orphand kittens

Question
I have kittens the mother died when they were about 10 days old. Well now they are at six weeks and I am having problems with them eating the kitten food. They want the bottle, how can I get them interested in the food?   thank you Mary Ann

Answer
Hi Mary Ann, At 6 weeks old the kittens will still want to be nursing quite a bit so allow them to do that but only after they have had a bowl of food left in front of them for 15 - 20 minutes. Let them eat as much as they can and then top them off with the bottle. You can start by putting the milk you feed them into a shallow bowl and then gently put their noses into it. They will sputter and lick the milk off their mouths and then usually they will be very happy to dive right back in for some more ! Then start mixing some canned cat food made for kittens with the milk. It will be a messy gruel but they usually love it and will eat as much as they can and then spend quite a bit of time cleaning themselves up. Eventually 7 - 14 days later you can start soaking kitten kibble in a little water and the canned food until it is soft and then give it to them... I think you see how this is going. The best diet would be for them to be on dry food as adults so gradually moisten the kibble less and less... Teresa