How To Raise Orphaned Newborn Kittens

You should also cover the box or carrier with a towel to keep it warm.

How to raise orphaned newborn kittens. When the orphaned kittens reach about 3 weeks of age you can start providing watered down meat based kitten food for them to nibble on. Orphaned or hand fed kittens should be raised together to aid in social development. Kittens need mental and physical stimulation. If after that the kitten doesn t feed then you might need to hand raise the kitten.

Kittens need mental and physical stimulation. Use a low sided box for training the lid to a shoebox works perfectly. Your primary concern in caring for your newborn kitten is temperature regulation. If this doesn t happen gently place the kitten by the mother s teats which helps the kitten get the scent of milk.

If they have littermates they will stimulate each other when moving. If a rescued kitten feels cold warm it immediately but gently. Kittens take to the litterbox as quickly as ducks to water. Set a towel inside the box to make a cozy spot for the kittens to rest.

If you observe any serious health concerns such as gasping. They should be petted cuddled and played with by humans for 30 40 minutes a day over and above feeding and cleaning time. If after half an hour the kitten still isn t suckling gently open the kitten s mouth and latch him onto a nipple to suckle. A non clumping pellet litter works best for untrained newbies as the clumping type causes digestive upset if they eat it.

Orphaned or hand fed kittens should be raised together to aid in social development. Mix the wet food with water until it achieves a soupy consistency and consider warming the mixture before serving. Make sure you keep a fresh supply and not too much at one time. Gather the kittens and quickly make a plan for the next 24 hours of care you can always change your plans later on but right now you just need to think about their immediate needs.

Many veterinarians have incubators to warm a chilled kitten. Place a box or cat carrier in a quiet isolated part of your house. Place it on a heating pad wrapped in towels and on the lowest setting or warm a hot water bottle to about 100 degrees wrapped in a towel and place it with the kitten. When it comes to orphaned kittens time is of the essence.

They should be petted cuddled and played with by humans for 30 40 minutes a day over and above feeding and cleaning time. Wash or discard the cloth immediately and dry the kitten off before putting him back in with his litter mates. A kitten with a low body temperature is in danger feeding that. If they have littermates they will stimulate each other when moving.

Newborn kittens get cold very easily. Panic never helped anyone but you do need to treat this as a situation that cannot wait. Don t be afraid to ask plenty of questions or for recommendations.