What Milk To Give Newborn Kittens
When the kittens are 1 2 weeks old bottle feed the kittens every 1 2 hours with a commercial milk replacer formula.
What milk to give newborn kittens. Only give cow s milk in case of an emergency. Newborn kittens need mother s milk or kitten milk replacer kmr. At feeding time mix half of the estimated feeding amount with an equal amount of boiling water. Once a day mix one drop of the human infant liquid vitamins in each kitten s formula portion.
A newborn kitten can only digest milk and more specifically the milk from a female cat. Feeding the wrong sort of milk such as cow s milk can have short term and long term effects including diarrhea dehydration nutritional deficiencies and long term health problems due to poor growth. If you cannot find a foster mother please consult with your veterinarian about the proper way to bottle feed with a commercial milk replacer. You can purchase kitten milk replacement formula kmr at your local pet food store vet s office and even online.
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. Offer these foods 4 6 times per day. Bottles with faster flow could endanger the kitty by causing her to aspirate milk into her lungs. Reputable brands in the united states include cimicat and just born kitten milk but you.
Newborn kittens require milk for a variety of reasons. Water will fill their stomach but their blood sugar may drop so ideally they should be given only kitten milk as a newborn. When a kitten is first born the milk that it consumes from its mother contains a plethora of antibodies that the kitten s system is not yet capable of producing. If you have newborn kittens who ve been separated from their mother consult with a veterinarian shelter or experienced foster care giver who can help you find a new mother cat with a small litter she may be able to nurse the orphaned babies.
How do you feed a newborn kitten. A newborn kitten should ideally be fed at least every two hours throughout the day and night. Ask your veterinarian how to give newborn kittens a mixture of cow s milk and egg yolk until you can get kmr. If the energy density of the lacto alternative is too low we will have to increase the number of shots given.
Mix the milk egg yolk and syrup well and store it in a tightly sealed jar in the refrigerator. Their stomachs are small and they would be suckling from mum little and often. When the kittens are 6 12. This bottle emits only one drop of milk at a time to control the rate of feeding.
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. These antibodies help to protect that kitten against a wide variety of diseases. Talk to a vet online. Colostrum the first milk that newborn kittens receive in their first day or so after whelping is responsible not only for providing nutrition but also for the transfer of crucial maternal.