Orphaned kitten ate cheese & sardines. How do I transition food?

At 4-5 weeks, kittens should be transitioning to solid foods, so it would be best to mix in the KMR with the wet food into a sort of slurry to help with the transition and make it easier to digest. You can also weigh Cleo with a food scale or other small scale to get her weight in ounces which can help you determine how big she is. Most kittens at this age will still needed to be fed several times a day. This article also has a great guide and charts about feeding and life stages from birth to about 8 weeks of age which may be helpful! https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-raise-orphan-kittens/

Hi, and thanks for your request. Please follow this link for a comprehensive list and description of how to take care of an orphan kitten. https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-raise-orphan-kittens/ Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Hello there. Good question! Kittens and cats need to eat food made for them. The reason for this is that the food is fortified with the amino acid taurine. Taurine is critical for normal vision, normal digestion, normal heart muscle function, to maintain normal pregnancy and fetal development, and to maintain a healthy immune system. Taurine is an essential amino acid in the cat. If taurine levels are deficient, the retinal cells of the eyes will eventually degenerate, impairing the vision. This condition is referred to as feline central retinal degeneration (CRD). Deficiency of taurine will also lead to a weakening of the muscle cells in the heart, causing a condition called dilated cardiomyopathy. Taurine is a component of bile salts, and its deficiency may cause digestive disturbances. During pregnancy, a mother cat must have adequate levels of taurine to maintain her health and to ensure proper growth and structural development of her kittens. Low taurine levels result in small litter sizes, low birth weights or fetal abnormalities. In growing kittens, taurine deficiency can result in delayed growth and development, central retinal degeneration and dilated cardiomyopathy. So, long story short, tuna and cheese is not a good diet. You must find a kitten food that he likes. You may have to buy a few brands/types until you find one he likes. I am not familiar with the diets you have available in the UAE so you may have to ask your vet for more recommendations. He should stay on a kitten diet until he is about 8 months of age and then he can go to an adult cat diet. I hope this helps. Best wishes to you and Akmi! Dr. Amber

It would be the right time to start introducing solid food gradually. Initially just mixing it with kitten milk, then over 4-5 days wean her off onto solids completely. She is too big to rely on milk only.

You can get kitten formula and bottles or feeding nipples and syringes at WalMart or any pet store or feed store. Get some canned kitten food and dry food too. Depending on how old she is she may be ready to try solid food, but cow's milk is not the right kind for kittens and will cause diarrhea. Try some formula first, then if she seems interested in something more substantial, mix some formula with the wet kitten food and mash it into a gruel and let her lap it. She'll get messy, just keep her clean with a damp washcloth and warm water and make sure she stays warm. Offer her water in a saucer or very shallow dish or lid so she can reach it but not fall in. If you have trouble getting her to eat or feel overwhelmed by trying to feed her, please contact a local shelter or veterinary clinic and ask if anyone can give you some tips or if they know someone with experience raising kittens that can take her. YouTube has very helpful videos concerning orphaned kitten care.

I would recommend that you start them on a balanced kitten food instead of the a/d. a/d tastes good and is high in fat, but it is not an appropriate diet for long-term use in healthy pets. The amount to feed would depend on the diet you choose - there will always be feeding guidelines on the pet food packaging. You can choose either wet kitten food or dry food, and it may help to mix some of the kitten milk replacer in with either food to make a mush. At such a young age, I would leave plenty of food out and let them free feed, making sure it stays as fresh as possible. If you choose a kitten food and need help determining how much to feed them, take a picture and post a new question!

One way to try to transition Sassy to a dry food is to gradually decrease the amount of canned food and leave a bowl of the dry food out at all times of possible. Decrease the amount of canned food by 25% every 3-5 days. She will eventually start eating the dry food. It is important to feed her a high quality dry kitten food. I recommend Iams or Royal Canin. The vomiting could be due to many things. Parasites or dietary indiscretion are common in young kittens. I recommend to have her feces checked for worms by her veterinarian. She should also be getting all of her shots currently. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.