Newborn Kittens Care

Brushing her coat and trimming her claws are two important elements of newborn kitten care and the sooner you start routine cat maintenance the easier it is for both of you.

Newborn kittens care. At about three to four weeks old they can be offered milk replacer from a bowl and then small amounts of moistened kitten food four to six times a. Make sure you change the bedding frequently so it doesn t get too soiled. Newborn kittens may nurse about every 1 2 hours. These antibodies last for six weeks or more.

Like a human baby a newborn kitten will need to be fed frequently approximately every two to three hours. The mother cat can keep the babies warm but if she leaves to eat or use a litter box the kittens can get cold. Chilling is one of the most critical dangers to newborn kittens. Food and nutrition for a newborn kitten newborn kittens do not have any teeth and get all of their food and nutrition from cat milk.

If you are committed to helping the newborn kittens and become their surrogate mother then you will need to provide a safe warm home for them. This will continue until they gradually transition to solid foods when they are around four weeks old weaning. You will also want to check the feeding guidelines on your particular brand of milk. The first milk produced called colostrum is rich in antibodies and will help protect kittens against diseases.

If you are using a brand new bottle cut a small hole in the nipple using small and sharp scissors. Newborn kittens should get all of their nutrition from their mother. At 6 12 weeks old start giving them dry. Provide blankets a heat lamp or a heating pad to ensure the kittens stay warm.

If the kittens are 1 2 weeks old bottle feed them with milk replacer formula every 1 2 hours. A two week old kitten can be fed every four to six hours. The first few days after giving birth the mother cat will produce a very special kind of milk for the kittens called colostrum. At 3 4 weeks old provide formula and water softened kitten kibble 4 6 times daily.

So until then they will be very reliant on their mother or you as their human caretaker for sight and sound. So a kitten weighing 3 ounces will need about 24 ounces of milk replacement every 24 hours. Remember a kitten s eyes do not completely open until nine to 14 days after birth and their ear canals won t fully open until week three. You can use a box or small crate with plenty of dry clean bedding.

If the mother cat is not around you ll need to prepare and feed them yourself. On the first week of the newborn kittens life they should be fed every two to three hours. To care for newborn kittens when the mother cat is still present feed the mother to keep her strength up but leave the kittens alone for the first week to ensure the mother doesn t reject them. Regular brushing or combing removes excess hair thus reducing hairballs and keeps her coat clean and shiny while nail clipping lessens her chances of a claw snag.