Hypothesis: Giselle is not producing much milk anymore, and buying kitten food will encourage the babies to eat solid foods
Experiment: We bought a bag of kitten food and read on the back that you should start feeding the kittens solid food mixed with warm water beginning at 3-4 weeks (ours turned 5 weeks old yesterday). So we gave them a small bowl with the aforementioned mixure.
Data: The kittens chewed on the side of the bowl for a little bit, and Theodore (note - runt) began to eat the food. Giselle promptly took over, polishing off the entire bowl, and then laid down to nurse the babies. We have been through this routine several times now, and it has only made Giselle happier to nurse.
Conclusion: Buying kitten food has stimulated milk production in the mommy, and our kittens will probably not be ready to give away for several weeks. Cole has at least tried the food, Theodore has eaten it several times, and the other 4 show no interest whatsoever.
On a side note, I went onto the KSL classifieds this morning to see how old the other kitties are that are being given away. I guess I was seeking validation that my babies' development schedule is "normal." I saw one ad that was for 6 week old kittens, litter-box trained and eating solid food, and only one left! My kittens will be 6 weeks old in just 6 days! Jasmine is the only one that has even approached the litter box, all she did was eat the litter. That's not right! She won't even eat the food we bought her! It's clumping litter too, probably not very good for the insides, so I tried to take it out of her mouth and she bit me.
1 comment:
that is a lot of kittens! maybe you should just lock giselle out of the room when you give them kitty food. I thought you didn't given kittens away until at least 8 weeks. I think 6 weeks is a bit young.
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