How to raise newborn kittens

Newborn kittens could also be born fully furred but they are not done growing once they leave their mother's womb. the primary week of a kitten's life is filled with major changes and growth. If you've got a litter of kittens it is a good idea to understand what to observe for also as know what you'll do to assist your kitten get off to an honest start in life.

Physical Development Of A Newborn Kitten

When a kitten is born it should slot in the palm of your hand. it'll look a bit like a miniature version of an adult cat with its fur, four legs, two ears, and every one its other body parts, but not everything works like an adult cat just yet.

The normal, healthy birth weight of a kitten is about 3.5 ounces which is simply a touch bit quite a deck of playing cards weighs.1 By the top of the primary week, a kitten typically doubles its weight putting it at about 7 ounces so these are good weights to record so as to watch a kitten's growth. If a kitten isn't gaining enough weight it's going to mean there's something wrong that must be addressed.

After two or three days a kitten's duct will dry up and fall off but its eyes and ears will remain closed for a touch while yet. At now , the kitten depends entirely upon its mother (or foster human) for warmth, food, and hygiene. it'll crawl around on its belly, cry if it's hungry, sleep, and urinate and defecate when its mother stimulates it by licking it.

Behavior Changes Of Newborn Kittens

You probably won't notice much of a difference between a newborn kitten and a one-week-old kitten but it'll start to be more active because the week goes on. Kittens won't be twiddling with littermates just yet and therefore the only social interaction between one another are going to be battling for a nipple to nurse from.

Health And Care Of A Newborn Kitten

Since a newborn kitten is totally dependent upon its mother for the primary few weeks of life, you will need to play the role of mom if your kitten is an orphan or has been neglected by its mother. If the mother is taking care of the kittens then there's little you would like to try to to but some belongings you should still search for .

Kittens are unable to manage their body temperatures when they're only a couple of days old.2 Blankets, a infrared lamp , hot pad , and other elements could also be necessary to make sure a kitten stays warm. If a kitten gets too cold it are often detrimental to its health.
Watch the kittens for a scarcity of weight gain or weight loss.3 this stuff could indicate the kitten isn't eating enough or there's something else wrong.
Look for bubbles or liquid beginning of the noses. this might indicate aspiration or a hole within the roof of the mouth.
Watch for bloated bellies. this might mean that a kitten isn't urinating or defecating and might need some assistance from you.
Make sure the mother cat is licking the kittens to stimulate them to urinate and defecate regularly.4
Routinely check the colour of the tongue and gums of the kittens to make sure that they're bright pink.
Make sure each kitten is traveling to sleep and nurse. a traditional kitten crawls on its belly to seek out a nipple.
Check the mother's nipples to form sure milk is being produced to feed the kittens. a mild squeeze of the nipple should end in some milk oozing out.
Watch the mother cat to form sure she is giving the kittens ample time to regularly nurse or the kittens will got to be bottle-fed. Some mother cats don't nurse their kittens.

Food And Nutrition For A Newborn Kitten

Newborn kittens don't have any teeth and obtain all of their food and nutrition from cat milk. the primary few days after parturition , the mother cat will produce a really special quite milk for the kittens called colostrum. This milk contains special ingredients called maternal antibodies which help protect the kittens from illnesses until their own immune systems are working. it's vital that kittens start nursing shortly after birth to make sure these antibodies are consumed from the colostrum.

If a kitten is orphaned and wishes to be bottle-fed, a special cat milk replacement formula should be wont to provide proper nutrition.2 A homemade kitten formula are often used temporarily. A newborn kitten should consume about seven teaspoons during a day and can eat small amounts every two hours.

Training Newborn Kittens

At this young of an age there's no effective training that you simply can do with a kitten. Litter box training will come naturally for a kitten but shouldn't begin until the mother cat isn't needed to stimulate it to urinate and defecate.

Caring For The Mother Cat

If the mother cat is present, it's even as important to make sure it stays healthy because it is to watch the kittens. Kittens need their mother to feed them, clean them, stimulate them, and keep them warm.

Kitten food should be fed to the mother cat while it's pregnant and it should be continued until the kittens are not any longer nursing.5 this may help provide extra nutrients to the kittens through the milk after they're born.
The mother cat should be properly vaccinated before becoming pregnant in order that it can expire the maternal antibodies to its kittens.
Make sure the mother cat during a position|is ready"> is in a position to rest and nurse in a quiet, stress-free room. it's extremely taxing on a body to nurse and look after kittens so extra stress should be avoided.