Author:
John Stephens
Date Of Creation:
26 January 2021
Update Date:
1 July 2024
Content
Taking care of a newborn kitten is hard work. Kittens need attention and care throughout the day. When you have just adopted a few newborn cats, you will face difficult tasks.If the mother cat is still around, the mother cat can cover all the needs of the kittens. You can support the mother by feeding her and avoiding contact with the kittens for the first week after birth. If the mother cat is no longer or is unable to care for her baby, you will be responsible for replacing the mother. Your responsibilities include feeding the kittens, keeping the cat warm, and even helping the kitten to poop.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Feeding
Consider the circumstances. The care you give to a newborn kitten will depend on a few factors: the kitten's age, whether the mother is still caring for the kitten, and the kitten's health. If you have just received a litter of kittens, you need to provide them with all the needs the mother cat will fulfill, such as food, warmth, and toilet support. Take a moment to think about it before taking care of the kitten.
- If you find a few kittens that you think have been abandoned or separated, observe them from a distance of about 10 meters to see if the mother is coming back.
- If the kittens are in danger, you should immediately intervene without waiting for the mother to return. For example, you should intervene as soon as the kitten is in danger, has been freezing, has been left in a place prone to being run over or trampled on, or is in an area where a bad dog could hurt her.
Get help from your veterinarian or your local animal rescue station. Don't feel like you have to take care of the kitten yourself. Caring for a newborn kitten is difficult work and you may not have all the things you need to help your kitten survive. Contact your veterinarian or your local animal rescue station for assistance. They may even provide a replacement mother for the kittens to get enough nutrients, or they can help you bottle feed your cat.
Feed the mother cat if she is still with her baby. If the mother cat is still present and caring for the kittens, leaving the mother to do so will give the kitten the best results. However, you can still help by providing food and shelter for the mother cat. Just make sure you keep the food and accommodation in a separate area, or the mother won't accept your help.
Feed the kitten. If the mother is no longer or able to care for the kitten, prepare the food and feed the kitten yourself. The type of food you prepare will depend on the kitten's age. Be sure to check with your veterinarian about any of your kitten's special feeding needs.- When the kittens are 1 to 2 weeks old, give the kitten milk replacement solution every 1-2 hours. Do not give kittens cow's milk because it is difficult for their bodies to digest cow's milk.
- When the kittens are 3-4 weeks old, pour the milk replacement solution into a shallow dish as well as some water-soaked cat food to soften. Feed your cat 4-6 times a day.
- By the time the kitten is 6-12 weeks old, reduce the amount of milk replacer and begin offering dry cat food. Feed your cat 4 times a day.
Weigh the kitten once a week. To ensure that the kitten is properly nourished and gaining weight, you need to weigh the kitten once a week and record its weight. Kittens should gain about 49.6 g to 99.2 g per week. Contact your vet if you are concerned that your cat is not gaining weight fast enough. advertisement
Method 2 of 3: Carrying and Protecting
Avoid contact with kittens during the first week of life if the mother is still around. The mother cat may leave the kittens or become uncomfortable when the kittens are handled too much, so for the best kittens, leave them alone while the mother is still present. However, starting from 2-7 years of age, it is very important to let the kitten get used to the hand he is holding.
Gently hold the kitten. Take extreme care when handling a newborn cat. If you have a young child in your home who likes to pick up cats, teach them how to handle them gently and not let them hold the kitten unattended. Newborn cats are frail, and even a baby can seriously injure them.
Make a nest for the kitten to sleep. If the kitten doesn't have a place to sleep yet, be sure to arrange the kitten in a warm, dry place, and away from predators. Make sure the location you choose is not near fire, water, and drafts. You can use a paper box or a cat litter that is lined with a clean towel or blanket.
Keep the kitten warm. If the mother is no longer around, use a heating bag or hot water bottle wrapped in a towel to keep the kitten warm. Just make sure the kitten can stay away from the heat source if it feels too hot. Check regularly to see if the kitten is comfortable. advertisement
Method 3 of 3: Go to the toilet
Let the mother cat help the kitten to the toilet if the mother is still with / can still care for the kitten. If the mother cat is still around to help the kitten poop, let the mother complete her task. During the kitten's first few weeks of age, the mother will lick the kitten's genital area to help her urinate and defecate. Don't interfere while the mother cat is taking care of the kittens.
Help the kitten urinate / defecate when needed. If the mother is not around, help her to urinate and defecate during the first few weeks of age. Use a wet washcloth or wet gauze to gently pat the kitten's genital area until the cat pee and / or defecate. Wash or throw away the towels immediately and dry the kitten before returning it to the same litter.
Encourage your cat to use a litter box at four weeks of age. By about four weeks, the kitten will be ready to use the litter box. To encourage the cat to defecate in the box, place a baby kitten in the box after the cat has finished eating. Once the kitten has pooped in the box, return the kitten to its litter and put the next kitten in the box. Let each kitten go to the bathroom for a few minutes after each meal.
Watch for kittens' problems. If any kitten is unable to urinate or defecate after stimulating it or after being placed in a litter box, contact your veterinarian immediately to find out why. The kitten may be constipated or has an obstruction that needs to be removed. advertisement
Advice
- Don't hesitate to seek help from your veterinarian or your local animal rescue station. They may have volunteers ready to help you care for kittens and improve their survival.
- Do not let young children under 8 years of age handle the cat unattended until the cat is 5-6 weeks old.
Warning
- Do not hold the kitten like an infant when using a bottle. If you do, the milk will spill into the kitten's lungs. Always let the kitten stand on the floor or on your lap while eating.
- Remember not to let the kitten drink cow's milk! Cow's milk is very indigestible and can easily make a kitten sick.
- Do not bathe the kittens until they are older than 9 weeks, or the mother will abandon the kittens because they no longer smell the mother.
- Contact your veterinarian immediately if the kitten develops symptoms of illness (lethargy, sneezing, refusing to eat, etc.). Kittens can die if they become sick or malnourished.
If you are going to give away the newborn kittens, make sure to keep them in a perforated paper box, plenty of bedding and food to keep the kitten alive. Kittens need to be kept warm, especially when exposed to cold weather.
