Lactation period and raising offspring in cats

Rules for feeding newborn kittens

How to feed newborn kittens? In the first two to three days, a pipette is used for feeding. But for further feeding, a disposable plastic syringe with a capacity of twenty milliliters is best suited. But you need to use it carefully. It is necessary to feed the contents smoothly and evenly, since if you squeeze the piston, there is a chance that the kitten will choke.

Feeding method

A container with slightly high sides is placed on the table. Fabric folded several times is placed in it, this will make the sides even higher. The kitten is placed in such a way that its hind legs rest against the bottom, while its front legs rest against the sides of your container.

Your elbows are on the table. Place your left hand on the kitten’s back and, holding it by the neck, press your fingers into the bottom of the container. Everything turns out to be more or less stable. In this position, when sucking, the kittens begin to “massage” the wall of the container and after a couple of days they stop showing dissatisfaction with this method of feeding.

What is included in the diet of newborn kittens

What should you feed a newborn kitten without a cat? To independently feed newborn kittens, you should choose a replacement for mother's milk. Such mixtures can be purchased at a pet store. To prepare such a mixture yourself, you need to add ¼ egg white to boiled milk and stir until you get a homogeneous mass.

From 15 days of age, you can start feeding kittens. Various mixtures and porridges with milk are suitable for this. Do not overheat the milk mixture; it must be warm. To heat the cooled mixture, a water bath is usually used. Do not store the finished mixture for more than 24 hours; it should always be fresh.
From 21-28 days, you can add protein food to the kittens’ menu. Low-fat cottage cheese, baby meat food, fish, egg yolk, and lean beef are suitable for this.
From day 35, slowly teach the kitten to eat from a bowl.

How to feed a newborn kitten without a cat

In most cases, the cat gives birth to babies quite quickly and is ready to become the most caring mother in the world. This instinct is inherent in animals at the genetic level. However, there are different situations in life, and the question arises of how to feed a newborn kitten without a cat.

It can occur in the following situations:

The birth was difficult, the cat was stressed and lost milk.
There is little milk and all the babies don’t have enough of it. Kittens with their mother
The cat suffered a difficult birth, she was operated on and is taking a course of medications that prohibit feeding.
You found newborn kittens on the street and decided to feed them without letting them die.
The cat has no milk. How to feed kittens - in this case, this is a rather important question for the owner.

Whatever the reason, it exists and requires human intervention. What to do in this case? How to help kids?

Pet stores offer a variety of dry formulas for babies. There are some that are completely identical to mother's cat milk.

Bottle feeding

This mixture is diluted according to the recipe and can be given to your patients. It is highly undesirable to use cow's milk for feeding. It contains less protein, but more glucose. Kittens digest cow's milk much worse, and if you have the opportunity to purchase dry formula at a veterinary pharmacy, it is better to make a healthy choice.

A 1-week-old kitten should eat 30 ml of the prepared mixture per 100 grams of baby’s weight per day. Every week you can add 5 ml of food and see if this portion is enough or not.

Dry mixture substitute

Recipe No. 1. Take condensed milk and combine it with water in a ratio of 1 to 5. Add 1 teaspoon of bone meal per 1 liter of milk obtained. Mix everything well so that there are no lumps.

Food from a syringe

It is recommended to warm the mixture until warm and you can start feeding. For feeding, you can use a regular syringe; it is better to throw away the needle immediately.

The prepared mixture cannot be stored for more than a day; it is usually stored in the refrigerator, so before each feeding it must be warmed to room temperature.

How to feed babies correctly

If you are going to feed kittens without a cat, be sure to study these tips, they will help you raise a fluffy little joy. It is also important to know how much milk the cat feeds the kittens and when complementary feeding will need to be introduced.

What does it consist of and in what quantity?

It is advisable to place the baby on his tummy while feeding.
It’s good if the mixture has just been prepared, but it can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than a day.
It is important to sterilize feeding utensils, be it a bottle or a syringe.
It is important to wash your hands before each feeding; hygiene rules come first.
When heating the mixture, you need to test its temperature; to do this, drop a small amount of the mixture on your wrist.
If the cub is very weak or does not understand how to grasp the nipple correctly, then you need to help him. Using two fingers, open his mouth, bring the pacifier to him, squeeze a little milk into his mouth, and then he will understand the feeding process himself.

There is no need to speed up the feeding process; after eating, the kitten will move away from the nipple on its own.
Until the age of one month, kittens need to be fed at intervals of 4-6 hours, then the interval can be increased to 6-8 hours. To find out if your baby is full or not, you need to observe his behavior. Usually, well-fed kittens are happy and quickly fall asleep. Those that haven’t eaten enough squeak and look for a pacifier.
After feeding, very young children can be held vertically for a few minutes so that they burp; for this, you can stroke their back and tummy.

How much milk to feed kittens

When starting to feed the babies yourself, it is important to know how long the cat feeds the kittens with milk. Typically, a cat feeds its babies for about a month.

As kittens get older, they may continue to seek cat's milk to enjoy closeness with their mother. But, as a rule, after a month of age, the cat stops letting them near her.

Babies can be introduced to complementary foods per month, i.e. supplement them with regular food intended for them.

At three weeks of age, kittens begin to teethe and are ready for complementary feeding. Usually, porridge is added first - semolina, oatmeal, rice, kids will definitely like minced meat, it can be twisted chicken or beef.

They also really like cottage cheese diluted with milk; tasty and healthy food can be introduced as a first complementary food. You need to start with a small amount, gradually increasing it.

Congestive mastitis in a cat

There is such a disease in cats as galactostasis or congestive mastitis. In this case, feeding is also impossible.

Mastitis in a cat

The kittens will have to be artificially fed, and the cat will have to be rescued.

At the very end of pregnancy and immediately after childbirth, milk can accumulate in the mammary glands; if there is a lot of it, stagnation can form, which makes the glands painful and hot.

This condition should not cause panic; stagnant milk needs to be expressed, but there is no need to feed the kittens, because... it can become infected, which will cause poisoning in babies.

You need to know in advance how to express milk from a cat so as not to hurt or harm the animal. You also need to understand whether to do this procedure, whether it will be of any use.

Usually a simple massage of the mammary glands in combination with warm compresses is enough.

The disease can develop into acute mastitis at any time; to prevent this from happening, veterinarians will often prescribe antibiotics to be on the safe side.

Many people use traditional medicine for prevention and treatment. At night you can make the following compress: place thin slices of lemon or sauerkraut in a layer on the mammary glands, preferably secure with a bandage.

Feeding regimen and norm

If you don’t take into account the feeding schedule, then you can figure out how many times you need to feed a kitten for 1 month on your own

To do this, you need to pay attention to how the baby behaves. A hungry animal begins to squeak and squirm, showing dissatisfaction with its entire appearance.

Such a kitten must be fed according to certain standards. And one-month-old babies, left without maternal care, need to follow a certain diet. How many times should a one-month-old kitten be fed?

Feeding regimen for one-month-old kittens:

A baby up to two weeks should be fed 7 times a day. Moreover, night time is also taken into account. Ideally, all 10 feeding sessions should be divided into equal periods of time.
Kittens living from two weeks to a month need food 6 times a day under similar conditions.
A kitten 1 month and older can be fed 5-6 times a day in small portions.

How much food should a one-month-old kitten be given:

From a week to two, the recommended rate is 30 ml per 100 grams of weight.
From two to three weeks the norm increases from 38 to 48 ml.
A kitten from a month old should be given food in the amount of 48-53 ml for the same 100 grams of weight.

Features of mother feeding kittens

Immediately, as soon as the pet lambs, it begins to actively produce first-born milk - colostrum. It is unusually rich in specific antibodies that provide newborn kittens with immune protection in the first days.

As lactation improves, the antibodies in the colostrum leave and it becomes milk. During the period when the cat feeds the kittens with milk, they receive all the necessary nutrients - proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals necessary for the functioning of natural processes in the babies' bodies.

During the first 5-7 days after birth, kittens are often attached to their mother's nipples, thus establishing the lactation process. The number of applications ranges from 10 to 14 times a day. Week-old kittens begin to maintain an interval of several hours between feedings, and their number is reduced to 8 times. At the age of 1 month, kittens eat up to 6 times a day.

How long a cat nurses her kittens depends on several factors, but on average this period ranges from 3 to 4 months. It happens that the lactation period is delayed if there are not many offspring (2-3 kittens). If there are more babies, the period of breastfeeding is reduced.

Some cats stop the process after a four-week feeding period, keeping their offspring away from the nipples. It also happens that a cat that has given birth refuses to feed the kittens at all.

Regardless of the cat’s individual characteristics, the owner must pay attention to the quality of the mother’s food. A nutritious diet of natural food or high-quality balanced dry food provides the animal’s body with all the necessary minerals and nutrients, allowing it to prolong the lactation period.

It is important that a nursing cat’s diet contains a sufficient amount of calcium and the amino acid taurine, which helps maintain the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system and other internal organs.

A criterion that influences the duration of the lactation period is the physiological state of the cat. Various chronic diseases or acute inflammatory processes, complications after childbirth, infection with helminths and other parasites lead to a decrease in the overall milk production of the animal and the lactation period.

A healthy cat feeds kittens for about one month without additional feeding. Next, a gradual introduction of solid food is necessary, since even with good lactation, rapidly growing kittens no longer have enough milk for normal development. It is recommended for kittens to add lean meats (turkey is preferable), veal, low-fat cottage cheese and fermented milk products (yogurt) in small portions.

The number of feedings for a kitten is reduced to 3 times a day, and at the age of 2-3 months, older babies should switch to independent feeding. Changes occur in the body of most kittens and milk ceases to be digested normally, lactose deficiency develops.

The cat owner must closely monitor his pet if he does not want to get another litter soon after the first. A cat can become pregnant when nursing kittens as early as 4 weeks after giving birth. Some female domestic cats go into heat 1.5 weeks after giving birth.

You should not allow a new mother to come into contact with a cat, as this can lead to an unwanted pregnancy, aggravated by dangerous and serious consequences for the cat’s body. Frequent childbirth leads to exhaustion of the body, the organs of the reproductive system and the musculoskeletal system suffer.

After pregnancy and childbirth, the animal’s body must recover and get stronger, otherwise there is a risk of producing non-viable offspring and developing severe complications in the form of endometritis and pyometra.

Rules for feeding a kitten

It is necessary to feed the baby in the first hours after birth, otherwise he will not survive.

You should not leave a kitten unattended for more than 3 hours.

Be sure to find a good veterinarian who agrees to be on call around the clock.

For the first two weeks, the kittens will have to be fed in semi-darkness, with the curtains closed. The rest of the time they should be in complete darkness.

During feeding, the kitten should be in a natural position - on its tummy.

Food must be at a certain temperature, and it is important to strictly observe this point. In the first few days of life it should be about +38⁰, then over the course of a week the temperature is gradually reduced to +32⁰ Third week: approximately +28⁰, fourth: +25⁰.

Follow your feeding schedule. In the first week: every 2 – 2.5 hours or 9 – 10 times per day. During the second and third weeks: once every three hours during the day and once every four hours at night, a total of 7 - 8 times per day. Unfortunately, it will be almost impossible to sleep these days. In the fourth week, they feed once every 3.5 hours during the day with a six-hour break at night - for example, at 6.00, 9.30, 13.00, 16.30, 20.00, 23.30. You can take a nap until the morning.

Do not spoon feed or pipette feed. The kitten will lose its sucking reflex, and food may get into the lungs. It is advisable to build an impromptu bottle with a nipple: from the rubber part of a pipette and a suitable-sized bottle. For a short period of time, a syringe without a needle is suitable: by slowly pressing on the plunger, you will force the kitten to work and preserve its sucking reflex. But be careful: if you press too hard, the kitten may choke.

Do not limit the kitten's portion, he must eat

In the first days, the baby can eat no more than 30 - 40 ml per day.

After feeding, you need to very carefully massage your baby's tummy so that he urinates.

Of course, it is necessary to give only fresh food and regularly wash feeding utensils.

You can teach a kitten to lap up food from a saucer as early as 3 weeks of age. This is very simple to do: dip your finger in a bowl of food and invite your baby to lick it

He will quickly understand what's what. But solid complementary foods should be introduced only after 4 weeks.

Feeding kittens, when to start feeding?

In cats, colostrum appears immediately after lambing. It is a milk-like liquid with beneficial components. Colostrum is valuable for its antibodies - they provide kittens with immunity from the first days of their birth. Colostrum turns into milk and becomes the main food that provides babies with proteins, fats, vitamins, and carbohydrates. Kittens are born blind, but with a good sense of smell. This is what allows you to quickly and accurately find the mother’s nipples.

Number of cubs born. If the baby is alone, then the mother can feed him for up to 4 months, and sometimes even longer if solid foods are introduced. But when there are 5-6 babies in a litter, the duration of feeding is significantly reduced. It could be a month or a month and a half.
Individual characteristics of a cat. Many of them feed their young for a long time, allowing even older and stronger ones to come to them. Sometimes this lasts up to six months. Others do not feed their offspring for more than a month, stop allowing them to drink juices, hiss, and run away. There are also mothers who refuse to feed their offspring altogether. But this is rather an exception rather than a rule.
Quality of mother's diet. A complete cat diet is the key to long-term feeding of offspring. It is especially important that taurine and calcium enter the mother’s body during this period.

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Hello friends, today I’m answering questions from my viewer. Andrey asks when and what to feed the little ones...

After the birth of furry creatures, owners often wonder how much milk the cat feeds the kittens with milk. For newborn animals, milk is the main source of energy and nutrients. Therefore, it is important to have an idea of the duration, frequency and other key points of keeping and feeding newborn kittens.

Almost immediately after lambing, the cat produces colostrum. This is a milk-like substance containing a large number of useful components. Colostrum is especially rich in antibodies, which provide immunity to newborns in the first days of life.

Gradually, the level of antibodies decreases, and colostrum becomes mother's milk. For newly born babies, it is the main food for several weeks.

Only with the secretion of the mammary gland can kittens receive proteins, fats, carbohydrates and substances necessary for the normal development of the body.

Kittens are born blind, but with a good sense of smell, which allows them to accurately find the source of milk - the mother's nipples. In the first week of life, babies are fed to the breast about 10 - 12 times a day. When the cubs are 7 days old, the interval between feedings increases slightly, and the cat feeds the kittens 8 times a day. In the fourth week they switch to 6 feedings a day.

Many factors influence how long a cat feeds her kittens with milk:

Number of babies in the litter. A healthy cat can feed one kitten for up to 3 - 4 months, and sometimes longer (provided it is fed solid food). If there are 5 - 6 cubs in a litter, then the animal is not able to feed them with mother's milk for a long time.

Individual characteristics of the animal. Some females feed kittens for quite a long time, allowing the grown cub to approach them, even when it reaches 5-6 months of age. Other animals, after 3-4 weeks, and sometimes earlier, stop feeding the kittens with milk, preventing them from getting to the nipples. And some cats completely refuse babies. The duration of feeding is individual and depends on the specific animal.

Quality of nutrition for a nursing mother. How much a cat feeds her kittens depends on the animal's diet. A complete diet that provides the nutrients and minerals necessary during feeding (especially calcium, taurine, etc.) contributes to a longer period of lactation and feeding.

Mom's health. How long a cat spends feeding her kittens is influenced by the physiological state of the mother at the time of feeding. Diseases of internal organs, postpartum complications, the presence of worms and parasites reduce the milk production of the animal and shorten the period of admission to the breast.

On average, a healthy domestic cat feeds kittens continuously for 3 to 4 weeks, during which time milk is their only source of nutrition. Then they begin to feed the babies solid food.

It is important to start feeding the cubs on time, since from the age of one month, the components of milk are no longer sufficient for the normal development of a rapidly growing organism. Animals are fed chicken, beef, diluted cow's milk, cottage cheese, and yogurt.

From this time on, breastfeeding is carried out 3-4 times a day.

By the time the cat stops feeding the kittens milk, the kittens should be able to feed themselves solid food. Babies completely switch to independent feeding at 2 - 2.5 months. From this time on, their body does not need mother's milk, it does not meet the growing needs of kittens, and they are able to digest non-liquid food.

First supplementary feeding of artificial kittens - when to start

You need to decide when to start supplementing kittens based on the following factors: eye opening, activity, reaction to smells and silhouettes. Active kittens begin to be fed earlier, at about 3 weeks.

Supplemental feeding of artificial kittens can be introduced at an early age, since the digestive system of babies is populated by more aggressive microflora. If diarrhea develops or other alarming symptoms appear, stop feeding. The attempt to introduce supplementary feeding is repeated no earlier than a week after the alarming symptoms have subsided.

What to feed artificial kittens

When choosing what to feed your artificial kitten, give preference to safe, nutritious foods. If the kitten is healthy and active, it is recommended to introduce supplementary food from natural products:

Whole goat or cow's milk.
Low-fat broth (beef, rabbit, turkey).
Boiled minced meat mixed with broth and homemade meat pate.

For a weak kitten that is stunted in growth, it is better to use industrial products as the first supplementary food:

Ground semi-moist food diluted with low-fat broth.
In case of growth retardation - pate for emaciated kittens.

Feeding pate for weakened animals is a temporary measure. Such products are very high in calories and allow you to quickly gain weight. However, gaining excess weight at an early age causes irreparable harm to the functioning of the cardiovascular system, so the kitten must be weighed regularly.

Timing and general information about feeding kittens

Kittens learn to suck while still in the womb. By the time of birth, babies have only one mission: determine the direction using scent and crawl to the food source. The first sips of colostrum help populate the intestines with microflora so that the kitten can digest food. Within 2-3 days, kittens receive colostrum, after which the cat begins to produce milk.

Cat's milk gives kittens all the necessary nutrients and antibodies - temporary immunity. The duration of feeding is regulated by the cat; some mothers feed their babies until the 15th week. Most often, a cat begins to avoid kittens or not let them suckle at 8–12 weeks. Until 12 weeks of age, it is advisable not to interfere with the feeding process of kittens!

If the pet abandoned the kittens earlier, they need to be artificially fed. Kittens are regularly weighed; if any baby is underweight, he is supplemented with formula. In a non-multiple litter, there should be enough milk for all the babies. If there are 6 or more kittens, usually 1-2 of the last born kittens will need supplementation.

At about 3 weeks of age, kittens begin to become interested in the smells of adult food. If kittens are bottle-fed, complementary feeding can be started at 2 weeks. By the way, at the 3rd week of life, the kitten starts teething, which can cause serious inconvenience to the cat. You need to think about this point in advance, gradually accustom the kittens to supplementary feeding, so that the main source of nutrition is not mother’s milk.

What can you feed a kitten up to 1 month old?

In extreme cases, infant formula will do.
Add egg white (in a ratio of 5/1) to heated cow or goat milk (preferably whole), stir until the mass becomes homogeneous.
A glass of milk, a raw yolk, a small teaspoon (even better, a coffee spoon) of vegetable oil are thoroughly whisked into a homogeneous mixture. In the second version of the recipe, the butter is replaced with honey or condensed milk.

Cow's milk in its pure form, and even unboiled, cannot be fed to a baby. It is very different in composition from that of a cat and can kill a kitten.

Important!

You can add special vitamins for kittens and glucose preparations to the diet, but it is not recommended to administer them at your own discretion. Be sure to consult your veterinarian!

Conclusion: feeding a kitten is not that difficult, and the most difficult period only takes a month. Almost every person who firmly decided to save a baby left without a mother succeeded.

How and what to feed a kitten

Many of us are faced with the problem when a cat refuses her newborn babies. And we have to resort to feeding the kittens ourselves. Each of us immediately asks the question: what to feed the kitten? And how to do this correctly so as not to harm such a tiny creature?

What to feed a kitten: basic diet

To correctly create a diet for feeding kittens, you need to take into account their age. Until the first month, if the cat has stopped feeding milk, they must be fed with their own formulas of cat milk substitutes, which are sold in any pet store, or prepared independently.

It is worth remembering that kittens of such a young age should never be given cow's milk because it is very fatty and can cause stomach upset. In a month, when the kittens grow up, you can add cottage cheese and low-fat kefir to their diet. At one and a half months, kittens begin to eat on their own.

What are the best foods to feed kittens?

Firstly, since the kitten is a future predatory animal, it needs to eat meat, but only lean meat (extra fat is of no use). It is not recommended to feed raw meat; you can scald it with boiling water, or it is best to simply cook it. It is also recommended to give frozen meat.

Chicken or any poultry meat can be given, but only without bones. Otherwise, the animal may be injured; bones are contraindicated for use as food. For kittens, it is better to choose chicken fillet, and before giving it to them, it is better to grind it, so it will be more convenient for them to eat and they will not choke.

Cottage cheese is a healthy product for kittens. It contains a lot of useful microelements. It can be diluted a little with sour cream, it will be even tastier, but you shouldn’t add a lot of sour cream, it can lead to stomach upset.

Alternative option

In order to feed small kittens, you can use a nurse cat. You need to find an individual that has already given birth to cubs, and give her additional babies. Foundlings should be placed in the basket at the moment when the new mother leaves. They are carefully rubbed with bedding - this will allow them to become saturated with the smell. After this, the cat will calmly accept the newcomers and take care of them.

There are stories of mothers raising children other than their own in this way. For example, a pug dog in the Kuban Zoo fed tiger cubs.

First feeding - when to start

For the first 3–4 weeks, kittens will feed exclusively on milk. This period will be a difficult time for both you and the babies, as you will not sleep at night and they will struggle to live.

When should I start feeding kittens for the first time? There is no clear answer to this question. Starting at three weeks of age, when kittens can distinguish silhouettes and smells, offer liquid supplementary food.

What to feed

How to feed kittens so as not to cause problems with digestion of food? The following are considered safe natural products:

Whole goat or cow's milk.
Low-fat broth (beef, rabbit, turkey).
Boiled minced meat mixed with broth and homemade meat pate.

If kittens are weakened, suffer from indigestion or are not gaining weight well, it is better to supplement them with industrial products:

Ground semi-moist food diluted with low-fat broth.
In case of growth retardation - pate for emaciated kittens.

Pate for weakened animals is high in calories, has an attractive smell and taste, so most kittens consume it with pleasure.

Regime and rules

The most difficult thing is to organize the feeding schedule correctly. For four weeks you will have to feed the kittens every 2-3 hours, including at night. Only after a month will they be able to start eating a little on their own.

Example mode:

the first 13 days of life - every 2-3 hours;
from the 14th to the 24th day - the same and one night feeding;
from the 25th to the 35th day - every 3-4 hours, one meal at night.

The process will require a special pacifier. You can buy a bottle for puppies and kittens at your veterinary pharmacy. If it is not possible to purchase it, use improvised means (pipette, syringe). The contents are supplied carefully and evenly, otherwise the animal will choke.

The owner places his elbows on the table, places his left hand on the kitten’s back and holds the neck. The right one brings a container of food. The first days the cubs are worried, but soon they get used to it and perceive the process calmly.

The kitten started eating

Any mother is naturally endowed with a wonderful instinct of caring for her offspring. Helpless babies will not survive without a reverent mother's attitude. And if in the human world a mother’s care has no expiration date, then cats are ready to let their little ones go from their hearts after just 3 weeks. In the wild, cubs immediately learn to get their own food, but kittens living in an apartment have to rely on their owner. Inexperienced owners have no idea whether to allow the kitten to eat on its own or what to include in its diet. This baby is so small and fragile that mistakes are unacceptable. So, how to properly organize the independent feeding of a fluffy mustache?

Age-related nuances of the cat’s “table”

Cats allow their children to live independently early, but are ready to provide them with milk for up to 2 months if necessary. Domestic kittens are usually ready for complementary feeding after 3 weeks of life. In addition, the children are growing rapidly, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for the cat mother to feed this horde.

At the age of 1-1.5 months, the kitten should receive warm liquid food 5-6 times a day. The following dishes can be placed on the cat’s “table”:

baby meat and vegetable puree;
semolina porridge with milk without sugar;
mashed boiled yolk (a little);
low-fat cottage cheese.

By 2 months, when the first baby teeth emerge, feline babies are ready to try solid food. But you shouldn’t exclude liquid food, as it is good for digestion. Don’t forget: the kitten is growing and developing rapidly, and every day its need for nutrients increases. The better nutrition that is “invested” in the baby at this age, the stronger his health will ultimately be. The following products are suitable for the table:

lean boiled meat;
children's cottage cheese;
cereals (oatmeal, buckwheat, rice);
chicken yolk;
fermented milk products and milk;
low-fat cheese without salt;
natural yoghurts.

By 3 months, the baby can be switched to dry cat food. Don't skimp on your pet's health. Economy class food is often made up at random from meat and bone waste; it will not be able to fully saturate the cat’s body with the necessary substances. It is better to buy super premium kitten food. From the owner's refrigerator, a three-month-old baby will benefit from the following delicacies:

lean boiled meat, cut into pieces;
offal (beef heart/liver);
boiled sea fish;
fermented milk cuisine;
grated vegetables and fruits;
salad of finely chopped greens and olive oil;
chicken yolk;
cereals (rice, buckwheat, millet, rolled oats);
natural yogurt.

To prevent your cat from being capricious in the future, you need to accustom him to the right table from childhood. It is not uncommon for cats to become hooked on a certain type of food and refuse others that are no less healthy. One regular dish cannot contain all the vitamins a cat needs. And if you want your pet to be an omnivore, teach him to eat fruits, vegetables and cereals from early childhood.

Newborn without mother

It happens that for some reason newborn babies are left without breast milk. Then the owner will face a real test, which will take a lot of time and effort, but will save the little cat’s life. The participation of a veterinarian in this feat is mandatory. A specialist will help you choose food and explain all the nuances of replacing cat milk with cow milk.

Up to 3-4 weeks, babies are fed 8 times a day using a pipette. The milk must be warm (but not higher than 37 degrees). If you drop it on the back of your hand, you can determine the temperature. The skin should not be hot. From 1 to 2 months, you can continue to feed the kitten with milk using a pacifier. After feeding, experts recommend gently massaging the cat's belly so that the digestive system works correctly.

The most important thing in feeding newborn kittens is not to overfeed the baby. Excess milk has an extremely detrimental effect on the fragile health of the baby.

In a sense, it is better to underfeed the baby than to risk his condition. The veterinarian will help determine the dosage of food.

How long does a cat feed kittens?

Did we manage to save the kittens? Yes! Our cat is feeding the kittens and everyone is doing well. One little kitten...

Cat breeders are often not against the birth of offspring, and some owners of especially valuable breeds even attach great importance to this. Therefore, they are sensitive not only to the process of pregnancy and childbirth, but are also interested in how much milk the cat feeds the kittens with milk.

It is important to note that mother cat milk is of significant importance in the life of a kitten, being an irreplaceable source of nutrients and energy. This means that the owners’ interest in the duration of feeding and its main points is understandable.

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Like all mammals, colostrum initially appears immediately after birth, which subsequently becomes full-fledged milk. It is from feeding colostrum that kittens develop immunity, so it is very important that they receive these precious drops. In the first few weeks of life, mother's milk will become the only and most important food for kittens, the source of all components essential for growth and normal development.

Newborn blind babies unmistakably find cat nipples that smell of tasty and healthy milk. Kittens have an excellent sense of smell from birth, as does their appetite. Appetite, however, is a sign that they are healthy.

Depending on the age of the kittens, the cat should feed the following number of times per day:

first week of life – 10-12 times;
second and third weeks – 8 times;
fourth and subsequent weeks – 6 times.

The question of the period of feeding a cat with milk is individual. Veterinarians say that there are a number of factors directly related to this:

Number of kittens in the litter. A cat can feed a fairly large number of babies with milk. But it is noted that one kitten can receive feeding from its mother for longer than 5 or 6 at a time.
Individual cat characteristics. Each case is, of course, special. Some may not allow kittens to come near them at all, while other cats feed their kittens with milk even when they are quite large. The duration of milk feeding may also depend on the animal’s mental state, so it is important to create a favorable climate around the giving birth so that the kittens receive their mother’s milk in full.
Cat health. In addition to the psychological factor, milk feeding is also influenced by the physiological state of the furry parent. If there are complications after childbirth, mastopathy, then she may completely refuse to breastfeed and not allow kittens to come to her. Various diseases, including parasitic ones, can also affect the duration of milk production.
Mother cat nutrition. The lactation process is quite complex and depends not only on the health of the pet, but also on the nutrition received. Only balanced food makes it possible to replenish the nursing mother’s body with all its needs for minerals, proteins, fats and carbohydrates. As long as the balance is complete, the cat will have milk for as long as possible.

A healthy cat, receiving good nutrition and surrounded by a calm environment, feeds kittens for up to 2.5 months. This figure is conditional and may be more or less. But the first month is very important for babies, because during this entire period milk is their only food.

Introduction of complementary foods

With the onset of the second month of life, kittens can add complementary foods to their diet. At the same time, the cat continues to feed the kitten with mother's milk. Babies develop very quickly, and this alone cannot provide them with adequate nutrition.

Leaving 3-4 meals a day with cat milk, the kittens begin to be given solid food: cottage cheese, chicken fillet, pieces of beef. It is allowed to give cow's milk, diluting it with water.

Gradually adding solid food allows babies to gradually become accustomed to chewing and digesting it. By the age of two or three months, their need for mother's milk disappears. It is not able to provide growing organisms with the complex of necessary elements that are so necessary for normal growth and development.

A cat does not always produce enough lactation. It is quite easy to notice that kittens do not have enough mother's milk. The signs are:

poor weight gain in children;
anxiety;
they squeak and poke their noses in search of nipples.

This can happen in a cat for several reasons:

reduced lactation, which can occur in first-time cats or already aging cats;
insufficient or inadequate nutrition;
a large number of kittens in one litter and they simply do not have enough milk for all of them;
any diseases of internal organs or psychological disorders.

In order to detect a lack of milk in time and take action, cat owners must observe both the behavior of the pet itself and its children. If problems arise, you will need to consult with a veterinarian to identify the cause, try to eliminate it, and help the kittens get enough nutrition.

As a rule, it is necessary to supplement the feeding of babies, and here it is important to know that cow’s milk cannot be given to them from the first days of life. The doctor will recommend special mixtures that are as close as possible in composition as a replacement for cat milk. When faced with a situation where such mixtures are unavailable, you can take food for infants.

Otherwise, formula feeding is similar to baby food:

the temperature of the finished milk should be body temperature (36-38 degrees);
bottles and nipples must be sterilized;
The mixture should be prepared immediately before feeding or stored in the refrigerator for no longer than 6 hours.

Please note that kittens can be supplemented with milk from a special nipple purchased at a pet supply store, or from a syringe, squeezing droplets directly into the baby’s mouth.

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A kitten that is naturally weak may also need additional feeding. As a rule, cats do not seek to feed such cats. This is submission to natural instincts, where the healthy and strong survive. It is better to show the kitten to a veterinarian.

Rules for feeding kittens without a mother

The rules for feeding kittens without a mother involve performing 4 main functions:

Heating.
Maintaining cleanliness.
Taking care of your health.
Feeding.

Until 3–4 weeks of age, kittens’ thermoregulation does not work fully, so the nest needs to be maintained at a constant temperature of at least 29–30 degrees. Kittens must be clean, since the condition of the coat is one of the indicators of health.

Before each feeding, inspect exposed skin for redness. If a kitten has a congenital food allergy, its body can react sharply even to an industrial cat milk substitute.

What does it take to feed a blind kitten?

If you suddenly become the guardian of a blind kitten, the first thing you need to do is provide it with warmth and food. If your cat is preparing to give birth, everything you need to artificially feed kittens should be purchased in advance:

Hot water bottle – for the first few days, instead of a heating pad, you can use plastic bottles filled with hot water and wrapped in terry towels.
Stock of cotton and terry cuts.
Gauze cuts and swabs, cotton sponges.
Moisture-wicking diapers.
The gloves are disposable.
Scales.
Feeding bottle - you can buy or make it. If you don’t have a bottle, you can use a syringe or pipette at first.
Medicine for children against colic.
A small box is a nest.
Thick fabric that allows air to pass through well - cover the box so that the kittens are in the dark and do not worry.

Experience shows that even healthy babies can become restless if separated from their mother. A kitten instinctively does not feel safe unless there is something big and warm next to it.

Feeding methods

The optimal device for feeding kittens is a special plastic bottle with a short nipple. However, if the kitten is too weak or, conversely, sucks the formula too actively, you can consider other feeding methods.

For the first few days, it is better to feed weakened kittens from a pipette. The mixture is applied in small drops to the tongue so that it flows down to the throat. If the kitten is sucking too hard and the rubber nipple on the bottle sticks, you can syringe feed it.

Regardless of the feeding method you choose, carefully wipe the kitten’s face after eating. The coat should not be dirty or matted, otherwise bacteria will grow in the formula residue.

Feeding mode

If kittens are healthy, they begin to squeak and move actively as soon as they get hungry. A weakened baby may sleep despite being hungry or squeak silently. If the kitten is active and hungry, it is best to feed it on demand for the first few weeks.

If the baby is weakened, it is better to adhere to the standard feeding regimen:

From birth to 14 days, kittens eat 10 times a day without a break for night sleep.
From 14 to 18 days, kittens eat 9 times a day without a break for night sleep.
From 18 days to 1 month, kittens eat 8 times a day without a break for night sleep.
From 1 to 2 months, kittens eat 7 times a day.

Don't worry if the kitten doesn't eat the offered portion at a time. In the first stages, it is much more important to support the functioning of the digestive tract, and even a small portion of food is enough for this. Over time, within 2-3 days, the kitten will gain strength and begin to ask for food when it gets hungry.

How long does a cat feed her kittens with milk on average?

In the first month of life, babies receive nutrition 10-12 times a day exclusively from the mother’s body. Cat milk contains everything that is required for the proper development of babies.

If kittens in the first month of life are left without a mother for some reason, they should be given to another nursing cat for feeding. Usually, surrogate mothers favorably accept other people's babies.

On average, cats feed their kittens their milk from one to three months. At the age of 2 months, babies should begin to be fed, but kittens should not be separated from their mother until they are a full 3 months old also because at this time they gain valuable life experience and learn the most important skills that they will need later.

If there is no way to continue natural feeding, it is worth purchasing a special cat milk replacer at the pet store. It's not a perfect food, but it contains enough calcium and protein, and the glucose level is within the normal range for cats. In the first week of life, babies will need feeding every 2 hours; in the second week, the interval between feedings can be increased by an hour. In the third week, kittens can be fed every 4 hours. During the fourth to fifth weeks, the amount of surrogate milk can be reduced and solid foods can be introduced.

If two-month-old babies are left without a mother, there is no need to try to continue keeping them on a milk diet for as long as a cat feeds kittens with milk, just switch them to solid food. Whole cow and goat milk is not suitable for cat nutrition, not only in infancy. Due to the increased glucose content and insufficient amount of protein, even the body of an adult cat has difficulty digesting the milk of other animals.

Two-month-old kittens begin to be fed lean meat, fish, chicken, boiled vegetables, oatmeal, cereal porridge, cottage cheese, even if the mother still has enough milk.

Make sure your kittens have enough protein in their food. But do not forget that its source should be not only meat products, but also liver, eggs, and dairy products. Brewer's yeast, wheat sprouts and oats should be gradually introduced into food.

What's wrong with the cat or reasons for the lack of milk

Normally, cats produce milk immediately after the end of labor. It can also arrive only 2-3 hours after the kittens are born.

If the babies squeak loudly, their tummies are empty, and they try to constantly suckle their mother, it means that there is no milk in the cat’s mammary glands.

This happens for the following reasons:

Stress. Pets giving birth for the first time can be very nervous and aggressive. They cannot understand what is happening to them, they worry and even abandon their offspring.

Endometritis or pyometra. Such diseases are a consequence of inflammation of the uterus. With pyometra, a large amount of pus accumulates in its cavity. In this case, you can determine what is wrong with the cat by the symptoms: heavy breathing and shortness of breath, the appearance of purulent discharge from the noose, restless behavior.

Not released afterbirth. Normally it should come out within a couple of hours. If this does not happen, the animal is given an injection of the drug Oxytocin.

Eclampsia. With this disease, an acute deficiency of calcium occurs in the cat’s body. The animal begins to have convulsions. The pet is worried, walks poorly, hides, and refuses to feed the babies.

Mastitis. This term refers to inflammation of the mammary glands in a cat. At the same time, they become hot and hard. The animal is in severe pain and does not allow the kittens to approach the nipples.

Lack of maternal instinct. In rare cases, a cat does not produce milk after giving birth, so she refuses to accept her babies, since her maternal instinct does not awaken.

Incorrect and poor diet. If your cat doesn't get enough nutrients from her diet during pregnancy, she may not produce milk after giving birth.

Lactation period and raising offspring in cats

After giving birth, the cat is weakened and needs rest. Change the bedding in the box and do not disturb the animal. Do not enter the room unnecessarily and do not pick up the kittens at first, so as not to irritate the mother cat. If she feels even the slightest threat to the offspring, she will behave aggressively or try to move the kittens to a secluded place, which will make it difficult to care for and monitor the health of the animals.

The cat will take care of the kittens herself: feed and lick them. You just need to make sure that all kittens receive the same portions of maternal attention. It happens that a cat ignores one of the cubs, in this case, try to attract her attention to the kitten.

Health monitoring

In the first week after birth, measure the cat's temperature. Normally, it should be 38–39 °C; if the temperature is higher, this indicates postpartum complications. In this case, be sure to call a veterinarian. Your cat will experience some uterine discharge for 1-2 weeks. Normally they are reddish-brown in color, but over time they should become colorless and disappear completely.

If this does not happen or the color and consistency of the discharge differs from the norm, seek veterinary help. Usually after giving birth, cats take care of themselves, but if the animal is too weak, remove the discharge with a damp cloth or cotton pad. The cat will take care of the kittens herself: feed and lick them. You just need to make sure that all babies receive the same portions of maternal attention. It happens that a cat ignores one of the cubs, in this case, try to attract her attention to the kitten.

In the first days after birth, the cat needs to be provided with peace and comfort.

Diet during lactation

During lactation, the cat should receive a sufficient amount of high-quality food. If you fed her with ready-made food, buy special food intended for this period (food for growing kittens is also suitable).

When eating natural food, make sure your diet is varied, high in protein, rich in vitamins and microelements. In any case, increase the amount of food 2.5–3 times compared to the period before pregnancy. Give food in portions 3-4 times a day and be sure to provide your cat with plenty of fluids.

Kittens can start feeding from 3-4 weeks of age, giving them baby meat puree, dairy products or special food for kittens.

Complementary foods should be offered in small portions and monitor the kitten’s body’s reaction to it.

Why don't kittens get enough milk?

You can determine whether kittens are feeding normally by weighing them. Immediately after feeding, the kitten should gain 5-6 grams of weight. If scales are not at hand, underfeeding of kittens can be easily determined by their behavior: they crawl restlessly and squeak.

In this case, it is necessary to take both the cat and the kittens to the veterinarian, since most often the cat’s milk runs out when the animal does not receive the required amount of water and nutrition or suffers from postpartum complications. Here are some of them:

Mastitis is an infection of the mammary glands. The milk nipples of a nursing cat swell, look inflamed, their temperature rises, the cat does not allow the kittens to approach the affected nipples.
Hypocalcemia, also known as milk fever, is a rare condition in cats caused by a lack of calcium in the body during pregnancy and lactation. Symptoms include seizures, muscle spasms, restlessness, and drowsiness.
Endometritis is a serious inflammation of the uterus. Signs of this disease include foul-smelling vaginal discharge, fever, and loss of milk.

Most importantly, do not forget: premature cessation of lactation threatens the lives of kittens and indicates serious health problems in the cat.

Normal lactation - beginning, process, completion

Normally, a cat's lactation begins immediately after birth or a few days before the birth of the offspring . Several complex mechanisms are responsible for the production of milk in the mother's body, but they all depend on hormonal levels.

From the first day of conception until the end of lactation, the level of oxytocin in the cat’s body increases. The amount of this hormone is constantly increasing. A critical concentration of oxytocin leads to the initiation of labor and active lactation. In fact, if everything goes naturally, the cat’s milk actively comes in during contractions and pushing.

A few days before giving birth, a clear discharge may ooze from your cat's nipples, indicating that the mammary glands are open. This is a good sign, since nothing will interfere with the flow of milk. During this period, the cat intensively licks the nipples, which stimulates increased blood circulation in the tissues.

After the birth of the first kitten, the cat gnaws the umbilical cord, eats the afterbirth and pushes the baby towards the nipples. The process of feeding a kitten serves as additional stimulation for the onset of new contractions, and if all kittens are born, for the contraction of the uterus to a normal state.

In the first 4–5 days, the young mother feeds the babies every 2–3 hours. Note that immediately after childbirth, the mother’s body produces colostrum, not milk. In composition, colostrum is more saturated and contains a lot of:

Nutrients (proteins) – a source of nutrition.
Friendly lacto- and bifidobacteria - after birth, there are no bacteria in the intestines of kittens, and the process of further digestion depends on what microflora gets into it. Colostrum contains optimal microflora; statistics show that almost all artificially fed kittens suffer from dysbiosis.
Antibodies - during the entire period of feeding and until about 3 months of life, kittens do not have their own immunity; they receive antibodies from the mother. After the end of feeding, the concentration of antibodies in the blood of kittens decreases, they become defenseless against viruses and infections. For prevention, kittens at the age of 3–4 months begin a course of basic vaccination.
Water – newborn kittens, like their mother, experience dehydration in the first hours after birth. For kittens, this condition is considered more serious, so the mother’s body sacrifices itself to save the offspring. Your task is to take care of mom and help her restore water reserves in her body.

The cat independently decides how long to feed the kittens. Typically, a young mother begins to avoid feeding when the kittens reach the age of 1-2 months. At this point, the cat has a natural decrease in active lactation.

Note! The process of natural completion of lactation is due to the fact that kittens begin to eat not only milk. To constantly maintain the volume of milk, it is necessary that the kittens constantly suckle from their mother.

At about one month of age, babies' incisors begin to emerge, the cat experiences severe discomfort during feeding and begins to avoid babies. The kittens have no choice but to look for other food sources.

At about one month of age, the owner needs to start feeding the babies . If the cat is kept on industrial food, then the kittens are fed with special baby pate. If the animal eats natural food, the kittens are given boiled minced meat, broth, dairy and fermented milk products.

Feeding methods

Kittens at the age of two weeks need to be fed correctly. You cannot turn the kitten onto its back. Place your fluffy on your lap on a disposable diaper. Lift your muzzle slightly by the scruff of the neck.

It is best to use a container or box with low sides. Cover the bottom with a soft cloth. Place the kitten's front legs on the bottom, but so that his front paws rest against the side. Over time, the kitten will choose a comfortable position for eating.

It is best to feed babies from bottles with a nipple or pipette. This way the milk supply will be delivered evenly or drop by drop. If your kitten has a weak sucking reflex or is having difficulty sucking formula from a bottle, use a dropper.

You can feed from a syringe with a rubber nozzle. But this method of feeding requires certain skills. Gently squeeze out the mixture drop by drop, opening your pet's mouth slightly. Kittens should lick the food from the spout of the syringe. The syringe cannot be inserted completely into the mouth due to possible injury to the gums. Make sure your kitten doesn't choke while eating.

Vitamins and supplements

Until 6-8 months, kittens are actively growing and developing. If the pet is kept on natural food, the diet must be supplemented with complex, balanced vitamin and mineral supplements.

What vitamins and supplements are given to kittens? You can use fish oil, meat and bone meal, dry yeast, or ready-made vitamins and supplements that your veterinarian will recommend.

With a ready-made diet, all useful substances are included in high-quality feed, so there is no need for additional vitamin or mineral complexes. Moreover, if your pet is not averse to eating raw vegetables and fruits, do not deny him this pleasure.

At 1.5 months

Below we will consider how and what to feed a 1.5 month old kitten at home:

At this age, the pet can already feed on its own, and its diet should be balanced. At this age, the kitten can be fed:

rolled oats and buckwheat porridges;
vegetables (any vegetables, except potatoes, served boiled or raw);
raw meat (low-fat varieties). Served raw, boiled or scalded with boiling water. Meat products make up from 60 to 80% of the total daily food volume.;
boiled offal;
cottage cheese - 30 g per day, preferably not fatty;
raw fish, previously doused with boiling water (about 1 time every 7 days);
greens (you can ask at the animal department).

How often should I feed?

Kids eat a lot, 5-6 meals a day is the norm. In general, a kitten should eat 120 g per day. The baby cannot eat this amount at once. If the kitten eats less than normal, then you should try changing the food. If the animal refuses food, it is better to contact a veterinarian.

Once the kitten reaches 2 months, you can feed it a little more - up to 180 g

At this moment, it is important to monitor the pet’s activity - more playful and active animals need more food.

If you are going away for the day and leaving your kitten alone, feed him before you leave and leave some food in his bowl and feed him more when you return.

Food additives

Do not neglect this important point - vitamins and supplements will have a beneficial effect on the kitten’s body.

From 1.5 months you can add to food:

Kitzim;
"Doctor Zoo";
"Brevers";
"Farmavit";
"Biofar".

Before purchasing vitamins, consult with specialists. Veterinarians can advise you on which food supplements are best for your pet and whether your pet needs them at all. The most popular supplement for cats is fish oil. Veterinarians advise giving it 2 capsules for 7 days.

What not to give to a kitten

Every caring owner should remember the list of prohibited foods. Kittens should not eat:

food with spices (the kind that people like);
fatty meat: pork, beef;
human medicines;
sweets;
river fish;
legumes;
fatty dairy products;
flour;
potatoes.

Is it possible to have ready-made food at 1.5 months?

Cat owners and veterinarians do not recommend mixing food and natural food. Many people primarily purchase ready-made cat food for a number of reasons:

saving time;
nutritional balance.

If you want to feed your pet food, you should consider that:

it will not be possible to switch to natural nutrition;
You cannot mix food of different brands, as they contain different microelements;
Only high-quality commercial feed is suitable for feeding.

Choose high-quality, balanced food and your kitten will not have any health problems.

Kittens love wet food, but it's a little more expensive. However, according to veterinarians, dry, high-quality ones are more useful.

It is worth noting that wet food contains about 80% water, and your pet does not need to constantly drink water. With dry food, everything is different - there should always be a clean bowl with drinking clean water near the food bowl.

Veterinarians consider the following brands to be good food:

Royal Canin;
Almo Nature;
Pro Plan Junior;
Eukanuba Puppy Kitten.

The price tag may scare the kitten's owners, but believe me, by purchasing good food, you only win. You won’t have to buy additional vitamins, and the kitten will be healthy, and you won’t have to spend money on treatment.

Reasons for lack of milk

For many firstborns, the birth of babies is stressful, against the background of which lactation may decrease or disappear completely.
Sometimes a nursing cat, as soon as she gives birth, has little milk, but don’t worry. If the kitten drinks it regularly, the amount will soon increase. If the babies are constantly hungry, meow loudly and do not gain weight, then the owner needs to contact a veterinarian who will tell you how to increase the female’s lactation. A nulliparous or just given birth cat has no milk or quickly runs out of milk for a number of reasons:

The influence of a stress factor. It is a common source of problems in pets who have given birth for the first time. As a result of the experience, the female’s milk often completely disappears.
Various diseases. If the birth was difficult or protracted, then there is a high probability of inflammatory reactions in the birth canal or uterus. Purulent discharge from the animal’s genitals, reluctance to eat and a lethargic state help to find out about the problem. At such moments, the cat often leaves the kittens and hides in some corner.
Lack of maternal instincts. Some females do not care at all that her baby is hungry or needs maternal warmth. A similar problem is associated with the lack of manifestation of instincts and is typical for cats of artificially bred breeds that gave birth for the first time.
Unbalanced diet. The lack of milk is sometimes explained by an incorrect diet, in which the nursing mother does not receive enough vitamins and essential microelements. Owners should feed pregnant and newborn cats foods rich in protein and other nutrients.
Hormonal disbalance. When a cat gives birth, the balance of hormones in her body is disrupted, which can affect milk production. In some females it begins to be produced a lot, while in others it disappears completely.

Regime and rules for feeding newborn kittens

Newborn kittens need to be fed as often as possible - this is an axiom. It is natural for them to eat often, but little by little. Unfortunately, one person simply cannot provide orphans with round-the-clock access to a bottle.

How often should kittens be fed depending on age:

A newborn kitten sucks until it is satisfied, and then falls asleep again. Feeding itself does not take much time, usually no more than 5 minutes.

Kittens eat often, but little by little

1 week – every 2 hours, including at night. More often if the kittens wake up and squeak (sometimes you have to feed them every hour).

Week 2 – every 3 hours, at night every 4 hours.

Week 3 – feeding every 3-5 hours, at night the interval can be 6 hours if the kittens do not wake up.

4th week – kittens are fed on average 4-6 times a day (every 4-6 hours), by the end of the week they begin to introduce complementary foods.

Month-old kittens begin to eat special canned food

How to prepare the mixture

If you are using a commercial milk replacer, detailed instructions will be provided on the packaging. The general principle is this: boil water and let it cool to about 50°C. Pour the mixture powder into the water, stirring constantly so that there are no lumps. The prepared solution is poured into bottles. When the milk has cooled to 35-36oC, it is given to kittens.

It is not recommended to store the finished mixture. But this is perfectly acceptable if you keep it in the refrigerator. A pre-prepared solution at night is especially helpful. Then you only need to heat the milk to the desired temperature - in the microwave or in a water bath.

How to feed a newborn kitten

Ideally, the kitten is fed from a special bottle with a nipple, and the diameter of the nipple hole varies depending on the age of the baby. In real life, buying such a bottle can be a problem. An alternative would be a plastic syringe without a needle.

The kitten is fed by holding it upright if it is very small, or lying on its stomach. It is strictly forbidden to place the kitten on its back. Kittens must suck the bottle or syringe nozzle themselves; pouring the mixture into them is unacceptable - it can get into the respiratory tract.

Kitten drinks from a bottle

Many newborn kittens die from aspiration pneumonia caused by improper feeding, and not at all from a draft or viral infection. No force feeding.

The bottle is held at an angle of 45°C, it should be comfortable for the kitten to suck. The muzzle will be raised up.

The correct position of the bottle is at an angle of 45 degrees

How much milk to give a kitten at one time

The amount of formula fed to a kitten depends on the age and weight of the baby. Kittens are usually fed ad libitum so that the sleepy baby falls off the nipple on its own. But sometimes overfeeding leads to digestive problems, and you need to at least approximately adhere to the standards indicated on the packaging of the cat's milk replacer.

In the first week the kitten will drink about 2-5 ml at a time, in the second week 5-10 ml, then 10-15 ml.

Cow's milk or baby formula is too watery for kittens. Their kitten will drink more, stretching its stomach and suffering from colic. Cat milk replacer is high in protein and fat. It is more concentrated, more nutritious. And you only need a little bit of it in terms of volume.

Kittens are not given water until they begin to lap from the bowl on their own.

Tummy massage

After each feeding, the kitten is helped to relieve itself. To do this, carefully massage the tummy clockwise. In addition, you need to massage the anus with a damp cotton pad or napkin, imitating the movements of a cat's tongue.

Urination should occur after each meal, and bowel movements on average 4 times a day. The stool should be light brown and soft. Kittens will only have formed stools when they start complementary feeding. The butt is wiped first with a damp and then with a dry cloth.

Kittens must poop from the first day of birth. If there are no stools, a veterinarian's examination is necessary. The kitten may have congenital underdevelopment or occlusion of the anus and other problems.

The kitten needs not only to be fed, but also to be helped to defecate.

Weighing

To make sure that kittens are digesting food and growing, they need to be weighed. In the first week it is better to do this daily. The weight gain should be about 15 grams. You can weigh babies using electronic baby scales or kitchen scales. If the scales are not equipped with a bowl, the kitten is placed in a container.

This kitten's eyes haven't opened yet. Weighing on a kitchen scale

This kitten weighs almost 700g and can eat dry kitten food

What to do if there is not enough milk

Often a situation arises when there is not enough mother's milk for newborns. This can be seen by the restlessness of the kittens and their low weight gain. Underfed babies sleep little, squeak, and constantly look for their mother's nipples. This situation may arise for the following reasons:

low milk production of the cat;

inadequate, low-calorie nutrition of the mother;

stressful situation;

numerous litters;

diseases (including postpartum complications), pathological conditions of a nursing cat, hormonal imbalance;

low maternal instinct.

It is important for owners to monitor how the cat feeds the kittens and their behavior after feeding. This will allow you to notice the problem of lack of breast milk in time and take measures to organize supplementary feeding. You should contact a veterinarian to determine the cause of low milk production and take measures to eliminate it. Kittens need to be supplemented immediately as soon as signs of malnutrition are detected.

Natural cow's milk or its store-bought analogues are not suitable for supplementary feeding. It is best to use specialized formulas for feeding kittens. Ready-made options are identical to mother's milk and are well absorbed by babies. If they are not available, whole goat milk and dry formulas for feeding puppies are suitable. When using special formulations for infants, they must be diluted 1.5 times, since the concentration indicated for children is not suitable for kittens.

When supplementing babies, it is necessary to heat the milk formula to 36 - 380 C. You should not store the prepared food in the refrigerator for more than 6 hours. It is necessary to strictly monitor the cleanliness of the bottle and pacifier to prevent intestinal infections in babies.

For information on what to feed a one-month-old kitten, watch this video:

It is better to feed the cubs after they have suckled their mother. In this case, their sucking reflex is already triggered, and it will be easier to feed them. You can drink the mixture from a special bottle with a nipple (sold in pet stores) or from a syringe without a needle. When using the latter option, under no circumstances should it be used as a pacifier. Use it to squeeze droplets of the mixture into the baby’s mouth. If the sucking reflex is weak, the kitten needs to be stimulated: stroke the head and forehead.

It should be remembered that the cat's last nipples are milkier. Therefore, weakened, underfed babies must be placed with them. To control the supplementation of kittens, they should be weighed daily.

The question of how many kittens a cat can feed cannot be answered unequivocally. It all depends on the milk production of the animal, the nutritional value of the diet, the number of cubs, the health of the mother and many other factors. Some pets can cope with feeding only one or two kittens, while others are able to fully feed 5 - 6 cubs.

Feeding mode

Veterinarians recommend feeding newborn kittens on demand. Healthy kittens are active, moving around and squeaking when they are hungry. If the kitten is weakened, it will not be active and may die in its sleep.

If you are not sure that the kitten will ask to eat, it is better to stick to the feeding regimen:

From birth to 14 days, kittens eat 10 times a day without a break for night sleep.
From 14 to 18 days, kittens eat 9 times a day without a break for night sleep.
From 18 days to 1 month, kittens eat 8 times a day without a break for night sleep.
From 1 to 2 months, kittens eat 7 times a day.
From 2 to 3 months, kittens eat 6 times a day.

The number of feedings given in the list above is arbitrary. The frequency of food intake, the duration of the break and the speed of saturation of kittens directly depends on the milk replacer, more precisely its energy value and fat content.

Features of mother feeding small kittens

After the birth of furry creatures, owners often wonder how much milk the cat feeds the kittens with milk. For newborn animals, milk is the main source of energy and nutrients. Therefore, it is important to have an idea of the duration, frequency and other key points of keeping and feeding newborn kittens.

Features of mother feeding kittens

Gradually, the level of antibodies decreases, and colostrum becomes mother's milk. For newly born babies, it is the main food for several weeks.

Only with the secretion of the mammary gland can kittens receive proteins, fats, carbohydrates and substances necessary for the normal development of the body.

Many factors influence how long a cat feeds her kittens with milk:

Number of babies in the litter. A healthy cat can feed one kitten for up to 3 - 4 months, and sometimes longer (provided it is fed solid food). If there are 5 - 6 cubs in a litter, then the animal is not able to feed them with mother's milk for a long time.

Individual characteristics of the animal. Some females feed kittens for quite a long time, allowing the grown cub to approach them, even when it reaches 5-6 months of age. Other animals, after 3-4 weeks, and sometimes earlier, stop feeding the kittens with milk, preventing them from getting to the nipples. And some cats completely refuse babies. The duration of feeding is individual and depends on the specific animal.

Quality of nutrition for a nursing mother. How much a cat feeds her kittens depends on the animal's diet. A complete diet that provides the nutrients and minerals necessary during feeding (especially calcium, taurine, etc.) contributes to a longer period of lactation and feeding.

Mom's health. How long a cat spends feeding her kittens is influenced by the physiological state of the mother at the time of feeding. Diseases of internal organs, postpartum complications, the presence of worms and parasites reduce the milk production of the animal and shorten the period of admission to the breast.

On average, a healthy domestic cat feeds kittens continuously for 3 to 4 weeks, during which time milk is their only source of nutrition. Then they begin to feed the babies solid food.

From this time on, breastfeeding is carried out 3-4 times a day.

By the time the cat stops feeding the kittens milk, the kittens should be able to feed themselves solid food. Babies completely switch to independent feeding at 2 - 2.5 months. From this time on, their body does not need mother's milk, it does not meet the growing needs of kittens, and they are able to digest non-liquid food.

Complementary foods in the diet of kittens of various breeds

The characteristics of the cat breed must be taken into account when introducing complementary foods and preparing a diet. For most species, standard rules apply. But there are breeds that have certain characteristics that require correction in the complementary feeding regime.

Kittens of Scottish and British breeds can receive additional nutrition at an early age. Complementary foods are introduced from 4 weeks.

Maine Coons mature late. Cats usually feed their babies until they are 2 months old. These kittens do not need to be fed complementary foods until they are 8 weeks old.

A special feature of the Sphynx is the lack of hair. This leads to increased energy expenditure to maintain body temperature. At 1.5 months, babies need to be provided with additional nutrition from high-calorie foods.