Many times we are involved in situations that we do not know how to face, such is the fact of how to feed a baby cat, especially when it does not have a mother, what can be given to it and what cannot, you will find all this throughout this item, don't miss it.
How to feed a newborn kitten?
These beautiful animals at birth must remain with their mother who is the one who will feed them, this must be so for at least a period of one to two and a half months of life, however, there are times when this does not happen this way. different circumstances, the mother died, someone separated them or she herself left and now these baby kittens they are under your care.
It is important to note that for good growth and optimal health of cats, mother's milk in conjunction with colostrum are essential and should not be supplanted. When this becomes impossible for any of the reasons already mentioned, it is important to know how to feed a baby cat when he has been orphaned.
His development and well-being will be disturbed when he is rejected by his mother or when he is separated through a human act, but there are times when it becomes impossible and it is necessary to nurture him to save him from certain death.
That is why it is always necessary for those who decide to adopt it to be clear that this will generate certain sacrifices with which they must commit, they must take the role that the mother left and even more so if the cat is a few weeks old, since that moment is the most delicate and which one should be dedicated more, read until the end to know all the care.
What do they eat?
The first question that must be resolved is as to what can be fed and what should be avoided, especially when the mother's milk is absent and it must be supplanted as soon as possible and generate the necessary nutrients for its growth. welfare.
By nature, just as it happens in humans, the mother begins to generate milk once the delivery is over, that is why when they are born they immediately begin to eat, through this "colostrum" they will receive proteins and strengthen their system immunological, after this that milk will be more mature. Through this milk, cats will have all their nutritional needs covered, avoiding dehydration.
Due to this, when the cat gives birth, the owners must be careful that each of the pups of this litter is feeding correctly from the mother, since there is always one that can be left out because his brothers do not let him go. at the mother's breast.
Therefore, the problem does not lie when the mother is present, since the only thing they need is her milk, the inconvenience is really generated when she is not, as will be seen below.
How to feed orphaned newborn kittens?
If the mother is absent, it is when the action of those who adopted these newborns begins, being a task with a certain degree of complexity but that will fill your heart with enthusiasm by saving the lives of these harmless beings and giving them another opportunity that was denied them. .
In addition, if it is within your reach, the first thing to do before starting with the feeding and general care of these animals is to go to a veterinarian, since he will study the particular case and will give you the best advice for that case, he will know the health status of each one and you will know which formula to use.
Follow the recommendations that the veterinarian has given you, but if you were unable to make use of that tool, then go to a store that sells animal products and acquire an artificial milk to feed cats, which is explained in greater detail in the next segments. .
But in addition to feeding them you must also be aware of other care, for example the temperature in which they are developing, they are defenseless beings that still cannot fend for themselves, so they should not be subjected to low or very high temperatures. , so if you live in a place with extreme temperatures, find a way to level it in them.
a few weeks
If you have adopted a cat or a complete litter that you have obtained when you left your home and you consider that they are only a few days old or even a few weeks old, you should take care of their feeding as soon as possible, since the less time they have been born, the more they are still vulnerable to disease, infection and may face death.
Keep in mind that if they are a few weeks old, you must use a bottle or, if you do not have one, use an injection machine to provide them with formula milk, which you can buy ready for the animals' consumption, or the powder, which you must prepare, in either of the two springs will have the amount of nutrients they need. If you want to know how many weeks they have, you should go to a specialist who will make the respective evaluations and give you true information.
Milk for newborn cats
Due to the absence of natural milk from mothers, it must be replaced by some of the nutrients that they need for their well-being and development; so the artificial one fulfills that function and you can buy it at poultry stores or other animal product sales stores.
If you don't get it in those stores, you can also go to veterinary clinics, they usually have this type of product; This milk is not usually as efficient as the one provided by the mother directly, however, it is a very good option that guarantees its nutrients and therefore its health.
When they are newborns, it will be necessary to provide them with from 21 to a maximum of 26 kcal for each hundred grams of body weight of each cat, that is, you should not give them all the same amount, but it will correspond according to the weight that they have. have.
Distribution rate for feeding kittens
Another of the big questions based on this topic is how often these newborn cats should be fed, this information is extremely important, since they should not be given more than they should or left hungry, since in any of Both aspects could cause irreversible damage to their well-being and development.
The number of times a cat can drink milk around a day can vary, since if you observe a herd of cats that are with their mother, they will drink milk from her on several occasions during the course of the day but in small amounts, that is, in sips but at least twenty times.
So when the mother is not available, it is necessary that this be similar, or on a regular basis, it is best that the milk is distributed with a range between them of at least six hours, so that the stomach processes it. and they have time to relieve themselves to feed again.
Milk should be offered to cats at least four times during the day or eight depending on the amount you are giving them, there will be times when they will consume it all and others they simply will not want it, but what you must always respect is the time in which they are giving it, that is, you should not advance or delay their feeding.
Something that you should also take into account is the fact that you should not always wake him up, since if you do it over and over again to feed him you can generate stress for the cats.
step by step feeding
Perhaps you still have doubts about how you should carry out the feeding of the cats that you have just rescued, so the steps that you must follow will be detailed below:
The first thing you should keep in mind is that you should preferably select a place to feed them where there is tranquility, silence, where they feel comfortable to feed, which are not interrupted by the noise of cars or children playing, otherwise These animals may suffer from stress, have poor digestion or swallowing.
When they are newborn or a few weeks old, it is best to adopt the same position as when the mother is, that is, you can place a pillow on the belly and the head is elevated; Normally they stop eating when they feel full, but try to always respect the amount already mentioned.
After they stop eating, you have to wait a few minutes, then you should help the pups to relieve themselves, that is, urinate or defecate, you should rub their ventral area until they complete this functionality, you should not skip this step, because it is of great importance.
When they finish, you must place them again in the place you have designated for them to rest, remember that they must be kept warm. You must be attentive to how it behaves, since when it is moaning a lot or meowing, it means that it has fed more than it should.
Weaning kittens
Once the first four weeks of being born have elapsed, the weaning procedure begins, that is, when the offspring are separated from the mother's teat, however, there are cases in which this process occurs before of those weeks and others take a little longer.
Even within the same litter there will be some that are weaned before others, so you should not worry, on the contrary, you should respect each one's time.
You should know that once this happens you should start placing special food for these animals which must be moist, in a range between two and three times throughout the day; When you notice that they show interest in the food, you should start putting water on them, which you should keep changing and keeping it clean.
Over time, this wet food will no longer be necessary, but must be replaced by special dry food for puppies, which you can get at any local pet store.
Never forget that this process must always be adapted to each cat in the pack, that is to say, that none will act in the same way, so you must be aware of each one of the changes so that you do not cause damage to any of them.
kitten care
But not only their diet is important, there must also be other factors that are coupled to a general well-being and these cats can develop properly. You must bear in mind that when they are newborn they will not be able to regulate their body temperature by themselves, so you must give them shelter where they are warm.
It can be a basket or a box depending on availability, in which you should place old towels or sheets to keep them warm, but below this there should be a thermal mat that will be placed at twenty degrees Celsius, if you live in an area where temperatures are very low so add a sheet over them and you will avoid having a crying cat
Humidity is also an important factor for newborns, so you could place glasses or jars of water near the place you have chosen so that the mucosa can rest and breathing will be maintained properly.
Weight control
Keeping track of the weight of each of the cats that have been born is very important and one of the factors that you must take into account, so giving them names and identifying them quickly is something that would make this task easier.
The specialists establish that if these at birth have a lower than normal weight then it can be a representation of a condition that affects newborns and that can often be serious, even through various studies it has been proven that death in newborn cats born is highly related to the weight they had.
This may occur due to a poor diet that the mother had throughout the gestation period; cats that are underweight have a higher metabolism and also their energy needs are higher than the rest.
Due to this factor they are more vulnerable to hypoglycemia; therefore, the greatest recommendation is that you weigh each of the cats every day and keep them written down somewhere of your choice, differentiate between them so that it is easier for you to keep the proper record.
For this you must be aware that the most normal thing is that when they are born the weight should be around between ninety and one hundred and ten grams, which should increase every day, approximately fifteen to fifteen grams. By the time two weeks have passed then the cat should have doubled its birth weight.
After those first two weeks, then the weight that will increase weekly will be about fifty grams, there will even be some that will reach one hundred grams weekly; if it drops about ten grams, don't worry, but if it is higher than that amount, you should take precautions.
A table per week is as follows:
- Birth: 90 – 110 grams
- 1st week: 140 – 200 grams
- 2st week: 180 – 300 grams
- 3st week: 250 – 380 grams
- 4st week: 260 – 440 grams
- 5st week: 280 – 530 grams
- 6st week: 320 – 600 grams
- 7st week: 350 – 700 grams
- 8st week: 400 – 800 grams
