What To Feed Orphaned Kittens
Do not feed a kitten until it is warm since it can t properly digest when cold.
What to feed orphaned kittens. Kittens 5 to 6 weeks should be given kitten kibble and kibble should be mixed into the wet food. When attempting to feed your kitten for the first time get a drip of milk on the end of the syringe or teat. Many veterinarians have incubators to warm a chilled kitten. Kittens 7 weeks and older should eat mainly dry kibble.
You should warm the milk up to 95 100 degrees before feeding it to the kittens. When the orphaned kittens reach about 3 weeks of age you can start providing watered down meat based kitten food for them to nibble on. Pet food labels are required to carry a statement identifying the life stage or stages for which the food is intended. Bottle or tube feeding needs to be done very carefully to prevent aspiration of the supplement with subsequent aspiration pneumonia or drowning.
Kittens have nutritional needs that are different than those of mature cats. It is okay though to syringe feed a few drops of 5 sugar water or to rub a little bit of karo syrup on the kitten s lips. Kittens that are bottle fed should consume about a tablespoon or 15 ml of special kitten formula at each feeding. The milk replacer you choose should meet several key nutritional factors.
Sit in a comfortable chair with a towel folded on your lap. This is very time consuming for someone who is bottle feeding a newborn kitten so if at all possible you will want to try to keep the kitten with its mother or a surrogate lactating cat who can nurse it. 5 kittens found on street april 12th they were about 10 days old i feed them every 6 hours. Mix the wet food with water until it achieves a soupy consistency and consider warming the mixture before serving.
Can per kitten of kibble in a dish and wet food in a dish at all times and a dish full of water at all times kittens 3 to 5 weeks should be given baby cat kibble. Commercial kitten milk replacers are recommended as they are superior to cow s milk and home made mixtures. Kittens under three weeks old can t control their body temperature. Feed your kitten a food that is made specifically for kittens.
Mix up the milk replacement formula using a little whisk to get the lumps out. How to feed orphaned kittens the kittens will need to be burped during and after each feeding. Sterilize the bottle and nipple in boiling water then let them cool completely on a clean towel. Choose a food that is intended for growth.
Hold them upright or over your shoulder and pat their back. Prepare to feed the kittens.