New kittens not eating

[Pineapplemilkshake]

Hi, I would appreciate some advice. We were given 2 kittens today by a friend of z friend, who wanted urgent homes. They were unable to tell me the age but thought they were around 6-8 weeks old. They still have blue eyes (tortoiseshell kittens). On the way home one of them vomited in the carrier, it looked like wet pouch food (sorry if TMI).

So they have been here for a few hours now. I've decided to let them sleep in the carrier initially, it is cosy with a comfy fleecy cushion in it. One has slept for a few hours and the other alert, but neither are showing any interest in eating. I have put a couple of shallow dishes near their bed with kitten milk, water, Felix kitten pouch and dry kitten food mixed with a little water. They have sniffed around but haven't touched the food. I tried putting them up close to the saucer of milk - one showed no interest and the other seemed to have difficulty lapping it, but managed to get a little by sticking her nose in then licking it off. They have gone back into the bed now and seem to be able to easily get in/out.

Should I be worried about this, or leave them be overnight? They are in the kitchen and I'm going to leave the food where it is, so they can eat when they wAnt. Sorry if this is normal, but I haven't had cats before and thought kittens needed to eat quite often.

Many thanks

I would say to give them a bit of space tonight to settle in, but take pictures of the amount of food that's currently in their bowls.
If they haven't eaten much by morning, I'd be concerned and would be taking them to a vet to get checked over.
6 weeks is young for a kitten, we wouldn't let ours go until at least 8 weeks. Do you know if they've been wormed/flea treated? As if they have that can sometimes lead to a lack of appetite.
I would definitely be finding out how old exactly they are, and what they've been eating up until now/how often etc
Our kittens were still weaning from Mum naturally at 6 weeks, and we found them all suitable homes between 12-14 weeks old, as we wanted to ensure they were flea treated, wormed and eating properly. We also paid for ours to be checked by the local vet before leaving us, and gave the new owners details about when their needles were due and when they should get neutered and microchipped (their Mum had been a stray we rescued when she was pregnant)

Thanks Erica, I rhink that's a good idea, I'll check on them first thing on the morning. Thankfully we have a great vet that we use for our dog, so I can call him tomorrow to see them if needed. They haven't been wormed or treated for fleas, so I'll get them checked over anyway, just in case.

Kittens shouldn't have milk.
What food were they on before? You shouldn't suddenly switch.
Cats do sometimes throw up in moving cars. Like travel sickness or stress.
I would see a vet. 6 weeks is too little to leave mum.
Any signs of discharge from eyes etc?

It's kitten milk, Wolfie. Are they not allowed to have that?

I have had a few very young kittens in my lengthy life. I have always found that the kitten food in supermarkets (Whiskas, Felix etc) is too rich for them - evidenced by their amazing farts! - so I have used James Wellbeloved very young kitten food, for the first few weeks. TBH, I wouldn't give them any milk -kitten milk or otherwise.

Thankfully they are now eating, and seem to prefer the dry food. They wouldn't come out of the carrier until I lifted them out, but then enjoyed my DS playing with them and are currently exploring the kitchen! Unfortunately I have v little info re their history or diet as their last owner is away and my friend who passed them to me didn't know. May I ask, why shouldn't they have milk? Sorry it's a genuine question, I didn't know if it's bad for them or just not necessary.

I'm not sure if it's just that cats are lactose-intolerant, and so have to have cat-/kitten-milk, if they have milk at all.

I do know it isn't necessary for them to have it, and they will do very well on plain water. DD used to buy our cats cat-milk at Christmas so they got a present too! Cats do prefer do drink moving water if they can, so be prepared to find them in the basin, sink, bath, anywhere a tap is dripping.

You'll know if the food you're giving them is a bit rich for their systems yet, as their farts will be amazingly pungent! Sometimes you can see a huge burp moving in the stomach, though I've never heard of a cat actually burping as we know it. Just put them on the for-even-younger-kitten food, if you can find it. If you do need to do that, it'll only be for a week or so unril their systems have developed well enough to cope. With the normal stuff.

Can we have photos, please? I really want to see cute little kittens! DD's bf is getting a rescue cat, and I have teasingly tried to persuade him to get a litter of kittens I saw online, but he wants to rescue an older cat (the principles are great but oh! those cute little kittens )

These are a couple of photos, they are absolutely gorgeous if I may say so myself! Thanks for the advice the milk

Glad they are eating, our kitten came with cat flu and our vet suggested warming it up as they eat by smell and it makes it smell "tastier"

Cats should never be given milk intended for human consumption, it really messes with their digestive systems. Kitten milk is okay, but isn't really needed if they've got a high quality dry food that they're enjoying.
If the dry food is a little too crunchy, you can always add a few drops of milk to it, then warm it in the microwave, the smell will attract them more to it :)
Definitely make getting a vets appointment a priority, they'll be able to advise about flea and worming treats and their age :)

Oh they are little sweeties!

Get them down the vet next week for a check. You'll be given sample of food too, and lots of info about vaccinations, fleas, worms etc. Don't buy Feliway from them either, get it from the internet - much cheaper!

Erica, are cats lactose intolerant, then, or is it something else? We used to give our cats milk occasionally (when I was a child, 50 odd years ago this was). They seemed OK, but they didn't get milk often.

Thanks! They have really perked up today, we can already see their little personalities coming through. Thankfully they are now eating, one actually sneaked onto the table and tried to eat DS's spaghetti bolognese.....