| Paw Colors | Points |
|---|---|
| Grey | 0-49 |
| Red | 50-149 |
| Orange | 150-299 |
| Green | 300-599 |
| Magenta | 600-1499 |
| Purple | 1500-4999 |
| Blue | 5000-9999 |
| Brown | 10000-24999 |
| Black | 25000+ |
What’s the best way to care for two premature kitties?
Our cat Cha-Cha just gave birth to five kitties, two of whom are premature. These kitties are way smaller than the rest and are always put to the side by Cha-Cha. They do not feed from their mother and we have been trying to feed them using a kitty bottle and they won’t take any food
They cry all the time and we don’t really know what’s the best way to make sure they’re gonna be ok.
Thanks!
SAL+
Keywords: care, premature kitties
Answers to this question
7 Answers
6
Constant crying by the kittens indicates something is wrong.
Contact your veterinarian. Consult the doctor if the kittens fail to gain weight.
Make sure you are feeding a formula designed for kittens ONLY. Do not give them human milk as you can kill them.
Feeding can be done with an eyedropper or a nursing bottle (available at the vet). If using the eyedropper be careful not to force feed the kitten. Let the baby suck the fluid at its own pace, otherwise you can fill the baby’s lungs with milk and cause pneumonia.
If the baby is old enough to suckle, the bottle method is best. One company even makes a special kitten nurser which is designed to keep air bubbles out of the baby’s tummy. The company is Catac ($15 to Kitte Res-Q, Dept. C, P.O. Box 723, Santa Paula, Ca 93061).
All utensils should be sterilized before each feeding.
To feed your kitten, place it stomach down on a towel or other textured surface to which it can cling. Open its mouth gently with the tip of your finger, then slip the nipple between its jaws. To prevent air from entering the kitten’s stomach, hold the bottle at a 45-degree angle, keeping a light pull on the bottle to encourage vigorous sucking.
If a suckling kitten aspirates formula into its lungs, immediately hold it upside down until the choking subsides. If the kitten is not strong enough to suckle, seek veterinary assistance ASAP.
Formula should be warmed to body temperature and fed to small kittens every 3-4 hours. As they get older every 6-8 hours will be enough. Check the package for recommended feeding amounts and feedings per day. A kitten needs approximately 8 cc of formula per ounce of body weight per day. The kitten’s age determines the number of daily feedings it should receive.
When a kitten has had enough formula, bubbles will form around its mouth, and its tummy will be rounded. After each meal, burp the kitten by holding it upright against you shoulder and patting it lightly on the back.
Do not overfeed kittens, as this can bring on diarrhea as well as other problems.
FEEDING GUIDE
AGE IN AVG. WEIGHT AMOUNT OF FORMULA NUMBER OF FEEDINGS
WEEKS OF KITTEN PER DAY PER DAY
1 4 ounces 32 cc 6
2 7 ounces 56 cc 4
3 10 ounces 80 cc 3
4 13 ounces 104 cc 3
5 1 pound 128 cc 3
For kittens with a lack of appetite or anemia, “Pet-Tinic” vitamin/mineral supplement (available at the vet and pet food stores) will stimulate appetite and rebuild systems. Follow the directions on the bottle for dosage and give direct by dropper or add to food.
Kittens should be weighed frequently to ensure that they are growing properly. You’ll soon know if your orphans are thriving because they will grow at an incredible rate.
STIMULATION
The kitten’s natural mother takes care of both ends of her baby. By licking the kitten’s abdomen, she stimulates the bowels and bladder and tidies up the resulting mess. A surrogate cat mom should gently rub the kitten’s abdomen and bottom with a cotton ball or pad or tissues moistened with warm water. This stimulates the discharge of waste and keeps babies clean. Be careful to rub only enough to get them to expel waste materials. Keep the area clean and watch for chafing which might indicate that you are rubbing too hard or not cleaning well enough.
When you feed and clean the kittens, wash their fur all over with a barely damp towelette using short stokes as the mother would use. This cleans their fur, teaches them to clean their fur, and gives them a feeling of attention and well-being.
If the kittens have diarrhea and become caked with stool, it is easier on their skin to wash them in warm water.
The kitten’s instinctive need to suckle (frustrated by the lack of the mother’s breast) may cause the kitten to suckle its litter mate’s ears, tail or genitals, causing irritations to develop. Try to satisfy this oral need by caressing each kitten’s mouth with your finger or a soft cloth.
4
The chart did not print well so hopefully this will be clearer……..
A week old kitten should weigh 4 oz…..should be fed 32 cc of formula a day in 6 feedings…..
2 weeks old should weigh 7 oz….should be fed 56 cc of formula a day in 4 feedings….
3 weeks old should weight 10 oz….should be fed 80 cc of formula a day in 3 feedings…
4 weeks old should weigh 13 oz…should be fed 104 cc of formula a day in 3 feedings…
5 weeks old should weigh 1 pound…should be fed 128 cc of formula a day in 3 feedings….
Comments to Answer
3
Actually at 4 weeks you should start mixing a mash of formula with canned kitten food but don't leave it out too long as it can sour. Continue to stimulate them to relieve themselves until you SEE them using the litter pan by themselves. Do not stop this until you are sure they can relieve themselves without help. By five weeks they should be off the bottle and eating from a dish by themselves. Keep a close eye on them and make sure they ARE eating enough before you take the bottle away. Put their formula in a dish and have a separate dish with the mash of formula and canned food gradually decreasing the formula so that they are eating just canned food. Also have a dish of hard kitten food available at all times when they’re 5 weeks old.
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I handraised my female Cali from 2 weeks old so I’ve done this before.Make sure you keep them warm too if they aren’t snuggling up to mama. I tried bottle feeding but the nipples were too tough. Fill a baby medicine syringe with kitten formula and feed them a drop or two at a time,don’t feed them too fast. After you feed them you should burp them like you would a baby. I fed her every four hours. You also have to stimulate them to use the bathroom. I would take Cali to the littler box and gently rub her butt with a warm cotton ball. I’m just givning you a quick overview of what i did….definetly ready catsofmany’s answer for specifics cuz it’s a good answer. Also when they hit 8-10 weeks old and you want to change them from formula to regular food it’s best to mix. Take either wet kitten food or crushed dry kitten food and mix it with some kitten formula. Just keep putting a little less formula and little more kitten food until you are feeding nothing but kitten food. Your kittens will probably suckle on you,a blanket,a stuffed animal something. They naturally want to suckle and it soothes them to do it. Cali suckles on fuzzy blankets especially when i’m wrapped up in it. She’s almost 5 years old and still does it so don’t be surprised if they never stop doing it. I will tell you if you bottle feed those kittens they will love you to death,they will follow you around and act like you’re their mama. Cali even grooms me. I’ve never had a cat that loves me like she does. All my kitties love me of course but there’s something a little different with Cali…..she’s definetly like a daughter to me!
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I’m saddened to inform you that the two kitties have passed away
I do really appreciate the time, energy, and effort from all of you.
Thanks again
SAL
Comments to Answer
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I'm so sorry to hear. :(
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awwww im so sorry! that's sad...i want to cry.
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Hey Miss Kitty 420 and catsofmany. Thank you for your stories and for your help. I will keep those suggestions in mind if we ever get more premature kitties.
SAL
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-4
Try to give the kitties the kitten biscuits,you can buy it anywhere,at the mall,maybe.
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