what to feed baby kittens 6 weeks old

Download Article

Download Article

Ideally, kittens should stay near and nurse from their mother cat for up to eight weeks prior to being separated and/or adopted. In the example of a rescue, decease of the natural mother, or when circumstances cause cat mothers to reject one or more of her litter, human intervention is necessary. At that place are many things to consider if you observe yourself needing to feed a newborn kitten. Careful consideration and preparation volition make bottle feeding a kitten a soothing and comfortable experience, and help result in a happy, healthy pet.

1. one

   Try to find a nursing mother feline (queen). Consult with local veterinarians and shelters to detect out if there is a nursing mother cat who may exist able to accept on the kitten. Mother'south milk is all-time 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 have the place of the absent or unable mother.^[i]

   • Be aware that even if you find a cat able to nurse the young kitten, she may not accept the kitten. E'er remain present when the nursing cat interacts with your kitten; there is a take a chance that a queen might attempt to murder a kitten that she rejects.
   • If you lot are lucky plenty to discover a foster female parent, attempt to disguise the smell of the new kitten. Endeavor stroking the foster mother'southward own kittens and then stroke your own kitten. This will help transfer the aroma of the mother's ain litter to your newborn kitten. A queen (the cat) is more probable to reject the kitten if it smells totally unfamiliar, so by "disguising" your kitten's scent, you're increasing the gamble the queen will have her.

2. 2

   Go milk. A newborn kitten can only assimilate milk, and more than specifically the milk from a female cat. Feeding the wrong sort of milk, such as cow'due south milk, can take short-term and long-term effects, including diarrhea, dehydration, nutritional deficiencies and long-term health issues due to poor growth. You can purchase kitten milk replacement formula (KMR) at your local pet food store, vet's role, and even online. Reputable brands in the The states include Cimicat and Simply Born kitten milk, but y'all tin can also consult your local vet for advice on a formula that he or she recommends and that is bachelor where you lot alive.^[2]

   • Kitten milk replacement milk comes in a tub or drum and is a dry pulverization or liquid. You use information technology in much the same way y'all employ infant formula, in that you follow the directions on the packaging which guides you as to how many scoops to utilise to how much h2o.
   • Exist aware that milk sold in cartons every bit "cat milk" is Non suitable. This is moo-cow'south milk with the lactose removed and is designed to make bovine milk accessible to developed cats (to fulfill our need to feed them milk, rather than any physiological need of the cats themselves.) It is not suitable for employ in kittens.

   Advertisement

3. 3

   Have a fill-in plan if y'all can't have replacement milk right away. The ideal milk is to employ replacement queen'south milk. If yous exercise non have whatsoever, then use boiled water to feed the kitten and purchase some replacement milk immediately. If the kitten seems very hungry, and then you can add one teaspoon of glucose powder to 1 cup of boiled water. Nevertheless, y'all should just do for ane feeding. Do not echo.^[iii]

   • Another culling equally a stop gap until you lot tin get some replacement milk is to use rice water, meaning the h2o that you cook rice in. Cook some white rice in h2o and strain off the liquid. This has a piddling starch (energy) in information technology and is non-laxative, and can exist a temporary solution.
   • Giving h2o in the interim will stop the kitten getting dehydrated, and is a meliorate compromise than feeding something (like moo-cow's milk) which could upset her stomach and make her ill.

4. 4

   Plan your time. Recollect that the younger the kitten, the higher the kitten's metabolism and the more frequently she needs to be fed (due to her tiny tum). This means that you, or someone else in your household or a friend or neighbor, needs to be effectually all solar day until the kitten is old enough to begin switching over to solids.

   • A newborn kitten, technically a kitten under two weeks of historic period, needs feeding attention day and night until she is old enough to begin the procedure of switching to solids.

5. v

   Know that you can wean an orphan kitten early. Weaning means to get the kitten off milk and introduce solids slowly. You can practise this once the kitten reaches 4 weeks of historic period, when your kitten is no longer a newborn. You can tell when your kitten is no longer a newborn and is set to be weaned and be fed solids when she starts bitter at the nipple of the bottle.^[4]

   • To wean your kitten from milk, place a pocket-size amount of food in her dish. If she doesn't seem ready or willing to eat it, y'all can add a few tablespoons of milk replacement formula or h2o to soften the food and encourage her interest. Brand sure to e'er accept solid food out so that your kitten can approach it when she feels ready and wants to. Over time, reduce the amount of milk yous offer as you increase the amount of solids.
   • Most kittens can handle a diet of solids by vii weeks of age.
   • A kitten aged between half-dozen to 10 weeks old needs to be fed six to eight meals a 24-hour interval, while a kitten aged x weeks to vi or seven months needs four meals a day and a kitten up to nine months needs three meals a day. Note that it'due south not until adulthood that 2 meals a day for a cat is adequate.

   Advertisement

1. 1

   Gather equipment. To feed your newborn kitten you will need some sort of feeding device. If possible, you should employ canteen and teat set specifically designed for employ with kittens, such as the Catac bottle and teat ready. The bottle itself is very modest, and it has an open end at the pinnacle so the you can place a thumb over it to control the flow of milk if information technology is dripping too fast from the teat and overwhelming the kitten. The teat is long and narrow, which is platonic to fit inside the oral fissure of a newborn kitten. This allows the kitten to suckle, as if from her mother.

   • If you do non have a feeding set, and so the next best option is a syringe, which you tin use to drip the milk into the kitten'southward oral fissure. However, the kitten cannot suckle from a syringe, then try and purchase a feeder at the earliest opportunity.

2. two

   Sterilize the equipment. Information technology is crucial to keep all your equipment sterile. Simply washing everything is bereft. Consider using a steam sterilizer (every bit for a infant's bottles) or immerse the equipment in a dilution of Milton sterilizing fluid in a bowl.^[v]

   • You tin can purchase Milton sterilizing fluid from drug stores, normally find in the infant aisle. Follow the directions on the packaging. If yous practise opt to sterilize your true cat feeding equipment with the Milton fluid, be sure to rinse everything off with boiled water prior to utilise in order to wash away any residue of the sterilizing solution.

3. iii

   Make and oestrus the milk. If using liquid formula, open the can and measure the required amount according to the packaging. If using powder formula, follow the directions on the packaging regarding how many scoops and how much h2o to employ. Always follow the directions closely because as well concentrated a milk could crusade stomach upset, while besides potent a milk lacks nutrition for your kitten.

   • Always brand the milk upwards fresh for each feed. The milk does non comprise preservatives and newborn kittens have weak allowed systems, so any bacterial contamination of milk that stands around could be disastrous for the kitten'due south health.
   • Practice not put the formula in the microwave; this will cause bubbles of very hot or very cold formula to form in the canteen. Instead, put the formula in a container and put that into the hot water.
   • Brand sure the milk is at the correct temperature - neither cold nor hot. Ideally, the milk should be at body temperature, then when you place a few drops of it onto the back of your hand, information technology feels about the aforementioned temperature as your skin. If it is also hot, the milk could burn your kitten's rima oris.

4. 4

   Check your kitten'southward trunk temperature. When y'all are ready to feed the kitten, make certain she is warm. To some degree, a kitten'due south charge per unit of digestion depends on her temperature. If she is cool, her digestion is sluggish and the milk will sit down in her tummy and ferment. Newborns unremarkably snuggle close to mum and tend to run quite hot. The ideal temperature is 96–100 °F (35.6–37.viii °C) for the starting time three weeks of life.^[6]

   • Attempt to go along your kitten at this temperature past using a heat pad underneath a well insulated nest. If you don't have a heat pad, then use a hot water canteen wrapped in a towel to prevent straight contact with the hot canteen which could cause burns. Replenish the hot water bottle equally ofttimes every bit needed to go along information technology warm.^[seven]

5. five

   Feed the kitten. Sit in a comfortable chair with a towel folded on your lap. Position the kitten similarly to the way he would nurse from his mother, with her head straight, feet downward, and tummy resting. When attempting to feed your kitten for the first time, get a drip of milk on the end of the syringe or teat. Concur it very close to the kitten's mouth. Her sense of smell is stiff, and she volition likely aroma the milk and effort put her mouth against it.^[8]

   • If using a teat, at this point give her a bit of aid past wriggling the teat into her open up mouth. Nature should then take over and she starts to suck.
   • If using a syringe, gently press on the plunger to release a drop into her mouth. Allow her eat betwixt drops. Never inundation her mouth with milk as she may well breath the milk, get milk in the lungs and develop pneumonia, which is usually fatal in immature kittens. But take your fourth dimension and go slowly.^[ix]
   • The kitten's posture is very important. Never feed a kitten on her dorsum like a human being baby and ever brand sure certain the kitten is resting on something when feeding. Make sure that the head is non raised as this could cause aspiration, the inhaling of formula into the lungs, which is serious and can fifty-fifty be fatal.^[10]

6. 6

   Feed the right amount. ^[11] Cimicat and other KMRs come up with a guide to how much to feed and how oftentimes on the pack. Follow the instructions on the package. Here are some full general guidelines near how much to feed your kitten in the first few weeks of her life and how oftentimes:^[12] .

   • I to 3 days: 2.five milliliters (0.08  fl oz) of KMR every two hours
   • Four to 7 days: 5 milliliters (0.17  fl oz) of KMR x to 12 feeds a twenty-four hour period
   • Half-dozen to 10 days: 5 to seven.5 milliliters (0.17 to 0.25  fl oz) KMR 10 feeds a day
   • 11 to 14 days: x to 12.5 milliliters (0.34 to 0.42  fl oz) KMR every iii hours
   • xv to 21 days: 10 milliliters (0.34  fl oz) eight times daily
   • 21 days and beyond: seven.v to 25 milliliters (0.iii to 0.8  fl oz), three to four times daily, in add-on to introducing solid nutrient
   • At that place are too calculators online that tin help you figure out how much to feed your kitten.^[13]

7. vii

   Watch for signals. When learning how and practicing to canteen feed a kitten, continue in mind that overfeeding or feeding improperly can cause problems with respiration. Observe your kitten during feedings to ensure that no milk is coming through the nose or the tummy does not feel distended.

   • In terms of quantity, if you accept a greedy kitten and she keeps sucking even though she's exceeded the recommended amount, look at her tummy. If her belly is tight and distended, then end feeding. This is a sign that her stomach is full but that she just hasn't realized it withal. Practise not overfeed.^[xiv]
   • If your kitten takes less than the recommended amount, don't panic. This may be the kitten'due south individual preference. If you are worried she hasn't taken enough, rather than button her to take more and take chances flooding her lungs, stop, let her rest and endeavor again an hour or so later. ^[15]

8. 8

   Remain at-home and relaxed. It is important to remain patient and calm while bottle feeding a kitten to ensure that the kitten is at ease. In addition, let the kitten to take his fourth dimension while canteen feeding to avoid overeating or problems with digestion.

   • Encourage and stimulate burping by belongings the kitten with his dorsum resting against your torso and gently rubbing his stomach. In the queen and kitten relationship, the mother will groom the kitten to assist him pass wind and stools. Don't be surprised by either issue – it's a adept sign!^[16]

9. ix

   Make clean your kitten'south bottom. Immediately after each feed the female parent cat licks her kittens' anus and genital areas, to encourage them to urinate and defecate. The female parent actually laps upwards their excretions, which is nature's way of avoiding a soiled nest which could concenter predators. Without the mother, notwithstanding, yous need to step in. Use damp cotton fiber wool and wipe information technology over the anal area in a licking motion. As the kitten relieves herself, wipe information technology away with the cotton wool. Stop with a clean slice of cotton wool wool to clean up her bottom, and and then you are done until the next feed.^{[17] [18]}

   • This is an of import step in feeding your kitten successfully. If y'all do not mimic the mother's stimulation of her kitten's elimination, your kitten will not empty her bladder and bowels and can get very sick.

10. 10

    Return the kitten to her warm bed or box to rest. Continue with the regular feeding schedule every day for the coming weeks until weaning onto solids is appropriate. At this time, speak to your vet nearly an advisable weaning nutrition.

    • Add solid foods such as soft, canned foods and hard foods to the diet when the kitten is around four weeks one-time. Some kittens volition bottle feed for up to eight weeks and this progress should exist communicated with a veterinary professional.

    Advertizing

Add New Question

• Question

  Can a newborn kitten drinkable regular milk?

  

  Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of feel in veterinary surgery and companion beast practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a caste in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the aforementioned animal clinic in her hometown for over xx years.

  

  Veterinarian

  Expert Reply

  No, regular milk is liable to give newborn kittens diarrhea. This can cause the kittens to lose fluid so the milk will do more damage than good.

• Question

  How practice you take care of newborn kittens?

  

  Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over xxx years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a caste in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over xx years.

  

  Veterinary

  Skilful Answer

  Keeping newborns warm is crucial—they should be about 85-90 degrees F. Any cooler than this and they tin't assimilate their milk. Feed kitten milk replacer every couple of hours, and later on each meal wipe their rear with damp cotton wool to help them urinate and defecate.

• Question

  How many mL do you feed a newborn kitten?

  

  Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of feel in veterinarian surgery and companion animal do. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a caste in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.

  

  Veterinarian

  Good Reply

  To encounter their calorie needs, a newborn requires around 14-15 mL of kitten replacement milk per day. This should be divided up into pocket-sized, regular feeds. For example, eight feeds daily of just under ii mL.

Run into more than answers

Advertisement

• Counterbalance your kitten every solar day for the first two weeks. You can use a food calibration, but be sure to comprehend it with a clean cloth or rag. Your kitten should gain nigh half an ounce every mean solar day in these first two weeks. Keep careful track of weight gain or loss over the course of feeding and consult with a vet if the kitten is losing or gaining weight too rapidly.^[xix]

• It's all-time to go out kittens to their mother until they are at least 6 weeks quondam, although viii to x weeks is even kinder. Breeders recommend waiting until a kitten is 12 weeks former earlier finding information technology a new home. There can be complications from orphaning a kitten; kittens may become unsociable, develop wellness issues, and their overall development and well-being can exist adversely affected.^[20]

• Consult a veterinarian if the kitten won't eat at all every bit this could be a sign of sickness.

Advertisement

Well-nigh This Article

Article Summary 10

To feed a newborn kitten, start by purchasing a kitten milk replacement formula at your local pet shop. Next, use a canteen and teat set specifically designed for kittens, or utilize a syringe to drip the milk into your kitten'southward mouth. And so, notice the kitten as you're feeding it, and brand sure that no milk comes out of its nose. Additionally, terminate the feeding session if your kitten'southward stomach becomes tight and distended. For more tips from our Veterinary co-author, similar how much and how frequently to feed your kitten, read on!

Did this summary assist yous?

Thanks to all authors for creating a folio that has been read 876,569 times.

Did this commodity assist you?

tallisaughteell.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.wikihow.com/Feed-a-Newborn-Kitten

Share this post