01
Jan
Mother cats with feline infectious peritonitis and feline leukemia often have a debilitating illness that makes them abandon their kittens. At this age it is easy to tame them and they have gotten a full four weeks worth of the precious antibodies mothers milk provides.
Factors to consider when taking care of newborn kittens without the mother.
How to take care of a kitten without a mother. Orphaned neonatal kittens need help urinating and defecating. Generally a mother cat would do that with her rough tongue. Without the mother available use a warm damp cotton ball or cloth and rub gently over their genitals and anal area.
Make sure the kittens stay warm when you bring them out to feed them. You should also warm the formula but make sure to test that it wont burn the kittens. Position the kitten on her belly as though she were nursing.
Trying to feed a kitten in any other position may cause her to breathe in the milk rather than swallowing it. If your kitten was separated from her mother at an early stage she will likely be quite fearful of the world and her surroundings. It is now your job to facilitate her growth into a healthy adult.
One of the most important things that you can do is build your kittens confidence which will allow her to feel more comfortable and more affectionate towards you. Orphaned neonatal kittens need help urinating and defecating. Generally a mother cat would do that with her rough tongue.
Without the mother available use a warm damp cotton ball or cloth and rub gently over their genitals and anal area. What do you feed a baby kitten without mother. These kittens should be bottle-fed using kitten milk replacer or KMR which comes in either liquid or powder form.
Its the equivalent to formula that you would use for a bottle-fed baby except its formulated for cats. A newly born kitten cant urinate themselves unless their mother starts to tab the urinal part of a kitten. So you need to perform a similar duty in order to make kittens urinate easily.
You just need a soft stick liked object and gently rub it near to urinal part of the kittens. Just keep the nest in a warm place away from foot traffic and check to be sure every kitten is able to nurse feed the mother kitten food is good because it has extra calories and shell need those while nursing give the mother plenty of fresh water and clean the litterbox. Really not very different from taking care of one cat.
To feed a baby kitten without a mother feed it a kitten milk replacement formula using a sterilized feeding bottle. For a particularly small kitten you may want to use a syringe. Call your local vet clinics shelters or area rescues to see if they know of a mother cat that is able to take in abandoned kittens.
If you are unable to find a surrogate mother cat for your kittens or a surrogate mother cat rejects them the kittens will need you to step in and provide the necessary care. Below is important information that will help you provide the best care possible for your. Kittens should start eating solid food around 4 weeks and should be fully weaned off their mothers milk and onto kitten food by 7 or 8 weeks of age.
A kittens diet should be nutrient-dense and fairly high in calories kittens need roughly 2 to 3 times as many nutrients and calories as adult cats. If possible take the kitten to a veterinarian to be checked out for dehydration and general condition. Kittens can become dehydrated very quickly without a mom and may need fluids.
Factors to consider when taking care of newborn kittens without the mother. When taking care of a newborn kittens without the mother there are a number of things you need to do. Access the situation to determine if they are really orphaned.
Take them to the veterinarian for a check up. House them in a warm draft free area away from other animals. With mother cat they get required warmth quickly but taking care of a newborn without a mother isnt easy.
You can manage it by using the hot water bottle wrapped in a towel so it can give warmth but dont burn the skin of tiny kitten. Caring for Kittens 5 to 7 Weeks Old. Homeless kittens should be taken from their mother between the ages of 4-8 weeks 5-6 weeks is ideal.
If they are handled frequently by humans at this age they will become social enough to become wonderful pets. Four-week old kittens will still need to be bottle-fed although some may start eating canned. Take the kitten to the veterinarian.
Once you find the kitten take it to a veterinarian as soon as possible. The veterinarian can give the kitten a thorough examination. The veterinarian will be able to tell the age of your kitten and how to care for your kitten.
Its absolutely important that you make sure to provide nutritious meals so that shes healthy and strong enough to care for her kittens. How do you take care of newborn kittens without their mother. In case youre helping a homeless mother and her litter offer the mother cat food and water from a safe distance away once or twice a day.
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. Offer these foods 4-6 times per day. If your kittens came without a mother however things are more complicated.
Now you are the mother and must provide the kittens basic needs to ensure their survival. This requires round-the-clock care at first as if you just brought home a newborn baby. Ideally kittens should not be taken from the mother until they are five to six weeks of age.
However kittens born to feral mothers should be taken away if possible at about four weeks old. At this age it is easy to tame them and they have gotten a full four weeks worth of the precious antibodies mothers milk provides. An underfed or sick mother cannot take care of her kittens.
Mother cats with feline infectious peritonitis and feline leukemia often have a debilitating illness that makes them abandon their kittens. More so if the mother cat is underfed or has a lack of prey she may abandon the litter because she cannot feed them.