also tried putting milk on my finger and trying to get them to lick from this but they are not interested in this either. I have also tried seperating them from there mum for awhile so the kittens have chance to get to the food before there mum eats/drinks it all!!

I have weighed the kittens and they are putting on weight but i am just worried as to why only one has payed any interest in the food and rest haven't. Will they eventually take to it or is there something wrong?

Also the mum is eating lots but doesnt seem to be getting bigger infact quite the opposite you can feel all her bones. Is it normal for nursing cats to lose weight?

Please HELP i am very worried as i want all the kittens and mum to be healthy

Katie x

Hi. It's very early days for your kittens to be interested in grown up food and they will still get plenty of milk from mum even if she doesn't feed them as often - that's why she is eating so much and not gaining weight. Keep trying the kittens with food, putting a bit on their paws is a good way of tempting them but don't be surprised if they are not interested for a couple of weeks more at least. Some get a taste for it quicker than others.
As for the kitten milk, I wouldn't bother with it and just give them water - they will be getting milk from mum which is much better for them

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Your cat and kittens should have food available to them at all times, there really is no need to put the food away or restrict their portions - when the kittens see what their mother is eating they will eat it too (though it may not happen for a few more weeks, at 4.5 weeks they're still just babies). They learn from observing their mother and they try to copy everything she does. So if she eats all the food before the kittens can get there, you're not giving them enough food!

Hi

I also have kittens the exact same age. We have 5. 2 of them are happily eating wet kitten food, but the other 3 have no interest whatsoever. I have been blending the food up into a smooth mush. The 2 that are eating seem to love it as they only have to lick at it.
My problem is that every time i put the food down mum comes in and hogs it all before any of the kittens get a look in!! She cannot possibly be under fed because she is currently consuming 4 whole wet sachets and 2 bowls of dry biscuit a day. I feed her separately in the kitchen. I did try feeding her near the nest box but she was a bit fretful because the kittens kept trying to feed from her whilst she was eating and she would run into the kitchen and sit near where she is usually fed.

At the moment i am only putting food down for the kittens once a day. Is this correct? I feel that if i keep putting food down all day long mum will just keep eating it and i shall be bankrupt

its tuff luck really mum should be eating 4 times the amount she normally does so no way is that enough food, I dont know what you feed but dry down all day then wet whenever she wants it plus treats or meat etc 4 pouches is nothing mine eat that when not in kitten, so yes she is hungry if she is eating the other food to!

and yes it should be down all day, kittens eat very tiny amounts throughout the day, if it isnt there they will reley on mum, who wont be able to keep up with the requirements if you arent feeding her the right amounts.

put a tiny but in their mouths and on their paws to lick it off, weaning is nmormally from 4-6weeks of age.

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If mum is not getting enough food then how come she is gaining weight?
The 2 kittens that are eating solids will eat nearly a whole sachet between them in one go so dont just take small amounts.
I have already been rubbing food on the mouths and paws of the other kittens who wont take the food but as yet it hasnt worked but i shall keep trying.

weaning is from 4-6weeks of age I wouldnt worry some are later than others

No idea but she should have free access to as much as she wants, shes probably just putting her pre birth weight back on which is good

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