You are here:

Cats/5 week old kittens

Advertisement

Expert: - 7/14/2009


Question
hi. i have 2 5 week old kittens that were born the night of 9th June. they are very happy healthy little kittens but i cant get them to eat anything, all they do it drink milk from mom. should i worry about this? how can i get them to eat? what can i try?
thanks for your help in advance

Answer
Joanna,

At 5 weeks, they need to be weaned.  We like to start them off with a good strained meat baby food (only ingredients strained meat and broth or gravy).

We put some in their mouths and after a while they usually begin to take to it.  After they will eat it off your fingers, it is time to use a spoon.  Once they adjust to the spoon, they can begin to eat it off a plate.  When you feed them, you will have to put mama in a crate or carrier.  Her treat is to eat the left overs and clean up the kittens. This should take a week or two.

Once they are on the baby food, you can mix some cat food in with the baby food and gradually get them eating cat food.  Once they begin eating cat food, I would keep them isolated from mama so her milk can dry up.

This is a good time for them to start getting their shots and be socialized to humans.  After they are about 12 weeks, they should have had all their shots and boosters and be socialized to people. Mama's milk is dried up and they can be re-introduced to mama who, probably, will not recognize them!

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Best regards... Norm.  

Cats

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Norman Auspitz

Expertise

I can answer most non-veterinary questions about cats. My particular expertise is pedigree cats, breeding and showing. However, I am versed in feline behavior, cat breeds and their characteristics, general feline husbandry, and the like.

Experience

I judged for the Canadian Cat Association from 1975 until 1982. I am currently an approved allbreed judge for the Cat Fanciers'' Association (the world''s largets cat registry), and have been judging for them since 1991. I have been breeding pedigreed cats since 1971 and have been exhibiting pedigreed cats in shows since 1970. I obtained my first pedigreed cat in 1970 and have never looked back. In 1971, I obtained my first Abyssinian which has become my primary breed. In addition, I have bred Manx and Persians. Currently, besides the Abyssinians, I am also breeding Maine Coons.


Organizations
Cat Fanciers'' Association, inc. (CFA) and the Manx, Maine Coon, and Abyssinian breed councils. I am currently Abyssinian breed council secretary.

Publications
Cat Fancy Magazine, The Abyssinian Chapter in The Cat Fanciers'' Association Complete Cat Book, and Articles for various editions of The Cat Fanciers'' Association Yearbook

Education/Credentials
I received a B.S. from Drexel University in 1968, a M.Math from University of Waterloo, in 1970, a Ph.D. from University of Waterloo in 1975, and a MBA from McMaster University in 1980. I received my approved allbreed judging status in the Cat Fanciers'' Association in 1999.

Awards and Honors
We have produced a number of Cat Fanciers'' Association (CFA) National winning Abyssinian and Maine Coons. We have produced a number of Abyssinian and Maine Coon Distinguished Merit females (an award for a top producing cat), including the first Distinguished Merit Abyssinian in the red (sorrel) color. I am the CFA Abyssinian breed council secretary and belong and/or hold office in a number of cat clubs. I am also a member of the CFA Judges Association.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.