Kittens have very different nutritional needs than adult cats. That means they need to be fed foods that are specially designed just for them. And if you find yourself in the unfortunate situation of needing to feed an orphaned newborn kitten, those fluffy bundles of joy will be completely dependent on you for their nutrients.
The nutrients in her milk helps the newborn kittens transition from milk to solid food. Newborn kittens up to 4 weeks old should be fed a kitten milk replacement formula either commercial or homemade. Carlene Strandell, founder and director of the non-profit Smitten with Kittens, a foster-based kitten rescue that operates in Tallahassee, Fl.
Once you have those two essential items, then you can begin to bottle feed the kitten their special formula. When to feed a newborn kitten depends on how frequently they need to eat. Strandell says kittens under 2 weeks old need to feed every 2 hours at least. Compared to older cats who may only eat once a day , it sure does feel like it. But Strandell says not to worry about overfeeding a newborn. All kittens are born with blue eyes, and initially no pupils can be distinguished from the irises - the eyes will appear solid dark blue.
Healthy kittens will be round and warm, with pink skin. If you pinch them gently, their skin should spring back. When you pick a kitten up, it should wiggle energetically and when you put it down near the mom it should crawl back to her. Healthy kittens seldom cry. To determine the sex of the kittens, hold a kitten on its back in your hand. In females, the vulva is a vertical slit above the anus; they are very close together.
In males, the penile opening is above the anus, but they are separated by a raised scrotal sac and thus seem far apart. It is easiest to see the differences between the sexes if you examine all the kittens and compare the differences. Development: If there is a queen, she will begin to spend larger periods of time out of the nest, though she will not go far from it.
Kittens will weigh around 10 - 12 ounces. Their ears will become erect. Kittens begin to crawl around day 18 and can stand by day Kittens will begin to play with each other, biting ears, tails, and paws, even before their teeth have come in. Kittens learn to sit and touch objects with their paws. Kittens begin their socialization phase - they will be strongly influenced by the behavior of their mother for the next six weeks.
To further socialize kittens, increase the amount of handling, and get them accustomed to human contact. It is important not to expose them to anything frightening; children may seem intimidating and should be supervised closely while visiting to ensure gentle handling. Feeding: Continue bottle feeding orphaned kittens every 3 — 4 hours and begin the weaning process. At this stage kittens may start lapping from a bowl. Environment: Floor temperature of the nest box should be 70 — 75 o F from this point onward.
Development: Kittens will weigh around 13 to 16 ounces. Adult eye color will begin to appear, but may not reach final shade for another 9 to 12 weeks.
Kittens begin to see well and their eyes begin to look and function like adult cats' eyes. Kittens will start cleaning themselves, though their mother will continue to do most of the serious cleaning. Feeding: They can usually drink and eat gruel from a shallow dish by 4 weeks. Weaning should be done gradually and bottle feeding should be continued every 4 hours while they are learning to eat solid foods. Introduce dry food and water. Development: Begin litter training at four weeks.
Use a low box with one inch of non-clumping litter or shredded newspaper. Do not expose the kittens to the clumping variety of litter, as it is harmful if ingested. After each feeding, place the kitten in the box, take his paw, and gently scratch the litter.
Be patient! The kitten may not remember to do this every time, or may forget where to find the litter box, but will learn quickly. Be sure to give the kittens lots of praise when they first start using their boxes. Most will use it from the start, but like other babies, might make an occasional mistake. It is a good idea to confine the kittens to a relatively small space, because the larger the area the kittens have to play in, the more likely they will forget where the litter box is.
Keep the litter box clean and away from their food. Feeding: Feed gruel 4 times a day and thicken the gruel gradually. Dry food and water should be available at all times. If you are fostering a litter with their mother, continue weaning. Some kittens will not like canned food.
For reluctant eaters, try mixing any meat-flavored human baby food with a little water. The meat flavor is often more appealing to the picky eaters. Be sure the brand you get does not contain onion powder as this ingredient can be hazardous to kittens.
Development: At about five weeks, kittens can start to roam around the room, under supervision. They will weigh 1 pound and the testicles of male kittens will become visible. The strongest, most curious kitten will figure out how to get out of the nest.
The others will quickly follow. Play with your kittens daily! It is a good idea to wear long sleeves and pants, as they can play roughly and their claws are sharp. If you sit on the floor they will play "King of the Mountain," using your knees and shoulders as vantage points.
This game is lots of fun and good exercise for them. Some kittens may be fearful at first; do not force yourself upon them. You can get them used to your presence by sitting in the middle of the room making phone calls; this way they hear your voice but do not feel threatened. Make them an important part of your household activities; accustom them to the sounds of the TV, vacuum cleaner, and other household sounds.
Feeding: Kittens should be eating canned and dry food well. Feed the kittens at least three meals daily. If one kitten appears food-possessive, use a second dish and leave plenty of food out so that everyone is eating. Bear in mind that a kitten at this age has a stomach roughly the size of an acorn, so, although they may not eat much at a single sitting, they like to eat at frequent intervals throughout the day.
Development: By this time, you have "mini-cats. Be sure to reintroduce them to their litter box after meals, during play sessions, and after naps. These are the usual times that kittens need to use the litter box.
Check your state and local animal ordinances to find out if this is possible for your facility. Feeding: Offer wet food times a day each kitten will be eating a little over one can of food per day.
Leave down a bowl of dry kibble and water for them to eat and drink at will. If you have a litter with a mom cat, she should only be allowing brief nursing sessions, if any. Development: By the end of the 8th week, kittens should weigh 2 pounds each and are now miniature cats. Beginning around 3 weeks of age, kittens need exercise to promote muscular and circulatory development and to learn social skills.
They will begin to play with their littermates and learning from their mom if they are not orphaned. It is good to begin regular daily handling of kittens to get them used to contact with people. Play is the best method to help them physically and socially develop.
If kittens are orphaned and do not have a mom to regularly groom then, it is important to teach them to groom and keep them clean. After each feeding session, give kittens a full-body once over with a barely damp washcloth. Use short strokes like a queen would use. Kittens often get dirty between cleanings and it is okay to wash a kitten with warm water under a sink faucet but focus only on the areas needing cleaned.
A simple "butt bath" will usually do the trick. Your body heat is not sufficient to warm up a cold kitten. Make sure you do not leave a kitten until it is completely dry. Click here for a video from Maddie's Institute on bathing orphaned kittens. Provide kittens with adequate nutrition. Keep kittens clean.
Provide socialization with people and with cagemates. Do your best to protect them from infectious disease. Body Warmth Since kittens under four weeks of age do not have the ability to thermoregulate, we must help them maintain body warmth. Guidelines for bottle feeding kittens: Kittens must be warm, they cannot digest properly if their body temperature is low.
Make sure the carrier is large enough for the kittens to have an area to move away from the heating pad if they are too warm. Kittens will need the heating pad until they are 3 to 4 weeks old. Cover the carrier with a towel or blanket and keep it in a warm, draft-free room, securely away from other pets. Check the bedding several times a day for messes. Bedding should be changed at least once a day, more often if the kittens soil the bedding.
A kitten who feels cold and is unresponsive should be warmed immediately. Never attempt to feed a cold kitten. Place the kitten on an approved heating pad safely wrapped in two or three layers of towels. Turn the kitten side to side every 5 minutes. To stimulate blood flow, you may, ever so gently, massage the kitten with hand-rubbing. If the kitten does not respond within 20 to 30 minutes, contact your medical staff immediately.
Only feed your kittens an approved kitten formula. Hoskins, a homemade formula, is ideal. You may also use KMR, a powdered commercial formula. The recipe for Hoskins and instructions for mixing KMR are below.
If the formula has been left out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours, it must be discarded. Formula that has been in the refrigerator must be warmed to just above room temperature.
Place the bottle in a bowl of shallow water, then heat in the microwave for 10 seconds. Or you may place the bottle in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes. If mixing up fresh KMR powder formula, use warm water. Before feeding the kittens, always test the temperature of the formula by placing a few drops on your inner wrist to be sure it is not too hot.
Always wash your hands well with soap and water before and after feeding the kittens. Bottles should be cleaned thoroughly before each use. When bottle nipples are brand new, you will need to cut a hole in the top. Cut an X in the tip of the nipple using small, sharp scissors. Or you can burn a hole in the nipple using a large needle.
Heat the needle with a match, then poke it through the nipple tip. It may take a few attempts to make the hole the correct size.
Once the hole is made, test it by placing the nipple on a bottle of formula and turning the bottle upside down. The formula should drip slowly out of the hole. You may also wear gloves if you wish, and remember to always wash your hands well before and after feeding your bottle babies.
Never feed a kitten on his back. The kitten should be on his stomach in a position similar to how he would lay next to his mother to nurse. You may try holding the kitten upright swaddled in a warm towel or have the kitten lay on a towel in your lap. Experiment with what position works best for you and the kitten. Turn the bottle upside down and allow a drop of formula to come out. This movement should encourage the kitten to start eating.
Usually the kitten will latch on and begin to suckle. Allow the kitten to suckle at his own pace. Do not attempt to feed a kitten who is chilled because it can have serious health consequences. Try warming the kitten as described above. If you are unable to warm the kitten, contact your medical staff immediately. A kitten should eat about 8 milliliters mls of formula per ounce of body weight per day. For example, a kitten who weighs 4 ounces should eat about 32 mls of formula per day.
To determine how much to give at each feeding, divide the total amount of formula per day by the number of feedings. Please note that some bottles use ml for measurement, some use cubic centimeters cc. Using a kitchen or small postal scale, weigh the kittens daily to calculate the amount of formula they need. Keep a log listing daily weights and amount of formula consumed at each feeding. Newborn kittens, up to 1 week old, should be fed every hours; by 2 weeks old, every hours. Once they are 3 weeks old, they can be fed every 4 to 6 hours.
Continue to follow the rule of 8 mls of formula per ounce of body weight per day, as described above, to determine the amount of food the kitten should be eating.
0コメント