How to Care for Orphaned Kittens

How to Care for Orphaned Kittens

Note:- Do not feed cow's milk to kittens, as the lactose in it can cause upset stomach in kittens. If you don't have a mill replacement and your cat is hungry, give him a dropper or syringe to give him some cool boiled water until you can get him from the vet clinic or pet store. The water will keep the kitten hydrated and will not upset her stomach.

1-Give kittens a milk substitute:- Powdered cat milk replacers (such as Cimicat) can be purchased at vet clinics, pet stores, or on the Internet. KMR can also be another good milk replacer. This is a formula formulated for the infant with the same properties as breast milk. Guidelines are given on the milk replacer itself as to how much it should be fed.

2- Use a specially designed kitten feeding bottle to treat kittens:- You can buy this from a vet clinic, big pet store, or even online. Quickly use an eyedropper or a small syringe to put the milk replacement into the baby's mouth.

3-Burp the kitten after every meal. Just like it is done for a young child:- hold the kitten upright over your shoulder or put your hand under its belly. Pat his back gently and rub.

4-Stimulate the kitten to urinate and potty:- Before and after each feeding, wipe the bottom of the kitten with a paper towel or a gauze soaked in lukewarm water. Doing this prompts the kitten to go to the toilet, which it is not going to do without it. After each feeding, hold the kitten over the litter box and the kitten with the towel. Rub the genitals and anal area. Keep doing this until he stops urinating and pottying (when anything stops coming out).

* Rub in one direction only – rubbing back and forth causes irritation.

* It is not recommended to use cotton balls or pads, as they are wear-resistant.

5-Look for signs of healthy elimination:- Urine should be pale yellow in colour and odourless, and stool should be yellowish-brown, in small lumps. Dark, foul-smelling urine is a sign of dehydration; green stool may indicate over-feeding, while white stool may indicate malabsorption, a serious problem. If you have any concerns, call your vet.

* If your kitten doesn't urinate for 12 hours, take her to the vet immediately.

* Most kittens poop once a day, but they can have different schedules of their own. If it's been more than two days since she's potty, take her to the vet.

6- Follow the kitten's feeding schedule:- Feed the kitten every two to three hours for the first two weeks of life. The kitten will signal to you that it is hungry by roaring and turning around as it seeks the nipple. The kitten will fall asleep when its stomach is full and its belly will be round. After two weeks, increase this feed time to every three to four hours with a 6-hour gap between nights.

7-Try to keep the kitten warm by covering it with a heating pad:- Newborn kittens (under two weeks of age) cannot regulate their body temperature by clinging to their mother. You can simulate this situation by placing them in a heating pad designed for puppies or kittens. Avoid putting them in direct contact with the pad. If the kitten is in direct contact with the heat pad, he or she will be at risk of local burns or overheating. However, these pads usually come with an RK Fleece cover on them, so this shouldn't be a problem, only when you remove the cover to wash, in which case now replaced with A towel should be put on.

* As the kitten gets older (more than two weeks), she will automatically withdraw from the heat if she feels it is too hot for her.

8-Never feed a cold cat:- If the cat's body seems cold, you will need to warm it up slowly first. When the cat's ears and/or paws feel cold to the touch, the cat is cold. Pad put your fingers in the cat's mouth, if the inside feels too cold, the cat's temperature has dropped too low, which can be life-threatening. Warm her gently for one to two hours by wrapping her feet in a fleece blanket and holding her close to your body, rubbing her gently with your hands.

Advise

When you hold a cat, make sure that you are supporting its leg as well. You'll eventually get a sense of how each cat likes to be held, but the rule of supporting all four legs, in the beginning, will keep it calm and reduce the chances of it scratching and becoming upset.

Wait until your cat is old enough to sleep in your bed, as she probably won't be comfortable in it and may want to stay in her own bed.

One thing to note is that kittens are born blind. So make sure the space around it is safe so that kids don't injure themselves by bumping into something, hitting a sharp object, or falling.

Give your cat some fun toys to help her learn to find.

If your cat makes a sound at you and rubs you a lot, it is probably hungry and needs to eat. It is necessary to feed them.

If you are adopting a cat from a family, be sure to ask about the food they give to their cat.