Runny stool and meowing

Question
Hi, Kate. I have just acquired two 3-week old kittens from a friend. The mama cat disappeared a week ago and the friend needed to find homes for the kittens. I have had the kittens in my possession for about a day and a half. I am noticing tan runny stools and all they seem to do is cry (meow). As of right now, I have them on Meow Mix with water added to it to make it mushy. The vet said that this was ok to do. I do not know if it is because they had been given Kitten Chow by my friend or what. What can you tell me about this and the crying?

Answer
Nazarene,

Hi, I am not Kate, but I will try to answer your question.

They are crying because they are looking for a nipple to suckle. The tan somewhat runny stool is normal for that age as they have mostly been on milk.

Also, they will do better feeding them what they were getting before you got them.  So, I would give them the kitten chow.  In addition, kittens that age really need to be fed at least 4 times a day.  A good schedule is midnight, 7:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 7:00 PM.

At three weeks of age, these kittens are barely old enough to be weaned and you might consider a pet nurser with kitten milk replacer formula (available from most pet supermarkets) for another week in addition to the wetted dry food.

Best regards... Norm.