bottle feeding kitten

Question
i have a kitten 6wks old and have been bottle feeding since kitten about 2 weeks old. How long does bottle feeding need to continue. The kitten is eating cat food also Thank you Sincerely Corinne Meade

Answer
Hi Corinne, Well done !! Not many people are so succesful with bottle feeding as you have been. The kitten does not need you to bottle feed him milk any longer... HOWEVER... if you can stand to keep it up for a couple of more weeks you will have a more secure kitten that might not be so inclined to suck on sweaters or people. You often see this behaviour in kittens that have been bottle fed as they did not get the same number of hours of sucking as a kitten being nursed by it's natural mom would have had. If you can set up a bottle that he can go to at any time and suck that would be the best for both of you. OR if you can figure out some kind of "soother" like we give to children. BUT nutritionally he can get everything he needs on his own by this age. You should be able to put some milk into a bowl for him and he will start to lap at this age. Stick with the kitten formula, do not use cow's milk. Good luck !
Teresa