A female parent cat ’s milk is the best choice for newborns , but if you ’ve recently receivednewborn kittenswho do n’t have a female parent , you need to acknowledge how to properly care for and nourish these little ones . There ’s a lot require in making indisputable your kittens grow into healthy khat , but it ’s well worth the campaign .
Why Bottle Feed Kittens?
standardized to a newborn baby , a newborn kitty is veryfragile and vulnerable . Their bodies are just beginning to develop , and thus , right nutrition is vital to their natural selection . Cat milk is the right reference of this nutrition and is gentler on your kitten ’s digestive system , so if possible , consider witness a foster computerized tomography who is breast feeding and can give the kittens .
If that ’s not potential , bottle - feeding is the next best alternative .
Although feeding newborn kittens may take only 10 to 20 minutes each feast , you ’ll need to do it every duo of minute until they can feed on their own , so it is a big commitment .
What to Bottle Feed Kittens
The only thing a newborn kitty should eat ( other than a female parent quat ’s milk ) is kitten Milk River replacement recipe , which can be purchased at a pet store or online . Only use a product made for kittens , likePetAg KMR Kitten Milk ReplacerorBreeder ’s Edge Foster Care Kitten Milk Replacer . Do not feed received moo-cow ’s milk from the grocery store because this can upset their stomach and cause serious problem .
How Much to Feed
You ’ll need to know the weight of your kittens in lodge to determine how much to feed them , so you may need to buy a small animal or babe ordered series for this purpose . Depending on which stigma of kitten food you use , the label will give you explicit instruction on how much to feed based on your kitten ’s dead body weight . In general :
Record your kitty ’s weight at the same time every twenty-four hours totrack their progress . Newborn kitten should put on an extra 10 to 14 grams each day . If your kitten is n’t gaining enough weight , contact your veterinarian directly .
Sterilize Your Bottle Before Feeding
The other thing you ’ll require , aside from the Milk River replacer itself , is a diminished positron emission tomography bottleful , which you may pick up at your local preferent provision store or order online . You ’ll need to sterilize these before you practice them because new-sprung kittens are highly susceptible to infections and source . Sterilize both the feeding bottle and the nipple in boiling water for about five minutes , then allow both piece to cool before you set about .
How to Bottle Feed Newborn Kittens
At first , bottleful course a kitten might seem a little overwhelming , but once you ’re conversant with the modus operandi , your feedings should go like clockwork . To help , I ’ve include some television demonstration and tips from one of our favorite bottle - feed in expert , Kitten Lady .
feed a cold kitten can lead to digestive problems , and , unfortunately , immature kittens ca n’t regulate their body temperatures . Place kittens on a heating pad on LOW to keep them fond between feedings .
You Must Stimulate a Kitten After Feeding
Stimulating a newborn kitty to poop is something you have to do after every exclusive feeding . Kittens ca n’t poop or piss on their own until they reach about four to five weeks honest-to-goodness , so their ma will energize them to relieve themselves . Because their mother is n’t there , it ’s now your province to facilitate them .
To do this , grab a white , soft material like a few squares of toilet paper or cotton squares . Wet it with water , then softly rub your kitty ’s genital area . verify you ’re holding them over a towel to overtake anything that is n’t engross by the tissue paper . Do the same mental process by rubbing their rectum to stimulate a gut apparent movement . Do n’t forget to clean them up and dry them off subsequently !
Tips for Feeding Newborn Kittens
Once you ’re used to feeding new-sprung kitty , you should feel comfortable with the process , but there are some thing you may do to do yourself up for success from the get - go .
Bottle Feed Kittens Until It’s Time to Wean
Luckily , bottleful feed newborn kittens does n’t last evermore . When a kitten is about four weeks old , you may set out merge some blotto kitten food in with their Milk River replacer ( consult to as a “ slurry ” ) andbegin the ablactation process . With the correct techniques and tools , those first few week with your bottle babies will just fly by .
