orphaned kittens - part 2
1 week down - 4 more to go (at least)
All are chowing down on the KMR. All are peeing in the litter box. Someone pooped out of the box overnight so we still need to work on that. They are walking, starting to climb, have started cleaning themselves and participate in free for all wrestling matches. The vet said to start them on Step 2 and start the weaning process. So far I've just wasted Step 2. They show no interest what so ever (other than walking in it). They are more interested in eating kitty litter than the food from a dish. I've tried putting it on my finger, in a spoon, putting a little on their mouth - nada. They just act very offended and cry for the bottle. Any suggestions? They also have fleas. Not many, but I've combed off maybe 6 fleas this week. Is there anything safe to use on kittens this young or should I just keep combing them off until they are older? Wendy |
Wendy wrote:
The vet said to start them on Step 2 and start the weaning process. So far I've just wasted Step 2. They show no interest what so ever (other than walking in it). They are more interested in eating kitty litter than the food from a dish. I've tried putting it on my finger, in a spoon, putting a little on their mouth - nada. They just act very offended and cry for the bottle. Any suggestions? My guys hated the Step 2 stuff. So, I started giving them Friskies kitten formula and squirting a little KMR on it (you can only leave this out for about an hour after putting the KMR on it so if they don't eat it, pick it up in an hour). I'd dab a little on their mouths and they'd lick it off then they'd lick it off my finger. Each time I did this I'd bring my finger up less and less so that they had to bend close to the dish a little each time to lick the stuff off my finger. Eventually, they'd be eating out of the dish. I still supplemented them with KMR in the bottle but I did this less and less over time as they began to eat more from the dishes. We chose Friskies because it's so mushy. Some of the other kitten foods seem dryer. Also, I took Royal Canin's kitten crunchies and added a little water to it to make them softer. At this point I have 4 kittens who prefer canned food and one kitten who likes the dry food best. They also have fleas. Not many, but I've combed off maybe 6 fleas this week. Is there anything safe to use on kittens this young or should I just keep combing them off until they are older? We use Dawn (not Ultra Dawn, regular/original formula) to wash them. Just a little Dawn diluted in water and used to bathe the kittens. Make sure the water isn't too hot or too cold. Rinse, rinse, rinse and rinse some more. Then wrap them in a towel and dry, dry, dry them. We make kitten burritos out of the kitten and the towel and once the first towel has absorbed a lot of water then we change towels and dry some more. Be sure to keep them warm afterwards. Usually, two towels will get them mostly dry but your mileage may vary. Jan -- jan(at)panix.com http://www.couchtigers.com .................................................. ................. Silicon Valley Friends of Ferals : CAT: A pigmy lion that loves http://www.svff.org : mice, hates dogs, and Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc. : patronizes human beings. http://www.marykay.com/jcordes : --Oliver Herford ...................................:.............. ................. |
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