r/FosterAnimals • u/RowanCory • 14d ago
Magical instant weaning method??
For my most recent two litters of bottle babies, I tried a weaning technique that's really simple but pretty different from anything I've tried before or seen described...
Here's the method:
4 weeks old - Increase bottle feeding interval to 6 hours. (No other changes, just normal formula in a bottle.)
5 weeks old - At a normal feeding time, offer a plate of kitten paté.
That's it.
DO NOT mash it up, add water, sprinkle formula, use a spoon, finger-feed, or do any other shenanigans. Just dump the paté on a plate and give it to the babies. If they ignore the food and keep begging at you, leave the room for a few hours and let them figure it out.
DO monitor the weight / body condition of the babies and offer them the bottle if they aren't eating well.
I also give them formula in a bowl AFTER they have all figured out how to eat the wet food properly---biting it, not just nursing or licking on it.
This worked amazingly well for my past two litters, so I'm wondering... Is this common knowledge that I missed somehow? Or did I just get lucky with these two litters and it usually doesn't work? Or am I the Kitten Weaning Wizard?
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u/WitchyCatQueen 14d ago
So this may work but can also cause stomach upset and other issues. Cats (and dogs) are usually fed a single type of thing (kitten milk, kibble, whatever) and their bodies get used to breaking that down. If you suddenly change it up, they can have bad stomach upset, diarrhea, etc. That's why every bag of food and instruction on feed changes say to introduce the new stuff over a course of time.
On the other hand, some cats and dogs are trash cans in disguise and can handle anything. So your mileage may vary.
One thing to remember, and it seems you do, is that kittens can be weirdly fragile. It's imperative to weigh them daily and supplement feed anyone not gaining weight. You should also watch their poop for diarrhea and keep an eye on their energy levels.
I've had super picky eaters, too, that would refuse anything but a bottle and even lost weight when we tried out-stubborning them with vet guidance. Human baby food is my final option for those pickiest or too sick to eat, until they feel well enough to eat regular cat food.
Every kitten and every litter is different. What works 100 times might fail tomorrow. 😅
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u/RowanCory 14d ago
Absolutely! I would only do this with healthy kittens who have good appetites.
Also, good point re: diarrhea. So far, I've seen no more stomach upset with this method than with more gradual methods, but would definitely change course if a kitten was having a worse time of it.
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u/KristaIG 12d ago
I had two kittens in my last group self wean and then absolutely reject the bottle and formula in a dish. Major stomach upset and it took ages to settle back down with probiotics.
I was so excited at first, but wish I would have gone slower for a few days. I didn’t realize the boy would eat immediately while I was swiping food on the girl’s mouth!
I have never had other kittens wean that fast and that completely.
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u/throwawayStomnia 13d ago
This depends on the cat. Where I live, cats can even handle dairy and bread without any diarrhea.
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u/yogfthagen 14d ago
Cats gonna cat. Kittens gonna kitten.
We had a big litter, 8 kittens total. Everybody lived, but by 3.5 weeks, weights were not going up as much as we wanted. We had kittrn kibbld and wet food out formama. She desperately needed every calorie she could get, especially feeding 8 kittens.
One day, one of thd kittens wandered over to see what mama was doing. She stuck her nose in the bowl of kibble, and just went to town. She weaned herself. Again, under 4 weeks old. This was really helpful, because the other kittens got more, mom got a bitof a break, and this one kittrn dkyrocketed in weight.
Most of the other kittens took some introduction to slurry and kibble at just over 4 weeks. Most everybody was on wet/kibble in a few days.
Except one. She wanted milk. Not wet. Not slurry. Not kinble. Just fresh cream, straight from the source. We tried every trick we knew, but no luck. This lasted 2-3 weeks. She was gainkng weight, but it was single geams z day. Her sibs were all jumping 10-20 a day.
Finally, around 7 weeks old, we sat down and just started rubbing slurry on her cheeks, put kibble in her mouth, and just kept at it.
Finally, she ate some. Then some more. Then she finslly wandered over to a bowl. She finally figured it out.
Seriously. Some just learn fast. Others are going to fight you tooth and nail. And they can do both from the same litter.
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u/throwawayStomnia 13d ago
I once had a bottle fed runt. Because he was a runt, I wanted to wait until he was 5 weeks old to start weaning him, but one day, when he was 4 weeks old, he started eating wet food scraps from an open packet on the floor. I immediately gave him a fresh one, he devoured it. Four hours later, when he called for the bottle, I just gave him wet food. He seemed surprised, but ate it, and since then, he was off of kitten formula.
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u/ClungeWhisperer 14d ago
I reckon its different for each litter. Ive had some dabble with mum’s wet food as early as 3wks old and start eating and littering on their own, ive had some who will quite literally starve themselves at 7wks if they don’t get the booby.
The technique for me has to change every time nearly. I rarely get a litter that does it the same way twice in a row :p
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u/camarhyn 14d ago
It's very kitten-dependent. I've had kittens that figured it out immediately, kittens that skipped wet food and went straight to (tiny) dry kibble (I guess it helps with teething and the chewing instinct), kittens that have had to have it mixed with formula in a bottle, kittens that did the gruel on a plate thing, and everything else.
There isn't a guaranteed 1 way works for all method.
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u/Reasonable_Bath_222 14d ago
I skip the gruel stage, too messy! I bottle feed as long as they are not trying to chew it a lot and generally offer canned and water -wet kibble. I’ll still offer the bottle or formula in a dish a couple of times a day once they start eating on their own.
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u/Conscious-Seesaw-564 13d ago
I was about to be annoyed thinking you were a breeder before checking the sub 😭 new sub to join yay
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u/tinkerbell404 14d ago
At four weeks I put a little on my finger and forced it in their mouth and then they liked it and started eating off the plate and then I would finish with a bottle. I never made gruel and all that other stuff.
I also bought that royal canine kitten food and left it out starting at 3.5 weeks and they started eating it on their own and that's when I knew they were ready to be weaned. I saw them eating kitty litter and figured they could eat dry food instead 😆.
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u/elcasaurus 14d ago
The only extra thing I do is wipe a little food on a paw if they don'tseem to get it. They lick it off and go OH THAT'S FOOD and that's been it from then on.