How To Take Care Of Newborn Kittens Without Mother
Wash or discard the cloth immediately and dry the kitten off before putting him back in with his litter mates.
How to take care of newborn kittens without mother. When your kitten is around 6 or 7 weeks of age you can switch her to a dry diet. Then put towels over the hot water bottle in the bed. Correctly position the kittens and bottles for feeding. Then start the shift to an adult diet by mixing canned or dry cat food with warmed formula.
Instead keep the kitten s feet down and it s head straight as though she s nursing from her mother. Don t take the kittens to a shelter. You should place the food and water near the mother and 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 gives the mother cat and her kittens extra calories and nutrients. Place it in a pan of hot water to warm it up. If you re caring for a newborn orphan kitten syringe feeding might be a good option but you want to make sure you re doing so carefully. Give supplements and feeding scheduling.
Putting a hot water bottle in will help keep the kittens warm and provide a sense of security like the heat they d get from their mother. Don t ever microwave the water bottle as this poses the threat of a scald. As a general rule a newborn kitten will nurse for 5 to 10 minutes at a time never more than that. 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.
Use a wet washcloth or a piece of damp gauze to gently rub each kitten s genital region until it urinates and or defecates. Never hold a kitten and feed it like a human baby. Filling up the bottle with milk and shake it for a moment before start feeding makes sure the kitten s in well condition means not too cold or warm. You can start to transition your kitten away from the bottle at 3 or 4 weeks of age.
Hold her by the scruff of her neck and place the nipple into the side then center of her mouth. Newborn kittens may nurse about every 1 2 hours. Begin by offering formula in a shallow bowl that s easy for her to drink from. Here s how to safe.
Newborn kittens can t be eaten by itself so you must provide the bottle feeder for it.