How do I ween my kittens?

Question

We got 8 week old kittens a few days ago, and they won't drink anything but cow's milk. I've tried mixing their food in with the milk, but they won't eith it, and they won't touch canned food, either.

How do I get them to eat kitten/cat food?

Answer 1

Ok , first off lets clear up the cow milk issue. Cows milk does not cause worms in cats. Cats can be milk intolerant, meaning some cats may get runny stools. If you notice runny stools, then yes I would stop the milk. But its not physically going to harm them. The easiest way to wean a kitten that has just been removed from mom is to get some wet food, dap it on your finger and stick the food in the kittens mouth. Most kittens will not take to the food right away if they arent weaned. Keep doing this until they will eat it on their own. If you have to mix milk with the canned food thats ok, just make sure to dump what they dont eat as it will spoil quickly. I wouldnt mix liquid in with dry food as it can grow bacteria pretty quickly which could get them sick.

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I have been doing rescue of cats for a little over 8 years now and have run into a lot of issues.

Answer 2

Stop with the cows milk right now! Its really bad for them. It does not have the proper nutrition that kittens need. Start off with canned food. Water it down do it is runny. You will probably need to put some food in their mouth to start out with. Just get a little bit on your finger and rub it on their teeth. Make sure they have food available at all times but don't leave out the canned food too long because it will spoil. Once the kittens are eating straight canned food mix dry food in with the wet food. They should eventually only eat dry food. You can also leave out a dish of dry food out all the time too. Good luck!

Answer 3

I agree with much that GP says and do not try to get them to eat the dry food and eliminate the wet. The canned food is meat, the natural diet for kittens and what their mother would feed them. Quality foods do make a difference in cat nutrition. Stay well away from grocery store varieties. Find an owner-operated pet store selling quality foods and they will advise you on the best brands for the kittens.

Dry food only leads to severe dehydration in cats and eventually strains their kidneys to the point of collapse. You need to balance at minimum 50% meat and 50% dry.

Raw meat is the best possible diet for a cat. You can give your kittens a raw chopped up chicken wing (about four pieces if it has the tip), a small amount of chicken liver, some gizzards and hearts. A very well-balanced meal with lean-muscle meat, fat from the skin of the wing, Vitamin A in the liver, taurine in the hearts and gizzards. Believe me the kittens will love it! You can get packages at the grocery store (hormone and antibiotic free of course) and prepare the little "meals", freeze them in large muffin tins, then package in a large plastic bag to store in the freezer and thaw out for their meals. I would feed this meal at least three to four times a week. Dry and canned foods are fine for other meals during the week.

Answer 4

stop feeding them milk...first of all cows milk is not good for them just give them a feeder with kitten chow in it and let it out all day and eventually they will go to it and eat it when they are hungry enough...just show them where the food is several times until they get the idea...cows milk will give them worms you need to take them to the vet and get them dewormed because im sure they have them if that is what you were giving them...especially if their little tummies look bloated

Answer 5

You can buy cats milk from the pets food isle in your supermarket it is quite good but as for the rest I agree with P*Kitty

Answer 6

just feed them less and less milk then in between milk feedings give them kitten food.

Answer 7

what does ween mean