Bottle Feeding Newborn Kittens

Regular human baby bottles will likely be too big but most pet stores have newborn kitten bottles and nipples as well as a commercial formula specifically designed for kittens.

Bottle feeding newborn kittens.

To feed a newborn kitten start by purchasing a kitten milk replacement formula at your local pet store. You re going to need to purchase kitten formula you cannot feed kittens the milk that is in your fridge. Kitten bottle feeding and stomach capacity chart estimated kitten age weeks kitten weight lbs oz kitten weight grams daily caloric requirement amount of formula per day ml amount per feeding ml approximate number of feedings per day 1 week 2 oz 57 g 11 kcal 15 ml 2 ml 7 3 oz 85 g 17 kcal 23 ml 3 ml 7 4 oz 113 g 23 kcal 31 ml. This resource provides instructions for caring for bottle feeding kittens bottle babies very young kittens who have been abandoned or orphaned.

To feed a baby kitten without a mother feed it a kitten milk replacement formula using a sterilized feeding bottle. These were a lifesaver for after struggling to feed two 1 2 day old orphaned kittens for a couple of weeks with store bought bottles and syringes. Never feed a kitten on her back like a human baby would eat as this can cause the kitten to inhale fluid into the lungs. The kittens wouldn t latch on the pet store nipples and by the time these miracle nipples arrived we were basically force feeding them with the syringe.

This is very time consuming for someone who is bottle feeding a newborn kitten so if at all possible you will want to try to keep the kitten with its mother or a surrogate lactating cat who can nurse it. You should feed the kitten for 5 10 minutes every 2 hours and never go longer than 4 hours in between feedings. Table of contents 1 warmth and bedding 2 feeding 3 weaning 4 weight and hydration 5. Never feed a kitten cow s milk or other dairy products dairy alternatives or human baby formula as this can be dangerous or even fatal to the kitten.

If you have newborn kittens who ve been separated from their mother consult with a veterinarian shelter or experienced foster care giver who can help you find a new mother cat with a small litter she may be able to. How do i feed a newborn kitten. It includes information on feeding weaning medical care developmental milestones and more. Next use a bottle and teat set specifically designed for kittens or use a syringe to drip the milk into your kitten s mouth.

Kittens that are bottle fed should consume about a tablespoon or 15 ml of special kitten formula at each feeding. In order to bottle feed the kitten you will need to gather a few supplies. For a particularly small kitten you may want to use a syringe or dropper to feed it instead.