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My 4-6 week old kitten won't eat. Should it be on solid food?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed

We have a orphaned kitten. It's about 4-6 weeks old. We're having trouble feeding it. It won't eat. We got a kitten bottle and milk replacement for it

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Tomasz Wnuk

Veterinarian

Published on April 2nd, 2016

If the kitten is 4-6 weeks it should be fed solid food, not milk. You should try kitten wet food, warm it up before offering to the kitten. If kitten allows, you can hand-feed or even syringe feed. Please, remember that kittens at that age should be fed very small amounts every 2-3 hrs.

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13Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Other Answers

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    Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    You can estimate its age by weighing it,.Count 1 week per 100g of weight, so a 4 week old kitten should weigh close to or around 400g. Feeding: It is important that the milk replacer/kittenmilk is warm to the touch, but not hot. Make a crosswise cut in the nipple of the bottle so the milk flows freely, Make sure you clean the bottle and nipple well with hot water after every use. Your kitten will need to be fed about every 4 hrs, if it is 6 weeks old every 6 hrs, as much as it will eat. You will need to take over the duty of its mommy by taking a moist paper towel and stimulating its anus and urinary opening to pee and poop by gentky rubbing, You should have a veterinarian examine it to make sure it is healthy,. Sometimes kittens get abandoned by their mommy because they have a birth defect or are otherwise ill,. Do not feed it lying on its back. it needs to be on its belly to feed.

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