Feeding a stray 4 week old kitten. advice?

Spyda

Spyda

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Sorry it's non horsey but wondered if anyone had any advice on raising a 4 week old kitten. He's been with us since Friday afternoon (so early days) and has been checked by the vet and okayed; but he's mewing alot at home and eating very little. He's sleeping a lot (obviously for his age) but is playful and boisterous when he's up and about. I'm giving him a heat pad to snuggle up to but wondered if anyone had any tips for feeding him. The vet said to stick to a dry food (and gave me a bag of Science Diet for sensitive kittens) but baby doesn't seem very keen on it. He prefers Whiskas dried kitten food so I've been a mixing a little of both types and offering them to him ad-lib. Plus, a little kitten meat. He'll pick a couple of small mouthfuls at a time (3 or 4 times a day) but isn't eating anything else. He's drinking okay, though.

Will be okay?
 
We had a 5wk old and few her off a teaspoon - alternating kitten milk (whiskas) and dairylea!!

She wouldn't eat "real" food and TBH they are too young at that age to have anything other than milk. The dairylea was just to plump it out a bit.

She is now 2yrs old and thriving. Good luck!
 
I know its hard, but kitty is not out of the woods yet!

TT was 4 1/2 months and wouldn't eat properly-long story-but we found GOCat dry kitten food soaked in whiskas milk kept him satisfied.

Then we moved onto whiskas kitten food. Remember they only have little stomachs so the fact that he is nibbling 3 or 4 times a day is good.

Keep him warm, food when he wants it and plenty of liquids and hopefully he should be fine.

Good Luck
 
Im suprised a vet is advising hard feed at 4 weeks, but then they are selling the expensive food to you!
Id go out and but whiskers kitten meat pouches and kitten milk.
Our cat had 8 babies and we helped her feed all of them and not one was a runt or died, she done very well.
Give her lots of cuddles and keep her warm and make sure she has kitten milk ( brought from any big store like tesco) ours loved it.
 
Goats milk is great for sensitive tummies, mine didn't like the whiskas milk stuff, and either dry or wet kitten food add lib at this age is fine, as long as you introduce anything new gradually they are pretty robust little things! But the fact he's eating and doing everything normally is a good sign, I'm sure he'll be climbing your curtains in no time at all! Good luck and do post some piccies!!:D Make sure though you get some wormer and flea stuff from your vets, as even just a few crawlies can take a lot out of a tiny creature!
 
I was given a 3 week old kitten years ago. You can get kitten milk that you make like baby milk and bottle feed her with a kitten bottle that is for a couple of weeks to make sure she was getting enough. Food wise, they always seem to love the wee kitten cans of whiskas meat, iv not know one kitten who didnt wolf it down. I wouldnt be feeding dry food.
 
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Thanks everyone. Really not sure how old the baby is. Person who had the queen said it was a September litter. I told my vet this on Friday and he assumed the beginning of September and put this on his records, but there's no way this baby is more than 4 - 5 weeks old. The vet weighed him on Friday and he's 170g and fits into the palm of your hand. His eyes are open wide, but still not really big and round like an 8 wk old kittens are. He'll play for very short periods and then just curl up on you and sleep. He's very sweet, but it's painful to see him obviously pining for his mother. He'll just sit in his box and cry for her for ages, finally giving up to sleep. Only other time he's happy is when he's curled up on the sofa wrapped in a goose down duvet, on someone's lap.

The vet wormed him on Friday and there are no fleas. I had to bathe him when I brought him home on Friday as he'd been born in a cattle barn and was covered in dirt and manure, and stunk to high heaven. Poor little chap. I should add that his mother was killed on the road sometime last week. The farmer had been offering it kitten food apparently, but all I saw was tins of that cheap 'unbranded' cat food lying about the place.

I've bought a x24 box of Whiskas Kitten pouches, a bag of Whiskas Dry Kitten food and lots of cartons of Kitten milk from Pets @ Home, plus have the bag of Science food. I'm offering him small amounts of freshly prepared food throughout the day, and Kitten milk twice a day - with water left out the rest of the time.
 
Hi I am surprised that the vet did not give you a formula milk you can make up, it used to be called cimicat that you prepare yourself the same way for human babies you can use a teat or a syringe from your vet and feed every few hours. Also remember to stimulate around the anus area etc to make him wee and poo,something that the mother cat would do by licking, hope this helps all the best
i think he is too young for dried food when he is abit older then go onto kitten food
 
branmash said:
Hi I am surprised that the vet did not give you a formula milk you can make up, it used to be called cimicat that you prepare yourself the same way for human babies you can use a teat or a syringe from your vet and feed every few hours. Also remember to stimulate around the anus area etc to make him wee and poo,something that the mother cat would do by licking, hope this helps all the best
i think he is too young for dried food when he is abit older then go onto kitten food
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Me too, my little lad was about 4 weeks old when i found him, i gave him formula milk and whiskas junior food, he seemed to prefer the meat, as another poster said if he is eating a little bit often then try not to worry too much, good luck:)
 
I find very young kittens don't like dry food. I too would feed cat milk and special wet food for kittens. They do sleep an awful lot at that age but will dehydrate quickly if not taking any liquid. If this kitten were with its mother it would be getting very little else but milk.
 
I would ask about the formula milk, I gave that to one of my orphans until she was 5 weeks then I got biscuits and mixeds them with warm milk until is was soft then put it in a syringe with a wide opening and encouraged her to eat that.

We also 'made' an mummy cat so that she didn't pine too much. Cheap toy cat or furry cushion cover if you haven't got one. Put something warm inside and a small cheap ticking clock. Worked ok Billie :o
 
She's too young for dried food. Mash up some whiskers with evaporated milk so it's nice and runny with little tiny lumps. If that doesn't work, scrambled egg with evaporated milk and a dollop of butter.

Kits digest evap milk beautifully and contrary to some belief, it DOES NOT give them bad bellies. I've weaned many, many litters this way as have the members of my breed club.

Good luck
 
having hand reared two orphan kittens this year, advice from cat sanctuary was to feed royal canin milk, its formula, you buy a tin of it and theres bottle and teats in there for younger kits although you can feed the milk from a saucer. Royal canin also do dried kitten food for a very young age.Both can be ordered online if you dont have a stockist near to you. My two thrived. Kittens do sleep alot then have a playful session then back to sleeping. Litter wise you can get special corn litter, just incase kit trys eating it. Good luck.
 
Spyda said:
Sorry it's non horsey but wondered if anyone had any advice on raising a 4 week old kitten. He's been with us since Friday afternoon (so early days) and has been checked by the vet and okayed; but he's mewing alot at home and eating very little. He's sleeping a lot (obviously for his age) but is playful and boisterous when he's up and about. I'm giving him a heat pad to snuggle up to but wondered if anyone had any tips for feeding him. The vet said to stick to a dry food (and gave me a bag of Science Diet for sensitive kittens) but baby doesn't seem very keen on it. He prefers Whiskas dried kitten food so I've been a mixing a little of both types and offering them to him ad-lib. Plus, a little kitten meat. He'll pick a couple of small mouthfuls at a time (3 or 4 times a day) but isn't eating anything else. He's drinking okay, though.

Will be okay?
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You can also put a ticking clock in her bed under the bedding, acts like moms heartbeat. Feed more milk. I raise lots of new born kittens (Used to live in Turkey, I was a magnet for anything in distress) fed milk via a syringe pippet they all thrived. Good luck
 
I posted a few weeks ago as I had been 'given' 3 kittens to save them from being drowned. I have no real idea how old they are but they are from 2 separate litters and one of them still has blue eyes even now so they are very young, I am guessing they were probably less than 6 weeks when I got them.

I have been feeding them Whiskas kitten pouches and cat milk, not made by Whiskas but a cheaper one from Tesco. Initially they were drinking lots & lots of milk but in the last few days they don't seem to be drinking it as much. They have also started eating dry Go Cat kitten biscuits in the last few days too even though there is always meat & milk out for them. I have always left a bowl of these out alongside everything else and they have never paid them any attention, but are now eating them and sometimes leaving some meat.

The difference with mine is that they are completely feral and will be kept at the stables so will always be outdoor cats. I kept them in my trailer for a while but they are now out & about and climbing trees, rolling around and generally having a whale of a time. They are still tiny and very much babies but seem to be doing well on what I am giving them.

Good luck :)
 
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