Can newborn kittens survive artificial feeding?

Kittens are most vulnerable during the first few weeks of their life, so if they are abandoned or unable to receive suckling from their mother, artificial feeding is needed to ensure their healthy growth. Here are some tips on how to properly feed newborn kittens:

Feed warm glucose water first: 

The gastrointestinal system of newborn kittens is relatively fragile and can only digest milk at first. If your kitten is hypothermic or their intestines are not working, do not rush to feed them as this may cause them to become gassy and vomit. On the contrary, feeding warm glucose water can promote gastrointestinal work. Glucose can be absorbed without digestion, so you can feed your kitten glucose water first. The concentration of glucose should be 5% and you can dilute it with water yourself.

Use a pacifier specially designed for cats: 

When the kitten’s body temperature returns to normal, you can start feeding the kitten milk powder. Kittens do not have the enzyme to digest lactose, so they cannot drink milk. They need to use cat milk powder specially designed for cats. If cat milk powder is not available, goat milk can be used instead. The best choice is to use a cat-specific pacifier for feeding, which can be purchased on Taobao and other platforms.

Frequency and amount of feeding: 

2 ml to 5 ml of milk powder should be given for each feeding, and fed every 2 to 3 hours. The temperature of cat milk powder can be slightly higher than human body temperature. Kittens 2 to 3 weeks old should not be left without food for more than 6 hours, so you may need to get up at least once in the middle of the night to feed them.

Feeding method:

 Do not let the kitten tilt its head when feeding. Gently hold the kitten’s neck and stretch it flat to prevent food from accidentally entering the trachea and lungs. When feeding, be gentle, squeeze the milk slowly, and carefully observe the kitten’s swallowing movements. After feeding, use your hands or a dry towel to imitate the mother cat’s movements of licking the kitten and massage the whole body, or gently pat the kitten’s side.

Help kittens to defecate: 

Help kittens to defecate before each feeding, because they cannot defecate on their own yet. You can use a cotton swab or toilet paper to gently wipe your kitten’s external genitalia to stimulate urination and defecation. Help them defecate again about 15 minutes after feeding. Try not to stop stimulating the bowel movement until the kitten is able to use the litter on its own.

Weaning and transitioning to solid food: 

It is best not to wean the kitten within a month of birth. When the kittens grow up, after more than a month, they can start to eat kitten cat food soaked in water and add some canned cat food. At about two months old, you can feed cat food directly.

How to take care of newborn kittens

In fact, when the kittens are just born, it will save a lot of worry if the mother cat is there, because the mother cat can breastfeed and take care of the kittens. But even if there is a mother cat taking care of the kittens, we still need to provide some help at some times.
Newborn kittens do not have their eyes open. They only rely on touch and smell to find the mother cat’s nipple to drink milk. Kittens that are relatively close to the mother cat are easy to find, but some kittens that are far away from the mother cat are not easy to find. , at this time we need to help the kitten find the nipple.
Mother cats will be very repulsive to children that are not their own. Some kittens do not have a particularly strong female cat smell. At this time, you can use the mother cat’s feces and urine to smear the kittens, so that the mother cat can distinguish whether it is her own. to prevent the mother cat from biting her own children.
The mother cat will lick the kitten’s anus to help the kitten defecate when she takes care of it, so there is no need for artificial help for the kitten to defecate when the mother cat is around.

Newborn kittens require artificial feeding to ensure their healthy growth. The correct feeding method includes feeding warm glucose water first, using a cat-specific pacifier for feeding, controlling the frequency and amount of feeding, feeding and massaging the kitten’s body gently, helping them to defecate, and gradually transitioning to solid food. When feeding kittens, pay special attention to their health and comfort, making sure they receive proper nutrition and care.