What To Feed Newborn Kittens By Hand
When the kitten is basically newborn with eyes closed the very first meal is a little complicated since the sucking habit has not been formed and also the condition is extremely weak particularly if orphaned or malnourished before.
What to feed newborn kittens by hand. Here s how to safe. Most kittens can handle a diet of solids by seven weeks of age. 1 in order to bottle feed the kitten you will need to gather a few supplies. If any kittens do not receive the first milk contact your vet.
Gently depress the plunger with the palm to give drip by drip. This allows the kitten time to swallow and breathe. Fill a 10 ml syringe place the index and middle finger each side of barrel wings and the plunger head into the palm of your hand. The liquid is more convenient and less prone to clumping but it is less economical than powdered formula since an opened can has a very short lifespan and must be thrown out within days.
If you re caring for a newborn orphan kitten syringe feeding might be a good option but you want to make sure you re doing so carefully. Up to two weeks old your kittens will need feeding approximately 2mls of milk every two hours including through the night. The hydration newborn kittens need from their mother if the kittens have their mother she will be in charge of feeding them. As the very best thing to make use of to feed them is really a syringe with no needle.
A kitten aged between six to 10 weeks old needs to be fed six to eight meals a day while a kitten aged 10 weeks to six or seven months needs four meals a day and a kitten up to nine months needs three meals a day. Kmr milk replacer a commercial formula comes in both liquid and powdered varieties for hand feeding newborn kittens. At four weeks you can start to introduce kitten food but they ll still need their three hourly milk feeds. It is essential that kittens receive colostrum to protect them against disease.
Depending on its size and condition your newborn kitten will need approximately nine to 12 daily feedings. Normally all water needs should be covered in their entirety by breast milk during the first weeks. First and foremost keep your kittens warm. She should breastfeed them at least until 8 weeks old.
Newborn kittens need to feed every two to three hours. Kittens can only absorb colostrum during their first 16 to 24 hours of life and they should feed within two hours of birth. Kittens under 10 days old are not able to maintain their own body heat so you will need to supplement heat for them. It is good practice always to check the smooth running of a syringe this way.
Your kitten cannot properly digest foods or liquid if she is cold and will most likely refuse food as well.