Last Updated on October 9, 2022 by Pets Feed
Kittens are born completely powerless – without hearing, sight, with poor thermoregulation, and all care for them in the first month, as a rule, lies with the cat. Including feeding offspring. But sometimes a cat does not have milk or it is not enough for everyone, she refuses to feed babies or in some cases, the mother cat died – there are different cases, but this does not mean that kittens will not survive without mother’s milk. A kitten can also be fed by humans. The main thing is to follow certain rules so as not to harm.
Feeding Supplies
A special bottle with a pacifier is best for feeding a newborn kitten. If it’s not possible to buy it, a pipette will be fine for the first time, although feeding a kitten in this way is not very convenient, and it is not very useful for him. The pet should develop a sucking reflex, and with a pipette milk will get into his mouth and without it.
Whatever you use for feeding, these items must be thoroughly and regularly washed, boiled or sterilized.
Diet
In no case should a kitten be fed cow’s milk, as it is poorly digested and not digested. In the stomach, it turns into a lump, which can lead to serious complications and even death.
For feeding, milk powder, special mixes for kittens are suitable. You can use goat milk, but it must be diluted with water so that it is not too fat. Food should be warm, but not hot – no more than 30 degrees.
In the first days of life, a kitten needs very little quantity – 1-2 teaspoons will be enough. It is advisable to cook the milk only for one day, and it must be stored in the refrigerator.
Feeding process
To feed a kitten, it must be very carefully taken up and straightened, but do not forget that the baby still has very thin and weak bones that are easy to damage. All actions must be performed very slowly and carefully so as not to scare him. The tip of the nipple must be carefully inserted into the mouth. To make the pet understand that it is necessary to suck, it can be moistened with contents from the bottle.
During feeding, the kitten, like a newborn baby, can burp the air that got with the milk, so you need to make sure that it does not choke. For the same reason, the hole in the nipple should be very small – too much fluid when it enters the respiratory tract can block them, which can be fatal.
Feeding schedule
In the first week, you need to feed the kitten every two hours, day and night. Then night feedings can be carried out every four hours, and from the first month one meal per night will be enough. But the daytime does not need to be reduced yet.
It is impossible to break the nutrition schedule in any case, no matter how hard and tiring it is, otherwise the pet will develop poorly.
Vitamins
Not a single mixture – even the best and most expensive one – can replace breast milk containing all the nutrients necessary for development and growth. Therefore, from the second week of life, the kitten should be given special vitamins in liquid form. But, before introducing them into the diet, it is necessary to consult with a veterinarian so that he selects the right complex.
Digestion
After each feeding, the stomach, anal and urogenital openings of the kitten should be massaged with a soft cloth. This is necessary so that food is well absorbed and a reflex of excretion develops. In some kittens, artificial feeding can cause diarrhea or, conversely, constipation. In the first case, food should be made less liquid by reducing the amount of water. And in the second – to put enemas with a syringe without a needle, smeared with petroleum jelly, with 1-5 ml of water.
