Friday, March 29, 2024

What Do You Feed Newborn Kittens

Don't Miss

How Do I Feed Orphaned Kittens

How to Syringe Feed a Newborn Kitten

Most kittens will suckle on small pet nursing bottles, also known as pet nursers. When bottle fed, kittens will nurse until they are full and then reject the bottle.

Be sure the opening in the nipple restricts the outflow of fluid to one drop at a time in order to avoid a flow rate that is too rapid for the kitten. When the flow rate is too rapid, it can lead to aspiration, pneumonia, and/or death.

When feeding, hold the kitten in a horizontal, head-neutral position. If the kitten is too weak to suckle, your veterinarian can show you alternative feeding methods and assist in tube feeding if needed.

TIP: Handling kittens during feeding contributes to critical socialization.

You May Like: Cat Stuck In Drain Who To Call

Caring For The Newborn Kittens

Under four weeks of age,kittensare considered newborns. During this time,newborn kittensare just developing motor skills and coordination. You need to know that bottle feedingkittensevery 2-4 hours is necessary. Their environment needs to warm and safe. Regular checks are essential to ensure the kittens arent too hot or cold. They easily become chilled and dehydrated. Newborn kittens need to be stimulated to help them urinate and defecate. Their mother licks them to do this to keep them nice and clean. You will need to imitate this behavior by stimulating the kittens with a warm, wet cloth during each feeding.

Kittens will less than three weeks of age are considered very young. During this period, when a mother cat leaves and has not returned after four hours, you may conclude she has abandoned herkittens. You must get in the picture, and its time to care for these helpless kittens. It means a bottle-feedingthem until they are four weeks or older.

Preparing To Bottle Feed Your Kitten

Depending on its size and condition, your newborn kitten will need approximately nine to 12 daily feedings. For the first two weeks of life, you will need to count on feeding the kitten every two hours during the day and every four hours overnight.

In order to bottle feed the kitten, you will need to gather a few supplies. Regular human baby bottles will likely be too big, but most pet stores have newborn kitten bottles and nipples, as well as a commercial formula specifically designed for kittens. If your kitten is a preemie, you will need to dropper-feed it until it’s strong enough to suck on the bottle. Make sure to check with your veterinarian if this is the case.

Also Check: When Do Cats Stop Growing In Size

How To Hold A Newborn Kitten

When lifting up a newborn kitten, use both your hands. Hold them from the chest and under their back legs to make sure they are fully supported. Be gentle. If they squirm, do not put them down this teaches them that squirming means they will be released. Instead, soothe them with your voice until they calm down.

In this article, we have explored the essentials of caring for a newborn kitten. With this advice and professional help from your vet, your kitten should grow up to be strong, loving and well-socialised cat.

Next, find out more about kitten vaccinations and how they work to keep your pet protected from a wide range of diseases.

Feral Mom Returns Do Not Fear

Beautiful baby kitten feeding

Leave the family outside, and provide food, water, and shelter. The mother will likely move the kittens, do not worry. If she knows this is a safe place with a stable food source, shell return with them. If you are able to commit, the kittens should be taken away from their mom when theyre able to eat on their own . When you bring them inside, handle them often to get them used to human socialization. The kittens should be fixed and adopted out around 8-10 weeks of age. If you cannot foster and socialize the kittens, leave the kittens outside! Dont socialize a kitten that you cannot place they will learn survival skills from their mother that will give them their best chance at outdoor survival as a feral cat.

Also Check: How Many Ounces Of Food Should A Cat Eat

Week One Feeding Schedule

A kitten typically weighs about 3 to 3.7 oz. at birth but will gain weight rapidly from nursing. For the first several weeks of life, a newborn kitten will depend entirely on its mother to provide it with food. Its eyes and ears are sealed shut when it’s born, so it will rely on the pheromones its mother gives off to find milk and warmth. Most kittens do just fine without human intervention, but if a kitten needs to be bottle-fed, either because the mother cat is absent, ill, or rejects the kitten, you’ll want to weigh the kitten regularly to make sure its weight reflects a healthy and normal growth rate of a kitten.

A kitten will nurse for about 45 minutes at a time every 2 to 3 hours for the first week of life. The rest of the time will be spent sleeping. Kittens that are bottle-fed should consume about a tablespoon, or 15 ml, of special kitten formula at each feeding. This is very time consuming for someone who is bottle-feeding a newborn kitten, so if at all possible, you will want to try to keep the kitten with its mother or a surrogate lactating cat who can nurse it.

Nutrition Tips For Kittens

As we briefly discussed above, proper kitten nutrition includes modifying the diet to ensure you are feeding kittens what they need during each stage of growth.

  • The mother cat should be feeding kittens during the first 4 weeks of life, or you should use a special commercial milk replacement formula every 2-4 hours if the kitten has been separated from their mother.
  • From 3-5 weeks of age, feeding kittens involves offering the milk replacement formula in a shallow dish to encourage weaning from a bottle. You can also add a moist, easily chewable diet consisting of a mixture of warm milk replacement formula and high-quality canned or dried kitten food 4-6 times a day.
  • After 6 months of age, kittens should be fed 2-3 times per day.

Feeding kittens the right food, in the right amounts, and at the right times throughout the day is essential for happy, healthy, and growing cats. Our veterinary staff would be happy to discuss the proper feeding schedule for your kitten at your next veterinary appointment.

You May Like: Fancy Feast Wet Cat Food Amazon

Create An Ideal Space For Your Newborn Kittens

They need comfortable surroundings where they feel protected. Things to watch out for:

  • Their own space. At this stage they sleep a lot, for 80% of the time. A peaceful room with very little noise is what they need at 0-4 weeks.
  • A bed. You could choose a comfortable box with high sides, or a cat-carrying basket. In this way they wont escape, and theyll stay warm. This is really important, as if they do escape, their body temperature will fall.
  • Warmth. From 0 to 3-4 weeks kittens can suffer from hypothermia, because they are not able to regulate their body temperature. They mustnt be in direct contact with a heat source. You can cover them with blankets, or wrap a bottle of warm water in a blanket . Electric blankets are not suitable, as they can cause burns.

Foods Safe For Stray Kittens To Eat

Kitten & Cat Care : What Do You Feed Newborn Kittens?

Especially during the first few weeks of their lives, its important to mind which foods make it past the tiny mouths of stray kittens. Giving them the wrong types of food can keep them from being properly nourished, and thus prevent them from growing and developing correctly and healthily. It may cause them unnecessary digestive upset, too.

Below, you will come across some of the things that you may give a stray kitten.

Read Also: What Are The Best Diapers For Newborns

Read Also: How Long Is A Cat A Kitten

What Do Orphaned Kittens Need For Proper Nutrition

Water is a critical nutrient for orphaned kittens, just as it is for all other stages of their life. Normal water intake is relatively high for kittens, needing 155-230 milliliters of fluid per kilogram of body weight each day.

“Compared to cow’s milk, queen’s milk contains more than twice as much protein, which helps explain why cow’s milk is not ideal for feeding orphaned kittens.”

On average, the total fluid volume fed per day should be approximately 180mL/kg of kitten body weight. Queen’s milk is highly digestible and very calorie dense. Compared to cow’s milk, queen’s milk contains more than twice as much protein, which helps explain why cow’s milk is not ideal for feeding orphaned kittens.

Commercial kitten milk replacers are recommended as they are superior to cow’s milk and home-made mixtures. The milk replacer you choose should meet several key nutritional factors. For every 100g of milk replacer fed, there should be:

What You Need To Bottle Feed A Kitten

To get started youll need several baby bottles with nipples designed especially for kittens, and some kitten milk replacer. Most nipples dont come with holes, so you may have to make a small hole in the end to allow milk to drip out. Kitten milk replacer is available in pre-mixed liquid form and in a dry powder. Both work equally well, but some people find the powder to be more convenient because you only need to mix what you need for each feeding.

Before you offer your kitten a bottle, make sure the milk replacement is warm. To check that its not too hot, shake a few drops of formula onto your wrist to make sure its comfortably warm. Carlene Strandell, founder and director of Smitten with Kittens, a nonprofit, foster-based kitten rescue that operates in Tallahassee, Fla., says that the first thing you need to do when feeding a newborn kitten is to ensure that the kitten is warm. You should not feed a cold kitten. A cold kitten is a fading kitten, and trying to feed them is just adding one more stress to their bodies, she says. If your kittens pads or gums feel cold, wrap him in a blanket and/or hold him against you until he warms up.

Read Also: How Long Can A Cat Live With Arthritis

How To Bottle Feed A Kitten

Once the kitten and formula are ready, set the kitten on his stomach never try to feed a kitten on its back. Hold his head gently with one hand to encourage the kitten to latch onto the nipple. According to Alley Cat Allies, try your best to imitate the position a newborn kitten would use when nursing from its mother. Use your other hand to guide the kittens mouth to the nipple. Never force a kitten onto a nipple. The kittens tongue should form a v-shape to facilitate sucking. By holding the head of the kitten, youll be able to feel if hes swallowing the milk.

If your kitten refuses to suckle, you may want to try gently rubbing his face and head with a terry washcloth or an old toothbrush to simulate the roughness of the mother cats tongue. If the kitten still refuses to latch onto the nipple you can use a syringe to provide nourishment. Offer small drops of formula this way. Never force formula down the kittens throat or you could asphyxiate the animal by filling its lungs with liquid.

How Much To Bottle Feed A Kitten

This Little Kitten Was Found Crawling On A Busy Road, But Wait Till You ...

Newborn kittens should be fed every 2 to 3 hours. Kittens who are 2 to 3 weeks in age need to eat every 4 to 6 hours. See how much to feed your kitten for every age with this feeding chart. Avoid overfeeding, which can cause digestive problems.

When your kitten is about 4 weeks old you can begin offering a small bit of formula on a spoon, slowly mixing in a bit of canned food to start the weaning process. Until kittens are eating solid food on their own, you may need to continue bottle-feeding several times a day to keep them healthy. During and after weaning, offer a shallow bowl of fresh water at all times.

Recommended Reading: Cat And Dog First Aid

How Do You Take Care Of A Newborn Kitten Without A Mother

A mother cat will not only feed her kittens, she will keep them warm and stimulatethem to pass urine and faeces by licking under their tails after each feed. You can contact a local shelter to see if they have any nursing queens who will sometimes accept a foster kitten. If not, then as the foster carer for a newborn kitten you will need to ensure the kitten is kept warm, fed and toileted.

It can be helpful if they are able to with other kittens in a warm room, or you will need to provide a well covered heat mat or pad being careful to ensure it is not too hot as kittens may also overheat. They will need to be fed kitten milk replacer every two hours, day and night, until they are 4 to 5 days old and can take slightly larger feeds less frequently. After feeding, you will also need to toilet them by gently rubbing under their tail with moist cotton wool until they pass urine and faeces.

What Do Newborn Kittens Need

While the queen will usually provide her kittens with warmth and nutrition, it’s good to know what kittens require, in case you need to help. It can be difficult to know how to properly care for vulnerable newborn kittens. Watch our video for advice on how to look after newborn kittens in their early development including healthy weights, healthy physical developments, and how to look after newborn kittens.

You May Like: Is It Ok For Cats To Eat Dog Food

What To Feed Newborn Kittens In An Emergency

If you unexpectedly find yourself needing to feed newborn kittens at late night or on a day when you cant go to the store, or we call the situation as an emergency, a useful kitten milk recipe is a must for feeding the kittens. There are homemade kitten formula recipes that are intended as emergency kitten formula substitutes. They use ingredients that you usually have in your kitchen and will help get you by until you can purchase kitten formula. You can do a simple formula in different ways.

For the first method, mix one can of evaporated milk with one egg yolk and two tablespoons of Karo syrup. Another recipe is to blend 8 ounces of homogenized whole milk, two egg yolks, and one teaspoon salad oil. The third option is even simpler. Just mix one part boiled water into five parts, evaporated milk. After that, add half a teaspoon of bone meal per every 16 ounces of liquid that you mix.

All three of these homemade recipes should be thoroughly mixed. Store them in a sealed container and put them inside the fridge. When its time to feed, combine half of the mixture with an equal amount of boiling water. Make sure that the mixture should be just above room temperature when you feed it. Always make sure to test the mixture on your hand before feeding it to the kittens.

What Do You Feed Newborn Kittens In An Emergency

How to Safely Bottle Feed a Kitten

Newborn kittens are so small that they have very little energy reserve, if they are not fed regularly. They can have low blood sugar, and can become cold and dehydrated rapidly, all of which can be life-threatening. It important to correct blood sugar and hydration and then gradually warm the kitten to revive it. A newborn kitten in an emergency may be too weak to suckle, with attempts to feed milk resulting in it pouring back out of their nose or mouth. It may be possible to give one drop at a time. If they are not swallowing at all, then rubbing sugared water on their gums can help, but they are likely to need an injection of fluids and sugars by a vet. Once they are able to suckle and swallow, then kitten milk replacer is the best option.

Also Check: Why Is My Cat Not Eating Or Drinking

Read Also: No Smell Cat Litter Box

What To Feed A Kitten

Weaning a kitten is the process of transitioning the kitten from mothers milk to solid food. Its an important part of the kittens development, and needs to be done at the right time and in the right way. Normally the queen, or mother cat, will handle kitten weaning on her own. But when the queen has trouble producing milk, or when a litter of kittens is orphaned, we need to intervene. Here are some tips for smooth and successful kitten weaning.

What Do Kittens Do At 3 Weeks Old

Three week old kittens will have ears that point upwards, like a miniature cat. At this age, kittens will be walking, exploring their surroundings, and even beginning to explore the litter box. Three week old kittens still require a heat source, but will be more active and may stray from it when not sleeping.

Dont Miss: Iams Free Sample Cat Food

Don’t Miss: How Much Is A Vet Visit Cat

Kitten Feeding Schedule: How Much Food Kittens Need

Just like human babies, kittens do a lot of growing in the first year of their lives. The kind of food and how much a kitten consumes directly affects their growth rate and development. By making sure a kitten is on a proper feeding schedule, youll be able to monitor your kittens growth and ensure they are receiving appropriate nutrition.

Recommended Reading: A Man And His Cat Read Online

More articles

Popular Articles

40 Lb Bag Of Cat Food

Brands Of Wet Cat Food