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Kitten weaning questions

14:46:40

Question
I just recently rescued a kitten of about 4 weeks old and I was told that I should start weening him in the next couple weeks. We are feeding him the KMR formula and he takes it well from a bottle but wont take it from a bowl or water from a bowl ( I have been giving him water as well seeing as when he was found he was severely dehydrated). I know how to start the weening process by adding small amounts of food to formula and so forth, I am just not sure how to get him to start using a bowl, Also have a question concerning litter box training. When would be a good time to start and how do I go about it? I have never litterbox trained a cat before as my adult cats already knew how when they came to me from the shelter.

Answer

Halo wondering how to
Hi Dawn,

It's wonderful that you're taking on an orphan kitten.  I myself have cared for many unweaned kittens, and am actually caring for an orphaned silver tabby found by a friend of mine at barely one week old (she is currently 7 weeks old.)

As far as introducing to wet food and drinking out of a water bowl, I usually start that at 4 weeks old.  The best way I've found to do this is to start by giving some KMR in a shallow bowl.  Also, if you're not using the powder mix, I would highly recommend switching to that one.  It makes the transition to water that much easier.  Anyway, just put some warm formula in a shallow bowl and set it in front of him.  Move the bowl a little so he can see something is in it.  If he doesn't drink immediately, put your finger in it and rub a little on his mouth.  Just try for a few minutes and don't despair if it doesn't work for the first few times.  Try at each feeding time; usually it takes 3-4 tries before it works.  Be sure to use fresh milk each time and clean the bowl.  Once he drinks the milk from the bowl, do the same with a separate bowl of water.  I begin leaving a bowl of water in their bathroom with them and giving fresh every day.  Usually, once you are feeding more wet and dry food, they are more motivated to drink the water to cleanse their palate.  I started giving Halo (my current orphan foster kitten) 1 tablespoon of wet Halo cans 2 times a day at 4 weeks old with every other milk feeding (she was getting 30-35 mLs at the time).  I started her on crushed dry Halo only while supervised for the first few days.  Once I know she ate it well on her own, I began leaving crushed dry in the room with her along with the bowl of water.  At 5 weeks old, she got wet food 3 times a day, and at 6 weeks old, I took her off the formula completely and leave her with whole dry food and water in her room, and feed her 1 tablespoon of wet 3 times a day.  She has done well with this method.  Also consider that as cats are obligate carnivores, they get 2.5 times the amount of water from their wet food as they do from water itself.  I ensure she is not dehydrated by checking her gums and skin daily, as well as monitoring and recording her stools.  I check on her and feed her at least every 6 hours or so, and each time I clean the box and record the stools.

As far as 'litter training', it's not really training so much as a natural behavior.  I can't stress to people enough to give a litter box from the get go.  You do have him inside only correct?  He should have his own bathroom as I have outlined in previous discussions with no carpet or mats of any kind.  Have you ensured he is flea-free yet?  I have a whole process I go through with my fosters to ensure no parasites or any cross-contamination whatsoever that I have detailed in previous answers.  Anywho, litter box training is effectively you giving them a litter box with about 2 inches of litter and setting them in it.  Start off with a small box about 3 inches in height that's about $4.99 at Petsmart or Petco.  (Note: At 8 weeks, you will need to switch to a larger medium sized box; and depending on how long you keep them, I go to a full-size hooded box at around 12-16 weeks old.  Obviously I foster almost all the time and keep all these sizes on hand.  Praise and pet them while in it, and if they jump out, gently set them back in.  A good time to start this is an hour or two after you've fed the wet food.  The first few times, just pet and talk to him sweetly while he's in the box.  The 3rd or 4th time, gently move his paw in a pawing motion so he can hear the sound.  If you do this enough and at the right time, he will eventually go while you are doing this, and then you can praise like crazy.  If you notice that he doesn't cover it, be sure to take a moment and pick up his paw and gently paw the litter over the poop.  This is key as if you do not help them learn this, they will grow up to never covering their poop (as one of mine did who was 3.5 months old when I rescued him).  Anyway, I recommend Swheat Scoop litter to everyone as it is a much safer, natural product that is better for your cat(s).  It is currently available at Petsmart, Petco, & SuperTarget.

As far as defleaing, get orange antibacterial DAWN.  Do not substitute this for any other.  Get 2 tall glasses, run warm water & fill each glass as well as your bathroom sink.  For a 4 week old, only fill the sink so the water will only come to the top of their legs, barely at their belly.  (Note: The sound of running water tends to scare them and makes the bathing process more stressful).  Set him gently in the water and hold him underneath his belly with one hand while gently wetting him with the warm water in the sink with the other.  Then apply a few drops of orange Dawn to his back and lather him well all over, even on his head, but take care to not let any get in his eyes.  Lift him and lather his legs & feet really well, and let it sit for 5 minutes before rinsing.  You will see the fleas flock to his head, so it's a good idea to lather his neck well first and foremost.  After letting it set for 5 minutes, rinse the back and legs off as much as you can with the water in the sink.  Then lift him slightly and use the 2 glasses filled with warm water to do the final rinse. Have an old hand towel set aside so set him in to dry him.  I usually have a full size towel on the floor as a base, and then dry them with the hand towel and then proceed to use a flea comb to lift their hair against the grain.  I usually wind up having to hand pick each flea with my finger nails, as most kittens undercoat is so fine when wet that the fleas won't come out from underneath.  This process could take you 10 minutes as it did with Halo who only had 6 (she was only 1 week old), or an hour per kitten, as it did with my latest litter of 4.  And actually, that was with two of us working on them.   And never try to go too fast or assume that after one bath that you got them all.  My rule of thumb is that ALL of my fosters get at least 2 baths 3 days apart.  The first bath is the first day they come home, and the second is usually the 2nd or 3rd day.  NEVER assume they are flea-free until you have successfully bathed them and combed searching for fleas for at least 10-15 minutes and found none.  Also, there should be no flea residue, and you have to give them all new towels/beds and clean their bowels before putting them back in their room after the bath.  I also hold and rub them in the hand towel for about 45 minutes after the bath to ensure they are dry.  If I am bathing a new foster litter, I put my Black & Decker floor heater in the bathroom with them and get it nice and toasty while they dry.  This may all sound over-the-top, but it works well for ensuring you put an end to fleas as soon as possible and that they don't spread to your already deflead animals.  I do not use chemicals on my cats or home, and as they are all indoors only, I take it very seriously.  It is imperative that you do not let fosters/strays in your home on any carpeted surface or near it until you are sure you have successfully deflead them.  Look at it this way--the more anal you are about keeping the fleas out, the more likely you are to keep a flea-free home.

***There is NO safe product to use for defleaing on ANY dog or cat that is less than 12 weeks old, honestly 16 weeks old in my opinion, no matter what any vet or person tries to tell you.

Well, I hope all of this information helps.  I have a plethora of info on foster and orphan kitten care, so please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.  

Best regards,

Holly Martin
Cat Care/Behavior Counselor
Texas A&M University
Animal Science B.S.