How To Get A Newborn Kitten To Bottle Feed – This resource provides instructions for caring for bottle-fed kittens (“bottle kittens”) – very young kittens that have been abandoned or orphaned. This includes feeding, weaning, medical care, developmental milestones and more.

For their safety, bottle babies should be placed in a cat carrier when not feeding or caring for them. The kitten should be kept warm. Use a heating pad designed and approved for pets (such as K&H or Snugglesafe heated pet bed) wrapped in two or three layers of towels. The layer at the top of the bed can also be a soft wool blanket instead of a towel. Make sure the carrier is big enough for the kittens to have room to move away from the heating pad if they get too hot. Kittens will need a warm-up run when they are 3 to 4 weeks old.

How To Get A Newborn Kitten To Bottle Feed

Cover the carrier with a towel or blanket and place it in a warm, draft-free room, safely away from other pets. Check the bed several times a day for messes. The bed should be changed at least once a day, if the kitten soil the bed.

Happy Bottle Fed Kitten

A kitten’s ideal body temperature is 100 to 102 degrees. A kitten that feels cold and unresponsive should be rewarmed immediately. Never try to feed a cold kitten. Place the cat tightly wrapped in two or three layers of towels on an approved heating pad. Turn the cat on its side every 5 minutes. You can, ever gently, massage the kitten and rub the hands to stimulate blood circulation. If the kitten does not respond within 20 to 30 minutes, contact your medical personnel immediately.

Do not give kittens cow’s milk, because it does not provide proper nutrition for them. Cow’s milk can also cause diarrhea, a potentially life-threatening condition in young kittens. Only feed your kitten an approved cat formula. Cat Milk Replacement Formula (KMR) is ideal. Instructions for mixing KMR are given below.

Use a formula that is 1 part to 2 parts water. A fraction is what you are using to measure. For example, if you are using a measuring spoon, that would mean 1 tablespoon of powdered KMR and 2 tablespoons of water.

Refrigerated formula should be warmed to 98-102 degrees Fahrenheit before feeding. Heat a cup of water and place the bottle in the cup of hot water. Never heat the bottle in the microwave. Before feeding the kittens, always test the temperature of the formula by placing a few drops on the inside of your wrist to make sure it is not too hot. Always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before and after feeding kittens. Bottles and nipples should be thoroughly cleaned before each use.

Caring For Neonatal Kittens

When bottle nipples are brand new, you may need to cut a hole in the top. Cut an X at the tip of the nipple using small, sharp scissors. Or you can burn a hole in the nipple using a large needle. Heat the needle with a match, then insert it into the tip of the nipple. It may take a few tries to find the right size hole. Once the hole is formed, test it by placing the nipple on the formula bottle and turning the bottle upside down. The formula should slowly drip from the hole. If the hole is too large, the cat will ingest too much formula too quickly; If it is too small, they will have to work harder to eat and not eat as much as they should.

To prevent the possibility of spreading the virus to kittens and other pets in your home, put a “cat coat” (a robe, sweatshirt, etc.) in the cat room to feed the cats. You can also wear gloves if you want, and remember to always wash your hands thoroughly before and after feeding your babies.

Because kittens under 4 weeks old cannot urinate or urinate on their own, you will need to help the kittens by encouraging them to urinate before or after each meal, or both. Using something soft and absorbent, such as tissue or toilet paper, rub each kitten’s genital area in a circular motion. (For details, see the disposal section below.) If there are any problems, keep a record of disposals. After a kitten is weaned, weigh it before eating. You should also track the kitten’s weight before and after each meal.

After recording the kitten’s elimination and weight, it’s time to eat. Never feed a kitten on its back. The kitten should be on its stomach in the same position as it would lie down to nurse next to its mother. You can try holding the kitten upright in a warm towel or try placing the kitten in your lap on a towel. Experiment with what position works best for you and the kitten.

Raising Orphaned Kittens

Turn the bottle upside down and let a drop of the formula come out. Place the nipple of the bottle in the kitten’s mouth and swing it gently, holding the bottle at a 45-degree angle to prevent air from entering the kitten’s stomach. This movement should encourage the cat to start eating. If at first you are unsuccessful, wait a few minutes and try again. Usually the kitten will lie down and start nursing. If the bottle seems broken, gently remove the nipple from the kitten’s mouth and let more air back into the bottle.

Let the kitten nurse at its own pace. If a kitten refuses to nurse, try patting the cat’s back or rubbing its forehead gently. This stroke is similar to the mother cat’s grooming and may encourage the kitten to nurse. If that doesn’t work, try rubbing syrup on the cat’s mouth. If the kitten still does not want to nurse, contact your medical personnel immediately.

Do not try to feed a cold kitten as this can have serious health consequences. Try warming up the cat as described above. If you are unable to warm the cat, contact your medical personnel immediately.

A kitten should eat 8 milliliters (mls) of formula per ounce of body weight per day. The chart below provides guidance on when and how much to feed kittens.

Kitten Feeding Guide

Feeding bottles are marked with measurements, so there is another way to know how much milk you are feeding your kittens. Please note that some bottles use ml for measurement, some use cubic centimeters (cc). They are the same: 1 cc = 1 ml.

Using a kitchen or small postal scale, weigh the kittens each day to calculate the amount of formula they need. List the daily weight and amount of formula consumed at each meal.

If feeding more than one kitten, feed the first kitten until it stops nursing, then start feeding the next kitten, and so on. Once you feed all the kittens, feed the first kitten again and repeat with all the kittens. Usually one to three turns of retreat will be enough. When a kitten stops nursing, it has had enough. A well-fed kitten’s belly should be round, but not hard and distinguishable. Small or weak kittens may eat less per feeding and will need to feed more often.

Kittens need to burp, just like human babies. Place the kitten on its belly, on your shoulder or on your lap, and pat its back very gently until you hear a little squeal. You may need to burp twice for each meal.

Caring For Bottle Babies

Young kittens can nurse on each other. If you see a kitten doing this, you should separate the kitten because it can lead to a number of medical problems.

Weaning can begin in about 4 weeks. Start by offering cat formula on a spoon. Once they take the spoon, try pouring some formula into a saucer. As they specialize in lapping the formula from the saucer, you can slowly add a small amount of canned food to the formula in the saucer, creating a pan. Increase the amount of canned food gradually, adding more food and less formula. Some kittens catch on right away, others may take a few days. To ensure that the kittens are getting enough food, you may need to continue to bottle feed them a few times a day until they are eating well on their own. Make sure you only feed them what they need to fill them up, but don’t overfeed them.

Never force a kitten to wean. Some kittens continue to enjoy bottles past 4 weeks. This is good as long as you keep a close eye on them and make sure they don’t chew on the nipple. Now that they have teeth, they can swallow part of the nipple.

Monitor the cat’s stools to make sure they tolerate and digest the gruel mixture well. If the kittens’ stools are loose, reduce the amount of canned food and increase the formula until their system recovers. As the kittens adjust to the gruel mixture you will add more canned food

Important Tips For Feeding Newborn Kittens

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