Over the last 15 years, I have raised nine orphaned kittens. Four
of them were two weeks old when their mother was killed; three others
were only hours old when their mother died; two more kittens fell
out of the nest in our barn when they were only a day old.
Raising motherless kittens is not a difficult process, but it does
require patience, time and plenty of TLC.
- Make a nest.
Normally, a mother cat spends many hours a day in the nest
with her kittens, which helps her babies stay warm. Keeping
the kittens warm is important because if they're not warm enough,
they won't want to eat, and in fact, all of their bodily functions
will slow down.
To keep your orphaned kittens warm, make a nest in a small
box and line it with towels or old t-shirts or sweatshirts to
help the babies conserve their body heat. Put a towel over the
box to keep out the light. Female cats choose nests that are
dark. If you don't have a heat lamp, use a small 40-watt desk
lamp and place it several feet above the box to help keep the
kittens warm.
If the box is big enough, you can also use a jug or another
large container filled with hot water to keep the babies warm.
Place the jug in the box and then make a nest with towels beside
it. Refill the jug when it cools off. You can use a quart jar
as a "hot water bottle" too except that a quart jar
cools off very quickly.
- Use an eyedropper or a syringe to feed the kittens.
The first time I raised orphaned kittens, I discovered that
the small nursing bottles available at vet clinics were too
big. The kittens couldn't get their mouths around the nipples.
So, at first, for newborn kittens, I used an eyedropper. As
the kittens grew bigger, a syringe worked very well, the kind
of syringe for giving injections (without the needle of course!).
I started out with the 3 cc size and used larger syringes when
the kittens grew bigger. The tip of a syringe is about the size
of a cat's nipple, and my kittens eventually sucked hard enough
on the end of the syringe to draw the plunger down by themselves.
Check with your vet clinic to see if any used syringes are available
or to see if you can buy new syringes from the clinic.
A word of caution: Whether you're feeding with an eyedropper
or a syringe, be careful to give only a few drops at a time.
My veterinarian told me that if the kittens were given too much
formula at once (more than they could swallow), they might inhale
it. Inhaling formula will make your kittens much more susceptible
to pneumonia.
Along the way, I have also discovered that it is best to feed
the kittens as much as they want to eat. They will settle down
and sleep until the next feeding if they are getting enough
to eat. Tiny kittens will start out taking maybe 1 CC at a time.
As they grow bigger, they will eat around 12 CCs at a time (usually
in several different helpings).
Kittens learn very quickly that food comes from the syringe
you hold in your hand. If you are having trouble getting them
to take the formula from the syringe, let nuzzle in the palm
of your hand for a few seconds or let them suck on your fingers.
Then introduce the syringe and let them suck on it while you
very slowly press the plunger down.
- Feed the kittens KMR or kitty formula that you have mixed yourself.
KMR, the canned cat milk replacer, is available at most vet
clinics in either a premixed or dry form. It is specifically
formulated for kittens to provide all the nutrients they need.
Follow the directions on the label. The amount to feed is determined
by body weight. My newborn kittens weighed three ounces each,
and for the first several days, they only needed a half an eyedropper
of KMR at a time.
My vet clinic also gave me a recipe for "kitten formula."
After the first can of KMR, this is what all of my kittens have
been raised on.
Here is the recipe for Kitten Formula
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon white corn syrup
1 egg yolk
a pinch of salt
Mix in a blender and mix it up far enough in advance so the
bubbles will have time to dissipate.
Warm over medium heat. Heat the formula so it feels slightly
warm to the touch. All of my kittens have refused to swallow
the formula if it was too cold or too warm. The same was true
for KMR.
- Feed your kittens on a regular schedule three times a day.
Mother cats nurse their kittens every couple of hours. The
veterinarian I consulted cautioned me not to feed them that
often. "They won't eat well and you'll get frustrated and
they'll get frustrated and it will be harder on everybody,"
he said. He was right. Feeding the kittens three times per day
worked out very well.
- Groom your kittens with a warm, wet washcloth and help them
to empty their bladders and their bowels.
Young kittens are unable to empty their bladders or move their
bowels, so you'll have to help them. Use a warm, wet washcloth
and wipe under their tails until they have emptied their bladders
and/or moved their bowels. Be prepared to use as many as four
washcloths for each kitten. If they only have to empty their
bladders, you won't need that many. If they have to empty their
bowels, look out -- it could get messy! Smaller washcloths that
you can wring out with one hand while you hold onto a squirming
kitten with the other work best. I put the washcloths in a pail
of warm water and put the pail where I can reach it easily.
Young kittens also do not know how to groom themselves, and
after a day or two of eating kitten formula, they become sticky
from the formula that inevitably dribbles down their chins.
From time to time, use a warm, wet washcloth to wipe off the
formula, but be careful not to get the kittens TOO wet or it
will be hard for them to stay warm.
- Provide a litter pan when they're four weeks old.
Cats have a strong instinct to use material that they can scratch
around in when they have to empty their bladders and move their
bowels. By the time the kittens are four weeks old, they will
already be thinking in this direction and providing them with
a litter pan will help them get the idea. You might still have
to assist them with a washcloth for a while, but it won't be
long before they are using the litter pan.
Kitty litter in an aluminum pie plate works well to start out.
As the kittens grow bigger, use a bigger container for a litter
box.
- Start feeding solid food when the kittens are about six weeks
old.
Kittens that are raised by their mothers probably will start
eating sooner than six weeks, but you will be able to provide
more milk than their mothers would have available.
When your kittens have gotten their teeth, you can begin feeding
them solid food. If you want to feed dry food, a good quality
kitten chow will work fine. Kitten chow has all of the nutrients
and protein that they need to keep growing. Kitten chow also
is made in tiny kitten-bite-sized pieces. To tempt their appetites
and to give them a "treat," you can also try a little
canned kitty food. Be sure to provide fresh water for your kittens
to drink, as well. And until the kittens are eating solid food
regularly, supplement their caloric intake with kitten formula.
By this time, you won't have to feed them with a syringe. You
can put the formula into a small saucer, and once they discover
where it is and what it is, they will drink by themselves.
- Be prepared to be surprised and amazed.
Kittens grow very quickly, and on some days, you will think
they are growing right before your very eyes.
Kittens get their eyes open when they're about 10 days old.
They will start purring when they are as young as 6 days old.
Kittens will start other "kitty behaviors" such as
shaking their heads, attempting to groom and lifting a hind
food to scratch behind their ears when they are between two
to three weeks old.
Young kittens will sometimes get the hiccups (!) while you
are feeding them.
Young kittens are like baby humans, in a way. Their days consist
of eating, sleeping and emptying their bowels and bladders.
After the kittens have gotten enough to eat and have had their
bodily functions taken care of, when you put them back in the
"nest," they will sleep or rest quietly until you
are ready to feed them again. If they are restless and crying
and meowing, they might need a little more to eat, or they might
have to empty their bladders or move their bowels, or they might
feel cold.
As the kittens grow older, they will be awake for longer periods
of time and will eventually start playing with each other.
By the time the kittens are four weeks old, you will most likely
have to move them into a bigger box, if not sooner, because
the first one will be too small and they will know how to get
out on their own!
If you have any questions concerning the raising of orphaned kittens,
you can e-mail me at bigpines@ruralroute2.com
© 2004 LeAnn R. Ralph
