What Milk To Give Newborn Kittens
You can purchase kitten milk replacement formula kmr at your local pet food store vet s office and even online.
What milk to give newborn kittens. Newborn kittens need mother s milk or kitten milk replacer kmr. Ask your veterinarian how to give newborn kittens a mixture of cow s milk and egg yolk until you can get kmr. When a kitten is first born the milk that it consumes from its mother contains a plethora of antibodies that the kitten s system is not yet capable of producing. Their stomachs are small and they would be suckling from mum little and often.
Offer these foods 4 6 times per day. If you cannot find a foster mother please consult with your veterinarian about the proper way to bottle feed with a commercial milk replacer. The stomach capacity of a newborn is about 50 ml kg usually a single kitten absorbes about 10 20 ml of milk so the concentration of the replacement milk is essential to meet the kitten s needs. A newborn kitten should ideally be fed at least every two hours throughout the day and night.
To properly feed a newborn kitten purchase either liquid or powdered kitten milk and a bottle designed especially for feeding newborn animals. This bottle emits only one drop of milk at a time to control the rate of feeding. Do not give cow s milk to the kittens because it is too hard for them to digest. These antibodies help to protect that kitten against a wide variety of diseases.
Bottles with faster flow could endanger the kitty by causing her to aspirate milk into her lungs. A newborn kitten can only digest milk and more specifically the milk from a female cat. Reputable brands in the united states include cimicat and just born kitten milk but you. Kittens that do not drink their mother s colostrum or firstmilk stand a much greater risk of.
Colostrum the first milk that newborn kittens receive in their first day or so after whelping is responsible not only for providing nutrition but also for the transfer of crucial maternal. When the kittens are 3 4 weeks old provide formula in a shallow dish as well as some kitten food that has been softened with water. If the energy density of the lacto alternative is too low we will have to increase the number of shots given. At feeding time mix half of the estimated feeding amount with an equal amount of boiling water.
When the kittens are 6 12. If you have newborn kittens who ve been separated from their mother consult with a veterinarian shelter or experienced foster care giver who can help you find a new mother cat with a small litter she may be able to nurse the orphaned babies. Once a day mix one drop of the human infant liquid vitamins in each kitten s formula portion. Water will fill their stomach but their blood sugar may drop so ideally they should be given only kitten milk as a newborn.
Mix the milk egg yolk and syrup well and store it in a tightly sealed jar in the refrigerator. Newborn kittens require milk for a variety of reasons. Only give cow s milk in case of an emergency. How do you feed a newborn kitten.