The kittens should be drinking KMR, just the way you are feeding them. At 4 weeks old, there are ready to be weaned but bottle feeding might still be needed if they are not eating properly yet. Orphaned kittens can be weaned earlier than their naturally raised counterparts.
Some E. coli bacteria are contagious while others are not, depending on the E. coli strain and/or the infection type. Some strains that cause gastrointestinal problems (enteropathogenic E. coli) can be transmitted person-to-person, usually by the oral/fecal route, and even indirectly by contaminated food or water.asual contact (shaking hands, kissing) will not usually transmit E. coli person to person. However, some strains of E. coli, including the diarrhea-causing enteropathogenic strains, can be contagious. Medically Reviewed by a Doctor on 6/29/2015.
Healthy beef and dairy cattle may carry the E. coli germ in their intestines. The meat can get contaminated with the germ during the slaughtering process. When beef is ground up, the E. coli germs get mixed throughout the meat. The most common way to get this infection is by eating contaminated food. You can be infected with the E. coli germ if you don't use a high temperature to cook your beef, or if you don't cook it long enough.