The situation when a newborn kitten is left without a mother is a common event. A cat can die, get sick, give up kittens, and then the person takes on all the troubles of feeding and caring for the baby. And the question of how to feed a newborn kitten without a cat worries both an experienced breeder and an ordinary lover of furry creatures.

When caring for a baby left without a mother, you should adhere to the following steps: feeding the animal, equipping the nest, ensuring normal life activities. It must be remembered that the newborn’s body is practically not adapted to independent life. His health and life depend entirely on external factors.

Read in this article

Choosing a Milk Substitute

Feeding a newborn baby is the most important stage in caring for an orphan. Many owners, faced with the need to care for themselves, ask the question: how to feed a newborn kitten without a cat?

First of all, you need to decide on the choice of food. You should know that in the first days after birth, the cat produces colostrum, and only later milk. The first serves as a guarantee of protection against numerous infections for newborn kittens, as it contains ready-made protective substances. For the health of the offspring, it is very important that babies receive colostrum from their mother in the first days of life.

If for some reason this is not possible, you should seek help veterinary specialist and support the cubs’ immunity with a special serum. It is prepared from blood immune cat. This drug is administered to newborns subcutaneously or swallowed. The procedure allows you to supply the body with the necessary antibodies to viruses and bacteria. Another option is to drink pre-frozen colostrum from another cat. Of course, placing the kitten next to a female who has just given birth is the best option in such a situation.

To understand what to feed newborn kittens without a cat, you need to know that the composition of cat's milk is unique. It contains almost 2 times more protein than cow's milk. The level of fat, mineral elements and vitamins is also much higher. Cat milk is different high level Taurine is an amino acid, without which normal breakdown of fat in kittens is impossible.

The best substitute for cat milk is special mixtures for kittens. Many people make them well-known companies, specializing in the production of animal feed. The mixtures most accurately reproduce the chemical composition of cat milk. They are enriched with essential amino acids, including taurine. At correct use do not cause allergic reactions, digestive disorders, etc. Many manufacturers package mixtures in small disposable bags; the kit also includes bottles with nipples, which is very convenient to use. You can purchase milk substitutes at veterinary pharmacies and pet stores.

But what to do if the cat does not have milk, how to feed the kittens in this case? The principle of selecting a milk substitute is the same as for orphan kittens. If the problem with feeding babies takes you by surprise, then at first you can use formula for infants. However baby food should be diluted 1.5 - 2 times boiled water.

Whole cow's milk is not suitable for feeding kittens. Its composition is poor in proteins, fats and minerals, and contains practically no taurine. When kittens drink it, they often develop digestive disorders, leading to death.

A little closer chemical composition to cat goat milk. However, it contains practically no vital taurine. IN in rare cases goat milk can be used for feeding, after diluting it with boiled water in a 1:1 ratio and adding one quail egg for every 50 grams.

Feeding regimen and rules

In addition to choosing the right substitute mother's milk at artificial nutrition, it is important to know how to feed a kitten if there is no cat. The best option would be to imitate the behavior of the mother. Before feeding the baby, you need to stroke his forehead and back. This should be done sterile wipe, imitating the movements of a cat. This massage stimulates an active sucking reflex and improves digestion.

For feeding, it is best to place the newborn on his stomach. The mixture should be fed from a small container through a nipple. A bottle and pacifier can be purchased at a pet store if it was not included in the kitten formula. You can also use an eye dropper by making a hole in its rubber part.

In emergency cases, it is possible to administer the mixture using a disposable syringe without a needle. In this case, you should be careful, as the kitten may choke and develop diarrhea. You should not constantly feed your baby with a syringe. This is unsafe for his health and life, and in addition, a weakened sucking reflex leads to digestive disorders.

When feeding, it is important to observe the temperature of the milk replacer you drink. The formula for feeding in the first 3 - 4 days of life should be heated to a temperature of 36 - 380 C. next days the feeding temperature should be 30 - 320 C. A cold mixture will cause indigestion and hypothermia, which is unacceptable for newborn kittens.

The baby should be fed as long as he sucks. You can determine that a kitten is full by its rounded tummy and behavior. Well-fed babies do not squeak, do not crawl, and fall asleep almost immediately. After feeding, the kitten should be carefully placed in a vertical position, this helps remove air from the stomach and improve digestion.

Feeding regimen depends on age. In the first week of life, babies need to be fed every 2 hours, including at night. In the second week of life, the break between feedings should be no more than 3 hours. Night feedings still continue during this period. When babies are 3 weeks old, they should be fed 6 times a day. From this age, night feedings are no longer necessary.

The feeding mixture must be freshly prepared. You can store diluted breast milk substitute for no more than 6 hours in the refrigerator. It is important to maintain the cleanliness and sterility of the bottle, nipple, and utensils for preparing the mixture. The pacifier must be washed with boiled water. Compliance with these measures will prevent the development of digestive disorders in children.

Setting up a place for a kitten

Having solved the problem with nutrition, the owners of the orphan think about the question of how to care for a newborn kitten without a cat. First of all, you need to equip a place (nest) for the baby. It should be safe, dry, warm. Most often, a small but dense one is used for this purpose. cardboard box or a plastic container (small basin). The bottom should be covered with waterproof oilcloth and laid on top soft cloth and a disposable diaper. The box should be placed in a quiet place, creating twilight. It should be placed in soft toy to simulate the presence of a cat in the nest. This will calm the kids down and they will feel protected.

Pet owners do not always have a complete understanding of how to care for a newborn kitten without a cat. For baby's health important has not only food, but also arrangement of the nest. The cat warms its offspring, maintains optimal temperature regime. Newborn kittens are very sensitive to hypothermia, since their thermoregulation system is not yet perfect. Therefore, owners should pay attention special attention ambient temperature. To monitor it, you should install a thermometer in the box.

In the first week of life, the temperature for a kitten should be maintained within 29 - 320 C. In the second week of life, it should be reduced to 27 - 290 C. When the babies are 3 weeks old, the most comfortable temperature for them will be no lower than 240 C.

The optimal regime for a kitten can be set using the following devices:

• Electric heating pad. The top is covered with waterproof material.

• IR lamp. The distance at which the heat source is suspended is determined empirically using a thermometer.

• Bottle with warm water. This method is suitable for emergency heating.

When caring for kittens, you should avoid drafts, dampness, hypothermia and overheating. Required condition Successful nursing of kittens is cleanliness and dryness in the nest. It is necessary to regularly change the litter and carry out cleaning to prevent intestinal infections and hypothermia.

Features of caring for orphan kittens

Even experienced breeders do not always have a good idea of ​​how to care for kittens without a cat. While focusing on feeding babies, we should not forget about other functions. Newborns are unable to empty their bowels on their own and bladder. This is why mother cats carefully lick their kittens. This relaxes the muscles and emptying occurs.

For successful nursing, the owner must carry out regular and thorough massage of the anus and urethra. It should begin with stroking the tummy, circular movements near the navel. Movements should be intense, but careful. It is better to massage the perineum with a damp sterile cloth after each animal awakens. Don’t forget about massage and caring for the fur and eyes of kittens, because animals learn to wash themselves by the 3rd - 4th week.

When asking how to raise a kitten without a cat, one should not forget about the baby’s development. A mother cat, communicating with her cubs, teaches them the wisdom of life, survival, and the manifestation of hunting instincts. At the age of 3 weeks, kittens see well, hear well, and begin to move actively. At this time, you need to play with them, encourage hunting habits, and stop unwanted behavior.

Feeding kittens

At the age of 3 - 4 weeks, kittens need to be accustomed to solid food. This should not be done earlier during artificial feeding, since the immune and digestive system cubs raised without a cat are weak, and early transfer to solid food will provoke diarrhea and vomiting. How to feed a one-month-old kitten without a cat? Complementary foods should be introduced very carefully. The first portions are literally the size of a pea. You should carefully monitor your stool after introducing each new product into your diet. Food should be given in a small bowl and placed within reach of the kitten. Food is purchased and served fresh, not hot or cold. One month old kitten feed at least 5 - 6 times a day. After each meal, dishes must be washed thoroughly. Children should have free access to water.

Owners are often interested in what to feed one-month-old kittens separated from their cat. They can be given:

• from dairy products cottage cheese, fermented baked milk, kefir, sour cream, cream;

• from meat products chopped chicken or beef, scalded with boiling water;

• Chicken and quail eggs are nutritious for kittens;

• warm broths are useful;

• It’s good to include boiled vegetables and cereals in your diet (vegetables should be grated or chopped in a blender).

Raw meat and fish should absolutely not be given. This can lead to infection with helminths and dangerous infections. Shouldn't feed little kitten fatty, fried, salty foods. Animals should not receive food from the table.

When feeding dry food, preference should be given to specialized formulations that correspond to the age of kittens from well-known manufacturers. For young growing animals, the best option would be premium and super-premium food.

Of course, artificial feeding and care for the owner’s kitten cannot replace the natural care of the mother cat’s offspring. But patience, perseverance, knowledge of the features physiological processes kittens, boundless love for fluffy balls are a guarantee of successful nursing for babies left without a cat.

Unfortunately, many factors can lead to the fact that newborn kittens are left without their mother's warm milk. It happens that a cat dies or simply abandons its cubs. Sometimes even the most caring female loses milk. However, it is necessary to feed the baby in any case. The kitten does not understand whether the cat has milk or not, he is still hungry and needs care.

When a person comes to help, he has to take on a certain amount of responsibility that would normally fall on the mother. And we are talking here not only about the physiological well-being of kittens. They must grow up to be full-fledged animals, even if for this they do not have the most important thing - maternal care and milk.

To prevent babies from feeling lonely, it is important to provide them with proper care, in which artificial feeding is of fundamental importance. And if with kittens that have reached one month old, everything happens much simpler, then before you start feeding newborn babies yourself, you should know how to do it correctly.

The main condition in the process of feeding kittens is the choice of an appropriate diet. Before feeding a newborn kitten, many people consider a worthy alternative cat's milk is cow's milk, but veterinarians strongly recommend not to use it. Unlike natural nutrition, which a cat could give to babies, the milk of other animals does not even have a similar composition. In particular, cow's milk has much more glucose and less protein, and the digestibility of such food by newborn kittens is an order of magnitude lower.

Duration of natural feeding

Of course, the ideal solution to the problem would be another nursing cat if there is no mother or her milk is not enough for all the offspring. Pets often accept other people's babies without difficulty. Also plays important role and how much the baby needs to eat cat milk. On average, it is believed that a cat nurses kittens for two to three months. It is clear that deviations from such indicators are natural, but in the absence of a nursing mother, an artificial diet that completely replaces milk should be the main one until the baby is at least 1 month old. There is no need to start feeding “adult” food earlier than this period, and it is better not to rush at all with the introduction of additional nutrition for another month.

When another nurse could not be found, the owner has no choice but to take up feeding the kitten himself and decide what to feed the newborn kittens. Many stores and veterinary pharmacies sell special substitutes milk for kittens, which in its composition is significantly close to cat milk. Such mixtures are the most suitable feeding option for newborn babies who do not have a mother. If it is not possible to purchase a substitute, you can try giving the kitten a formula intended for children under six months of age. It is also based on whole cow's milk, but enriched with additional substances, it is more adapted to children's bodies than a cow's product in pure form.

Frequency of meals for a newborn baby

In order not to harm the digestive system of tailed babies, it is important to follow the recommendations of specialists both on the diet and the volume of each feeding, and to be aware of the difficulties in this process may be accompanied.

Each feeding must be carried out in accordance with a specific schedule, which is advised to be followed by both veterinarians and experienced cat breeders. He looks as follows:

1. During the first half month of life, kittens eat at least 12 times a day (every 1.5-2 hours throughout the day and night).
2. For the next 10 days (from the 15th day of life to the 25th), you can increase the interval between meals to 2-3 hours. As a rule, a kitten's need for night feedings is reduced to a minimum of 1-2 times.
3. By the end of the first month, you can gradually switch to three-hour time intervals between meals. At night, babies usually wake up only once to eat.

It should be noted that each feeding takes about half an hour of free time, and since the first month of kittens’ life requires frequent appointments food, the owner’s personal schedule will have to be significantly adjusted.

Items for cat feeding

If there is no cat near the newborn baby, you should take care in advance about the method of delivering the prepared milk substitute into the kitten’s esophagus. For this purpose, based on many years of experience of breeders, the following are perfect:

• Pipette (its advantage is the dosed supply of the mixture, thanks to which you can swallow small dose no problem for a kitten; At the same time, it is extremely important to prevent air from getting inside, otherwise increased gas formation will occur in the animal’s intestines).
• A syringe (a pharmaceutical device of any size can be used as a feeding container if used without a needle; in addition, its tip is as similar as possible to a cat’s nipple).
• Spoon (quite often kittens adapt and begin to immediately lap from a spoon, but this often ends in the loss of sucking reflexes and difficulty in further eating).
• Pacifier (you can buy it at any pet store or specialized pharmacy chain).

By the way, many consider the last device to be the most suitable, naturally, because of its direct purpose. But it is worth noting that they are made primarily for older kittens, which can already be fed.

The volume of daily portions should be as close as possible to how much milk the cat would give if she were feeding the babies herself. Correct dosage food will make the kitten feel good. As in the case of overeating, and vice versa, the newborn pet will be restless. Every few days, the amount of food your kitten eats should increase. Overall, can't go wrong with the right amount milk for an animal is possible if you adhere to the following scheme:

1. For the first 5 days of life, the daily volume of the mixture must be prepared at the rate of 30 ml per 100 g of kitten weight.
2. You can begin to increase the amount of food per day in the next 10 days, bringing the total volume of portions to 38 ml per 100 g of weight.
3. From the 15th day of life, it is advisable to increase the volume to 45 ml, up to the 24th day.
4. Next, feed the kitten 55 ml per day for a month, dividing total number by the number of feedings.

The above scheme is not mandatory and unconditional. Like people, all animals are individual, so the amount of food eaten, even for kittens of the same litter, can vary. Once you get used to your pet, you can either reduce or increase the portions for him.

When a cat does not have milk, the owners, who take on the functions of breadwinners, try to immediately teach the baby to drink in order, in fact, to make their work easier. A two-cc syringe will help prevent premature weaning from the sucking reflex. You can teach your baby to eat on his own, but the time must come for this. If all educational attempts are not successful before the age of two months, then you should wait a little.

If you don’t know how to feed a newborn kitten, you don’t need to despair. By listening to the advice of experts and giving your furry baby your care, it is much easier to cope with this problem.

How to feed a newborn kitten - this question is of interest to many who bring home small kittens thrown into the street by careless owners who do not want to take care of their cat’s offspring.

In most cases, cat owners in the city kill their offspring or throw them out onto the street. Great happiness for them is to fall into the hands of good people who are ready to feed them, go out and distribute them to those who want them. The main thing is to have time to bring the kittens into the house before they become hypothermic, so they still have a chance to grow into healthy and strong cats.

Our article will be devoted to artificial feeding of newborn kittens, so that you can know how to properly feed a week-old kitten and an older one.

How and what to feed newborn kittens

Most best food for newborn kittens - this special milk formula for cats, it is sold in specialized pet stores. But if you can’t buy it, you can prepare a regular formula for infants or take plain milk, diluting it with an egg. Regular milk undiluted should not be given to newborn kittens. The recipe for preparing such a mixture is to mix the following ingredients:

It is very important to maintain proportions when preparing the mixture, so do not add or subtract the weight of the listed ingredients.

Some people feed kittens diluted milk or cream with water, but for kids and their health this is not entirely acceptable.

At one week of age, a kitten requires approximately 38 grams of formula per hundred grams of its weight. Be sure to check the temperature of the mixture before you start feeding your baby: drop it on your elbow, if it is warm and not hot, you can start feeding the kitten.

When choosing food for a newborn kitten remember the following:

• most ideal option- this is a search for a nursing cat, you can ask your neighbors;
• Under no circumstances should you give newborn kittens cow's milk in its pure form, they may die due to indigestion;
• option - formula for feeding newborn babies, or goat's milk;
• the prepared mixture can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than a day;
• do not feed the kitten a mixture from the refrigerator without first warming it up;
• The optimal temperature for cooked food is from 30 to 36 degrees.

Ways to feed small kittens

We found out what to feed kittens, and now let's find out how does the feeding process take place? and what you need to consider before you start feeding your kitten:

How to properly care for and maintain kittens

If you have sheltered newborn kittens at home who were saved from death on the street, then they should not only be fed correctly and regularly, but they also need proper care. Take these into account rules for caring for them:

• Monitor your baby's weight daily using scales, normal development they gain about 15 grams of weight every day;
• Since the digestive system of small cats is still very weak, they need help with the toilet. To this end, after you have fed the animal, massage its tummy and anus a cotton wool or rag soaked in water. Adult cat Usually, after feeding, babies are licked, it is necessary to provide a replacement for this natural procedure;
• at proper hygiene the animal will go to the toilet up to 4 times a day;
• The feces of small cats should be light brown. But yellow and liquid feces indicate that you overfed the animal. If the feces are gray, green and liquid, then this indicates systematic overfeeding, so that the animal does not die, contact a veterinarian;
• Wipe the animal’s fur and face with a damp cloth twice a day;
• Toilet training begins from the moment kittens start eating solid food.

Kids in an apartment or house must have their own corner. It should be equipped according following rules and recommendations:

If there is a nursing cat, but the kitten does not eat milk

If kittens have a mother, but they refuse her milk, then the problem may be both in her and in the kittens. If the problem is in the baby, then you need feed him artificially , as described above, or squeeze the cat’s milk into a bottle with your own hands.

And the cat's problem may lie in its nipples: they may be hard and overcrowded. The kitten refuses to suckle, and the cat may begin to suffer from mastitis. Squeeze out her milk and apply a cabbage leaf, previously soaked in milk, to the cat’s nipples. You can fix it with a special bandage for a while. This way, the mother cat’s nipples will become softer and the kittens will be able to enjoy again mother's milk which will undoubtedly be better nutrition for them.

Introduction of complementary food for animals

Like small children, cat babies will eventually no longer have enough milk or formula to survive. good nutrition. From about the fourth week of life they complementary foods should be introduced. First, offer the kittens milk porridge, and then you can make cereal porridge with meat and vegetables in water.

Complementary foods are introduced at the rate of 200 grams per kilogram. In this case, meat should make up more than half of the norm; the kitten’s diet should also contain cereals, vegetables, as well as cheese and dairy products.

Complementary feeding table for small cats it looks something like this:

• in the first month of life, milk porridge and boiled yolk are introduced;
• on the second you need to add cottage cheese, twisted boiled meat and cheese;
• on the third - cereal porridge, meat with vegetables, boiled meat in pieces and raw twisted meat, raw vegetables.

You can continue to feed your baby formula, but you must follow the feeding schedule and dose. It is advisable to give a special mixture for cats of this age.

Starting from three weeks of age, specialized food in the form of granules can be introduced into the animal’s diet. The initial dose is a few granules soaked in water. Starting from two months of age, granules can be given in their pure form without soaking.

If you give your baby dry food, don’t forget to place it next to him. bowl with clean water , its contents should be changed every day.

In addition, if you take home a kitten or several kittens, remember that you are responsible not only for feeding and caring for them, but also for raising them. You completely replace his mother and must be responsible for this small and defenseless animal.

Feeding newborn kittens with a cat is not difficult. Even if it is possible to “borrow” a cat for feeding, the situation does not seem so problematic. What to do if there is nowhere to get milk?

Offer regular milk Goats and cows are not allowed for newborns; the composition of milk in cats is significantly different. Feeding like this will cause more harm. But there is a way out.

• Pharmacies sell formulas for kittens after birth, deprived of mother's milk. Their composition is as close as possible to breast milk, the kittens will receive the same beneficial microelements and grow fully. Beaphar Kitty-Milk and Royal Canin (Babycat Milk) mixtures are especially popular.
• You can use baby formula for babies, which is sold at any pharmacy.
• Another option is to prepare the product yourself.

For artificial feeding, a syringe, pipette, a medicine bottle with a rubber dispenser cap. The veterinary pharmacy sells special bottles and nipples designed for these purposes. When feeding, you need to make sure that the kitten does not swallow a lot of air, this will lead to bloating and pain.

Food is prepared immediately before use. The temperature should initially correspond to the kitten’s body temperature, and as it grows, lower it to room temperature.

Feeding procedure

1. Sit in comfortable position, lay a bedding on your knees - a towel, a diaper;
2. The kitten needs to be placed in the same position as when sucking milk from a cat - standing, lying on its stomach with an elevated position;
3. Squeeze out a little product so that the kitten feels the smell, takes the pacifier in its mouth, if this does not happen, carefully insert it into the mouth, then instinct will react;
4. You need to feed a newborn with a pipette; you should not squeeze out the contents. It is necessary for him to develop a sucking instinct; he does it himself;
5. After about 7 days, you need to switch to a syringe, but squeeze out the milk slowly so as not to choke.

What to feed kittens

There are only 2 options - special means for cats, infant formula, homemade food from cow's and goat's milk.

How to feed baby formula

The best option for a newborn is to buy a special mixture Beaphar Kitty-Milk, Royal Canin (Babycat Milk). Their composition takes into account the characteristics of the body of small kittens and is as close as possible to the action of mother's milk. It is produced in powder form. As practice shows, this option is rarely used for 2 reasons - high cost, difficulties with purchasing. The cost of a 300 g package is about 800 rubles.

It is more convenient, faster, and cheaper to buy formula for artificial feeding of children.

The package must contain the number 1, which means for the child up to 1 month. Nutrilon, NAN, Similak, Nenny, Agusha, Humana, Nestozhen are considered the best. For a kitten, the preparation is 1.5 times weaker. There should be a sign on the jar with instructions for preparing the mixture. It is necessary to pay attention to the lines where the age, amount of powder, and water are indicated.

It looks something like this

– 0 –1 month, 120, 4.

• 120/4 = 30 ml of water * 1.5 = 45 ml for a kitten.
• Therefore 1 measuring spoon The product must be dissolved in 45 ml of water.

After a month of feeding, add low-fat cottage cheese, boiled chicken egg, special canned food. From 5 weeks it is recommended to introduce vitamins. And after 8 months you need to abandon the mixture.

How to feed cow's milk

Milk cannot be given in its pure form. Because it causes intestinal upset, indigestion, allergic reaction. If the kitten is too hungry, you can initially give it rice water, it will temporarily satisfy its hunger.

Start preparing the product with cow's milk.

• 500 ml milk, egg yolk, 4 tbsp. spoons of sugar. Mix everything and heat to animal body temperature.
• 50 ml milk, 15 g whole milk powder, 2.5 g dry yeast. Mix and heat.

How to feed goat milk

This ingredient is more suitable for newborns. Milk quickly is absorbed by the body, does not cause allergies, and forms intestinal immunity. But it must be given to the kitten in a diluted form in a 1:1 ratio.

How often to feed

The diet changes almost every day. Failure to adhere to the schedule is fraught with health problems.

• Days 1–4 – feeding is carried out every 2 hours around the clock;
• 5–13 – the break between feedings is already 4 hours;
• 14–24 – during the day they feed every 4 hours, at night 1 time;
• 24–35 – continue to feed during the day according to this schedule, night feeding is canceled.

Cooking Features

It is necessary to pay attention to the temperature of the food. Since cold food disrupts digestion, hot food burns oral cavity. From the first days of feeding, the temperature should be 37 degrees - approximate figure for the kitten's body.

Lower this level every week. By the end of the month, the mixture should be at room temperature - 24 degrees. If there is nothing to measure, proceed as follows. The bottle is pressed against the bend of the elbow, nothing is felt - neither cold nor heat - you can give it to the kitten.

Calculation of the amount of mixture

You need to get a measuring spoon to properly prepare food for newborns. The amount of feed is calculated taking into account body weight.

• Days 1–4 – 30 ml of the prepared mixture per 100 g of weight;
• 5 –13 – 38 ml;
• 14 –24 – 46 ml;
• 25 –35 – 53 ml per 130 g body weight.

Blend recipes

Preparing food for kittens is quite simple. Main The ingredient is, of course, milk. Auxiliary ones are added to it.

Recipe 1

Cow and goat milk mixed with egg yolk in a ratio of 4:1. Beat well until smooth.

Recipe 2

The most nutritious healthy mixture for kittens is prepared from several ingredients. Add 15 g of dry yeast and 2.5 g of dry yeast to 50 ml of cow's milk. Separately, beat the chicken egg until foamy. Combine with the mixture. Add 1 g vegetable oil, 4 g sugar.

Recipe 3

Mix 50 ml of raw, boiled milk, add half the yolk, 1 teaspoon of corn oil.

Recipe 4

200 ml of milk mixed with yolk, 0.5 tsp. vegetable oil, 20 ml glucose, 2 teaspoons of infant formula.

Recipe 5

Add whipped yolk to 500 ml of milk.

Healthy diet for a kitten

Proper nutrition ensures proper growth for kittens. At breastfeeding they get everything essential vitamins, microelements. When artificially feeding with formulas, additional complementary foods must be introduced.

About 3 weeks after birth, kittens begin teething. This is when you need a supply of vitamins. Some products are starting to be introduced.

The kitten's diet consists of:

You can't add sugar because it disrupts metabolism. Complementary foods should be given 4 times a week.

How long should you feed a kitten formula?

The first months of life are very important for the future health of the kitten. At this time, immunity is formed, the digestive system starts, and teeth erupt. The mixture helps to put the kitten on its feet and ensure its full development.

However, over time, the need for it disappears. You need to feed for 35 days. At most, 2 months. After this, the kitten is transferred to regular food, are taught to constantly eat from a bowl.

Raising kittens without a cat, especially for the first time, requires a lot of effort, patience, and skills. The following tips They will help you overcome difficulties and tell you how to get out of a difficult situation.

Feeding a kitten without a cat is a very labor-intensive and lengthy process. You need to quit all your business, not go to work, feed the babies every 2 hours day and night. The sacrifices must be justified.

An interesting fact remains that when such a situation arises in rural areas, kittens are fed fresh cow's milk from a pipette for literally a week. When they get to their feet, offer a small bowl. No special care. As a result, they grow up alive, playful, and healthy. They determine their own norm.

Cats are practically the most caring mothers in the animal kingdom. But in rare cases there are exceptions and they abandon their cubs or, unfortunately, die during childbirth. Then the owners of newborn pets are faced with the question: how to feed kittens without a cat? There is no need to despair, as there are ways to feed babies. The main thing is to approach the process with knowledge and patience.

One of the most best options- this is to find a nurse cat. If you know a cat who also recently gave birth, you can ask for help. In almost 100% of cases, cats accept other people's kittens and nurse them successfully. But there are two nuances. The first is that your baby may become infected if the nurse becomes ill, or vice versa. Secondly, for the first few days, cats feed their babies with colostrum instead of milk, and usually there is very little of it. Therefore, if your kittens are already a little older, they will still need to be fed until the cat can provide them with enough milk.

The best option is to find a nurse cat. In almost 100% of cases, cats accept other people's kittens

Of course, finding a wet nurse is not so easy; more often than not, you have to save the lives of newborn kittens on your own. Don't be alarmed, this is not easy to do, but it is quite possible. Especially if you approach the matter responsibly. The main difficulty here will be the frequency of feeding, because kittens need to be provided with food every 2-3 hours (including at night). The complete feeding schedule is as follows:

• every 2-3 hours in the first two weeks of life;
• every 2-3 hours in daytime and once at night in the third or fourth week;
• every 3-4 hours during the day (night feeding should be gradually abandoned) in the fifth to seventh week.

It is worth noting that kittens will begin to eat without any intervention within 4 weeks after birth. Solid foods can be introduced in small portions as early as two weeks of age. In the fourth week of a kitten’s life, you can introduce milk porridge into its diet, in addition to artificial mixtures.

Kittens need to be fed every 2-3 hours.

Of course, ideally, find a mixture that is completely identical to mother's milk. How good substitute cat milk, veterinarians note the Katzenmilch mixture. Also popular are the following mixtures: Gimpet Cat-Milk, Hartz, Beaphar Kitty-Milk. They contain all the necessary components that will ensure health and correct height kids. In addition, manufacturers include a special pacifier in the kit, with its help the feeding process will be much easier.

Cat milk replacer

But not everyone will be able to purchase expensive artificial mixtures. Then many people are interested in whether it is possible to give milk to kittens in its pure form? The answer is clear - no. Cow's milk is very different from cat's milk (it contains large number lactose, which is not absorbed by the kitten’s body) and can cause an allergic reaction or stomach upset. In the end this could turn out to be serious consequences for newborn pets, up to fatal outcome. What then should you feed kittens? You can prepare your own substitute mixtures.

Do not give kittens pure cow's milk

Recipe for popular formulas for feeding kittens

Four types of mixtures are especially popular among owners of little bundles of happiness. To prepare them you will need the following ingredients:

1. Universal

• condensed milk (20%);
• bone meal (1 tsp flour to 1 tsp milk).

• 100 ml milk;
• 1 egg yolk;
• 20 ml glucose (5%);
• ½ tsp. vegetable oil;
• 0.25-0.35 ml “Tetravit” (vitamin solution for animals);
• 2 tsp infant formula "Nutrilon fermented milk".

A pacifier can be made from a rubber band from a pipette

Amount of mixture per meal

The portion primarily depends on the size of the newborn kitten. But for starters, 2.5 cubes of nutrition will be enough. After every two feedings, you can add half a cube. When the kitten reaches three days of age, the dosage can be 10 cubes. At the same time, if after feeding he is restless and does not fall asleep, the baby can be supplemented.

It is better to feed a newborn kitten in two stages, for proper absorption of food and the digestion process. At first, the baby can eat a fairly large amount of food. As soon as the first drops of the mixture enter their mouths, the kittens begin to suck it very intensely. After initial saturation, the baby needs to be given a rest and a toilet (kittens do not go to the toilet after every feeding, but 2-4 times a day). After a short break, feed the baby with the remaining mixture. Sometimes complete saturation occurs after the first stage, then the kitten quickly stops its activity.

Kittens do not go to the toilet after every feeding, but 2-4 times a day

It is unacceptable to feed babies with hot formula; it must be warm (the temperature is not higher than that corresponding to the kitten’s body). In order for the meal to be comfortable for both the kitten and you, you need to place it in your palm with its back up. At the same time, support it under the hind legs and near the chest. Always monitor the position of the head so that it does not tip up. Hold the syringe, pipette or bottle at an angle rather than horizontally, and after finishing feeding, gently stroke your pet's tummy for a few minutes (this will improve bowel function). If your pet falls asleep right during feeding, this is normal, he is full. Be sure to make sure that the container in which the baby’s formula is prepared, as well as from which he eats, is clean. Otherwise, infection may enter the body. Monitor your pet's weight. For each week of feeding, he should gain at least 100-150 g, more high performance may be unfavorable. Keep an eye on your kitten's stool. Its consistency should not be excessively hard or liquid. Color normal stool– light brown. Yellow, gray or green chair indicates overfeeding. If you notice symptoms of the disorder, you should seek help from a veterinarian.

Did your kitten fall asleep while feeding? – it’s normal, he’s full

Creating a cat incubator

It is very important for proper digestion of food to provide and comfortable conditions rest for the kitten. For this purpose, you can make an incubator, a kind of cat's nest. To do this, use a deep cardboard box, the heating in which will be provided by a special heating pad (it must be securely fixed and covered thick fabric). It is recommended to cover the bottom with a cut wool fabric, and cover the top with a natural cotton diaper. It is very important to ensure that the diaper is dry and clean. Maintain the correct temperature inside the incubator:

• 1 week of life – 30-32°C;
• 2-4 weeks of life – 28-30°C;
• at the end of the 4th week, you can reduce the indicator to 24°C.

By adhering to and correctly following all these tips, you yourself will not notice how your kittens will grow into big, healthy and beautiful cats or cats.