What To Feed Kitten Without Mother

It is okay though to syringe feed a few drops of 5 sugar water or to rub a little bit of karo syrup on the kitten s lips.

What to feed kitten without mother. Mother s milk is best for any baby mammal and prior to attempting to bottle feed a kitten with supplemental formulas it is recommended to seek out nursing cat that could take the place of the absent or unable mother. If the kitten is less than 15 days old it should eat every three hours if it is between 15 days and one month every 4 hours if it is between one month and one month and a half every 4 6 hours by this point it can already drink milk in a bowl older than 1 month and a half you can incorporate solid food mixed with milk or water to the diet like baby food. Never hold a kitten and feed it like a human baby. Hold her by the scruff of her neck and place the nipple into the side then center of her mouth.

Many veterinarians have incubators to warm a chilled kitten. When the kitten has breastfed from its mother it ll have colostrum otherwise the colostrum ought to be obtained elsewhere. Do not feed a kitten until it is warm since it can t properly digest when cold. Think of how a kitten would eat from its mother.

You should never feed a kitten on its back because this can cause them to aspirate or inhale fluid into their lungs. Inside the emergency calf colostrum could be fed although not the most suitable. You can start to transition your kitten away from the bottle at 3 or 4 weeks of age. A veterinarian is best places check cat colostrum as some could have frozen supplies.

Most kittens do just fine without human intervention but if a kitten needs to be bottle fed either because the mother cat is absent ill or rejects the kitten you ll want to weigh the kitten regularly to make sure its weight reflects a healthy and normal growth rate of a kitten. Correctly position the kittens and bottles for feeding. Instead keep the kitten s feet down and it s head straight as though she s nursing from her mother. A heating pad on low a warm water bottle or even a sock filled with rice and put in the microwave can all provide a steady but mild heat source to a cold kitten.

When you feed the kitten hold it horizontally with the belly facing downwards and the head tilted slightly upwards. Kittens under three weeks old can t control their body temperature. Hold the kitten correctly while feeding. When your kitten is around 6 or 7 weeks of age you can switch her to a dry diet.

Begin by offering formula in a shallow bowl that s easy for her to drink from.