Kitten won't take to bottle.

[aprilmayjune]

So I am once again feeding a little kitten, except this one is being a pain and refuses to take milk from a bottle, a dish, won't eat soft food, soft food mixed with milk-the only thing she will eat is Nutri-Cal. She tries nursing on my dog, she is chewing on the wall right now, she nurses on my fingers and cheek but HATES the bottle.


Any tips on getting her to drink and not eat my wall? She is only about 3 1/2-4 weeks right now.

[Willow]

have you tried syringe feeding?
I have found that kittens and puppies who will not nurse on a bottle will usually take the formula from a syringe (without the needle)... you just have to be careful you don't force the formula down into their lungs...

If all else fails you may have to tube feed her...

[Thunderkat]

The needleless syringe has worked in the past for me, I used my sisters dog for stimulating the kittens to use the restroom and cleaning it. It still amazes me to see a dog help raise a kitten

[Ram_Puppy]

Josh...

when I first read that i missed the stuffed part... I was thinking you had just lost it and were talking about trying to intimidate the little feller into eating!

so - apparently I am the disturbed one, not you!

[caferacermike]

They make nipples in all sorts of sizes. When I had my kangaroo I had a huge assortment of nipples for it;s bottle. They all were quite long, about 3" and very thin. As he grew I switched to shorter and fatter nipples. The point was to get that nipple all the way down it's throat. This was natural for the kangaroo. I wonder if you could use something like that to slip it into the cat's mouth and farther down it's throat so it cannot refuse?

[aprilmayjune]

Well she likes the milk she will lick it off fingers, but drinking a drop at a time would take forever. We have tried different bottles, faking a momma belly with the bottle sticking through-she will kneed but she won't drink. I would be afraid to stick the bottle any further down her mouth because she tries to cry when she doesn't want to drink, and with her vocal cords open like that I don't want to choke her. The dogs lick her bottom but she hasn't pooped either, but then again she hasn't eaten much. I am going to try the syringe..

[Willow]

just be really careful with the syringe.. a little at a time or you will choke her on too much milk...

[aprilmayjune]

before i got a chance to get a syringe she decided to go for the bottle, only licking it though. after 5 seconds she has to go play, eat some soft food, then come back to the bottle for another 5 seconds. at least she is eating. still no poopie though... poor kitty is going to learn what 'enema' means.

[murkywaters]

I hope this works out for you. I love cats. Kittens melt me.