Teaching The Kitten To Eat From A Bowl
Your kitten will need to learn how to eat from a dish, so you will first put the warm milk replacement into a flat and shallow bowl. Dip the tip of the bottle or syringe into the milk and let her lick it off. Guide her with the syringe to the bowl. Eventually she will learn to lap out of the bowl. NEVER force the kitten by pushing down or holding her head in the milk bowl. She can easily inhale the liquid and choke.
How To Care For Kittens From Birth
This article was co-authored by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS and by wikiHow staff writer, Jessica Gibson. Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 91% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 77,397 times.
You’re probably anxiously awaiting the day when your cat gives birth to a litter of kittens. However, the excitement may quickly wear off once you realize that you’re responsible for several vulnerable kittens and a new mother. If you have no idea where to begin, start by nurturing the newborns and learning how to care for them as they grow.
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.
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What Are The Right And Wrong Ways To Pick Up My Kitten
Oh, interesting question. I generally recommend picking up your kitten from the underneath side and maybe putting your hand up here to control the head a little bit. And scoop them underneath your arms. You can hold their little paws in the front, also. A football hold is probably the best way to do it.
How To Take Care Of A Kitten: A Guide For New Pet Parents
Congratulations on adopting a kitten! Now that youre a new pet parent, there are several things youll need to consider. Quality kitten care should focus on helping the pet adjust to its new home and ensuring their well-being to promote healthy development.
There are several stages in a kitten’s development, and it’s crucial to understand how your pet’s needs will change as they mature.
We’ve compiled some helpful kitten advice that covers all the basic aspects of kitten care youll need to know, including:
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Advice On Feeding Newborn Kittens
Similar to a newborn baby, a newborn kitten is very fragile and vulnerable. Their bodies are just beginning to develop, and thus the proper nutrition is vital to their survival. Considering that they are lacking a mother cat, you have to become their surrogate mother. Although feeding newborn kittens should only take about ten to twenty minutes each time, you will need to do this several times a day. Further, you will have to bottle feed your newborn kitten.
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-replacer formula every 2-4 hours if the kitten has been separated from its mother.
- From 3-5 weeks of age, feeding kittens involves offering the milk-replacer 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-replacer 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.
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Caring For Young Kittens And Their Moms
We strongly encourage everyone to have their cat spayed or neutered. This is the single most effective way to reduce the over population of felines in our community. If, however, you find yourself with a litter of kittens or have made the decision to care for a stray, please refer to the following information to help you care for your kittens until they are 8 weeks old the minimum age they can be away from their mom and/or littermates.
Mom will do most of the initial care, but you will need to frequently check on the babies to ensure the mother is caring for them and the kittens appear healthy.
A clean, warm, and dry place should be provided for moms and babies. A nesting box is essential for better health and survival. The nesting box should be:
- located in a quiet, secluded, warm, and draft-free area
- just tall enough to prevent the kittens from wandering away but low enough that mom can come and go easily
- large enough for the mom to comfortably lie away from the litter if she chooses, but small enough for the newborns to easily reach her
The bottom portion of a plastic dog or cat kennel works well as a nesting box and easily can be cleaned and disinfected.
A temperature-controlled, draft-free area is extremely important because a kitten’s body temperature can quicklydrop to dangerous levels. A few more tips for creating a quality nesting box:
- frequent crying
- altered respiration
Immediately contact your veterinarian If you notice any of these signs.
Sterilize Your Bottle Before Feeding
The first thing you’ll need is a small pet bottle that you will use to feed formula to the kittens. You can pick up kitten/puppy bottles at your local pet supply store, or order them online. It’s important to note that you must sterilize these bottles before you use them.
- Newborn kittens are extremely susceptible to infections and germs, thus you want to ensure the safest possible environment for your pet.
- Sterilize both the bottle and the nipple in boiling water. This should take about five minutes.
- Allow both pieces to cool properly. You do not want to burn your newborn.
- Your last step after sterilizing is to lay out a large towel, a rougher textured cloth and a bowl of warm water on the table next to a chair. The water temperature should be about 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
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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.
How Do I Keep A Newborn Kitten Warm
Kittens should be kept in a cat carrier wrapped in a few layers of towels. Using a heating pad or heat disc for pets alongside a soft fleece blanket can also help keep them warm. Ensure that the carrier is large enough for your kitten to move away from the heater when they want to.
It is very important to keep your cat carrier in a safe, warm room away from other pets. Itâs helpful to go and check on your kitten throughout the day. If your kitten feels cold, you need to warm them up as soon as possible.
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Heat & Bedding For Newborn Kittens
Kittens can get the chills easily, which can be life-threatening. From the moment you find them, keep the kittens warm and watch out for signs of chilling . If you have nothing else on hand, use your own body heat to warm up a cold kitten, and rub her gently to aid circulation.
Neonatal kittens cannot control their own body temperature until they are at least 3 weeks old. And its very important to hold off on bottle feeding until the kittens have completely warmed up.
At home, build a soft nest with a heating pad that is completely covered with a blanket or towel. Make sure that kittens can move away from the heat if they want. Change the bedding daily or when they have accidents. A kitten can chill if she gets wet, so never submerge kittens in water.
If a kitten needs to be cleaned up, wash only certain parts of her little body with a washcloth. Be sure to always fully dry with a hair dryer and towel.
When Should The Kittens Be Weaned Onto Solid Food
Weaning should begin at three to four weeks of age. Initially, the kittens should be offered milk replacer diluted 1:1 with water, in a flat shallow dish. At three weeks introduce either moistened dry growth diet or tinned growth diet mixed with a small amount of milk solution. Again holding the kitten, use a very small spoon and introduce the semisolid food to the kitten, using the spoon tip only. Gradually lower the spoon to encourage and tempt the kitten to eat from a shallow dish. Only try a few very small mouthfuls at first until the kitten gets established on its own. This is continued until the kittens are taking just solid food. They can be fed either wet or dry diets, but it is best to feed only diets designed especially for kittens. Dog food and human baby foods should not be fed since they are deficient in nutrients essential for cats.
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Caring For A Newborn Kitten
Between 0 – 4 weeks of age, your tiny feline friend is considered to be a newborn. At this stage, they are still learning basics: how to vocalize , walk, and even regulate their body temperature. If their mother is present, she should be able to clean, feed, and help newborn kittens stay warm your role is to ensure the mother is in good health and that they are in a warm and safe environment. Make sure the floor of the kitten’s crate/area is covered with a blanket, and they have a warm bed to lay on. However, if the kitten does not have a mother, the first thing you should do is keep them warm and safe on your way to see a vet. Your veterinarian will be able to determine the overall condition of the kitten and inform you of their requirements.
Warmth is Vital
If your young kitten doesn’t have a mother, you will have to help keep them warm by using something such as a heating disk or heating bad on low heat are placed underneath a blanket in their cage. You should also make a little nest out of soft blankets for the kitten to lay in for comfort. It’s important that you make sure that the heating pad isn’t too hot by touching it with your hands and providing a comfortable place in your kitten’s cage/crate that does not have a heating item so they can go there if they get too warm. Remember, your kitten still needs help with body temperature regulation.
Feeding Your Newborn Kitten
Which Kittens Need To Be Hand
Normally kittens have their environmental and nutritional requirements met by their mother. However, a number of different situations may lead to kittens requiring extra care, eg, death of the mother, rejection of the kittens by the mother, ill health of the mother, or the production of too large a litter for the mother cat to care for.
When the mother cat is only temporarily ill, the kittens may only need to be hand fed for a few days, while in other situations the kittens may need to be fed by hand until they are weaned. In the case of a very large litter, where the kittens are gaining some milk from their mother, they will only need supplemental feeding.
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What Should I Track In A Logbook
Maintaining a logbook about the orphaned kittens does not need to be complicated. The reason for the logbook is to simply keep track of how the kittens are doing so you can identify if there are any potential concerns with their development.
Tracking their weights, milestones, and routines are key, so be sure to record details of when their eyes open, when their teeth begin to erupt, their food intake, and stool consistency.
TIP: Individual kittens must be identified in some way, so consider colored collars or nail polish on a few front toenails.
How To Raise A Kitten
This article was co-authored by Brian Bourquin, DVM. Brian Bourquin, better known as Dr. B to his clients, is a Veterinarian and the Owner of Boston Veterinary Clinic, a pet health care and veterinary clinic with three locations, South End/Bay Village, the Seaport, and Brookline, Massachusetts. Boston Veterinary Clinic specializes in primary veterinary care, including wellness and preventative care, sick and emergency care, soft-tissue surgery, dentistry. The clinic also provides specialty services in behavior, nutrition, and alternative pain management therapies using acupuncture, and therapeutic laser treatments. Boston Veterinary Clinic is an AAHA accredited hospital and Bostons first Fear Free Certified Clinic. Brian has over 19 years of veterinary experience and earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University.There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 100% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 84,298 times.
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Preventing Problems Before They Start
Identifying and providing suitable outlets for all of a kitten’s needs is the key to preventing behavior problems. From the first day in your home, encouraging safe and acceptable play activities will make life much easier for you and your cat.
Consider providing predatory play sessions with mobile toys, miniature lights, or wands, as well as serving food within foraging toys and hiding treats inside boxes or paper bags to encourage your kitten’s interest in investigation.
Climbing alternatives and scratching posts will help prevent furniture destruction. Highly sociable and playful cats may also benefit from having a second social and playful cat in the house, as long as a safe hierarchy has been created.
What Are The Signs That The Kittens Are Not Doing Well And What Do I Do
Kittens should eat or sleep 90% of the time during the first two weeks of life. If they are crying during or after eating, it may indicate that they are ill, are not getting adequate milk, or the milk has become infected . If excessive crying occurs, your veterinarian should examine the queen and her entire litter as soon as possible.
“Goats milk is not recommended as it is far too low in protein and fat.”
When the mother’s milk supply is inadequate, supplemental feeding one to six times per day is recommended this should also be done routinely with any litter greater than five kittens. There are several excellent commercial milk replacers available. They require no preparation other than warming. These milk replacers should be warmed to 95° to 100°F before feeding. Test the temperature on your forearm: it should be about the same temperature as your skin. The commercial products have feeding directions based on their nutritional constituents. If the kittens are still nursing from their mother, feed one-third to one-half the recommended amount. Supplemental feeding is needed until the kittens are old enough to eat kitten food, usually around two to four weeks of age. Goats milk is not recommended as it is far too low in protein and fat.
In an emergency, you can substitute pasteurized goat’s milk from the grocery store for milk replacer. However, it is not nutritionally adequate for kittens and kitten milk replacer should be provided as soon as possible.
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Try Not To Separate A Kitten From Its Family
A kitten younger than 4 weeks is certainly too young to be separated from its mother and the rest of the litter. It needs the mothers milk and warmth to survive. If you end up with a stray within this age range, youll need to take special care of the little furball. Scroll down to the Special Care For Newborns section for better understanding of how to raise a kitten that is really young.
Even when a kitten is able to rely on kitten food, you need to consider adopting it with one of its twins to make sure your kitten does not get lonely or bored. Cats like to play around with each other, and this way, the two can keep each other company. Two happy little furballs are certainly better than one little furball, dont you agree?
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