What Can I Give Newborn Kittens To Eat

Since their dietary needs are different from older kittens you will need to bottle feed if your kitten is a newborn.

What can i give newborn kittens to eat. Provide some moist foods in the diet regularly e g. When offering your kitten any of these different foods keep the 10 rule in mind. Begin with a milk substitute. Newborn kittens need mother s milk or kitten milk replacer kmr.

A newborn kitten can only digest milk and more specifically the milk from a female cat. In fact many kittens have more fun uprooting the grass than eating it. When kittens are first born they are completely helpless their eyes are closed their ears are folded and they can t stand keep themselves warm or eat on their own they rely on mom for everything. Mix powdered milk with water according to the manufacturer s directions then warm to body temperature.

The grasses can provide fiber vitamins and minerals for your kitten but they primarily offer your kitten something new to experience. If the kitten is a newborn then its eyes and ears will still be sealed shut. Colostrum is produced by the mother cat. In addition offer one new.

Learn more about newborn kittens in our kitten guide. Any more than 10 could upset the nutritional balance of her food. Choosing a type of solid food. Kittens are born blind and deaf.

A kitten that had a mother would receive the colostrum in their first hours of life. Only give cow s milk in case of an emergency. Feeding the wrong sort of milk such as cow s milk can have short term and long term effects including diarrhea dehydration nutritional deficiencies and long term health problems due to poor growth. Newborn kittens are those under two weeks old and they survive on a diet of milk and cannot digest solid food.

Bottles with faster flow could endanger the kitty by causing her to aspirate milk into her lungs. Anything you add to your kitten s daily diet should not account for more than 10 of the total daily calories. To properly feed a newborn kitten purchase either liquid or powdered kitten milk and a bottle designed especially for feeding newborn animals. Between weeks 3 and 8 give the kittens a safe space to wander around in your house or apartment while supervised to fulfill their natural curiosity.

When ready the milk should feel as warm as the inside of your wrist. Its use is not only to give nutrients to the newborn kitten but also to provide passive immune defenses by transmitting immunoglobulins. You should avoid sausages sausage meat and cooked manufactured meats as they can also contain sulphite preservatives. Ask your veterinarian how to give newborn kittens a mixture of cow s milk and egg yolk until you can get kmr.

A kitten s eyes will start to open when the kitten is around seven to 10 days old. Part 2 of 3. Take care not to overfeed or underfeed your kitten. If you re concerned that kittens will not readily take to eating solid food you can provide a milk substitute as an intermediary step one.