What Do Kittens Need After Birth

The mother cat may have to be hospitalized for treatment and might need an emergency spaying.

What do kittens need after birth. Download and share our visual guide. It should be fed specialized food because it needs to stay strong healthy and must produce enough nutrient rich milk to pass on to the kittens. You ll want to have certain items handy once the first kitten is born and throughout the process of birthing the litter. Kittens need large amounts.

As the kittens are born they ll be in a thin membrane sac and your cat should remove this sac immediately. Newborn kittens need to feed every two to three hours. Keep a careful eye on her while maintaining a respectable distance to make sure they are all safe and well. The kittens usually emerge in individual birth sacs that the mother then licks away.

If she does not do this you will need to gently tear open the sac do not use a sharp object it s fragile so your hands should suffice as soon as possible to allow the kitten to breathe. Items needed immediately after birth. If any kittens do not receive the first milk contact your vet. If she doesn t clean it away or rejects the kitten you may need to take a soft towel and gently rub off the sac.

Clean the kittens nose and mouth and rub them with a dry towel to encourage them to breathe on their own. The kitten remains on the mother s milk until around eight weeks of age when weaning is complete and a diet of solid food is the primary food source. The kitten is not freed from the birth sac. All kittens are born in a thin membrane birthing sac which your cat should remove as soon as her baby has arrived.

The mother cat will usually have normal vaginal drainage after birthing her kittens. Kittens are typically fully weaned by around eight weeks of age. It is essential that kittens receive colostrum to protect them against disease. Keep surgical scissors close and hemostatic forceps close by to cut the kittens umbilical cords from the placenta if the mother fails to do so herself.

After the cords are severed by. But if you notice a foul smelling discharge that is a red flag. Kittens can only absorb colostrum during their first 16 to 24 hours of life and they should feed within two hours of birth. If she doesn t you ll need to tear it open with your hands so that the kittens can breathe.

Other symptoms include lethargy fever and loss of milk production. Kittens are able to chew solid food around 5 6 weeks after birth and it is recommended that 30 of their diet should consist of solid food at this time.