What To Give A Newborn Kitten For Food

Feeding kittens yourself to properly feed a newborn kitten purchase either liquid or powdered kitten milk and a bottle designed especially for feeding newborn animals.

What to give a newborn kitten for food. The cornell book of cats says that human baby formula can be used if made up to double the normal strength although human baby formula is normally not nutritious enough for kittens. Newborn kittens may nurse about every 1 2 hours. Therefore you will need to purchase kitten milk replacement kmr formulas to feed the baby kitten. The teat is long and narrow which is ideal to fit inside the mouth of a newborn kitten.

The mother will also teach the kittens to toilet and socialize. Bottles with faster flow could endanger the kitty by causing her to aspirate milk into her lungs. Use a large enough box to comfortably hold the mother cat and her kittens. In the last 3 to 4 days they can eventually be given an overall milk substitute given by a bowl where a small amount of kitten food is moistened 4 to 6 times a day.

Provide blankets a heat lamp or a heating pad to ensure the kittens stay warm. Chilling is one of the most critical dangers to newborn kittens. If you do not have a feeding set then the next best option is a syringe which you can use to drip the milk into the kitten s mouth. Stack clean towels to line it.

The stomach capacity of a newborn is about 50 ml kg usually a single kitten absorbes about 10 20 ml of milk so the concentration of the replacement milk is essential to meet the kitten s needs. If your cat has just given birth she ll take care of the kittens. Remember to keep the kitty on his tummy while you feed him. If the energy density of the lacto alternative is too low we will have to increase the number of shots given.

Keep the newborn kittens with the mother. Feed the kitty approximately 8cc or 1 4 ounce of formula per ounce of his weight every 24 hours. Some of the best kitten milk replacement formulas are nutri vet hartz just born nurturall c and pet lac. This allows the kitten to suckle as if from her mother.

Get an idea of his weight by placing him on a kitchen or postal scale. Provide plenty of food and a safe place so that she can look after her kittens. 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. This bottle emits only one drop of milk at a time to control the rate of feeding.

Newborn kittens have a delicate stomach and won t be able to digest average milk.