Having Kittens – Feeding the Newborn Kittens
Feeding the newborn kittens would not be a problem if your cat is healthy and could provide adequate supply of milk for her kittens. But there are times when you would have to do the feeding yourself and this would be in the event something happens to the mother cat like death and serious illness that would make it dangerous for her to feed her kittens. There are also some instances where the cat simply abandons her kittens so the responsibility of feeding and taking care of the kittens will be passed on to you.
If the kitten is too small, it is recommended to use a syringe, a dropper, or something that has a small hole or opening that could easily fit the kitten’s mouth. You could get these things from our vet or from a local drugstore. If your kitten could not feed using any of these things, you should consult your vet for some advice on how to feed the kitten. He could recommend the use of tube feeding devices so make sure to listen carefully as he explains how tube feeding should be done.
You must not give your kittens any kind of milk you could find in a grocery store. You should go to a pet shop and ask for a milk formula that can serve as a substitute for the mother cat’s milk. Read the instructions carefully and make sure that you are doing the preparations properly. You will also need a weighing scale to monitor the weight of the kittens. The amount of milk formula that they have to take will mainly depend on their weight so make sure that you are giving them the right amount.
Usually, kittens need to be fed every four hours during the first few weeks so that could also mean that you will have to wake up in the middle of the night just to feed the kittens. Don’t make the kitten lie down on its back while feeding. Hold a kitten in your hand so its head is in an upright position. You should make sure that the milk is warm enough but not too hot. Make sure that the flow of the milk is just right, not too fast and not too slow. You can achieve this by making a small cut or incision at the end of the nipple. Make a small cut first and then turn the bottle upside down and see if the water will drip. You could make the hole bigger if you think the flow of the liquid is too slow.
Your kitten will also need assistance in burping just like any human baby. Hold the kitten in your hand with her tummy on your palm and pat its back gently. Newborn kittens are not capable of passing their urine and stool so the mother cat will lick the area of their anus and genitals to stimulate urination and defecation. In the absence of the mother cat, you could use a cotton ball or a small cloth soaked in warm water. You could rub the cotton ball or cloth in that area to stimulate these activities.
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The article is usefull for me. I’ll be coming back to your blog.