Kitten Care for the First Three Weeks
The first three weeks in the life of a newborn kitten is truly the most important for the development of the overall kitten health, personally, and character. Keep in mind that the kitten is is a lot like a newborn human baby. It eats around the clock and is of course totally dependent on the care giver for everything. You are very lucky if the mother cat is there to take care of the little kitten. If not you will need to provide a dry, warm place. You do not have to worry about being all fancy, just some clean rags or towels in a cardboard box will work fine. There is milk replacement if you need it. Available at most pet stores or veterinarians, you may need supplies like a eye dropper, syringe or even a small bottle may be found. Just follow the manufactures instructions and the kitten will begin to blossom.
Week one will see the growth of the kitten in a incredible rate. The birth weight will almost double. It is believed that the first few weeks of development does determine the personality traits of the kitten. While still growing in week two, the kitten will also start to begin opening the eyes. Most of the eyes of the kittens will stay blue for several weeks. But the vision will be blurred due to the fact that the pupils will not dilate and contract at first. It is a good idea to try and keep the kitten out of bright lights during this time. Their sense of smell is developing and it is common for the little kittens to hiss at smells that a new to them. The sex of the kitten is still hard to determine at this point. By week three the ear canals are open. This is the time that the kittens will start being social with humans and other kittens that are in their litter.
If the mother cat is not there, you will be responsible for the other parts of the care of the kitten. It is very important to bath the kitten after each feeding. Use a warm cloth and stimulate the urogenital reflex of the kitten. For the first three weeks the kitten can not voluntary eliminate the urine or the feces. The warm cloth will help to stimulate and also feel more like the mother cat. After the three weeks you can also start weaninga bottle fed kitten. It is suggested to take some can food and mix with the milk replacement to the consistency of a milkshake to begin the weaning process and start the kitten to eat from dishes.
Frequently Asked Questions
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QUESTION:
How to feed kitten, not able to drink milk from feeding bottle?
I got a kitten rejected by mother.It is neither drinking milk from a pot nor from a feeding bottle(Used for human).How could I feed it??.Please respond immediately?-
ANSWER:
Use a dropper to feed this kitten. Open its mouth then push the dropper inside. Your kitten will definitely swallow that milk. I fed my cat a really bad tested medicine when she was ill and stopped eating totally. I gave her vitamin capsules by this method, I am sure; it really works because she is absolutely perfect now. I also applied this on several kittens.
Give water mixed milk (1:1)as it is hard to diggest just milk for it.
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QUESTION:
when do i stop bottle feeding my kitten?
how old should a kitten be when i bottle feed it?
an answer to both of my questions would be nice.-
ANSWER:
Kittens need to be bottle fed if they are younger than about 6-7 weeks and have lost their mother. If the kitten can lap water out of a dish, you don't necessarily need to bottle feed it. If the kitten is very young, has lost its mother, and seems ready to eat on her own, then mix weaning formula with wet kitten food to make a gruel-like consistency. Gradually add dry food to the mixture and decrease the amount of weaning formula. Then gradually decrease the wet food and you'll have your kitten eating dry food. Keep weaning formula in a dish to make sure the kitten is getting all of the nutrients she needs. The weaning process takes a couple of weeks. If your kitten is 8 weeks or older, you don't need to bottle feed it, just make sure it is eating. Good luck.
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QUESTION:
help with bottle feeding a kitten?
i just got a kitten that is about a weed old, i tryed bottle feeding it, but it seems like the nipple is not letting any milk out.should i cut the ex bigger at the tip of the nipple, or how can i solve this problem?
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ANSWER:
Make sure it is a soft ply-able nipple you are using and if when squeezed nothing comes out then make the slit a little bigger...not to much or you can drown the poor thing. Remember it is always easier to go bigger then smaller. Also make sure you are giving it starter milk....not cow milk. You can buy kitten starter milk at Walmart in the pet section. I just bought a can of powdered for under . Being that young you will need to feed it about every two hours. As it gets older you will be able to go further in between feedings.Another solution would be to find someone whose cat just had kittens and see if the mother will take yours until it is old enough to eat on its own.
It's extremely hard to care for one that little. It can be done cause I've done it but it needs around the clock care for the next few weeks.
Good Luck......
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QUESTION:
Kitten - bottle feeding/weaning and elimination question.?
I just recently acquired a kitten who was born on January 4th, The woman i got her from was feeding her on goats milk.I'm feeding her KMR with a petAG bottle, she goes at the formula now with vigor, but she isn't eating as much as it says she should be for her age. Close, but not quite. She's supposed to be eating 80 ml and is consuming about 60-65 so far.
The woman said i would have to stimulate her to eliminate. I've done this before with kittens and i have tried many things since i got her - a warm washcloth, a tissue, a baby wipe, running water, a litterbox... i've tried before and after each feeding but she has yet to go potty! It's only been about 12 hours.
She is sleeping alot, body warmth is fine, doesn't seem dehydrated ( i checked ) - sneezes occasionally but doesn't seem like anything serious.
Anyways should i be concerned at this point that she hasn't gone potty? Is there something i can do to get more food into her? Should i even be worried?
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ANSWER:
When I first got my kitten, she was 4 weeks old and even though she was eating and drinking fine, it still took her almost 2 days to go to the bathroom, even after trying the water and all the other things that you mentioned. I even let my older cat lick her butt more than I probably should have in the hopes he would stimulate a bowel movement, or something because she wouldn't even pee. I was freaking out and losing my mind. Then on the morning of when I was going to take her to the vet, she was sleeping on my chest then sat up and peed all over me. She just peed and peed and peed. I was so happy! A little grossed out, but elated nonetheless. After that she was pooping and peeing after every meal and has been fine ever since. I'm thinking she was just a little freaked out and needed a minute to settle in (she had been living under my grandma's porch before we took her in). Maybe your little one is just trying to get settled in (she'll probably start to eat more too in a day or so) but if she doesn't go by tomorrow I would call a vet for sure and see what they suggest. Good luck![:-)]()
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QUESTION:
Im bottle feeding a newborn kitten.The first 3 days she was eating, but isnt now? she is sleeping ¬ crying?
My cat had kittens. Only one survived, but the mother rejected it. I have been bottle feeding the kitten, he has been doing good. But today he doesn't seem to want to eat at all. he is sleeping and not crying. Should I be worried?-
ANSWER:
I had to hand raise kittens as well, as the mamma was pretty old, and stoped caring for them. I would suggest calling your vet. They should be able to tell you the proper way of handeling it.
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