Hi everyone, I've found a kitten that's barely a week old and he's refusing the bottle. How can I feed him? Thanks in advance for any advice.
Translated from French
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Hi there,
Where did you find him and in what state? Was he on his own? Were there any other kittens with him that hadn't survived? Do you know how long he'd been left to fend for himself?
It's possible he’s traumatised from being abandoned, which would explain why he’s refusing to eat.
Bottle-fed kittens always take a long time to figure out how to suckle. It can take a whole day before they realise that what you're putting in their mouth is actually food...
You need to persist: gently open his mouth, slide the teat in (make sure it’s small enough, because if it’s too big the kitten won't want it) and squeeze the bottle to get the milk into his mouth. It’ll go everywhere, and he’ll end up soaked in milk, but if you keep at it, he’ll eventually understand that it’s food (it took me three hours to get mine to understand, and after that, I had a right job cleaning everything up! x)).
Also, make sure the kitten is kept quiet and warm (around 38°C, which is the mother's body temperature). Ensure the milk isn't too hot (it might give him diarrhoea) or too cold (which could be fatal).
If you really can't get him to suckle after about ten hours, take him straight to the vet; they’ll find a way to feed him, otherwise he might not make it (kittens need to feed every 2 to 3 hours, so it would be dangerous to leave him too long without food, especially when he's so tiny).
I hope that helps a bit... Keep us posted!
