What To Give A Newborn Kitten For Food
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.
What to give a newborn kitten for food. Some of the best kitten milk replacement formulas are nutri vet hartz just born nurturall c and pet lac. The teat is long and narrow which is ideal to fit inside the mouth of a newborn kitten. Get an idea of his weight by placing him on a kitchen or postal scale. Keep the newborn kittens with the mother.
This bottle emits only one drop of milk at a time to control the rate of feeding. Newborn kittens have a delicate stomach and won t be able to digest average milk. Remember to keep the kitty on his tummy while you feed him. Provide blankets a heat lamp or a heating pad to ensure the kittens stay warm.
In the last 3 to 4 days they can eventually be given an overall milk substitute given by a bowl where a small amount of kitten food is moistened 4 to 6 times a day. If the energy density of the lacto alternative is too low we will have to increase the number of shots given. Chilling is one of the most critical dangers to newborn kittens. The cornell book of cats says that human baby formula can be used if made up to double the normal strength although human baby formula is normally not nutritious enough for kittens.
If you do not have a feeding set then the next best option is a syringe which you can use to drip the milk into the kitten s mouth. Use a large enough box to comfortably hold the mother cat and her kittens. Feed the kitty approximately 8cc or 1 4 ounce of formula per ounce of his weight every 24 hours. The mother will also teach the kittens to toilet and socialize.
Provide plenty of food and a safe place so that she can look after her kittens. Homemade formula 1 1 quart whole goat s milk 1 teaspoon light karo syrup. The stomach capacity of a newborn is about 50 ml kg usually a single kitten absorbes about 10 20 ml of milk so the concentration of the replacement milk is essential to meet the kitten s needs. Newborn kittens can breastfeed every 1 2 hours.
If your cat has just given birth she ll take care of the kittens. Therefore you will need to purchase kitten milk replacement kmr formulas to feed the baby kitten. Feeding kittens yourself to properly feed a newborn kitten purchase either liquid or powdered kitten milk and a bottle designed especially for feeding newborn animals. Bottles with faster flow could endanger the kitty by causing her to aspirate milk into her lungs.
This allows the kitten to suckle as if from her mother.