Newborn Kittens Care
As a general rule you should give a newborn kitten thirteen milliliters of milk per hundred grams body weight.
Newborn kittens care. A two week old kitten can be fed every four to six hours. Like a human baby a newborn kitten will need to be fed frequently approximately every two to three hours. Newborn kittens may nurse about every 1 2 hours. As a rule of thumb for every ounce of kitten body weight he or she needs 8 ccs of formula.
Use a large enough box to comfortably hold the mother cat and her kittens. However the kitten will stop drinking milk when it is full. Regular brushing or combing removes excess hair thus reducing hairballs and keeps her coat clean and shiny while nail clipping lessens her chances of a claw snag. Newborn kittens should get all of their nutrition from their mother.
Caring for newborn kittens is hard work. If you are using a brand new bottle cut a small hole in the nipple using small and sharp scissors. This will continue until they gradually transition to solid foods when they are around four weeks old weaning. Abandoned orphaned and newborn kittens need special careand handling.
Chilling is one of the most critical dangers to newborn kittens. If the mother cat is still in the picture she can provide most of the kittens needs herself. 4 to give the baby cat milk you can use a baby bottle a syringe or a dropper. Brushing her coat and trimming her claws are two important elements of newborn kitten care and the sooner you start routine cat maintenance the easier it is for both of you.
Line the box with layers of newspapers and place the box in a warm dimly lit quiet place such as a closet or a corner where there isn t much activity. The mother cat can keep the babies warm but if she leaves to eat or use a litter box the kittens can get cold. On the first week of the newborn kittens life they should be fed every two to three hours. They require attention and care around the clock.
These antibodies last for six weeks or more. If you have recently taken in some newborn kittens you will have your work cut out for you. 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. Provide blankets a heat lamp or a heating pad to ensure the kittens stay warm.
Make sure you keep kittens warm. So a kitten weighing 3 ounces will need about 24 ounces of milk replacement every 24 hours. Learn also how to help sick kittensand understand their digestion and stools constipationand possible fleas.