The mother of 5 kittens isn't producing enough milk for her kittens, I need to know what to do to feed them and what do I feed them. they are 1 month old
Answers:
Four weeks give them some food. She is not producing in order to wein them. Please spay and neuter them.
Get kitten formula from the pet store. Check them daily for the nubby evidence of teeth, pretty soon you can start letting momma show them how to eat mush (make a nice slurry out of rich kitten chow and feed it to mom, the kittens will pick it up, and you can start weaning them over a couple weeks or so).
This is what i did when the mother didnt have enough was i went to petsmart and they have baby kitten milk that comes along with a bottle and you hold to the kitten and feed it to them like the mother would from its nipples and the bottle has a nipple on it so the kitten would feel like its eating from the mom!
You can feed them milk replacer for kittens. You can find it at any pet store or department store with a pet department.
At a month old, you should be able to skip the bottle and put it in a shallow dish (an aluminum pie pan works great). Try introducing it to the kittens on your finger. Get them to taste it and once they are interested, move your hand closer to the dish. Eventually you'll want to hook your fingers IN the formula so that the kittens can lick your fingers and get some of the formula from the dish at the same time.
You can eventually start mixing canned food with the formula to make a soup. Gradually reduce the amount of formula until the kittens are able to eat the canned food alone.
You can find milk replacement normally in the pet section of Wal Mart, or your local pet store. It's usually around $1 a carton. You can also find a small plastic pet bottle that you can cut a hole through the nipple. I have also known people to use a medicine dropper as well. You want to keep the milk at about room temperature, maybe slightly warmer, but not too warm. I would feed them about every 4 hours since they are about a month old, remember their mother's milk is much healthier and contains things the milk replacement doesn't, so focus on getting them to feed off of their mother. But if they are still hungry, you can normally tell, and feed until they are full and go to sleep. Also keep them in a warm place with blankets. Any other questions, let me know.
You will have to start bottle feeding them kitten milk formula. They will soon pick up how to suckle from a bottle.
It is unusual for a mother of 1-month-old kittens to suddenly stop producing enough milk for them. Are you sure this is the case?
If so, you should go to a pet supply store, like PetSmart or PetCo and pick up a special formula and bottle for kittens. While you're there, pick up a good book for tips on hand-feeding kittens or talk to a local veterinarian for advice. At one-month-old and with the mommy cat providing much of the care, it shouldn't be too difficult to assist her in feeding for the next 2 weeks or so. By six weeks, the kittens can be weaned and on a diet of kitten food.
How do you know there isn't enough milk? Milk production is supply and demand. If the kittens are nursing then milk will be produced, unless there is a unknown health issue. Don't bottle feed them unless you want to take over the entire job for mom, because the less they nurse the less milk there is going to be. If you are worried take them to the vet. Also at 4 week they are ready for a little mush. Mix a little water with wet kitten food until it is really runny so they can lap it up. Encourage them to eat it by putting some on your finger and then rub your finger under and along their lips.
When my cat had kittens last year, she also stopped producing alot of milk.
i weaned the kittens on whiskas chicken wet food mixed with luke warm pet milk from supermarkets, they were 4 weeks old.
i mixed enough luke warm milk imto the whiskas chicken wet kitten food. and made it into a runny paste.
some kittens may take after dabbing a bit on their noses. i also gently opened the mouths of the others and put a tiny bit inside their mouths, and a saucer works well for food. my kittens were fully weaned at 5 weeks old.. and also think about litter training them now, as mum wont clean up stinky cat food after masses.
also try feeding a 4 week old kitten 5 to 6 times a day (small amounts) they can also drink fresh water too. kibbles best introduced at 6 weeks of age as it is a strong flavoured food and may cause tummy upsets in younger kittens.
if you dont feel comfortable feeding them food yet, just give them luke warm pet milk availiable in the pet isle at supermarkets.
dont worry they will also still feed off mum, but not as often.
p.s please check the mums kitty boobies often and look for hot swollen hard masses which can be mastytis or milk fever in cats, and will make the babies sick too.
and good luck with the fluffy bundles of joy
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