what to feed 5 wk old civie kittens? (UK)

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SweetAngel

SweetAngel

Member Since 2014
Will start with the question and then tell you the circumstances.

Basically the mother of these 2 kittens went missing on Tuesday, she usually comes back so they are very worried. The owner's children are both very sick at the moment and hand rearing them is an extra worry for her. I said I'd have them as from Monday. I'm going to get them checked out by the vet. I assume at that age they will need kitten food and kitten milk, should I start them on a low carb one, if so what does anyone recommend, and when can I switch them to adult food?

Well here is a story, I believe my beautiful Lianna sent them to me. I had my girl cremated on Tuesday and it was heartbreaking.

On the way back, my friend Hazel asked if I wanted to see her friend's litter of kittens, I said yes then no, thought it was too soon and I would not bond. I said I definitely only wanted one because I was planning to get a Birman. Well...there were 2 kittens still needing homes and they would be ready from 19th August. They thought they were both female. One of them immediately kissed me and fell asleep in my arms. The other one was climbing around me. I said since he was roaming he should be called Romeo. They looked at the active one and said it was male, so they had given me the wrong kitten. I already liked both though, anyway, they checked again and realised they had 3 boys and 1 girl. The little boy then settled too and nuzzled me. So I said I would have both sometime after the 19th, I have named them Romeo and Shakira Rose. It felt so right with these 2 little ones snuggled up to me and I believe Lianna was giving me her blessing.

Anyway the mother cat has not come back and now both the owners children are sick and she's trying to hand rear them. I'm worried about taking on such young kittens although I believe the rescue kitten we got when I was 16 was only 5 weeks, plus Angel came here briefly when he was 4 weeks old as he had an injured leg and the others were jumping on him. I just hope they will be ok, I couldn't face another loss and I already love them. I'm hoping the mother cat comes back.

Angel update, he has his 2 night hospital stay as part of the trial, and Ruth said he is showing a pattern consistent with going into remission although it may be a few weeks!! Weeks? That would be a miracle. He so needs friends, he is so playful and misses his sister, I would have got at least one kitten by now if I hadn't been worried about Lianna's reaction.

xxx
 
I fostered four-week old kittens last winter and when they arrived the mother got sick so she had to be isolated. It was an early but very successful weaning. They did fine on soft food that was greatly saturated with water. Without momma they were very thirsty so they ferociously drank up the food.
 
if you are able to get kitten formula, you can make that & mix it in to wet food that is age appropriate. Some wet food says kitten, some say all life stages. You make a slurry which is a bit thinner than oatmeal. Gradually lessen the amount of formula until they are just eating the wet food. They only need formula until about 6 weeks of age when Mom would normally wean them anway. If they are 5 weeks, they should be starting to use a litter box, grooming & socialization is key at this age.
 
Monitor elimination. As needed, use a warm, wet cotton ball to stimulate excretion. Wear gloves; it can be messy.

Do the occasional "mom" cat routine of grooming after eating with a warm, damp washcloth. You'll be able to check over the body and improve your bond at the same time.

When I flunked fostering 3 civvies that were allegedly 4 weeks old, providing pea sized blobs of canned food went down pretty well. It may be helpful to pick up some Forti Flora for the digestive tract.
 
lak99 said:
if you are able to get kitten formula, you can make that & mix it in to wet food that is age appropriate. Some wet food says kitten, some say all life stages. You make a slurry which is a bit thinner than oatmeal. Gradually lessen the amount of formula until they are just eating the wet food. They only need formula until about 6 weeks of age when Mom would normally wean them anway. If they are 5 weeks, they should be starting to use a litter box, grooming & socialization is key at this age.
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I agree. This is the method I used when I have rescued litters. If they look a little underweight, you could continue mixing it for 2-3 extra weeks. I used the KMR powder and mixed it with water and canned food.

They may have diareah for a few days since this will be a change for their normal diet so keep an eye on their weights to make sure they do not lose too much. With my kittens, it usually only lasted for a couple days until their bodies adjusted to the new food.
 
Hi Cassandra,

Just wanted to say about the kittens that - if you or your friend aren't able to look after them for any reason - your nearest Cats' Protection shelter may be able to foster them with another mama cat. They can often do this even if the age of the fostered kittens isn't the same as the mama cat's own kitten/s.

Eliz
 
Hi Cassandra,

As you know, Saoirse's got pancreatitis and the best success with finding a sensitive diet for her have been Bozita Sensitive Diet & Stomach. I've also got Bozita Sensitive Hair & Skin - similar profile but not tried yet. On the Bozita website they list both as kitten foods, so when they're ready for solids, they might be worth a try. The D&S smells quite bland. Saoirse also had some Lily's Kitchen Dinner for Kittens (paté in foiI tray). Her tum has been really upset for the last few days, but she has managed really well on the LK kitten formula this evening (thank goddess - she's been losing weight). The Lily's kitchen smells more appetising.

Both foods are GMO-free.

Hope the above helps when the time comes.
 
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