I used the baby's food meat in jars (such as Gerber's) to successfully wean a pair of 4 1/2 week old feral kittens some time back. Fed it to them from the tip of a teaspoon. Did that for a week or two (it was a while back, so don't remember how long exactly), then transitioned them to canned (diluted a bit with water at first to make it a little soupy) and kitten dry food.

Have you tried a little bit of milk or cream in a saucer? Maybe try getting a toy baby bottle with milk - just to get her used to the idea that food can comefrom other places besides Mom! And to give poor Mom a break. She may also start discouragin the nursing but on the other hand the recommended norm now really is 10-12 wks so this kitten is not really alltht delayed in development- just proably enjoys the Mom time! The old recommendation of weaning and taking kitten away from Mom at 6-8 wks is no longer advised - that's still a baby. And, if they have any Siamese in them Ive been told they will just naturally wean even later than other cats

I had a kitten many years ago that refused to eat; I was beside myself with worry. The vet told me to use baby food--there was a specific flavor or type he recommended but I forget what it was. I gently "forced" a tiny bit at a time into the kitten's mouth and I remember the look of surprise in his little eyes as he swallowed--um, hey, this is pretty good! Anyway it worked. The kitten who was wasting away from refusing to eat is now my 18 year old lover boy who dearly loves his food and his treats and has since those first spoonfuls of baby food!

I would warm up a bit of "pate'" style wet food in the microwave with a bit of water...warming it up (not too hot) will release some of the pleasing aromas and be a bit more palatable than cold or cool food. Best of luck!

Mix KMR and/or jarred baby food (meat only; chicken, turkey....) with wet kitten food, to make it soupy.

While there is nothing wrong with using lactose free cow's milk, or goats milk, I will just say that 5 of my 6 cats I've owned in my lifetime have been perfectly able to digest cow's milk with no adverse effects. (My 6th cat did not care for dairy products so I will never know about her.) I have a small dog who loves milk, and cow's milk gives him diarrhea. When I switched him to goat's milk, and lactose free cow's milk when goat's milk is not available, it solved the problem. I take exception to the blanket prohibition against feeding cow's milk to cats. Some cats, dogs, and humans are sensitive to the lactose in cow's milk, but not all.

It's true that many cats can digest lactose without noticeable problems, but many can not. When a young kitten can not digest dairy, it is a much more dangerous situation, because young kittens with diarrhea dehydrate quickly. Dehydration can kill kittens. I have seen young kittens near death as a direct result of being fed dairy milk. There simply is no reason to put the OP's kitten at that sort of risk by recommending dairy milk.

And to set the record straight, I made no blanket prohibition against feeding dairy milk to cats. In fact, I have fed dairy milk, on occasion, to adult cats with constipation issues. I, personally, do not feed dairy products to any healthy felines.

Laurie

Its good info Laurie both about the milke and kittens taking readily to meet. Kind of funny, too bc Im trying to get my cats to re learn how to eat meat. At first they couldn't recognize anything not small brown and pellet shaped as food! Now they enjoy strips of chicken OK, with one of them taking pieces in his mouth and giving it a good shake as if to make sure it's dead! Hardwired - yes.

When I started feeding raw back in 2007, a few of my kibble-fed adult cats were VERY resistant. They just didn't recognize raw meat as food after years of feeding commercial garbage. But they all came around in time.

I was truly amazed, though, when I later rescued a couple of 5-6 week old kittens who had been abandoned on my road. They were both emaciated and were having trouble getting their digestive systems to reacclimate to regular meals. I initially fed them KMR mixed with canned food, but their appetites were inconsistent, and their stools were runny. After a week or two, I decided to see if they would do better on a more natural, raw meat diet. I had no idea whether they'd even be willing or able to eat raw meat at that age, though.

I needn't have worried. The first time I offered them little pieces of raw chicken, their inner carnivores emerged. They snatched those meat pieces, growling fiercely, and swallowed them down as though their lives depended on it! They didn't have so much as an instant of hesitation. They knew exactly what that raw meat was for because their taste buds had not been corrupted and confused by a lifetime of commercial food like my adult cats. Not only were their appetites for meat both instinctive and insatiable, but their GI tracts almost immediately settled down, and their stools firmed right up! All hail raw meat!!!

Laurie

It's been a while, but I've weened dozens of litters and I'm surprised that at 11 weeks that kitten is still not weened. Sometimes baby food would work for a stubborn one but usually, I just got the softest canned food I could find and would spoon feed it with a baby spoon. The first bite or two I'd have to open it's mouth as if I was medicating it, but after that it wasn't a problem. If he's rejecting everything you try there could be an underlying health issue that isn't obvious so you may want to get it checked by a vet.

THANKS EVERYONE! He is eating now! I live out in the sticks and the store did not have lactose free milk. I did get him some half & half and some baby food, which I mixed together and got him to start eating. The next day he went for the baby food alone. After two or three days of baby food, he is now eating canned food if it is mashed up real good. He is doing so much better and has most of his energy back. He is a real sweetheart, who wants to remain a big baby!

Cheryl, I am so glad that your kitty is eating! Thanks so much for updating us. : )