weaning syringe fed kittens *photo in 5*

[believer]

I feel like a bad kitten mom. We got two little foster kittens on May 24. That was 3 weeks ago. At that time, the smaller one weighed 1/2 pound and the bigger one 3/4 pound. The smaller one has now more than doubled her weight and the larger one has doubled his weight.
We were syringe feeding them until yesterday. We would grind up the canned food in the blender w/ kitten formula powder and water and heat it up in a pyrex dish in a pan of water on the stove. (Our microwave is broken.)
But we have stopped. They are old enough to eat on their own, but they would rather be fed. They are now so big and eager to eat that one of them grabbed at the syringe and knocked it out of my hand yesterday.
We give them dry kitten food in a bowl that is always out and have been putting canned cat food out several times a day when they are hungry.
They can eat the canned food, but they still want to be syringe fed. They stare at me and mew at me and I feel so mean not syringe feeding them.

[MudPies]

are you giving them the food that was in the syringe in a bowl or something to help transition?

[believer]

are you giving them the food that was in the syringe in a bowl or something to help transition?
yes.

[JessicaTX]

I think some cats are just weird. My son's kitten was nursed and he still hunkers down and kneads and licks my son's blanket like he's nursing. Don't mama cats eventually smack their kittens off to make them stop latching on? lol

[believer]

I am not sure, but these guys are of the age, that they would still be nursing if they had their mom, however, they would most likely also be eating dry or canned cat food with her as well.
They were so young when we got them - and we don't know what happened to the mama cat - they were taken to the animal shelter as strays - that they don't even do the kneeding thing.
I think they think that dh and I are their "mom".
They are very sweet.
One is in my lap right now purring.
Here is a photo of them from today:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v670/dbjorn/2tinyfosterkittens003.jpg

[MudPies]

:melt

did you drop a syringe feeding every few days :think or stretch out the hours?

[believer]

did you drop a syringe feeding every few days :think or stretch out the hours?
we started giving them the canned food in the bowl and shutting them in w/ that when they were hungry before syringe feeding them for a while first - and they would eat a tiny bit, then we began stretching out the hours and then dropping the syringe feedings until yesterday they had the last two syringe feedings. I think they are doing ok today - but they don't seem to understand that they only get the wet food in the bowl now and they still want us to syringe feed them, but they don't actually need it. I think we just spoil them too much. But they are so cute!

[momofmany]

:heart Sooo cute! I would be a horrible foster kitty mommy.... I wouldn't be able to give them up.

[JessicaTX]

Ooooh :melting :heart
They are so adorable!

[ReedleBeetle]

I would have kept syringe feeding them for awhile. :shifty I bottle fed puppies and bunnies both, and I didn't worry about getting them off it quickly. :shrug3

[J3K]

I usually made a paste of dry food and the wet food combo and let them walk in it. Rubbing it in their feet will get them to eat normally.

I'd also let them nurse as long as they wanted. I had a mama cat that nursed for 12 weeks. I've got a picture somewhere of Mama nursing her littles and a bigger non related cat at the same time.

[ellies mom]

Oh, they are darling...

I bottle fed my cat and his siblings but that was ten years ago and I don't remember how I weaned them food-wise. For comfort though, they suckled on my very patient female Pit Bull for quite a while.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a54/vdrapeau/mysticnursing.jpg

[jblairosu]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v670/dbjorn/2tinyfosterkittens003.jpg
:melting:hearts They are adorable!!! :heart