These are some observations that I have made over the last sixteen years of breeding Bengals, Chausies, and hybrids. I hope that you may find the information helpful whatever your status.

Weaning Each breed of course is different, but I start the process for my Bengals at 3 ½ to 4 weeks of age. I do this by leaving a small amount of kitten kibble in the corner of the nestbox as well as on a plate outside. I find that the most adventurous of kittens are drawn from the nestbox, and readily sample from the plate. When I see the kittens out regularly is when I start with the real meat mix. Recipe: ½ cup lean ground chicken 1 can kitten food (Maxi Cat) Add kitten formula to the desired "suckable" consistency. They have no problem in a day or two "getting the point". When this happens, you can decrease the amount of formula in the mix. You should remove the Queen while feeding the kittens, and don’t put out more than what can be eaten by them in ten to fifteen minutes. The recipe works well for a litter of four. With kittens who are seemingly later weaners, their issue may simply be not enough iron in the mothers milk. These kittens would most certainly benefit from a dose of iron. Ironcycline is an effective course of action. It’s usually sold in large quantities for horses/foals. This is a strong medicine and can be easily overdosed. The dosage is one drop per kitten per day for ten days. The Ironcycline also has Seleniun in it, and helps stimulate the appetite and will most likely increase the activity levels of the kittens. This is because they are able to make more red blood cells. At four weeks, most Queens are having trouble supplying enough iron, and the kittens may be marginally anemic. Late bloomers often won’t eat because they are lazy, and a dose of iron will help.

Supplements Listed below are three formulas. One kitten formula, one called Glop, and one called BRAT diet. I personally prefer the BRAT diet, but you can try them as needed, and see which one works best for you. Kitten Formula 1 twelve ounce can Pet Evaporated Milk 12 ounces of water 1 envelope Knox unflavored gelatin 1 egg yolk 2 TBS Karo’s Light Corn Syrup ¼ cup unflavored yogurt Mix water in saucepan with gelatin. Heat until dissolved, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add the milk. Let cool, then add yolk, corn syrup and yogurt. It’s now ready to feed to the kittens whether it’s in a bowl, a bottle or a syringe. Refrigerate unused portion, but do not save what was left in the bowl, bottle or syringe to avoid contamination. (You can freeze unused portions for up to four months.) The formula will become "jello-like" in the refrigerator, but will return to desired consistency when warmed for feeding. 15 seconds in the microwave will do the trick. Kittens really take to this easily. My vet recommended the recipe to me and my kittens have thrived on it.   Glop 1 can evaporated goat milk 12 ounces plain Pedialyte Warm to near boiling on stove top 1 envelope Knox unflavored gelatin (using some of the canned goat milk to cover in a bowl and set for 10 minutes to "do its thing"). Mix well with a fork. In another bowl: 2 egg yolks 2TBS Karo’s Light Corn Syrup 2 TBS Best Foods mayonnaise 2 TBS regular plain yogurt Add the above ingredients to the Knox gelatin and mix thoroughly. Add this to the goats milk/pedialyte mix. You can pour this into ice cube trays then freeze. Use as needed for the babies adding a teeny bit of yogurt each time you defrost a new cube. For my expectant Queens, I mix the Glop with Marshmallow Root to improve milk production. Crush 2 pills (100mg each) to mix with the Glop. This can be done two to three weeks prior to expected due date.   BRAT Diet This can be frozen ahead, and it will keep for approximately four months. I use this recipe the most, because I think the kittens do better with the introduction of raw meat early on. I have had much success with this one. ½ pound raw lean ground beef 1 banana 8 ounces plain yogurt ½ cup applesauce Mix all ingredients together adding more yogurt or applesauce to get the desired consistency. This must be spoon fed, or put on a plate, as it’s too thick to be syringed. Kittens get the idea quickly, and can become nippy with it/you, so the sooner you can use a plate the better.

Electrolytes You can buy this ready made from Revival, but here is a recipe from the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Oregon. 1 quart water (4 cups) 1 TBS sugar 1 tsp salt You can syringe feed this hourly for three or four hours for proper rehydration. They suggest 1cc syringe for better control. Kitten should not be on its back, but on its stomach, as though mom was feeding it. Remember that because of frequent feeding, kitten will not eat as much. Do not feed this solution for longer than 12 hours as it has no calories. The rehab center does not give food until a reasonably normal stool is produced. Also, do not mix the electrolyte solution with foodstuffs as it creates a chemical reaction in the solution.