How To Take Care Of Newborn Kittens And Mother
It s common for the mother to leave her babies so give the kittens a bit of distance and see if the mom returns.
How to take care of newborn kittens and mother. You need to watch to see whether the kittens are. This goes to show the extent mothers are willing to go to keep. A mother cat s milk provides everything a kitten needs during the first four weeks of life. The mom is the best suited to care for them so leave them with her unless you re able to take the whole family in and care for them if the mom does not return within an hour or two it is time for you to step in and help.
If she does great. Humans are poor substitutes for a mother cat and care and feeding of very young kittens is a full time job. Newborn kittens need round the clock care and monitoring but can be raised by a human caregiver. Newborn kittens should get all of their nutrition from their mother.
The kittens should be developing rapidly and if the mother is going to have any postpartum problems it will happen during that period. Like a human baby a newborn kitten will need to be fed frequently approximately every two to three hours. As a rule of thumb for every ounce of kitten body weight he or she needs 8 ccs of formula. To assist you in your kitten care you can picture the correct amount if you know one teaspoon is just.
The mother cat typically handles all those duties on her own. If you ve rescued a kitten whose mother died or abandoned her you ll have to fill that role. Your role of taking care of newborn kittens and a mother cat is mostly one of observation. Take some time to.
The kittens ages whether or not the mother cat is still caring for the kittens and how healthy the kittens are. The first milk produced called colostrum is rich in antibodies and will help protect kittens against diseases. So a kitten weighing 3 ounces will need about 24 ounces of milk replacement every 24 hours. This will continue until they gradually transition to solid foods when they are around four weeks old weaning.
Don t take the kittens. New kitten and mother cat care. In fact she will eat any urine and feces her little ones produce. Excreting on their own.
Obviously the mother cat will take care of not only feeding the kittens but also keeping them clean. You step in if the mother or kittens appear to be in trouble and to socialize the kittens to become used to people. The first two to three weeks are the most crucial for a mother cat and her newborn kittens. If you find a litter of kittens that have been separated from their mother then you will need to provide the things a mother cat would such as food warmth and help with toileting.
Before attempting this however take the kitten to a veterinarian for a thorough examination and to enlist his advice to create a plan of care. As mentioned earlier newborn kittens will do nothing but sleep and eat during the first week of their lives. These antibodies last for. 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.
The care that you give some newborn kittens will depend on a few things.