Thanks, Kitten Lady. When we ended up with three 2-week old orphans to foster last year, your videos were so helpful to ensure we were successful getting kittens stabilized and feeding successfully.
Thank you for sharing. We had a major meat nurser foster this summer, Bridgett. She wouldn’t take a bottle, she wouldn’t drink formula out of a bottle, wouldn’t eat dry food it was so hard. I fed her slurry with a syringe for several weeks, but she unfortunately passed away. This was very informative. Looking back she was definitely dehydrated. She taught me so many things though. She was so tiny and frail. She was our first hard loss, and will never be forgotten.
My girly was really something, she went from milk straight to kibble, she refused all kinds of wet food, I worked hard with her vet but she only got the hang of wet food at six months old. She is now six years old and an avid wet food eater, so it all turned ot fine, but it was definetely a journey.
I wish this video came out 3 months ago. I took in an abandoned soon-to-be mother. The two kittens who survived and thrived were horrible at accepting meat, no matter what I fed them, except human baby food. But they really liked the kibble! I’m hoping they are doing well in their new homes! I still miss their energy! Their mother still lives with me…
I had a foster litter that had likely been taken from their momma before weaning and 100% likely didn't have a bottle feeder at the shelter. Thankfully, my organization took them in and called me that same day. All four of them were meat sucklers, but one was the absolute worst at eating. She was always a sloppy eater - bulldozing her face into the food! So, I started feeding her by hand with a little bite of pate at the tip of my finger. Once she took to that, she out-ate all of her siblings and then some. Her name was Honeydew and she was one of the most boisterous, goofy, and sassy kitten ever! Of course, she was adopted out right away.
This is probably more of a thing with babies who havent been around their mum enough for whatever reason i assume? because we had puppies (not cats i know but similar in some ways) and one started suckling on the food during his first solid food session. but then he watched mumma dog clean up the leftovers by eating the way they were supposed to and he never did it again. thankfully we had a mumma dog around to both teach and supplement the food he missed out on in the first session. he caught up quick. Baby animals if possible (and if is a thing for the kind of animal) should if at all possible, be kept with mumma because she's not just protection, warmth and food but she's the best source of education that they're gonna get.
i currently am fostering a 1 year old cat who is tame, i wanna make my way to foster kittens u have inspired me so much ive watched ur videos since i was a kid and i am 19 now i cant wait to save kittens my dream is to get an incubator and save newborns but thats in the future for when i learn my way around the ropes thankyou so much
Oh WOW, so so interesting, thank you so much Hannah. Plus I've had a really full-on couple of days at work & am so anxious and stressed, seeing Soupy, Cakey and Dumply is making things a bit better, I am forcing myself to switch off from work, breathe and enjoy kittens!!! 😻
I foster for a rescue and I occasionally receive some tiny ones or a runt that is a couple of weeks behind its siblings developmentally, and I mix the kitten pâté with some kitten formula and it works really well. I gradually put less and less milk and eventually mix dry with the pâté
To be fair... I have seen a few kittens try to use their food as a swimming pool. But in general, messy kittens are a warning sign, there just happen to be some weird kittens who are natural food-swimmers.
I have two kittens since beginning of november. One of them got severely sick after about 1 week, with symptoms of FIP (tg it wasn't that - he was very very sick though, and we thought we would lose him), and both had severe gastrointestinal problems - worms, and I don't know when they started on solids bc we got them from a farm - they were bloated and gassy and also had diarrhea. We are feeding them a special diet now (recommended by our vet) and they are doing so much better! Edit: just as I wrote that they started annihilating my calves... help
Our 10 1/2 year old cat that was a rescue at 1 1/2 years old. Was someone else's cat and had to re-home her. We took her and has never ever bitten into her prescription food, but licks everything up and then wants it mixed up to go back to lick more. Will not even chew the dry prescription food- only licks it up and swallow. Get 1/4 cup dry that she wants at different times during the night. Wants her wet during the day. Eats almost 1/3 or more a day of her wets at least. Gets weight twice a month and her weight is between 13 to13 1/2 pounds.
A kitten found me, I was feeding him from a syringe because he was so tiny, even the vet thought he was only 6 weeks old. After a few months my vet realized he had the teeth of a 5 month old cat. Needless to say he had other problems including a film on his eyes and respiratory issues that the vet was dealing with.
I feel like human babies sort of do this. When you wean a human they tell you not to stop nursing them but just start letting them taste food without the expectation of eating it. The first 3 months my baby just spit it out not because she didn’t like it but because she literally just didn’t know how to swallow. She just sort of played it with with her mouth as it fell out. Parenthood is so weird. lol The little things we take for-granted as adults really come into focus with a baby. Mine was a preemie though so it was a bit more intense.
I have an older cat (12y) with recently-diagnosed oral cancer (sublingual, at the base of the tongue). Eating is... difficult. The saliva production makes the food no longer stick to his tongue. I'm finding that I need to hand-feed him out of a tube or syringe. In that regard, I'm somewhat familiar with the whole idea of "supported feeding".
I adopted many kitten that were 8 weeks old and even they are messy. It takes a while for them to learn litter box skills and step in the poop they just made. My cats get used to being bathed nevertheless and when they get older and occasionally need a bath, they don't freak out as much. My long haired cats get their little poops stuck in their tail fur and that's a whole other mess!
Soupy also looks like she might uave something going on with her eyes. Kinda sickly looking and puffy. But you said they were a hot mess when you got them so maybe poor baby is still recovering. I never knew "meat nursing" was a thing and as someone who is more familiar with dogs, I wonder if the same happens with them.
My kitten (now 9 months, so not so kitten anymore haha) is super weird about wet food and I'd love any kitten expert weigh-in! She needs a lot of coaxing to eat _any_ meaty texture, she'll try covering it first 😂 Even holding it up to her on a teaspoon, she licks it up rather than chomping it. I brush her teeth daily, so I don't think it's a problem with her teeth... She definitely prefers dry food, but still kinda licks it up rather than opening her mouth.
Try warming up the wet food by nuking it for like 10-15 seconds. Cats are very scent driven when it comes to food, they like strong smells and warmer wet food has a stronger scent than room temp or refrigerated wet food. Elevating the food dish a bit helps also, as cats smell things better when smelly stuff is closer to their noses. Lastly, at 9 months, I wouldn't worry too much about your kitten's lack of appetite for wet food if she is doing just fine with kibbles. Wet food is actually very hard on a cat's teeth and while it's a good thing to teach your cat to tolerate having her teeth brushed, kibble/dry food actually helps clean the teeth and keep teeth healthy, thus eliminating (for the most part) the need to brush your cat's teeth for them.
@loragunning5394 Ah yes I do warm the wet food! Considering she tries to cover it, I wonder if she perhaps objects to the smell? 😅 I've been told that feeding wet food is good for keeping your cat hydrated, but she's worn me down to one wet meal a day and kibble the rest of the time 😆
You don't want to encourage nursing behavior when weaning. If they're meat-nursing, it's not the bowl that's the problem, it's the food. You need to give them a texture they want to eat, but they can't attempt to nurse on; they have to bite and chew until that behavior has been established as normal. Putting them on formula in a bowl just encourages them to nurse out of a bowl instead of a bottle.
You're not trying to teach them to lap, you're trying to teach them to chew. It's a natural behavior, they just sometimes need help getting the hang of it. The goal is to chew meat, not teach them new ways to take milk
@@carolinex2390 if they are like the kittens in this video in that in between time why wouldn't you use an in between measure. Not to mention lapping up water will be a common thing they do in their lives.
@@aetropose5405 Yes, an inbetween measure, but like mixing formula with solid food. They need to learn to chew and letting them stay on non-solid food doesn't do that.
18:58 looks to early to me too The kittens are a mess when they get to me and they usually need some spa treatment My current mush babies had to have a full bath bc of the food and poo
Thanks, Kitten Lady. When we ended up with three 2-week old orphans to foster last year, your videos were so helpful to ensure we were successful getting kittens stabilized and feeding successfully.
Thank you for sharing. We had a major meat nurser foster this summer, Bridgett. She wouldn’t take a bottle, she wouldn’t drink formula out of a bottle, wouldn’t eat dry food it was so hard. I fed her slurry with a syringe for several weeks, but she unfortunately passed away. This was very informative. Looking back she was definitely dehydrated. She taught me so many things though. She was so tiny and frail. She was our first hard loss, and will never be forgotten.
My girly was really something, she went from milk straight to kibble, she refused all kinds of wet food, I worked hard with her vet but she only got the hang of wet food at six months old. She is now six years old and an avid wet food eater, so it all turned ot fine, but it was definetely a journey.
I wish this video came out 3 months ago. I took in an abandoned soon-to-be mother. The two kittens who survived and thrived were horrible at accepting meat, no matter what I fed them, except human baby food. But they really liked the kibble! I’m hoping they are doing well in their new homes! I still miss their energy! Their mother still lives with me…
I had a foster litter that had likely been taken from their momma before weaning and 100% likely didn't have a bottle feeder at the shelter. Thankfully, my organization took them in and called me that same day. All four of them were meat sucklers, but one was the absolute worst at eating. She was always a sloppy eater - bulldozing her face into the food! So, I started feeding her by hand with a little bite of pate at the tip of my finger. Once she took to that, she out-ate all of her siblings and then some. Her name was Honeydew and she was one of the most boisterous, goofy, and sassy kitten ever! Of course, she was adopted out right away.
We've fostered kittens that struggled transitioning from the bottle to pate. Seeing em go for the first bite always makes me cry 😭😂🎉
Wonderful information for fosters. They are definitely worth the effort that's put in to them. So gratifying.
This was very helpful. I rescued 2 3 week old kittens and needed some pointers. I've been watching your videos for years, but needed a refresher.
Thanks Hannah! Merry Christmas to you and Andrew and your gang of animals!
This is probably more of a thing with babies who havent been around their mum enough for whatever reason i assume? because we had puppies (not cats i know but similar in some ways) and one started suckling on the food during his first solid food session. but then he watched mumma dog clean up the leftovers by eating the way they were supposed to and he never did it again. thankfully we had a mumma dog around to both teach and supplement the food he missed out on in the first session. he caught up quick. Baby animals if possible (and if is a thing for the kind of animal) should if at all possible, be kept with mumma because she's not just protection, warmth and food but she's the best source of education that they're gonna get.
i currently am fostering a 1 year old cat who is tame, i wanna make my way to foster kittens u have inspired me so much ive watched ur videos since i was a kid and i am 19 now i cant wait to save kittens my dream is to get an incubator and save newborns but thats in the future for when i learn my way around the ropes thankyou so much
💕🐱I had a foster kitten this year who did that. I knew it wasn’t right. Thanks.
These kittens are too cute.
02:49 "You bite me, I'll bite you back. Don't wave your paw in my face! Two can play that game."
She’s doing so well with eating the chicken!❤ 12:52
Hannah, your videos are gifts 🎁 to us who love kittens 🐱. I’ve never even heard of meat nursing. Thank you 🙏 and Merry Christmas 🎄 😊
Oh WOW, so so interesting, thank you so much Hannah.
Plus I've had a really full-on couple of days at work & am so anxious and stressed, seeing Soupy, Cakey and Dumply is making things a bit better, I am forcing myself to switch off from work, breathe and enjoy kittens!!! 😻
Same. Work is stress & cats destress me faster than anything else.
I foster for a rescue and I occasionally receive some tiny ones or a runt that is a couple of weeks behind its siblings developmentally, and I mix the kitten pâté with some kitten formula and it works really well. I gradually put less and less milk and eventually mix dry with the pâté
Soupy just prefers farm to table ❤
To be fair... I have seen a few kittens try to use their food as a swimming pool. But in general, messy kittens are a warning sign, there just happen to be some weird kittens who are natural food-swimmers.
20:36 Kitten Lady gets us
I have two kittens since beginning of november. One of them got severely sick after about 1 week, with symptoms of FIP (tg it wasn't that - he was very very sick though, and we thought we would lose him), and both had severe gastrointestinal problems - worms, and I don't know when they started on solids bc we got them from a farm - they were bloated and gassy and also had diarrhea. We are feeding them a special diet now (recommended by our vet) and they are doing so much better!
Edit: just as I wrote that they started annihilating my calves... help
Wear long pants ❤😊
Need some Kevlar socks 🤣
Our 10 1/2 year old cat that was a rescue at 1 1/2 years old. Was someone else's cat and had to re-home her. We took her and has never ever bitten into her prescription food, but licks everything up and then wants it mixed up to go back to lick more. Will not even chew the dry prescription food- only licks it up and swallow. Get 1/4 cup dry that she wants at different times during the night. Wants her wet during the day. Eats almost 1/3 or more a day of her wets at least. Gets weight twice a month and her weight is between 13 to13 1/2 pounds.
Awe, I love Soupy. She's so cute.
Happy holidays to all humans and animals here!😂❤😊
Thank you Kitten Lady!
Love your videos. Such wonderful value. Thank you.
Those 2 white ones are adorable!
A kitten found me, I was feeding him from a syringe because he was so tiny, even the vet thought he was only 6 weeks old. After a few months my vet realized he had the teeth of a 5 month old cat. Needless to say he had other problems including a film on his eyes and respiratory issues that the vet was dealing with.
Happiest of holidays to you and yours and everyone in your care. 🎄🎄🎄
Thank you for the video, was eagerly awaiting for thi sone :)
I feel like human babies sort of do this. When you wean a human they tell you not to stop nursing them but just start letting them taste food without the expectation of eating it. The first 3 months my baby just spit it out not because she didn’t like it but because she literally just didn’t know how to swallow. She just sort of played it with with her mouth as it fell out. Parenthood is so weird. lol The little things we take for-granted as adults really come into focus with a baby. Mine was a preemie though so it was a bit more intense.
I have an older cat (12y) with recently-diagnosed oral cancer (sublingual, at the base of the tongue). Eating is... difficult. The saliva production makes the food no longer stick to his tongue. I'm finding that I need to hand-feed him out of a tube or syringe. In that regard, I'm somewhat familiar with the whole idea of "supported feeding".
I had this with my first foster kittens ever and it was so stressful
Thank you for the info! My cat’s nickname is Soupy 😂
Nom nom nom!
Thank you, this is good to know!
Soupy is such a silly baby!
5:04 ChuChu?
I adopted many kitten that were 8 weeks old and even they are messy. It takes a while for them to learn litter box skills and step in the poop they just made. My cats get used to being bathed nevertheless and when they get older and occasionally need a bath, they don't freak out as much. My long haired cats get their little poops stuck in their tail fur and that's a whole other mess!
Thank you! 😻😻😻
Soupy also looks like she might uave something going on with her eyes. Kinda sickly looking and puffy. But you said they were a hot mess when you got them so maybe poor baby is still recovering. I never knew "meat nursing" was a thing and as someone who is more familiar with dogs, I wonder if the same happens with them.
Kitten Lady You Are Gorgeous ❤❤❤
So much great information. Thanks Hannah
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
🌟🤰🚼🐑👼👑🐪🐪🐪🎁📯🎄🎆💕
My kitten (now 9 months, so not so kitten anymore haha) is super weird about wet food and I'd love any kitten expert weigh-in! She needs a lot of coaxing to eat _any_ meaty texture, she'll try covering it first 😂 Even holding it up to her on a teaspoon, she licks it up rather than chomping it. I brush her teeth daily, so I don't think it's a problem with her teeth... She definitely prefers dry food, but still kinda licks it up rather than opening her mouth.
Try warming up the wet food by nuking it for like 10-15 seconds. Cats are very scent driven when it comes to food, they like strong smells and warmer wet food has a stronger scent than room temp or refrigerated wet food. Elevating the food dish a bit helps also, as cats smell things better when smelly stuff is closer to their noses. Lastly, at 9 months, I wouldn't worry too much about your kitten's lack of appetite for wet food if she is doing just fine with kibbles. Wet food is actually very hard on a cat's teeth and while it's a good thing to teach your cat to tolerate having her teeth brushed, kibble/dry food actually helps clean the teeth and keep teeth healthy, thus eliminating (for the most part) the need to brush your cat's teeth for them.
@loragunning5394 Ah yes I do warm the wet food! Considering she tries to cover it, I wonder if she perhaps objects to the smell? 😅
I've been told that feeding wet food is good for keeping your cat hydrated, but she's worn me down to one wet meal a day and kibble the rest of the time 😆
Soupy oh ho ho oh no S o u p y !!!!
😻😻😻😻
😻
💖💖💖
stop what your doing, kitten lady uploadeddddddd
So, even at 4 weeks they can identify the difference between real food (chicken) and cat food. Smart baby. :)
What is the rationale for not starting them with formula in a bowl before meat if they are meat nursing?
You don't want to encourage nursing behavior when weaning. If they're meat-nursing, it's not the bowl that's the problem, it's the food. You need to give them a texture they want to eat, but they can't attempt to nurse on; they have to bite and chew until that behavior has been established as normal. Putting them on formula in a bowl just encourages them to nurse out of a bowl instead of a bottle.
@nervaaugustus7089 if they aren't ready that seems counter productive. not to mention that teaching to lap seems like a logical first step.
You're not trying to teach them to lap, you're trying to teach them to chew. It's a natural behavior, they just sometimes need help getting the hang of it. The goal is to chew meat, not teach them new ways to take milk
@@carolinex2390 if they are like the kittens in this video in that in between time why wouldn't you use an in between measure. Not to mention lapping up water will be a common thing they do in their lives.
@@aetropose5405 Yes, an inbetween measure, but like mixing formula with solid food. They need to learn to chew and letting them stay on non-solid food doesn't do that.
Thats so sad! 4:10
21:25 aww those babies look so sad and dirty!
I don't think you're watching the same video as the rest of us!
18:58 looks to early to me too The kittens are a mess when they get to me and they usually need some spa treatment My current mush babies had to have a full bath bc of the food and poo
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