What to feed a baby kitten i found

What to Do (and NOT Do) If You Find a Newborn Kitten

This article is now outdated. An updated version of this information can be found at https://bideawee.org/programs/feral-cat-initiative/colony-care/kittens/

During kitten season, it’s not unusual to discover a nest of unattended kittens or a single kitten seemingly abandoned by his/her mother. (Photo by Ken Hanly)

by Valerie Sicignano, NYC Feral Cat Initiative

During high kitten season in the spring and summer, it’s not unusual to discover a nest of unattended kittens or a single kitten seemingly abandoned by the mother. You want to help, right? Before jumping to the rescue, consider these recommendations.

First: Wait & Watch

You might have come across the kittens while their mother is off searching for food, or is in the process of moving them to a different location. Try to determine if the mother is coming back for them, or if they are truly orphaned.

To do this, stand far away from the kittens — 35 feet or more. If you stand too close, the mom will not approach her kittens. You might need to go away completely before the mother cat will return to attend to the kittens. It might be several hours before the mother cat returns — until she no longer senses the presence of humans hovering near her litter.

If you need to leave before the mother cat comes back, carefully evaluate whether the kittens are in immediate danger: Is it raining or snowing? Are dogs or wild animals that might harm the kittens running loose in the neighborhood? Does the neighborhood have kids or adults who are likely to harm the kittens? Are the kittens located in an area with heavy foot or car traffic?

To help with your decision, it is important to know that it might take several hours for the mother cat to return, and healthy kittens can survive this period without food as long as they are warm. Neonatal kittens are much more at risk of hypothermia than they are of starvation. During spring and summer months, waiting a longer time to see if mom will come back is much safer than during frigid winter months.

The mother cat offers her kittens’ best chance for survival, so wait and watch as long as you can. The best food for the kittens is their mother’s milk. Remove the kittens only if they are in immediate, grave danger.

The mother cat offers her newborn kittens their best chance for survival, so wait and watch as long as you safely can for her to return before removing them.

If the mother cat returns…

If mom returns and the area is relatively safe, leave the kittens alone with mom until they are weaned. You can offer a shelter and regular food to mom, but keep the food and shelter at a distance from each other. Mom will find the food but will not accept your shelter if the food is nearby, because she will not want to attract other cats to food located near her nest.

Six weeks is the optimal age to take the kittens from the mother for socialization and adoption placement, and any time after eight weeks for Trap-Neuter-Return (spay/neuter, vaccination, eartip, and return to their colony). Female cats can become pregnant with a new litter even while they are still nursing, so don’t forget to get the mother cat spayed or you will have more kittens soon! Learn how to socialize kittens and how to successfully trap a mom and her kittens.

If the mother cat does not return…

If you discover that mom has been hit by a car, or if for any reason it appears that she is not coming back, then you should remove the kittens. This is crucial to the kittens’ survival. But you must be prepared to see this project through to weaning if you decide to intervene!

If you take the kittens in, it is unlikely that you will find an organization with available staff or volunteers to take on bottle-feeding on short notice. Some organizations do have experienced bottle-feeders, but prior logistical planning is necessary. Animal shelters and veterinarians generally do not take in newborn kittens, since they do not have the staff to feed and stimulate them for elimination around-the-clock.

You can contact the NYC Feral Cat Initiative at [email protected] or (212) 330-0033 x5 and we will attempt to find someone to bottle-feed the kittens, but this might take days or weeks, and we might not be successful in locating a feeder. If we do find someone to bottle-feed, you might still be responsible for taking the kittens back when they no longer require bottle-feeding. You also might be responsible for paying for veterinary visits, which might include emergency medical care, and will definitely include spay or neuter surgery, disease testing, and vaccinations. And finally, you might be responsible for adopting the kittens into permanent homes. The NYC Feral Cat Initiative can help you locate low-cost veterinary care, and might be able to help you find new homes for the kittens, but completing these tasks will be your responsibility.

Kitten Care & Bottle-Feeding

First Steps

Prepare for bottle-feeding and proper care before you take the kittens off the street.
If you feel you must take the kittens in, wrap the carrier or container you will transport them in in a towel for warmth, but make sure you leave air holes uncovered so the kittens won’t suffocate.
Check to see if the kittens are warm. This is more important than feeding. Never feed a cold kitten! If the kittens are cold, you will need to warm them up slowly. You can tell a kitten is cold if the pads of his feet and/or ears feel cool or cold. Put your finger in the kitten’s mouth. If it feels cold, then the kitten’s temperature is too low. This is life-threatening and must be dealt with immediately. Warm up the kitten slowly over 20 minutes by wrapping him in a towel or baby blanket, holding him close to your body, and continually rubbing him with your warm hands.
Determine the age of the kittens by comparing them to the photos and descriptions on the How Old Is That Kitten? Kitten Progression: At-a-Glance page on the Alley Cat Allies website, or the Boutique Kittens website (Note: we do not advocate breeding or buying kittens; these kitten development photos just happen to be particularly descriptive. ).

Newborn kittens need to be fed and stimulated for elimination every three hours around-the-clock. (Photo by Valerie Sicignano)

Feeding & Elimination

Neonatal kittens (under four weeks of age) cannot eat solid food (not canned, not dry) and cannot urinate or defecate on their own, so you must bottle-feed them around-the-clock and stimulate their genitals after every feeding so they can eliminate. For example, if you have kittens less than one week old, they will need to be fed and stimulated every three hours. That means you will be caring for them eight times a day — for example, at midnight, 3:00 a.m, 6:00 a.m, etc. If the kittens are unusually small or sickly, they might need to be fed every two hours.

Skipping feedings or overfeeding can cause diarrhea, which results in dehydration, a condition that can be fatal for small kittens (not to mention a hassle for you to clean up after). Diarrhea requires a visit to the veterinarian.

As the kittens age, the number of feedings they need per day goes down. You can start weaning at four weeks of age.

Milk Replacement Formulas

Powdered kitten milk replacement formula is better for kittens than the canned liquid formula. We recommend that you use only powdered kitten milk replacement formula from the start — or as soon as possible — to prevent diarrhea. Two major brands of formula are available: PetAg KMR^® Powder and Farnam Pet Products Just Born^® Highly Digestible Milk Replacer for Kittens. Both brands are available in both canned and powdered formulas. We highly recommend the powdered type to prevent diarrhea. It can be purchased at pet food stores, veterinarians’ offices, or online. Revival Animal Health offers the lowest prices we know of.

Make sure that the powdered formula you are using is fresh by opening the pop-top and smelling it. It should smell slightly sweet, like powdered milk. If it has a sharp smell like bad cooking oil, cheese, or chemicals, it is rancid, and dangerous to give to the kittens. Do not use any type of formula past the expiration date.

Once opened, kitten milk replacement formula (canned or powdered) must be refrigerated promptly and stored in the refrigerator. You cannot keep opened kitten milk replacement formula out of the refrigerator for very long before it spoils. Think of it as fresh milk.

Tip: Using unflavored Pedialyte electrolyte solution instead of water when mixing the powdered formula for the first 24 hours of feeding helps prevents diarrhea and eases the transition from mom’s milk to commercial kitten milk replacement formula.

Bottle-Feeding Guidance for Beginners

Visit the the NYC Feral Cat Initiative website for detailed information on bottle-feeding orphaned newborn kittens,
E-mail us at [email protected] and describe what instructions/information you need, or
Call us at (212) 330-0033 x5 and leave a voicemail with your name, address, and a description of what instructions/information you need.

About the Author
Valerie Sicignano is Community Relations Director for the New York City Feral Cat Initiative and has been working with feral cats in New York City since 1990. She holds a Certificate in Humane Education from the ASPCA, and her work with animals has been recognized by the Manhattan Pet Gazette’s “Animal Guardian Award” and In Defense of Animals’ “Companion Animal Guardian Award.”

Kitten Feeding Week by Week

Feeding orphaned kittens can feel like a full-time job, especially in the beginning when they need to be fed the most. But it’s also incredibly rewarding, and before you know it, your kittens will be eating on their own and soon ready to find homes. The feeding protocols below are provided by the Kitten Nursery of Salt Lake County Animal Services, in partnership with Best Friends Animal Society–Utah.

Kittens one week old or less: Bottle-feeding

Food type: Formula
Frequency: Every 2 – 3 hours (8 – 12 times per day)
Amount: 3 – 4 cc per feeding

Two-week-old kittens: Bottle-feeding

Food type: Formula
Frequency: Every 3 hours (8 times per day)
Amount: 5 – 6 cc per feeding

Three- to four-week-old kittens: Bottle-feeding

Food type: Formula
Frequency: Every 4 hours (6 times per day)
Amount: 13 – 17 cc per feeding

Four-week-old kittens: Begin feeding gruel – Weaning stage

Food type: 1/2 can per kitten of gruel (gruel instructions below) in a dish and dry kitten food in a dish, and dish full of water at all times. Plus formula three times per day.
Frequency: Keep kibble, water and gruel in cage at all times.
Give 13 – 17 cc of formula every 8 hours (3 times per day).
During bottle-feeding sessions, try to get the kittens to also eat gruel off a spoon or tongue depressor and from a dish (see instructions on making gruel for more tips). It is important to start getting small amounts of gruel into their stomachs.
Note: At this time, also introduce litter box; kittens can eliminate on their own at this age and do not need to be stimulated to go anymore.

How to mix gruel

Small batch (for one kitten): ½ can of wet kitten food mixed with ¼ can of formula (use an empty food can as a measuring cup).

Large batch: Whisk 8 cans wet kitten food with 4 cans of fresh, warm formula (use the empty food can as a measuring cup). At this age, kittens like their food a little lumpy so they can chew.

Note: Substitute the warm water for formula in gruel for kittens 5 weeks and older.

Helpful tips when using gruel:

When introducing kittens to gruel, put gruel in a flat dish and place kittens near the dish. If they do not start to eat on their own after a few minutes, use tongue depressor or spoon to scoop gruel into kitten’s mouth. You may have to open their mouth and put a little in. You can also put a little gruel on their nose and see if they will lick it off. Sometimes the kittens need to adjust to the new taste.
Once kitten starts to eat gruel off the spoon or tongue depressor (may take a few feedings for them to figure this step out), slowly start to lower it towards the dish of gruel. The kittens should easily transition from the spoon or depressor to the dish (may take a day for them to start eating out of the dish regularly).
During the weaning process, kittens still need to be bottle-fed three times per day (about every 8 hours) to ensure they are receiving proper nutrients.

Five- to eight-week-old kittens: Solid food

Food type: ½ can per kitten of kibble in a dish and wet food in a dish at all times, and a dish full of water at all times

Kittens 3 to 5 weeks should be given baby cat kibble.
Kittens 5 to 6 weeks should be given kitten kibble and kibble should be mixed into the wet food.
Kittens 7 weeks and older should eat mainly dry kibble.
Weeks 5 and 6 are transition weeks where the two foods (what they were eating and what they will be eating) should be mixed together so their tummies do not get upset by the change in diet. Gradually decrease the amount of food they were eating while increasing what they will be eating over the course of 7 days.

Spay or neuter and adoption

Eight-week-old healthy kittens are fully weaned and should soon be ready to be spayed or neutered and to find their new forever homes. It is much easier to find homes for eight-week old kittens than it is if you wait longer, so start setting a plan early on. Sharing photos of the kittens with friends and family as they grow, and telling everyone you know that you’ll be looking for homes for the kittens is a great way to find homes. For more advice on finding homes for the kittens, see this guide on finding homes for homeless pets.

It is also important to ensure that all the kittens are spayed or neutered, so they don’t accidentally add to the thousands of unplanned litters of kittens that enter shelters each year. Find a low-cost spay/neuter clinic near you.

While caring for orphaned kittens is a lot of work, it’s also a lot of fun. The most rewarding part is watching your charges grow up and go into new homes. And the best part is that you can feel good knowing that you helped keep kittens — the most at-risk animals to enter shelters — safe and sound.

More about abandoned baby kitten care

Note: This article is the last in a four-part series on caring for baby kittens who are abandoned.

Photos by Sarah Ause Kichas

Categories:

CatCaring for Pets

For a young body: what to feed a kitten

When can I start feeding cats?

CatSource: Depositphotos

From 4 weeks you can supplement your baby with soft food, and from 6-8 weeks you can gradually add dry food to his diet. A kitten can be completely transferred to a dry diet no earlier than the age of 12 weeks.

At first, kittens do not understand what complementary foods are and why they need them, so they do not immediately respond to experiments. The kitten can either dump new food from the muzzle on his own, or he will need help and put it in his mouth - and after a few such feedings, he understands that it is also tasty and safe, and begins to eat on his own. So gradually he switches to regular kitten food and completely refuses mother's milk by three months.

What to feed a kitten?

KittenSource: Depositphotos

It is best for your baby to choose food developed by veterinary nutritionists, taking into account the age and physiological characteristics of kittens. When choosing a ready-made meal, pay attention to the content of omega-3 fatty acids in its composition. These acids are found in the milk of a lactating cat, which means that the transition to solid food will not cause problems for the kitten. Proteins and minerals are needed to strengthen muscles and bones.

Never give a kitten milk or other human food. It is very difficult for a kitten to digest such food, so their use provokes bloating, indigestion, diarrhea and other possible diseases.

The number of feedings depends on the age and is adjusted according to the pet's weight. Usually portions are indicated on the package.

Feeding your kitten dry or wet is up to you. The ideal option is a combined feeding method, that is, a mixture of two types of diet (but not in one bowl). Such a diet will insure the baby from improper functioning of the internal organs, provide him with a healthy oral cavity and digestive system.

Choose the right food for your kitten. Below are options for a possible diet for a young cat.

bebimussSource: Depositphotos

Benefits: Complete canned kitten food with chicken. Contains a balanced set of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Delicate texture for easy transition to industrial feed. Source of highly digestible milk proteins α-lactoalbumin and β-lactoglobulin, as well as essential branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) for healthy muscle growth and development.

What they say in the reviews: High-quality ingredients, balanced composition, convenient portion packaging. View other

Cat Chow ReviewsSource: Depositphotos

Why: Dry cat food is specially formulated for kittens and contains all the nutrients for healthy pet growth. The food is prepared with natural ingredients (parsley, spinach, carrots, whole grains, chicory and yeast) for a special flavor. Includes omega-3 fatty acid naturally found in mother's milk to help support a kitten's brain and vision development.

What they write in the reviews: The cat eats with pleasure. The smell is pleasant. View other

Kitten Gourmet Reviews This is a higher protein content and a balanced mineral content especially for the healthy growth of kittens.

What they write in the reviews: Very tasty, the kittens ate with joy. View other reviews

Junior Pro PlanSource: Depositphotos

Why: Dry food formulated with nutritional guidelines in mind and contains high amounts of protein, essential minerals and trace elements for the successful development of kittens. Contains the OPTISTART® complex with bovine colostrum, which significantly strengthens the immune system of kittens at the local and systemic level: increases the production of secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA) in the intestines, and also increases circulating levels of vaccine-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) after vaccination. Contains a natural source of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), which plays a critical role in the optimal development of retinal cells and neurons. High protein content (40%) for enhanced development of lean body mass.

What they write in the reviews: The cat is happy, eats willingly. View other reviews of

Felix Provides complete and balanced nutrition for the kitten.

What they write in the reviews: My kitten only eats it! And I understand his choice. View other reviews for

Pro Plan WetSource: Depositphotos

What are the benefits: Wet food for kittens during the growth period. Promotes better development of the brain and vision. A balanced composition of nutrients for the health of kittens. There are many different flavors: with turkey, with chicken in jelly, with beef in sauce.

What they write in the reviews: Good food for your kitten. See other

Purina reviews Source: Depositphotos

Why: Specially formulated by veterinarians and nutritionists for small kittens. This is a combination of great taste and guaranteed benefits.

What they write in the reviews: The cat eats food with great pleasure and enjoyment. The content is juicy, without a strong smell. Carrots are a big plus. The kitten respects vegetables. View other reviews of

Spayed Kittens Pro PlanSource: Depositphotos

Benefits: Spayed kittens require special nutrition. The food supports healthy growth and optimal weight due to its high protein content. Maintains the health of the urinary system of spayed and neutered kittens due to a balanced content of minerals.

What they write in the reviews: Excellent food, the cat grows quickly on it, very active, the coat is thick, beautiful. See other reviews

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Picked up a kitten from the street: what to do next?

06/15/2021

A kitten found on the street differs from a domestic one not only in behavior, but also in health. If you could not pass by and took the animal home, be sure to provide it with proper nutrition, care and respect.

So, you found a kitten on the street, what should you do first? To begin with, visually inspect the place where you found the kitten, perhaps somewhere nearby is his mother, other kittens, or the owner. If you saw a box and a bowl, perhaps someone is already taking care of the animal. Find this person and warn that you plan to take the kitten into the house. You can also check with him about the well-being of the kitten, ask if he noticed changes in the behavior, activity and appearance of the animal.

If you do not see open wounds on the kitten, signs of bleeding, he does not have vomiting and diarrhea, he does not have difficulty breathing, you can postpone the visit to the veterinarian for several days. An examination by a veterinarian is a great stress for a kitten, which is already in a difficult situation.

If you have other animals at home, it is better to immediately go to the doctor, because the kitten can be a carrier of fleas, parasites, helminths and viruses. If this is not possible, do not let the kitten come into contact with pets until the veterinary examination, and also follow the rules of hygiene: wash your hands, use different clothes and shoes for contact with pets and a selected kitten.

You adopted a kitten from the street, what to do next?

The animal needs to be fed and watered. If there are no complaints about his well-being, pick up commercial kitten food. For starters, it is better to try moist foods in the form of mousse or pieces in sauce, as they have the best flavor, and animals are most willing to eat them.
Important! Do not overfeed the kitten, in the first days at home, he will try to eat as much as possible, and this is a natural behavior, because he was probably undernourished on the street. But too large portions or food from your table can lead to serious digestive problems in a weakened animal. Therefore, feed the kitten often and in small portions.
Let the kitten rest. Most likely, a stressed animal will not frolic and play, but will try to sleep off. This is normal for a kitten from the street. However, too much sleep may be due to some disease, and if the kitten sleeps for more than a day, is inactive and eats poorly, this is a reason to contact a veterinarian.
The kitten can also hide under the sofa and start hissing at anyone who tries to get it out of there. Just don't touch him, he'll come out on his own as soon as he feels safe. Treat with understanding an animal that managed to develop certain rules of behavior that allowed it to survive on the street.
If you suspect that a kitten is lost, try to find its owner. If the kitten is thoroughbred and well-groomed, it is likely that he got on the street by accident, and perhaps they are looking for him. If there is a locket with contacts, just contact the owner. If there is no data, put up ads with a photo of the animal in the area, write to social networks, contact local veterinary clinics, they can recognize the animal. In the case of a thoroughbred kitten, you can contact the nearest nurseries of this breed.