What To Give Newborn Kittens To Eat

Find cat s milk at your local pet store or veterinary office where it is sold as cat s milk or kitten milk.

What to give newborn kittens to eat. If the kitten is a newborn then its eyes and ears will still be sealed shut. Kittens are born blind and deaf. Next use a bottle and teat set specifically designed for kittens or use a syringe to drip the milk into your kitten s mouth. A kitten that had a mother would receive the colostrum in their first hours of life.

When the kittens are 1 2 weeks old bottle feed the kittens every 1 2 hours with a commercial milk replacer formula. Keep the newborn kittens with the mother. Since their dietary needs are different from older kittens you will need to bottle feed if your kitten is a newborn. For the first month of life newborn kittens eat only the milk their mother produces.

Do not give cow s milk to the kittens because it is too hard for them to digest. Provide blankets a heat lamp or a heating pad to ensure the kittens stay warm. To feed a newborn kitten start by purchasing a kitten milk replacement formula at your local pet store. The mother will also teach the kittens to toilet and socialize.

The mother cat can keep the babies warm but if she leaves to eat or use a litter box the kittens can get cold. If the mother cat doesn t produce enough milk for all her kittens or if your newborn kitty is a rescue you may need to obtain cat s milk for her. Its use is not only to give nutrients to the newborn kitten but also to provide passive immune defenses by transmitting immunoglobulins. Colostrum is produced by the mother cat.

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. Additionally stop the feeding session if your kitten s stomach. If you cannot find a foster mother please consult with your veterinarian about the proper way to bottle feed with a commercial milk replacer. If your cat has just given birth she ll take care of the kittens.

Chilling is one of the most critical dangers to newborn kittens. Use a large enough box to comfortably hold the mother cat and her kittens. Newborn kittens are those under two weeks old and they survive on a diet of milk and cannot digest solid food. Provide plenty of food and a safe place so that she can look after her kittens.

Feeding elimination neonatal kittens under four weeks of age cannot eat solid food not canned not dry and cannot urinate or defecate on their own so you must bottle feed them around the clock and stimulate their genitals after every feeding so they can eliminate.