HELP!! I’m fostering a kittens and one of them its too skinny. He is all bones, and I’m afraid he might die. What happens is that he gets too excited and instead of drinking out of the bottle he fights with it. He almost wanted to swallow the bottle once I try to feed him and when it’s finally in his mouth, he will eat very little. His brother is doing the same thing and I have notice weight change in them. We feed them 3 times a day, but he doesn’t eat much. I wrap him like a tamale and then feed him, at times that works. They are 5 weeks old and have a full set of teeth but still don’t want to eat soft food, help me PLEASE.
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I would get him checked out by a vet to make sure he’s not dehydrated, plus he may need some specialized nutrition. Kittens get in trouble extremely fast when they lose weight or just don’t thrive. How much does he weigh? A 5-week-old kitten should weigh about 1 pound. He may need more nutrition than the formula is providing. A vet will be able to tell you for sure. They should start the weaning process at 5 weeks. That doesn’t mean they should be completely weaned, but they should be showing interest in other foods. To help them along with the process, you can start by putting their formula in a bowl to get them to drink from a bowl rather than a bottle. Then mix some good quality kitten food in with the formula. Gradually decrease the amount of formula. Also, when feeding them with a bottle, be sure to hold them prone. Basically keep them in the position they would be in if nursing their mother. Make sure the bottle is providing enough formula. The kittens could be fighting with the bottle because they’re not getting enough formula through the nipple. The nipple shouldn’t drip when the bottle is held upside down, but it should drip when slight pressure is applied to the bottle. It’s difficult to say for sure as there are many scenarios. I would start with a vet check. Good luck to you & the little ones.