What to feed baby kittens without mom

Caring for Newborn Kittens Without a Mother

During the late spring and early summer, animal hospitals, shelters and rescue organizations brace themselves for that legendary time of year – kitten season! Yes, that’s right. There is an actual time of year when an overwhelming number of sweet, baby cats are born into this world.

While the cute factor is high during this time, so is the stress of caring for these kittens, many of whom find themselves at DoveLewis or at a shelter without a mother. And looking after these orphaned, adorable creatures is hard work! Much like caring for newborn humans, newborn kittens need constant attention, feeding and help during the first stage of their life.

Ever wonder what it’s like to act as a surrogate mother for these tiny creatures? Dr. Erika Loftin, DoveLewis relief veterinarian, shares details on the ins and outs of kitten care.

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. It’s 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 don’t 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.

How often do you feed newborn kittens?

Neonatal kittens need to be fed on a regular basis day and night. For the first week of life, they need to be fed about every two to three hours. After that, you can usually stretch it out to every four hours.

These kittens should be bottle-fed using kitten milk replacer (or KMR), which comes in either liquid or powder form. It’s the equivalent to formula that you would use for a bottle-fed baby, except it’s formulated for cats. The formula, bottles and nipples are all available over the counter at most pet supply stores. You don’t need a prescription. The instructions will give you a guideline on how much to feed based on the weight of the cat.

When preparing the bottle, be cautious of milk flow. If you make the hole in the nipple too big, the kitten can actually aspirate, or drown. The bottles come with instructions on how to prep the nipple for milk flow. However, if you are struggling, I would advise you to seek help from your veterinarian. Never cut off the entire tip of the nipple, as this is often what causes cats to aspirate.

What about bathroom time?

Orphaned neonatal kittens need help urinating and defecating. Generally a mother cat would do that with her rough tongue. Without the mother available, use a warm, damp cotton ball or cloth and rub gently over their genitals and anal area. If they are well-hydrated, which is your goal, then you should stimulate them after every feeding and pee should come out. This stimulation usually needs to occur for the first three to four weeks of life. Be sure to clean and dry the area after they’ve done their business.

Do newborn kittens need special bedding?

You can use a simple box with soft blankets to contain the kitten. For warmth, I would suggest using a warm water bottle wrapped in a towel. Simply put it between two blankets that line the entire box. I would discourage people from using a heating pad, because it’s easier for the kitten to overheat that way.

What are some special handling techniques to keep them healthy and safe?

In the first four weeks of their life, minimize the number of people who handle the kitten. During that time, they have not yet built up their immune systems, and they are prone to illnesses and infections. Be sure to wash your hands before and after each time you handle them.

Avoid allowing the kitten to interact with other animals – even other cats. You never know how another animal will treat a small kitten, and neonatal cats are fragile in this stage of life.

If you have more than one kitten from the same litter, you can definitely keep them in the same box. They can help keep each other warm. If they are from different litters, you can still keep them in the same box, unless they are radically different ages or sizes. Also, don’t mix sick and healthy kittens.

When should I take kittens to the veterinarian?

Overall, it’s a good idea to keep in touch with your veterinarian during the first four weeks of the kitten’s life so they can help you monitor their progress and answer any questions that may arise. Your veterinarian will most likely see them once, but they may request more check-ups depending on the progress you report along the way.

10 Crucial Steps to take to Save an Abandoned Newborn Kitten

Editor's Note: For assistance with an abandoned kitten, please contact your local veterinarian or animal rescue organization.

Kitten season is around the corner, and if you’re anything like me, you might soon find yourself crossing paths with a little mewing orphan or two (or six!) I’m Hannah Shaw, founder of a rescue and advocacy project called Kitten Lady – and I’m here to give you my top 10 tips for what to do if you find kittens outside!

1. Assess the situation.

Don’t assume that a litter of kittens is orphaned just because you don’t see the mom. It’s common for the mother to leave her babies, so give the kittens a bit of distance and see if the mom returns. If she does – great! The mom is the best suited to care for them, so leave them with her (unless you’re able to take the whole family in and care for them.) If the mom does not return within an hour or two, it is time for you to step in and help.

2. Don’t take the kittens to a shelter.

Unless your local shelter specifically has a program for neonatal kittens, bringing an orphaned kitten to a shelter is a death sentence. The majority of shelters do not provide care to unweaned kittens, so if you want them to have a shot, it’s going to be your responsibility to help them yourself, or to find someone who can.

3. Don’t panic – but do act quickly.

When it comes to orphaned kittens, time is of the essence. Panic never helped anyone, but you do need to treat this as a situation that cannot wait. Gather the kittens and quickly make a plan for the next 24 hours of care – you can always change your plans later on, but right now you just need to think about their immediate needs. If you observe any serious health concerns such as gasping for air or bleeding, take the kitten to a veterinarian.

4. Gather the appropriate supplies.

You’re going to need to quickly gather supplies so you can get them warm, stable, hydrated, and fed. Check out my “Preparing for Fostering” supply checklist to find out what supplies you’ll need. Set up a cozy, safe space for the kittens away from any potential hazards.

5. Get them stable.

Before you can do anything else, you want to make sure the kitten is not hypothermic or hyperthermic. Kittens cannot control their body temperature, so help them regulate their body temperature before trying to feed them – especially if they have been exposed to cold temperatures. A heating pad on low, a warm water bottle, or even a sock filled with rice and put in the microwave can all provide a steady but mild heat source to a cold kitten.

6. Feed the kittens.

If it’s your first time bottle feeding, don’t panic! You can do it, but you’ll want to know some tricks so you don’t hurt them. Watch my YouTube video on How to Bottle Feed a Kitten for tips on proper preparation and feeding posture. And please, never feed cow’s milk to a kitten, as this is extremely dangerous to their health and can lead to death. Instead, you will need to purchase kitten milk replacer, sold at most pet stores or feed stores.

7. Stimulate the kittens to go to the bathroom.

It comes as a surprise to some people that newborn kittens actually do not go to the bathroom on their own – their mother licks them to stimulate elimination and urination, and to keep them nice and clean. You will need to mimic this behavior by stimulating the kittens with a warm, wet cloth at each feeding. Watch my video on How to Stimulate Kittens to see how it’s done.

8. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Orphaned neonatal kittens require around-the-clock care, so you’ll want to establish a routine of care every 2-4 hours (the younger they are, the more frequent the intervals.) Between feedings, it’s normal for the kittens to sleep, just make sure they are in a safe and confined space.

9. Foster for success!

Fostering kittens is fun, rewarding, and lightning-fast if you do it right! Plan on caring for them until they are old enough to be neutered – right around eight weeks old. In the meantime, search for the perfect forever home, get them all their standard veterinary care, and enjoy watching them grow. It’ll be over before you know it!

10. Spay and neuter any cats in the area.

Don’t forget – if you found kittens in an alley, that means there are unsterilized cats around the corner. Search for a local TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) group to help you get what you need to sterilize any free-roaming cats so that you can prevent the next round of kittens!

Thank you for being a neonatal kitten warrior! Please follow me and my kitten adventures on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube to keep up with the latest in my rescue and advocacy efforts. And if you’d like to support Kitten Lady, you can purchase an item from my shop or make a tax-deductible donation to help me continue this important work.

Happy Kitten Season, everyone!

About the author

Hannah Shaw (also known as Kitten Lady) is an award-winning kitten rescuer and humane educator who provides advocates across the globe with educational resources about the protection and care of neonatal kittens. She is the author of two bestselling books, Tiny But Mighty and Kitten Lady’s Big Book of Little Kittens, and founder of 501(c)3 nonprofit, the Orphan Kitten Club. She currently lives with two wonderful cats and a revolving door of orphaned bottle baby animals.

How to feed a kitten yourself? | Murkosha

08/16/2021

So, you have found yourself in an extremely unexpected situation for yourself - you have become a foster parent for a nursing kitten (or even several kittens). How did it happen? Most likely, you accidentally found a box with abandoned tiny creatures in the entrance, park or somewhere else, and being an adequate person, you could not pass by and brought the kids to your home. Another scenario - you picked up a well-fed-looking cat, which unexpectedly turned out to be pregnant, gave birth to kittens and abandoned them (very irresponsibly). In general, you realized that at least in the next few weeks you will have to take responsibility for the survival of babies.

In the shelter "Murkosha" newborn kittens without a mother are not uncommon. And we are ready to share our experience.

So, first of all, don't panic! Yes, feeding kittens is a responsible and not the easiest thing (you already understand this if you have children). However, if you carefully follow all the recommendations of this article, you can successfully raise babies to a more or less independent age, and then remember the days of “motherhood” with pride and tenderness all your life. But where to start?..

Cat food up to 2 months

What to feed?

So, the most important and difficult thing is nutrition. From the first day of life up to several weeks, kittens should be fed EXCLUSIVELY with a special cat's milk replacer, which can be purchased at pet stores.

Tips for making your own mix can be found on the Internet, but we strongly discourage you from using these recipes. Young kittens have very sensitive digestion and improper nutrition can lead to their death. It is also categorically not recommended to feed kittens up to 2 months with cow or goat milk - it is too fatty and will cause diarrhea in babies.

How to mix?

The packaging of cat's milk replacer always contains detailed instructions for preparing the mixture.

Mixture temperature should be around 35-36 degrees. If you don't have a thermometer handy, just put the mixture on your wrist: it should be warm, but not hot.

Never give kittens formula that has stood for more than two hours. Always prepare formula just before feeding.

You can feed a kitten from a special bottle for newborn kittens (they are sold in pet stores). You can also feed babies with a pipette or a small syringe without a needle. It will be best if you have a full arsenal at hand.

Remember to sterilize all feeding equipment. Take an ordinary saucepan, fill it halfway with water, bring the water to a boil, remove the saucepan from the heat, put all the inventory into the water and cover the saucepan with a lid for 5-15 minutes. To protect babies from germs as much as possible, perform this procedure every day (preferably before each feeding).

Wash hands with soap and water before each feeding.

From about 4 weeks old, the kitten can lap from the bowl on its own.

How to hold a kitten while feeding?

The kitten should lie horizontally on its tummy with its head slightly raised. If the kitten does not start eating on its own, stroke it on the back or forehead. If you are syringe feeding your baby, be careful that the baby does not choke.

How often should a kitten be fed?

A nursing kitten, like a baby, needs to be fed very often:

up to 2 weeks - every 2-3 hours
3-4 weeks - every 3-4 hours
from 4 weeks - every 6 hours

Please note that kittens should be fed at these intervals at night too! In no case do not leave babies without nightly feedings, because in this case they will weaken and begin to lose weight. Of course, it is not easy to follow a strict feeding regimen, especially when you have to get up at least 2-3 times at night, but after all, kittens have no one but you, and it is only in your power to keep them alive.

How much should a kitten eat?

It all depends on the size and age of the baby (nourishment per day):

1 week - 30 ml per 100 g of kitten weight
2 weeks - 35 ml per 100 g of kitten weight
3 weeks - 40 ml per 100 g of kitten weight
4 weeks and older: 48-53 ml per 100 g of kitten weight

If the kitten is full, he can turn away from the nipple and sleep peacefully, and if the kitten is still hungry, he will look for the nipple and squeak. Employees of the shelter "Murkosha" recommend determining the satiety of a kitten primarily by its behavior (by the way, a complete refusal of food is a serious reason for concern and contacting a veterinarian).

What should be done immediately after feeding?

After feeding, lay the kitten on its back and gently massage the tummy for a few minutes so that the baby can burp.

At what age can a kitten feed on its own?

A kitten older than one month can already lap the mixture on its own, it no longer needs a pacifier. Also, from this age, you can gradually introduce meat baby food in the form of canned food (sold in ordinary supermarkets): for example, "Agusha" or "Tyoma". At first, alternate meat and liquid food, gradually the kitten will get used to solid food. By 7-8 weeks, the kitten can already eat special food for kittens (sold in regular supermarkets and pet stores).

Read about proper nutrition for grown-up kittens and cats here: "Proper nutrition for cats"

How to potty train a kitten?

Very young kittens cannot go to the toilet on their own, so they need your help. After eating, massage the lower part of the tummy to the baby: make gentle circular motions in a clockwise direction. Also soak a cotton pad in warm water and massage the kitten's bottom so that he can go to the toilet.

How to wash a kitten?

Washing the kitten is another function of the mother cat that you need to take over. Naturally, babies still do not know how to lick themselves, so their hygiene must be monitored: moisten a cotton pad in boiled warm water and gently wash the kitten after eating, as well as after using the toilet. Be sure to “wash” the entire baby about once a day.

Read about the hygiene of a grown kitten here: "Do I need to wash my cat?"

How to arrange a place to sleep and play?

Naturally, the kittens need to prepare a separate place so that they do not crawl around the house and endanger themselves. Find a large box or buy a plastic terrarium from a pet store, put a heating pad or a bottle of warm water on one side, cover the entire area of the box with blankets or terry towels - a thick layer. Lay out a layer of diapers on top - this is what you will change (washing or throwing away) every day. Be sure to maintain a high temperature in the room where the kittens are, and do not neglect heating pads. At the place where newborn kittens stay, the air temperature should be at least 30 degrees, from about the second week it can be gradually reduced to the usual room temperature. Make sure that the kitten in the playpen is always warm, dry and clean.

From about 4 weeks old kittens become very active. Be careful if the walls of the box are not too high, the kids can try to get out of it.

What else?

And finally, perhaps the most obvious one. Try to pay attention to babies not only during feeding. Hold them in your arms, stroke them, spend more time with them - especially if there is only one kitten. After all, you are a mother! Like human children, kittens need warmth and affection, and they are so lacking when there is no mother cat around. Gradually, the kittens will grow up and it will be possible to play with them - again, this is especially important if the kitten is alone.

Be careful with your foster children, watch their behavior. If you notice that the kids are behaving strangely, become lethargic, eat poorly, lose weight, and so on, contact your veterinarian immediately.

Learn more about signs of an unhealthy cat: "Signs of an unhealthy cat"

So, is that all?

In general, yes. As you already understood, the task before you is not an easy one; over the next few weeks, you need to mobilize all your forces, temporarily change your priorities, and also show maximum responsibility and care. And while this all sounds a little scary, don't be afraid. The joy that you will feel when looking at healthy babies who have grown up will be worth the effort. And kittens will be grateful to you all their lives. Employees of the "Murkosha" shelter have raised more than one or two generations of babies and are completely convinced that everyone can take care of babies.

Useful related articles:

"What to do if the cat is pregnant?"
"What to do if you find a cat?"
"Danger of windows and vertical ventilation"

what and how many times to feed the baby, the calculation of the daily portion, what difficulties may arise

Cats are one of the most caring mammals in relation to their offspring, but even among them there are cases when a cat cannot raise kittens. Perhaps she does not have enough milk or she is sick, in some cases the pet dies during childbirth. In both cases, problems arise that cannot be solved without the participation of the owner.

When kittens need bottle feeding

The ideal situation is as follows: a cat takes care of a kitten and feeds it up to about 8 weeks. Only then can the baby be separated from the mother. But there are times when human intervention and help is required. Reasons for this to happen include:

death of a cat
lack or lack of milk from her;
mastitis and inflammation of the uterus in a cat;
eclampsia in a cat, that is, a lack of calcium;
psycho-emotional deviations of the animal.

Sometimes mom regularly feeds kittens, but babies still need complementary foods. This situation may arise if the litter is very large. It happens that a weak kitten is born, which quickly gets tired when sucking - in this case, he also needs additional nutrition. How you manage to feed a kitten without a cat or just intervene a little in the process depends on his health in the future.

Cat milk substitutes

If the circumstances were not the best and the kitten was left without a mother, the ideal option would be to find a nurse cat. If this is not possible, some alternative to cat's milk will come to the rescue - its substitute. Feeding a newborn kitten is not as difficult as it seems at first glance.

Special mixtures from the veterinary pharmacy

There are no organic substitutes for cat's milk in nature. But today, some pet food manufacturers have created special mixtures - artificial substitutes for cat's milk. They are as close as possible to the natural composition and optimally balanced for kittens. Mixes include many ingredients useful for the growth and development of small pets:

Vet mix is ideal for raising kittens before they can eat solid food on their own.

DIY recipes

If the price of a special mixture is too high or it is not sold in your locality, you can make it yourself - several recipes are offered.

Milk and flour

You will need 250 grams of condensed milk: necessarily natural and twenty percent. It is necessary to dilute it with a liter of water and add about a teaspoon of bone meal. Strain, heat and feed the babies. The mixture is stored for no more than a day, so it is recommended to prepare it at a smaller rate. The main thing is to keep the proportion 1:4.

Goat milk

A tablespoon of 5% glucose is mixed with goat's milk, which will need about 1.5 tablespoons. Next, you need to add one gram of various vitamins (purchased in a veterinary pharmacy) and a teaspoon of powdered milk.

Vitamin

Five percent glucose is mixed with one hundred milliliters of milk and the yolk mixed with half a tablespoon of vegetable oil is added. It is necessary to put Nutrilon milk baby food and a few drops of Tetravit into the mixture.

Egg

A teaspoon of vegetable oil is mixed with yolk and drops of vitamins in a proportion similar to the previous recipe.

Regardless of the composition, it is necessary to keep cat formulas in the refrigerator, and when serving, heat to a temperature of 37 ° C. Veterinarians advise preparing complementary foods more often so that they are always fresh.

Why cow's milk should not be given

When asked whether it is possible to feed a newborn kitten with cow's milk, veterinarians unambiguously answer in the negative. The composition of cat's milk is very different from the milk of other animals - the amount of fat, protein and lactose varies greatly. Even adult cats do not digest goat's and cow's milk with a high content of lactose and fat in them, let alone kittens.

If you neglect the advice of veterinarians and scientifically proven facts, you can damage the health of the baby. Allergies, diarrhea, lack of essential nutrients, developmental delay - this is not a complete list of problems that a small animal can experience when fed cow's milk. Take care of your baby's health and use special mixtures.

How to feed a small kitten: features and rules

There are certain rules and nuances of feeding a kitten. This also applies to the feeding regimen, and procedures after it.

Items needed

To feed a kitten, you will have to purchase some items. A bottle with a special nipple will be more convenient for you and better for the animal: such a thing is sold in a veterinary pharmacy. It has an anatomically correct shape and resembles a cat's nipples.

You can feed newborn kittens without a cat both with a pipette and with a syringe without a needle. But this option is undesirable, since during feeding air may be thrown into the esophagus or milk into the respiratory tract, the animal will choke or burp. It is very important to wash and sterilize items after each feeding.

Procedure steps

When everything you need is collected and sterilized, dilute the mixture according to the instructions and heat it up. It is not recommended to do this in the microwave - the mixture may warm up unevenly - it is better to heat it in a water bath.

Check your pet's body temperature. If the paws are cold, the kitten is cold, which means that the food will be absorbed much worse. The baby must always be warm. To do this, a heating pad wrapped in a towel, or a bottle of hot water is placed in his box or house.

When you have made sure that the kitten is warm, you can proceed directly to the feeding process. To do this, lay a towel on your knees, gently lay the kitten on its stomach and raise its head a little - it is in this position that the kittens feed from their mother. For the very first time, moisten the nipple spout with milk so that the baby can smell the food and start eating.

How to tell if a kitten is full

For a baby, both conditions are extremely undesirable and even dangerous: underfeeding and overfeeding. If he does not get enough food, he does not gain weight well and looks lethargic. Overeating is indicated by loose stools of yellow, green and gray shades. Visually, you can determine if the kitten is full, as follows: stretch your finger to him. If the animal begins to suck, then it has not eaten.

An indicator is also the behavior of the baby. If the kitten is full, he simply turns away and falls asleep, sometimes milk bubbles come out of his mouth, if not, he squeaks, crawls and looks for a pacifier.

What to do after feeding

In the process, try to make every effort to calm the animals with your voice. Talk to them and be sure to pet them, and after feeding, wipe the remnants of food from the muzzles.

At the end of feeding, lightly press the kitten with its back against your stomach and gently stroke the tummy. With such actions, you stimulate belching and start the process of digesting food.

To prevent kittens from constipation, it is necessary to massage their anus. This is done with cotton pads or ear sticks, which are dipped in Vaseline.

Artificial stimulation of peristalsis does not always help, and babies have stool retention. In this case, you need to give an enema, but it is better to do this under the supervision of a veterinarian - for the first time, give him the procedure, later you will learn how to put enemas on kittens on your own.

How often to feed

Be sure to follow the regimen and monitor portions of the mixture. For the first two weeks, you will have to feed the kitten every 2 hours, even at night. Then the intervals are gradually reduced. After five weeks, the kitten calmly endures without food for 3-4 hours, and at night one feeding is enough for him.

At 6 weeks of age, babies feed on their own: they need to be fed up to 5 times a day and only during the daytime. Kittens grow very quickly, so the feeding period will not seem very long.

Calculation of the daily portion

In the natural environment, a cat does not control the amount of milk eaten by kittens. But since the task is to feed a kitten without a cat, certain norms must be observed. The baby quickly gains weight, but the volume of his stomach is very small, so feeding should be dosed. The daily rate of the mixture depends on the age of the baby. The following is the amount calculated per 100 g of animal body weight:

from birth to day 5 - 30 ml;
from 6 to 14 days - 38 ml;
from 15 to 24 days - 45 ml;
from the 25th day and during the next month - 55 ml.

These are recommended figures and may vary slightly for each breed. The daily volume should be divided by the number of feedings. The most preferred option, as for a person, is in small portions, but more often.

Difficulties and errors

The main and most gross mistake is a frivolous attitude to what and in what quantities you feed a kitten. This can lead to serious health problems.

Pay attention to the position in which the baby eats. If you place it on your back, while eating, the mixture can enter the lungs, and this often leads to death. It happens that milk comes out of the nose and the stomach swells strongly - it means that the baby has swallowed a lot of air and is trying to spit up. During feeding, be sure to follow the correct position.

If it is still acceptable to feed a kitten from a syringe at the initial stage, then experts do not recommend doing this from a spoon - such actions can lead to the sucking reflex disappearing, and the baby will not be able to eat normally in the future.

Newborn and kitten care

To create comfortable conditions for fluffy crumbs, you need to take care of their place of residence. The role of "dwelling" will be performed by a large basin or a cardboard box, but you will have to constantly monitor that it does not get wet. For this purpose, they buy absorbent material that absorbs excess moisture.

In the first days of life, warmth is especially important for kittens, so it is advisable to install a heater near the place of residence. If not available, use a towel-wrapped heating pad or hot water bottle. Do not forget: the minimum ambient temperature in the first two weeks of a baby's life is kept at around 30 ° C. After 14 days, lower the temperature to 24 ° and do not change it for another three weeks.

At three weeks of age, babies begin to try to walk: make sure that they do not fall out of their nest and do not get injured. The first walks should take place under your vigilant supervision.

Try not to let the kittens on the carpet: they still do not know how to retract their claws and therefore constantly cling. In the worst cases, the baby may be injured.

At the fifth week of life, kittens see well and actively move around. Then they introduce the first complementary foods. By 6 weeks of age, they can eat solid food, and at 8-10 weeks they can be given to new owners.

To control the development of kittens, you will need accurate scales. Baby Weigh Required for:

If the kitten is not gaining weight well, it is necessary to consult a veterinarian. Perhaps the baby is malnourished or sick with something.

Switching to solid foods

Very often people are tormented by doubts whether it is possible to feed a kitten without a cat. Of course, this is difficult: at first you will have to get up to the baby several times a night. But very soon the pet will learn to eat solid food.

Starting from the fourth week, complementary foods should be gradually introduced into the diet. First, teach your pet to eat from a bowl: just put the mixture in front of him in a plate.