My sick kittens won't eat. Can I tube feed them safely at home?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I do not recommend vitamins for kittens this young. If the kitten is not nursing from his mother I recommend bottle or tube feeding with kitten milk replacer. Tube feeding needs to be taught by your Vet. When a kitten stops nursing it likely means that they are sick. The best thing is to have the kitten examined by a Vet. He could have a genetic problem, something infectious or be constipated. Be sure you are stimulating him to defecate and urinate. I wish you the best.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor baby! I am worried about the eye. I would get the kitten to a Vet to see if it needs an antibiotic. Sometimes there is a kitten or 2 that doesn't make it not matter how hard we try. If the kitten isn't taking the bottle or nursing you will have to be taught by your vet to tube feed the kitten. Sometimes we never know why some kittens don't thrive: genetic issues, trauma, infections, etc. I wish you the best

Hello, & thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Make sure what you are feeding the kitten is an appropriate kitten milk replacer. Kittens this young are not able to regulate their temperatures well, so make sure you have her on a heating pad set on low with a towel on top. There should be an area for the kitten to move off if it gets too warm. Make sure you are not overfeeding the kitten. A kitten needs 2 tablespoons ( 30 mls ) per 4 ounces ( 115 grams ) of body weight daily. Divide the daily amount into equal portions for each feeding & fed every 3-4 hours until bedtime. Stimulate the genital area after each meal, but do not be concerned if she does not have a BM each time. You can try feeding her a congee, which is often tolerated by the sickest kittens. Take 1-2 cups chicken broth ( low or no salt added ), add 1/4 cup white rice & a tiny sliver of fresh ginger. Boil for 2 hours. While cooling, add 1 Tbsp good quality protein powder - egg or casein, not soy. Stir together very well. The mix should be a bit thick. Drip into kittens mouth 1/2 - 1 ml at a time. Hopefully she will start to turn around. Just keep at it. Good luck.

The best thing to feed is a kitten milk replacer, which you can purchase at PetCo. At this age you can also start introducing solid kitten food, moistened with water or milk, and they should be gong showing interest in this. I would also recommend having your kittens dewormed since most kittens become infected with intestinal parasites. I hope this helps. Best of luck. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thank you for using PetCoach. Unfortunately there’s not much that you can do at home to help saint. It sounds like she has a very significant infection. In some cases respiratory illness in kittens can be fatal. I recommend contacting your local Humane Society’s to see if there is any financial assistance available for pet owners. This list may help. https://www.gofundme.com/c/blog/help-with-vet-bills Best of luck. I hope Saint recovers soon.

I'm sorry the babies aren't doing well. With some feline viral diseases they can develop ulcers in the mouth that can be painful. Make sure to follow up with their vet tomorrow and discuss this as well as any test results. With such young babies illness can easily be fatal but supportive care and feeding if their best chance. In some cases tube feeding and medication via a tube may be needed but please don't attempt without being shown how by your vet clinic. Good luck with them and thank you for giving them a chance.

I'm sorry to hear you're struggling with the kittens! At 4-weeks they should be starting to get a little interested in wet food, so continuing to try the slurry should help. You can put a little on a spoon or on their noses to see if they will lick it off to encourage them to try it. Keeping the formula warmed and feeding them on their stomachs (in the same position they'd be in when nursing from mom) may also help them recognize you are trying to feed them. If they're not on solid foods yet, they may not have a whole lot in the way of stool production, and any stool they produce may be very liquidy still. It's a good idea to bring them to the vet anyway, especially if orphaned, as they may need to start getting vaccinations sooner to account for the loss of mom's natural antibodies, and your vet can examine them, deworm them, and treat any issues as needed. This article about orphaned kittens may also help as well as it has feeding schedules, etc. https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-raise-orphan-kittens/