What To Give Newborn Kittens

Remove the kittens only if they are in immediate grave danger.

What to give newborn kittens. The mother will also teach the kittens to toilet and socialize. Otherwise the owner must fight the constipation of the newborn. Therefore in the first days of their life we must give them a substitute which will fulfill the same functions as colostrum. The teat is long and narrow which is ideal to fit inside the mouth of a newborn kitten.

If your cat has just given birth she ll take care of the kittens. This allows the kitten to suckle as if from her mother. The best food for the kittens is their mother s milk. The mother cat offers her newborn kittens their best chance for survival so wait and watch as long as you safely can for her to return before removing them.

Do not give cow s milk to the kittens because it is too hard for them to digest. Stack clean towels to line it. A kitten that had a mother would receive the colostrum in their first hours of life. 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.

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. Its use is not only to give nutrients to the newborn kitten but also to provide passive immune defenses by transmitting immunoglobulins. Use a large enough box to comfortably hold the mother cat and her kittens. Starting from the top massage the tummy.

Under normal conditions the mother does this licking the crotch of the kittens every three or four hours. It comes as a surprise to some people that newborn kittens actually do not go to the bathroom on their own their mother licks them to stimulate elimination and urination and to keep them nice and clean. Keep the newborn kittens with the mother. Provide blankets a heat lamp or a heating pad to ensure the kittens stay warm.

If the mother cat returns. Stimulate the kittens to go to the bathroom. Newborn kittens may nurse about every 1 2 hours. When the kittens are 1 2 weeks old bottle feed the kittens every 1 2 hours with a commercial milk replacer formula.

Chilling is one of the most critical dangers to newborn kittens.