How To Take Care Of Newborn Kittens And Their Mother

Newborn kittens may nurse about every 1 2 hours.

How to take care of newborn kittens and their mother. Think of how a kitten would eat from its mother. At about three to four weeks old they can be offered milk replacer from a bowl and then small amounts of moistened kitten food four to six times a. When you feed the kitten hold it horizontally with the belly facing downwards and the head tilted slightly upwards. So a kitten weighing 3 ounces will need about 24 ounces of milk replacement every 24 hours.

This gives the mother cat and her kittens extra calories and nutrients. But you can still help by providing food and shelter for the mother cat. During the time a mother cat is pregnant until a month after she s done nursing feed her a high quality kitten food. Begin by offering formula in a shallow bowl that s easy for her to drink from.

As a general rule you should give a newborn kitten thirteen milliliters of milk per hundred grams body weight. However the kitten will stop drinking milk when it is full. Using damp cotton wool wipe the area around her anus. Then start the shift to an adult diet by mixing canned or dry cat food with warmed formula.

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. Provide food for the mother cat if she is still around. When your kitten is around 6 or 7 weeks of age you can switch her to a dry diet. As a rule of thumb for every ounce of kitten body weight he or she needs 8 ccs of formula.

If the mother cat is still present and caring for her kittens then the kittens will be better off if you let their mother take care of them. You should never feed a kitten on its back because this can cause them to aspirate or inhale fluid into their lungs. You can start to transition your kitten away from the bottle at 3 or 4 weeks of age. Hold the kitten correctly while feeding.

Mother cats encourage their young to defecate and urinate by licking the anus and genital areas. Provide blankets a heat lamp or a heating pad to ensure the kittens stay warm. With the mother cat out you ll also have to do this job. 4 to give the baby cat milk you can use a baby bottle a syringe or a dropper.

Like a human baby a newborn kitten will need to be fed frequently approximately every two to three hours. Use a large enough box to comfortably hold the mother cat and her kittens. You should place the food and water near the mother and kittens.