How To Take Care Of A Newborn Kitten Without A Mother
If you have found a newborn kitten without its mother, then youre probably wondering how to care for it. Well walk you through the steps to ensure it gets the proper nutrition and care during its first few weeks of life.
First, make sure the kitten is warm. If its cold out, place it in a box or carrier with a heating pad set on low in the back corner. Make sure that theres plenty of room for the kitten to move around comfortably, but not so much room that it falls off of something and gets hurt. You can also use a heating pad under half an inch of straw or hay in a cardboard box as well as place another cardboard box over top of this one.
Next, feed your newborn kitten every few hours with milk replacement formula made specifically for kittens . You should also offer small amounts of soft food every day because this will help them learn how to eat solid foods when theyre older. After each feeding session, gently rub their little bellies from front to back with a warm cloth until they fall asleep, this will help them digest their food and prevent gas buildup.
Mixing In The Kitten Food
After she’s readily drinking the milk replacement from the bowl, you will be mixing the milk replacement with some high-quality kitten food. Innova kitten food is excellent, palatable kitten food. After it’s properly mixed, it should have the consistency of oatmeal. Over the next few weeks, you will gradually reduce the amount of liquid to the mixture. You will be adding more and more cat food. Around the 5 to 6-week mark, the kitten will be eating food only very slightly moistened and you will be able to leave it out for her to free feed. By week 8 to 10, the kitten will be completely done with the addition of milk replacement.
Word to the Wise
Kittens love to play in their food bowls! All three of my kittens would walk, rub, and roll in it. It’s just part of the process for them. You’ll be cleaning them up quite a lot.
How Can I Get The Most Out Of My First Vet Visit With My Kitten
Just make sure that the vet is examining everything about the kitten from head to toe to the tail. Make sure everything is well, including the oral cavity, heart, bones, joints, skin, everything. Then a lot of times I do encourage my clients to write your questions so they don’t forget to ask us on the first visit. Definitely bring all those questions so you can ask all those questions and hopefully that will be helpful.
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How To Take Care Of Abandoned Kittens: First 4 Weeks
Its both one of the most difficult and rewarding experiences you can have as a cat parent: raising one or multiple kittens. But orphaned kittens have very special needs, and many things to learn from a mother that is no longer present.
Today, were inviting Veterinary writer Greg Steele to guide us through the care of newborn kittens. In part one, Vet Greg covers the crucial first four weeks of life.
Once youve adopted a kitten, your life will never be the same! These little bundles of fur will bring you endless pleasure and a lasting connection. However, taking care of kittens without a mom is not easy. So, you will want to make sure you are well-prepared for the task.
If your kitten was separated from her mother at an early stage, she will likely be quite fearful of the world and her surroundings. It is now your job to facilitate her growth into a healthy adult.
Cat-moms usually take complete care of their kittens for the first few months of life. In most cases, litters are born and raised without any issues. However, problems can arise when a mother and her babies are separated. In these instances, you may find yourself having to raise orphaned or stray kittens on your own. Taking care of kittens is a full-time job but it is also one of the most rewarding experiences you can have as a pet owner. Most kittens thrive when they are looked after properly.
What Should You Expect When Caring For Newborn Kittens
Caring for orphaned neonatal kittens takes round the clock effort, but it can be done if you are willing to put in the time and dedication. You have to be prepared to get up throughout the night for the feedings. Its very much like caring for a human baby in that regard. However, they grow up much faster, so you are not doing it for months at a time. But it still takes a similar dedication. You definitely have sleepless nights and periods of worry. Are they getting enough to eat? Are they growing the way they are supposed to?
It can also be really sad sometimes, because they dont all make it. Some studies say that the mortality rate for kittens can be up to 40 percent. But you definitely create a real bond caring for them through that period.
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Does My Kitten Need Vaccinations Even If I Keep Them Inside
Yes, we recommend core vaccines for your kitten because… I’ll just tell you a personal story. My cats are indoor cats. My son left his door open, and a bat flew in, and my cat killed the bat. I think about 15% of bats in California carry rabiesâmaybe even higher than that. If my cat had not been vaccinated for rabies, we would have a potentially challenging situation on our hands. And cats get out all the time. We want them protected with the FVRCP and leukemia.
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Health Issues In Newborn Kittens
Intestinal parasites are most common in kittens. Other health problems in young kittens are infectious diseases, such as respiratory infections, and congenital diseases.
Fading kitten syndrome occurs when a kitten fails to thrive. If you notice one of the kittens is generally more lethargic and sleeping a lot more than its siblings, it can be a sign of the syndrome. That kitten requires immediate attention from a veterinarian who specializes in kitten care.
Helping Orphaned Kittens To Toilet
Kittens cannot go to the toilet by themselves until they are around 2-3 weeks old. Usually, their mother will stimulate them by licking their bottoms under the tail. When kittens have no mother, its important that you do this for them, otherwise they can become seriously ill.
To stimulate a young kitten, gently rub a damp soft tissue or cotton wool around the bottom. It is worth doing this before and after each feed. Again, your local shelter or veterinary practice will be able to show you how to do this if you are unsure.
From around 3 weeks of age, kittens should learn to go to the toilet by themselves. So, you can start training them to use a litter tray. To begin with, you should carefully place your kittens in the tray and then stimulate them as before. After a while, they will work it out on their own. Although, a small amount of soiled litter may remind them of what they need to do!
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What Are Some Early Signs And Symptoms Of Health Issues In My Kitten
Take note of any significant changes. If your kitten has typically been a little rascal, and they’re just kind of sleeping the day away, or if you see changes in appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, litter box issues , or any other concerns at all, let us know. I’d always rather that you call me every single day with a question than let these things build up or get worse.
S To Bathe An Underage Kitten
for a video from Maddie’s Institute on bathing orphaned kittens.
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How Do I Care For Newborn Kittens
By Leslie Ingraham
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So your Mama cat has just given birth to a litter of kittens. If you dont have experience with kittens, especially tiny newborns, you might have questions. We hope to answer some of them for you.
Newborn kittens can be fragile for the first couple weeks of life. They have few needs, which their mom mostly provides, but she and they are fortunate to have a human watching over them to be sure they thrive and grow. Read on to find out what you can do to ensure your new felines stay safe and healthy.
Do I Need To Help Care For Newborn Kittens
If the delivery was without incident, the queen, or mother cat, will spend most of her time with her kittens during the first few days after birth. For the first month of life, kittens require very little care from the owner because their mother will feed and care for them.
In fact, in the vast majority of cases, the pet owner should not interfere with the queen’s care. Within a few hours of birth, it is extremely important that kittens receive colostrum, or the first milk, which is rich in antibodies and helps protect the newborns from infection. The kittens need to be kept warm and to nurse frequently you should check them every few hours to make certain that they are warm and well fed. You should also check the mother to make certain that she is producing adequate and normal-appearing milk.
“In the vast majority of cases, the pet owner should not interfere with the queen’s care.”
If the mother does not stay in the box, you should make sure the kittens stay warm. Kittens are not able to control their own body temperature, and rely on the external environment to keep them warm. It may be necessary to provide supplemental heat. During the first four days of life, the newborns’ box should be maintained at 89° to 93°F . The temperature may gradually be decreased to 80°F by the seventh to tenth day and to 75°F by the end of the fourth week. If the litter is large, the temperature need not be as high because they huddle together and their body heat provides additional warmth.
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What Can Go Wrong
There are many things to keep an eye out for when caring for a kitten at every stage of its life that could indicate a problem or even a veterinary emergency. If your kitten exhibits any of the symptoms listed below, contact your veterinarian right away to schedule an appointment.
Here is what you need to keep an eye out for in a newborn kitten:
- Delays or difficulties in motor skills or coordination
When Should My Kitten Get Vaccinations
We’re going to want to start vaccines as soon as you get your kitten, probably somewhere around eight weeks. And we’ll put them on a series of vaccines. Core vaccines are the ones that all cats should get. And then there are some other vaccines outside of that. But generally, the core vaccines such as FVRCP, leukemia, and rabies, are an excellent place to start.
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Preventing Problems With Your Kitten During Vet Visits
As always, if you have any questions about your cat or wonder when you should schedule an exam, call your vet to discuss them. If your kitten becomes sick at any point, it is important to contact your vet without delay. Illnesses in kittens can become serious very quickly.
Establishing a relationship with your vet and a new pet is always smoother in a non-emergency situation. Finding out the clinic hours and who to call for emergencies will put you ahead of the game.
Newborn Kitten Care Week By Week
Your new kittens have arrived, and even though the mother cat did most of the work, you still have things to do. Before long, those helpless kittens with closed eyes and ears will be enthusiastic bundles of energy. In the meantime, you’ll need to guide them through their first weeks of life.
If your kittens have a healthy and loving mother cat, they’ll rely on her to perform much of the important early work. You’ll help out and provide valuable care, but you’ll stay out of mom’s way as she cares for the litter. Or, you might find yourself with a litter of kittens whose mother cannot care for them for some reason. In that case, you’ll be responsible for additional care. Either way, here is a basic outline of newborn kitten care, week by week:
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What Will A Veterinarian Look For During An Initial Kitten Care Visit
The first thing we do is we really look at their attitude. And we can see this little one is bright and alert and well-rounded and happy. And then what I always do is I get out my ophthalmoscope and I look right in their eyes and I want to make sure that I can see all the way back to the retina. That they don’t have any discharge and the pupils are even. I then go ahead and switch over to my otoscope and I look down in their ears. I want to be sure that there’s no discharge or itching. They always do that every time you do that. But there was no discharge or anything down in there. It looks nice and clean. I look in both of those.
I then open up their mouth and I look at these adorable, little kitten teeth. I look all the way down inside there, make sure that the gums are nice and pink. The next thing I do is feel all of the lymph nodes, make sure that they’re normal all the way down the back. I feel the pulse on the back legs.
I also get out a flea comb and I check them for fleas. We don’t want to have any fleas or flea dirt on them. And that’s a good way to do a complete physical examination. And then lastly I’m going to use my stethoscope to listen to their heart and lungs. Perfect. Listen on both sides. I make sure that there’s no murmur or arrhythmia, elevated heart rate, or slow heart rate. And I also weigh them so we have a beginning weight and then we know each time they come in if they’re gaining weight properly.
Preventive Care For Kittens
Preventive care is important in ensuring your kitten is given the best opportunity to live a healthy life. Preventive kitten care begins with finding the right veterinarian and working with them to implement a sound checkup, kitten vaccinations, and preventive maintenance schedule. At Cat Care Center, we are able to pick up on subtle signs that something may not be quite right with your kitten. Between a thorough discussion with you and a physical exam, our veterinarian will be able to identify health or behavioral issues that your kitten may be experiencing.
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