Newborn Kittens How To Care For Them
Like a human baby a newborn kitten will need to be fed frequently approximately every two to three hours.
Newborn kittens how to care for them. Contact veterinarians and no kill shelters to see if they have a nursing mother cat to adopt the kittens or experienced volunteers available to offer advice or even help bottle feed the kittens. 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. Make sure you change the bedding frequently so it doesn t get too soiled. Mix up the milk replacement formula using a little whisk to get the lumps out.
Use a large enough box to comfortably hold the mother cat and her kittens. Do not give cow s milk to the kittens because it is too hard for them to digest. You can use a box or small crate with plenty of dry clean bedding. Stack clean towels to line it.
So a kitten weighing 3 ounces will need about 24 ounces of milk replacement every 24 hours. As a rule of thumb for every ounce of kitten body weight he or she needs 8 ccs of formula. As a general rule kittens should be fed 8 milliliters of formula milk for every ounce of body weight in a day. If you are committed to helping the newborn kittens and become their surrogate mother then you will need to provide a safe warm home for them.
You should warm the milk up to 95 100 degrees before feeding it to the kittens. On the first week of the newborn kittens life they should be fed every two to three hours. When the kittens are 3 4 weeks old provide formula in a shallow dish as well as some kitten food that has been softened with water. 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.
Heat bedding for newborn kittens. Chilling is one of the most critical dangers to newborn kittens. Newborn kittens may nurse about every 1 2 hours. Ask for help with neonatal kitten care.
When the kittens are 1 2 weeks old bottle feed the kittens every 1 2 hours with a commercial milk replacer formula. Provide blankets a heat lamp or a heating pad to ensure the kittens stay warm.