Animal Welfare Professionals

I’ve been syringe feeding 4 sickly orphan kittens who are now 4 weeks. I’m trying to transition them to the bottle but they only seem to be sucking air, not formula. Have they never learned how to suck? Is there something else which I should be doing to help them eat?

Also, I have a 6 week old kitten who was eating wet food for a couple of days, but has now gone back to only lapping KMR from the dish. She won’t eat slurry or take the bottle. If you have any advice, I would appreciate it.

This is a great post as your challenges are very common. I have discovered the mini Miracle Nipples and the regular Miracle Nipples to be a Godsend. The tinies don't get mouth irritation like they do with standard nipples; the MNs are pre-holed and seem to cause much less gas; the nipples are sturdier than average and work both with syringes and bottles. I know that the milk temperature should be at 100°F; to keep it warm during burping, pottying, etc., you can wrap a heated rice-or-cornmeal sock around the bottle or syringe; a bottle can also be immersed in a cup of hot water.

Sometimes kittens need extra time on straight formula. I think that their insides might not yet be fully developed; because cats ovulate after mating, the kittens can be at different stages at time of birth. 

Try those nipples AND take one at least to a vet pronto!

How are the babies doing? Maddie's fund has some great resources for helping the tiny babies: https://www.maddiesfund.org/how-to-bottle-feed-kittens-and-puppies.htm

Sheila