How to feed a newborn kitten - proper nutrition for weekly kittens
Many people are interested in how to feed a newborn kitten, who brings little kittens into the house, thrown out into the street by careless owners, not wanting to deal with the offspring of their cat.
In most cases in the city, cat owners kill their offspring or throw them out. It is a great happiness for them to fall into the hands of good people, who are ready to feed them, go out and distribute to those who wish. The main thing is to have time to bring kittens into the house before that, as they are hypothermic, so they still have a chance to grow up healthy and strong cats.
Our article will focus on artificial feeding of newborn kittens, so you can know, how to properly feed a one-week-old kitten and an older one.
How and what to feed newborn kittens
The best food for newborn kittens is a special milk formula for cats, it is sold in specialized pet stores. But if you can not buy it, you can prepare the usual mixture for infants or take plain milk, diluted with egg. Ordinary undiluted milk should not be given to newborn kittens. The recipe for this mixture is, that you need to mix the following ingredients:
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50 g cow's milk;
- 15 g milk powder;
- 2,5 dry yeast;
- 53 g eggs;
- separately 50 g beaten egg yolk;
- 1 g of vegetable oil;
- 4 g of grape sugar.
It is very important to follow the proportions when preparing the mixture, so do not add or reduce the weight of these ingredients.
Some feed kittens diluted milk or cream with water, but it is not entirely acceptable for babies and their health.
At the age of one week, the kitten requires approximately 38 grams of mixture per hundred grams of its weight. Be sure before, how to start feeding your baby check the mixture for temperature: drip it on your elbow, if it is warm and not hot, you can start feeding the kitten.
When choosing a food for your newborn kitten, keep the following in mind:
- the most ideal option is to find a feeding cat, you can ask the neighbors;
- Under no circumstances should newborn kittens be given pure cow's milk, they may die of indigestion;
- option - a mixture for feeding newborns, or goat's milk;
- the prepared mixture may be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 24 hours;
- do not feed the kitten a mixture of their refrigerator, it was not pre-heated;
- the optimum temperature of ready food is from 30 to 36 degrees.
Ways to feed small kittens
We found out, than to feed kittens, and now let's find out, how the feeding process itself takes place and what to consider, before you start feeding your kitten:
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kittens are fed with a syringe with a needle attached, pipettes, catheter, baby bottle with a narrow nose or a special cat bottle;
- during feeding the animal should lie on its belly, so it will not choke;
- control the process of feeding the mixture during feeding, so that the animal does not swallow air;
- do not use a wide-opening bottle for feeding, so that the liquid does not get into the cat's airways;
- hold the bottle at an angle 45 degrees and just like that;
- at the age of one week kittens should be fed each 2 years, in a week - every three, and at the age of three weeks the number of feedings decreases to 5 times;
- the amount eaten at one time the mixture should be about 5 mg in the first week of life, the second volume is doubled. The dose is measured with a syringe;
- the optimal feeding time for a kitten is up to 5 minutes;
- when saturated, the animal begins to suck sluggishly and begins to fall asleep;
- if the animal is unable to eat the proposed amount of mixture at one time, then you need to increase the number of feedings;
- do not force feed the cat;
- after you have fed the animal, it should be stroked on the abdomen and let it burp;
- follow, to make feeding devices sterile, the room should be perfectly clean;
- in the room should not stretch.
How to properly care for kittens and keep
If you have sheltered newborn kittens at home, who were saved from death on the street, then they should not only be fed properly and regularly, but they also need proper care. Observe the following rules of care for them:
- control your baby's weight daily with scales, with normal development, they add about daily 15 grams in weight;
- because the digestive system of small cats is still very weak, they need help with the toilet. To this end, after you have fed the animal, massage the abdomen and anus with a cotton ball soaked in water or a rag. An adult cat usually licks after feeding babies, it is necessary to ensure the replacement of this natural procedure;
- with proper hygiene the animal will go to the toilet 4 times a day;
- feces in small cats should be light brown. But the yellow and liquid feces indicates that, that you overfed the animal. If the feces are gray, green and liquid - this signals a systematic overfeeding, so that the animal does not die, consult a veterinarian;
- twice a day, wipe the fur and muzzle of the animal with a damp cloth;
- toilet training starts from the moment, when kittens switch to solid foods.
Kids should have their own corner in the apartment or house. It should be equipped in accordance with the following rules and guidelines:
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the cat house should not be located for, it should be cozy and quiet;
- the optimum ambient temperature in the first week of the animal's life is from 27 to 30 degrees, on the other - 29 degrees maximum, and then it can be reduced to 24 degrees;
- some buy special incubators to keep newborn cats, equipped with an infrared lamp for heating. If you do not have the opportunity to buy such a device, then you can millet take a cardboard box with high edges;
- the bottom of the box should be lined with something warm, example, wool. At the top you need to lay a diaper or towel and change as you get dirty;
- under the litter you can place a warmer to warm the animals;
- you can put small soft toys in the box, so that the cats can cling to them like a mother.
If there is a cat feeding, but the cat does not eat milk
If the kittens have a mother, but they refuse her milk, then the problem may be as in itself, and in kittens. If the baby has a problem, then you need to feed him artificially, as described above, or squeeze a bottle of milk from a cat with your own hands.
And the cat's problem may be her nipples: they can be solid and crowded. The kitten refuses to suck, and the cat may begin to suffer from mastitis. Squeeze her milk and attach a cabbage leaf to the cat's nipples, pre-soaked in milk. You can fix it with a special bandage for a while. This will make the nipples of the mother cat softer and the kittens will be able to enjoy their mother's milk again., which, undoubtedly, will be the best food for them.
Introduction of animal feed
As well as small children, Babies of cats over time, one milk or mixture will not be enough for proper nutrition. From about the fourth week of life, they should be fed. First, offer the kittens milk porridge, and then you can make porridge on cereals with meat and vegetables in water.
Supplementary feed is introduced at the rate 200 grams per kilogram. Meat should be more than half the norm, cereals should also be present in the kitten's diet, vegetables, as well as cheese and dairy products.
The table of introduction of supplementary food for small cats looks approximately so:
- in the first month of life enter milk porridge and boiled yolk;
- on the second you need to enter the cheese, distorted boiled meat and cheese;
- on the third - cereals, meat with vegetables, slices of boiled meat and cheese in a twisted form, raw vegetables.
You can continue to feed the baby the mixture, but the feeding and dosing regimen should be followed. It is desirable to give a special mixture for cats of this age.
From the age of three weeks in the diet of animals can be introduced specialized feed in the form of granules. The initial dose is a few granules, soaked in water. From the age of two months, the granules can be given in pure form without soaking.
If you give your baby dry food, then do not forget to put a bowl of clean water next to it, its contents should be changed daily.
in addition, if you have taken home a kitten or several kittens, remember, that you are responsible not only for their feeding and care, but also for education. You replace his mother and must be responsible for this small and defenseless animal.