The Care and Feeding of Young Kittens
By Betty Sleep
One of the most frustrating things for a cat breeder, or rescue person, is dealing with the ill, recovering, or very young orphaned kittens. In short- the cat with an eating/underweight problem. This week, we’ll talk about a few tips for supplemental feeding, boosting the calorie intake, and dealing with a cat’s poor appetite.
Nobody likes the idea of orphaned kitts. But it happens. Someone dumps them on the side of the road, a mother is hit by a car, there are many reasons for their abandoned state. What do you do now? My first recommendation, is to get them into a warm area. They have no mother to provide body heat, and if they are dehydrated, or the weather has been damp and cold where they were found, they are already stressed. A heat lamp, hung at a level to provide a ground temperature of 80F is good. You can also find in pet supply companies, a heating pad, which is made so that even though it is plugged in, it does not generate heat unless weight (e.g. kittens) are placed on it, and then at a very controlled level. These are absolutely ideal. Most come with an imitation sheepskin type cover, that is washable. When it’s in the machine, a towel will do.
What to feed? There are many commercial milk replacers on the market, either pre-mixed in liquid form, or powdered for mixing on an “as needed” basis. Some breeders have reported digestive problems with certain brands of these products. Others, like myself,use a homemade recipe called “Kitty Glop”, particularly with the kittens who are a bit older, perhaps with their eyes open but not yet capable of eating solid food.
The recipe for “Kitty Glop” is:
- 2 packages Knox Gelatin
- 2 cups boiling water
- 2 cups canned evaporate milk (not 2%)
- 4 Tbs. of plain yogurt
- 2 Tbs. of real mayonnaise (not salad dressing)
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 Tbs. light Corn Syrup
Thoroughly dissolve the Gelatin in the two cups of boiling water, and set bowl aside. In a second bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, mayonnaise, yogurt, and corn syrup. Blend in the 2 cups milk. Add the dissolved Gelatin/water that you set aside, and blend well.
Glop can be kept in the fridge up to one week, but can also be frozen in small portions in an ice cube tray.
Don’t be alarmed when you open the container and see that it has turned into a pudding type consistency. Just warm a small portion, and it will liquify. Then you are ready to feed.
This provides a high calorie, digestible milk substitute with few “side effects”. It can be used for other orphaned or young animals as well. You can add drops of liquid vitamins or calcium, but I have never found a need to.
For the very young kitten, I feed with a 1cc syringe, after disposing of the needle. You can hold the kitten in a towel for warmth, and gently drip a bit at a time into its mouth. Be careful of trying to push in too much if it is crying. Stop at any time you see milk snorted out the nose. That shows they have aspirated some of their feeding.
You can also purchase a syringe type feeder with long, thin nipples which mimic a mother cat’s; as well as a small, angled bottle, with the same nipples, and an open top, whereby you regulate the flow of the feeding by placing your thumb over it.
These are fine for the kitten who makes an effort to nurse, but may not be practical in the beginning for kittens in distress or who are very weak. Once they do start nursing, they are great tools.
A suggested amount of intake for young kittens, is at one week: 13ml (approx.2 1/2 tsp)of milk substitute per 100g. (approx. 3 1/2 ounces) of body weight. At three weeks, intake rises to 17ml (1 Tbsp and 1/2 tsp) per 100g. of body weight. These can be broken down into four feedings, although with the very young, I often make it six or eight.
If you have orphaned kittens, or a very sick mother, you are going to have to do the “Mommy thing”. Kittens bowels do not work on their own. They need the stimulation that is normally given by their mothers licking. For this chore, choose a soft terry facecloth, moistened with warm water. First, give them a little face, head, and body stroking, to simulate the mother’s care. Stroke, and clean the anal area as the kitten voids. Make sure they are clean, and you have a clean cloth before going on to the next kitten. As you handle the babies, talk to them, so they become used to the presence, smell and touch of a human. Remember, they are missing the mothering closeness and snuggling.
As the kittens grow, you can expect their eyes to open anywhere from 7-14 days after birth. At about four weeks, you can start introducing “solid” foods. For this, there are a great many choices. Some breeders like to start them off on kitten chow soaked in warm water and mashed down into a smooth mush. As they grow, the amount of mashing and water is reduced, so they end up eating kitten chow right from the dish. It’s handy to have a dish of the dry chow where the kittens can reach it at any time, no matter what weaning food you are using. Many kittens often start nibbling away, all by themselves.
Others will use the Kitty Glop recipe, with some plain Rice baby cereal mixed in. At first it should be just slightly thickened with the cereal. As the kittens get used to lapping it up,thicken it with a little more cereal. By the time you have gotten to the porridge consistency stage, you might want to mix in a little canned kitten food, or switch directly over to canned kitten food.
You can also start weaning them on canned kitten food alone. It sometimes is necessary to add a small amount of warm water to make it mushier, at first. Some people will use a bit of baby food mixed in; either a meat and vegetable kind, or the meat puree. This has a two fold attraction: it’s tasty, and it makes the food smoother and easier to lick up. As they become accustomed to eating, you can lessen the amount of mashing, and water or baby food added, until they are on plain kitten food.
There are two things in common with all weaning experiences. One, it is reallyyyyyy messy...LOL! Food should be placed on a small, low dish such as a china saucer. Kittens are not inclined to try and reach into the middle for their food, even though they will walk right through it! And two: they like it warmed, to start out. Remember they have been drinking warmed milk substitute. If they are suddenly offered a cold food, you may have trouble getting them to eat. Set your offering out among the litter, and if necessary, take them one at a time, and put a little on your finger, then wipe it on their lips. If it gets a reaction, set them down near the dish, and feed them off your finger again. Move your finger closer to the dish each time you do this, and they will soon get the idea. Occasionally you get one that hangs back, and seems disinterested. For these ones, take a small bit of food on your finger, open their mouth with your other hand, and wipe it on the roof of their mouth. They will make faces, and shove it around, but it generally goes down their throat. Then try wiping some on their lips. If you’re lucky, they’ll soon follow the others to the feeding plate.
Now that we have covered what goes into them, and how to get it there, you have to deal with what goes out, and how to get them to put it where you want: the litterbox. Contrary to popular belief, it is not just the mother who shows them how to do this. It is an instinct to bury their waste, so it does not contaminate their nesting area.
You can start out at about four weeks, with a low pan of clay kitty litter. As they begin to use the box more, you can put out a regular size litter box, but keep it well scooped and cleaned. I do not recommend any of the absorbent materials , because like human babies,everything goes into a kitten’s mouth. And more than one kitten had died or needed surgery after ingesting some litters that blocked their bowels. I also recommend keeping them confined in a small area of a room with a cleanable floor. For obvious reasons. If you have access to large cardboard boxes from packing appliances for instance, you can cut off the sides, and make yourself a little “corral” in the room where they are kept. Once you have established that the box is being used by everyone, you can either enlarge the corral, or let them loose to wander the whole room. One tip though, is to provide a second pan on the other side of the room, or in a location you know they favour, such as under the bed. Young kittens who wander far from “home”, often forget where the facilities are.
It is sad to have to deal with orphaned babies, and stressful if you have lost their mother, or are nursing her through an illness as well. But the reward of those furry little faces, covered in baby cereal, crawling up your leg, is more than worth the effort it takes to give them a good start in life.
About the Author:
I am an obedience instructor, kennel owner, and ten year breeder/exhibitor of Golden Retriever dogs. Over the years I have experienced the best and worst of pet buying and selling, and responsibility/irresponsibility on the part of both breeders and buyers.
That, combined with my other hobby of breeding Birman cats, which I also show, and have placed in several countries, gives me a fairly comprehensive overview of pet care, ownership, training, feeding, and health issues.
Article courtesy of Suite101.com.