Am I underfeeding my kittens??

There should be no limit on food for a kitten. They can and should eat as much as they want. Dry food should be left down 24/7 and wet food offered several times throughout the day.

As others have said, no limit.
"If they'll keep eating, then keep feeding!" is my general rule.
Plump, round fat babies is what we want :) What youre shelter said was more of an absolute minimum unless they have some other kind of health issue that requires a smaller diet.

you want them to be 2 pounds minimum for spay/neuter, but the bigger the safer the surgery!

I have almost 6 weeks old kittens and they are bigger than that, I always have dry food out and am feeding them a full can of wet food twice a day to share and gruel, they need food every 3-4 hours. You cannot over feed them.

Kittens don’t start to get baby teeth until they’re usually 4 weeks old. At 5 weeks, they still have relatively few teeth and their teeth are not so suited to hard foods yet. They usually eat more wet than dry food at this age. Technically they would not normally be weaned yet. I would definitely up their wet food and start mixing in KMR. They should be getting roughly 3 tablespoons of formula 3-5 times daily, and you can start mixing in about a teaspoon of canned food (kitten food, the calorie count is higher) per kitten per meal. Then slowly shift from mostly milk replacer to mostly wet food over the course of 2-3 weeks. Babies this age need calorie dense food to provide energy for growing. Dry food should be softened until their adult teeth really start to come in around 12-14 weeks or they are voluntarily eating dry food without struggling. You can mix it with water and let it soak to soften it.

5 weeks is still very little and they should still be treated like infants at this point. It’s difficult to over feed them at this age, just like it’s unlikely that you’d overfeed a 6-12 month old baby in terms of daily calorie intake. Just offer it in small, mostly liquid meals that become steadily more solid until they’re eating dry food on their own.

If they don’t eat enough wet food, I syringe feed wet food multiple times a day to make sure they are gaining weight. If you have a kitchen scale, weigh them at least once a day. At that age they should be gaining 10-20 grams a day. Agree with what everyone else says. It would be really hard to overfeed.

Extremely lazy of them to put 5 week olds on gi food rather than figure out the root cause which is probably worms, coccidia, or giardia. They should always have access to wet and dry

Don't limit a kitten's diet.

They are growing so quickly, they need all the calories, and especially the nutrition from food.

Let them have as much as they'd like, at least 4 times a day.

It's best a kitten have food left over than have eaten it all. Left overs mean they had enough. The other way around, you don't know if they're not getting enough.

I don't start to pump the brakes on feeding until the kitten is 10 months. Then I reassess.

At that size they need canned food 3-4x a day. Twice a day isn't enough. I've seen kittens crash fast with 2x a day feeding, because if they are 'off' one meal they can end up not eating for 24 hours. Frequent feeding (and watching them eat) is key to monitoring their health. Typically three that size I would offer a 3oz can three times a day (with unlimited dry).

Perhaps they meant that amount as per kitten not for all three. Just free feed them the wet food also. You really can't overfeed a kitten. Kittens often eat more than adults. Have your kittens been checked for coccidia and guardia? I would feed them a kitten food that had probiotics in it also along with the fortiflora.

ive had foster kittens and failed adoption kittens and i fed them whatever they want whenever.

my trap n release kitty who i ended up adopting ate as much as he wanted -he was about 5/6 months old and a skeleton. he is now an appropriate weight and doesnt fear of running out of food. i leave dry down- a urinary health formula all day for my cats and feed wet 2xs a day. for kittens up to 1 year let them eat as much wet as they want and they will level out and not be interested. even my starving outside feral cats are content with wet food 2xs a day now. when they arrived at my home starving i fed them as much wet food as they could finish within 15-20 minutes.

When i had 5 week old kittens I used to feed them one can 4-5 times a day and constant access to dry but they were mostly eating wet. I had 4 kittens so it came out to at least one can a day for each. I think kittens at that age really benefit from eating as my much wet food as possible with free feeding dry on the side. Since my shelter didn’t give me instructions I was back there for more wet food often. But you can’t really overfeed kittens so give them as much as they are hungry for.

I don’t think their weights are that bad maybe a bit on the lower end. Mine were in a similar range with the smallest around 450 at 5 weeks. As long as they are gaining steadily everyday they should be fine. Easiest way to know they are eating enough is to weigh them daily.

If they are gaining weight every day, then that's what you're looking for.

Kittens should have free access to kibble and water at all times (once they're at that stage of food). I free-fed kibble, and then had scheduled "meal times" appropriate to their developmental stage. When they start acclimating to food, meals were a smoothie of formula and pate kitten food. As they grow, the amount of formula is reduced until it is just the pate wet food.

Meal times were a few hours apart in the beginning, and more and more spread out as they grew.

You can't overfeed a kitten. Let them eat however much they want in one sitting - they will stop eating when they're full. Usually my fosters would chow down at the scheduled meal times, and then go pass out for a snooze when they were finished eating.

Feed them more. Why not? They will develop at a shocking rate and need more food every day than they did the one before. Whatever the shelter told you to feed them has probably been outgrown and there are three ... X 3 outgrown. Every week add another tablespoon of wet food to the meal.

Scond what everyone says about kitten teeth. They're going to want wet food at this age not kibble so much.

I have never heard of feeding restrictions for foster kittens. Quite the opposite—they have always been free to eat as much as they want.

Also, has anyone talked to you about canned pumpkin for the diarrhea?

Here’s more on feeding from the Kitten Lady:

http://www.kittenlady.org/weaned

I know this may be obvious, but also make sure it’s kitten food ( sometimes people don’t think it’s necessary), and if you are buying on a budget mix really good stuff in with whatever you can afford so the nutrition is better. More wet food also, more like a kitten can each for a few more weeks at least.

My 4 fosters have been splitting 1.5 whole packs (3 half packs) of Sheeba kitten food 4 times a day from 5 to 7 weeks plus dry food is available all day.

Dry all the time.

And I feed wet 3-4 times a day minimum, more if they are underweight, and usually 1/3-1/2 a can per kitten per meal. But it varies. I want them to walk away before the food is all gone. There should be a little left if I portion it right.

If they are supposed to have 3/4 wet food total in 2 meals a day, 1/4 is not half of that for each feeding. 1.5/4 is half of what they should be getting at each feeding! 😊 Enjoy your journey with them!

I would still be giving kitten formula also. I was a foster mom for bottle baby kittens for years and at five weeks i would still be bottle feeding also. They really need the nutrition while they are growing. Also bottle red items tend to be smaller than breast fed kittens. These babies are beautiful!

Perhaps the instructions you received meant that EACH cat got 3/4 can 2x a day.

Oh and you can also buy cat milk for them to supplement with high nutrition wet food. At Petco etc

Kittens should have unlimited food

Are you sure they don't have a parasite? Coccidia? Have they been tested? My last batch of fosters had chronic diarrhea until they got retreated for coccidia, and then they grew like weeds and ate like ponies.

I'm currently fostering kittens that are about 6 weeks old now, I've had them for about a week and a half. I feed them wet food 4 times a day. The can is 5.1oz. They always have dry food and fresh water. They seem to be doing well and are gaining weight.

Kittens should be gaining about a 1/2 oz. per day. Are you weighing them daily? Are they gaining weight?

I would mix in some kitten formula in with the wet.

I would also offer dry food that has been softened with water or formula in between feedings, especially since they are likely just getting their lil teeth in.

Diarrhea will slow weight gain. And make it hard to keep them hydrated. After mixing the forteflora with water to syringe it down her throat because no cat has ever willingly eaten that, I was shocked to find the leftover dose hardened into a lump when I came back to wash the syringe. Now I believe it’s only glue! Never buying that $50 can again. Could you try them on baby food for a couple days, maybe beef or turkey to see if the have a food allergy to chicken or wheat. I assume they don’t have parasites giving them the trots? It’s reall hard to buy large bags of dry food to experiment with allergies. I don’t know if they make an allergy free kitten food. My shelter was zero help with gastric problems. Good luck and thank you for working with them. Are they getting cuddles so they are not nervous?

dry food needs a little water.

Feed feed feed

When do you introduce real food? I have 5 newborns. Only 2 weeks old.

It was unexpected. Sorry for being rude. Asking off your post.

kittens are typically pretty good at eating as much as they need to when left to free feed. made sure my little kitty baby always had a filled bowl and she would graze throughout the day. gained weight at a normal rate and always had a clean bill of health. free fed her until shortly after she got spayed, she became voracious and would over eat. got fat. i now feed her once a day per veterinary treatment and she's back down to a normal weight.

Your fractions on 1/4th can and 3/4th can doesn’t make sense.

My tiny girl (8weeks) eats all day for sure. Wet food in the morning and evening, kibble available 24/7. They can experience pain if they get hungry. Plain, unsweetened kefir (goat is best) may be better for them than the probiotic food. It’s less likely to be dead when it reaches their intestines. Read up on it, I’m not a vet, but I know foster families who swear by it for kitten poops.

I have a 5 week old kitten and I feel better when she leaves a bit of food in her bowl, I know she’s eaten her fill. I offer her wet food every three to four hours and she sleeps through the night now. She doesn’t want the dry food at all, even mixed with milk replacer to soften it some. I’ve started to sprinkle a few pieces in her wet food, but she just avoids them. She’s got a little cute pudge belly and she’s doing great.

If they're hungry, feed them. Simple as that. They'll eat as much or as little as they want.

The only way you can underfeed kittens is if they clean the plate and are still hungry. Give them all the food they want- they can only be fat and sassy until they hit about a year+, and that's healthy!

Sorry I haven’t read all the comments and may be repeating someone but 5 week olds should eat every 6 hours, 6 week olds every 8 hours and 7/8 you can go to 2. I’d be feeding them at least a half a can each time and leaving dry food and water all the time. This is just what I do with my fosters! Beautiful babies. And thank you for fostering!

Better to be chunky than seeing ribs

Chronic diarrhea in kittens is not normal and needs to be investigated. You need the DNA analysis on their stool samples to look for trace evidence of parasites like coccidia and giardia, not just a look for eggs with a microscope. Kittens can and do die quickly from dehydration. Feed them as much wet food as they want and get a solid diagnosis on the bowel issues.

Meatshakes... basically kitten pate or puree with KMR. Keeps the belly full!

Rule of thumb as an adult is 1 ounce of wet food per pound, which decreases when they hit seniorhood. (example: a 9lb cat between 2yo to 10yo should eat about 9 ounces of food to maintain weight. Obviously this changes due to breed, due to pregnancy, due to health issues. It's just a general idea.)

This is only taking wet food into account, as I mostly only ever advise wet food for adult cats (dry food is detrimental in many ways.)

However, kittens, who are like small, active children, need a constant supply of food for their energy bursts and this is the only time I ever recommend dry food. (In these cases, I recommend a very high meat-specific protein dry food low in carbs.) A cat is considered a kitten till roughly 1yo, however in certain breeds and in certain cases, this can be extended to 2yo. So, in the case of a 4 lb kitten at 4 months, I recommend about 3-5 ounces of wet food and unlimited (within reason!) dry, as in a supply that a kitten can access at any point during the day. This is in the case that the 4 month old is appropriately sized. It changes a little for breed and some other factors. There is a handy weight chart online you can reference that shows what your cat should look and feel like physically. In general, kittens should be a little on the chonkier side, like human babies. This is healthy fat that they will (should) lose in adulthood. Just like humans! We are more alike than we think lol. I usually recommend weaning a cat off of dry onto all wet at about 1.

(Disclaimer: while I am a huge proponent of wet feeding, I realize not everyone can afford all wet food, so just do what you can in your means 🙂)

I keep food out for kittens at all times, but I do mix the FortiFlora with their favorite food. Our kitties like it mixed with the lick-able treats or the gravy pouches.

please correct me if i am off target. 3 cats and 3 dogs btw. when dogs have wet only the fecal consistency is not there so i mix kibbles in with the wet and keeps them balanced. maybe the kitten kibbles can be smashed to a powder like and mixed with the wet until they do get the chompers in and working.

My kittens are the same age as yours. I pretty much fill their kibble as soon as I notice it's gone down at all. No limit for dry food. Too much wet can give diarrhea so I always limit wet

Your vet is a more reliable source than random redditors with no verifiable credentials. If you're worried, ask them if they can explain their reasoning for the amounts they told you to feed

Feed them as much as they want. If it were me, I'd skip the dry food. You don't want them getting used to it. Unless it's a very high quality food, low in carbs and high in protein. Cats don't need carbs in their diets and it will only lead to obesity and health issues later in life. I'd go with a pate style wet kitten food and add water or kitten formula to it. Feed them a bunch of small meals per day as their tummies will fill up quickly. There's no limit on what they should be eating right now. Hope this helps!

Ask the rescue and the vet what they recommend!

Are they gaining every week? Free feeding dry food and constantly gaining weight is always good. I worry about giving them too much canned food especially if they have a diarrhea issue because that can promote loose stool. I am a volunteer foster for litters of kittens and I only give them canned food in the morning and in the evening, with dry food out all day long. As long as they’re gaining I wouldn’t be terribly worried.