A cat abandoned kittens: how to feed them yourself

As a rule, cats take care of each of their kittens from the first minutes of its life. But sometimes it happens that, for reasons that are not immediately clear to the owners, the domestic cat abandons the kittens.
If this happens, read on the website sympaty.net about what to do and how to produce cat offspring.

Why does a cat abandon kittens?

In most cases, the cat's behavior is influenced by stress. This is possible due to frequent births. If an animal gives birth twice in a season, the body is under a lot of stress. Accordingly, older kittens are just weaned, and new kittens appear in their place.

The cat is physically exhausted and may produce very little milk. Animals understand that there are no means to feed new offspring, so they abandon them.

Why does a cat abandon kittens?

Eclampsia. This is a lack of calcium in a cat's body, which can cause it to die. A large amount of calcium is released along with milk, as a result of which bones begin to break down. The balance of electrolytes in the animal’s body is disrupted.
Hormonal imbalance.
Estrus immediately after birth. This also happens, although it is considered a pathology.
Cat's unpreparedness for kittens , first birth.
Too noisy place, excessive attention to kittens from people.

Kittens

When to suspect a problem

For primiparous cats, a lack of interest in kittens in the first hours after birth is considered normal. The animal experiences new and rather painful sensations for the first time, which causes severe stress. Give mom some time, and the hormones will awaken her maternal instinct.

At this stage, it is worth remembering three main recommendations from veterinarians:

minimize the number of people nearby;
isolate other animals living in the house (especially dogs and cats);
do not touch newborns with your hands unless necessary;
reassure and encourage the mother with praise (only if the pet loves affection and shows that it needs your participation).

The first signs that things are not going according to plan are:

complete ignoring of kittens and refusal to feed (more than a day, or if symptoms appear suddenly, although the cat previously tried to feed the babies);
nervous behavior and desire to hide babies (for a wild animal such behavior would be the norm);
aggression towards newborns;
causing damage or eating.

Some of the events described may shock an unprepared owner, but do not always indicate serious deviations in the psyche or general condition of the animal. Let's look at all the possible reasons for abandoning kittens in more detail.

The cat abandoned her kittens - what to do?

What to do if you are not ready to accept the death of kittens? There are several options to solve the problem.

The cat abandoned the kittens, what to do:

The simplest and most profitable way is to find a nursing cat. Very often, cats add new babies to newborn kittens that their mother has abandoned. Oddly enough, cats usually never separate kittens and do not throw them out of the nest or box. Accordingly, they take care of them in the same way as their offspring.
Where can you find a cat? There are many veterinary forums and animal shelters. This is where you can find a nursing cat. In this case, you will have to take her home with your offspring.
This is the simplest option, because the cat requires not only milk, but also other skills and functions.

Kittens

A cat eats kittens - why?

In veterinary practice and in the work of felinologists, there are cases when, after giving birth, a cat eats kittens . And today’s article on the Koshechka.ru website is devoted to such a phenomenon as cat cannibalism.

Cannibalism (intraspecific predation, or animals of the same species eating each other) in nature is not such a rare phenomenon. It is found in almost one and a half thousand animal species. Typically, cannibalism is associated with changing environmental conditions - hunger, overpopulation of one species in its range (habitat). Most often, cannibalism occurs among insects and fish, less often among mammals (rodents, predators and primates). It is not males who are more prone to cannibalism, as many people think, but females.

Among cats, aggressive behavior towards kittens is also typical for males. And this is connected with the instinct of reproduction. After the death of their offspring, cats quickly go into heat again. Thus, the male gets the opportunity to realize his genetic potential. However, such behavior is practically not typical of cats who live in the same house with a cat. However, during childbirth and feeding the offspring, it is advisable to isolate the cat from other animals.

As for recently born cats, cannibalism among them is relatively common and causes the death of up to 12.5% of newborn kittens.

Typically, a cat can eat a sick or stillborn kitten, as well as, along with the afterbirth, premature kittens born as a result of an abortion (miscarriage). This behavior is dictated not by the cat’s “shift”, but by nature itself. In this way, the cat tries to stop the spread of infection to the rest of the offspring. And if the litter is too large, the cat, not being able to feed everyone, can leave only the strongest kittens alive.

Repeated pregnancy that began immediately after pregnancy

Source

Reasons for abandoning offspring

Not every pet has such a strong maternal instinct as a cat. From the first minutes of the kittens' life, she fiercely protects and cares for her offspring.

A cat may refuse to feed newborn babies due to illness or stress. As felinologists note, a cat can leave the “nest” and abandon its offspring due to age, stress and other circumstances. It is important to understand that there is no such thing as a “bad cat mom.” If an animal refuses to feed kittens, you need to look for psychological or physiological reasons.

Non-viability of offspring

At an instinctive level, a cat detects a sick or hypothermic (low body temperature) kitten and refuses to nurse it. This kind of situation is often observed with a large litter: the female gives the right to life to stronger babies, feeling that there is not enough milk for everyone.

A weakened kitten is not always viable. A person can deliver such a baby by providing him with the correct temperature conditions, proper conditions of detention and feeding him with milk formulas.

Stress

Excessive fuss and attention of the owner to the process of delivery and newborn kittens can cause stress in the animal. As a result of accidental or intentional human intervention in the life of an animal, a cat may refuse to raise and feed its offspring.

Age

According to veterinarians, a cat that has not reached the age of puberty, but has already become a mother, does not want to nurse a litter. There is no need to rush and take the kittens from the “nest”. On the second day, the animal's maternal instinct may awaken.

The owner’s task is to provide the pet with complete rest and feed newborn babies with formula milk during the first day of life.

Lack of milk

One of the common reasons why a female abandons her offspring is the lack of milk due to hormonal imbalance as a result of premature birth. The cat began to give birth before the body had completely adjusted to a new way.

Foreign odors

A newborn kitten has the scent of its mother. If a person picks up a baby who has barely been born, he breaks the “baby-mother” connection. The animal may stop feeding the kitten, from which it does not catch its scent.

Weak maternal instinct

A pet spoiled by human attention does not feel responsible for its newborn offspring. A cat with a weak maternal instinct is not ready to breastfeed and care for her own offspring.

Feeding and caring for small blind kittens rests on the shoulders of humans.

Is it possible to make a cat start feeding its offspring?

It is important to understand as soon as possible why a female cat refuses to feed her kittens.

What to do right away - contact the veterinarian with a house call. A veterinarian can make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment, including hormonal medications, if this is the problem. The animal should stop experiencing discomfort and pain, and normal lactation should begin.

If you are confident that labor will proceed normally, but the cat still refuses to feed the kittens, this is what you need to do.

Firstly, provide her with a cozy, slightly darkened, quiet place where nothing will disturb her and the kids.

If she does not show aggression towards the kittens, but simply does not pay attention to them, then you should sit (lay) her next to them and calmly stroke her, say something to your pet in a calm voice - and at the same time put one kitten under her side...

Newborns should not be handled with bare hands, so as not to be additionally “stained” with human odor - it is better to handle them with a hand wearing a medical glove.

In order for the cat to recognize the kittens as her offspring, they can be “marked” by smearing a little mother’s milk (if it appears on the cat’s nipples) or her urine on each fur. Sometimes there are also tips to drop a little of the cat’s favorite treat on the newborn “refuser” kitten - for example, sour cream, so that she starts licking the kitten, licking the sour cream.

The cat abandoned the kittens - how to arrange the place of detention?

If, nevertheless, the cat left the kittens, the best option is to invite a donor, or a surrogate mother. But most often this is not possible. Then you will have to take care of the kids yourself.

The cat abandoned the kittens, how to arrange the place of detention:

At the first stage, you need to prepare a house for them. This could be a shoebox lined with soft, warm material. It could be a wool blanket. Please note that the house must be spacious enough.
It is necessary to divide it into two parts, put bottles of hot water in one, cover with a blanket, the second part of the house should be without bottles. This is necessary if the kittens suddenly become hot.
The temperature of the bottled water should be approximately 37-40 degrees. The optimal temperature for nursing kittens is 30 degrees. It is at this temperature that cats keep their babies. Next, you must also ensure that the place is secluded and secluded.
There is no need to allow children to constantly carry babies in their arms. This can affect their health and even cause death. Contact with people is stressful for babies. Regular feeding is required every 2-3 hours.

Notice that the cat in the nest is constantly licking her kittens, cleaning them.

Kittens

Silence and peace for kittens

If there are small children in the house, explain to them that you can only pick up the kitten for care and feeding; the kids are not yet strong enough for play. There is also no need to carry around a nest box with kittens. Kittens' sleep is superficial, restless, with dreams, apparently. They are already twitching their paws, waking themselves up, looking for their mother, looking for something to cling to, so there is no point in bothering them or waking them up on purpose.

In the first days, the outer ear in kittens is not developed, the auditory opening does not differ, hearing will be achieved by 9-11 days. But you still need to maintain relative silence, do not jump or stomp near the kittens, do not pull the box - the kittens feel the vibration. The box needs to be covered with something on top, even a dark rag, so that the bright light does not damage the eyes.

How to keep newborn kittens without a cat?

In addition to a constant source of nutrition, babies need warmth, a feeling of fullness, and a mother’s heartbeat. This is why the best option is to find a nursing cat. However, if it is not there, there are ways to deal with such a situation. You will have to put in a lot of effort.

How to keep newborn kittens without a cat:

Please note that newborn kittens are not much different from human babies. They also need to be fed initially every 2 hours, then every 3 hours.
If there is no cat, the kittens get dirty and can get stuck in their feces. Therefore, it is necessary to moisten the disc in warm water and wipe the entire kitten completely. This will also serve as a kind of massage that will help the kittens with their bowel movements.
You should be prepared for the fact that newborn kittens may suffer from constipation due to an incompletely formed digestive system. It is for these purposes that animal massage is performed.
Check the temperature in the nest from time to time. It should be at 30 degrees. In the second and third weeks, a temperature drop of 24-27 degrees Celsius is allowed.

Cat

Self-feeding kittens

The measures and steps taken do not always lead to a positive result. Then the question of what to do if the cat gives up her kittens becomes the most pressing for the owner. Caring for abandoned kittens requires not only patience, care and diligence, but also knowledge.

First of all, you need to take care of a specialized mixture. It can be purchased at pet stores. The composition of the mixture is almost identical to the mother's secretion and does not cause digestive problems in babies. Natural cow's milk is not suitable for feeding. It is very different in chemical composition from cat milk and causes diarrhea and death of the cubs.

What to do if the cat refuses to feed the kittens, and there is no specialized formula? In exceptional cases, whole goat milk and dry formula for infants can be used for feeding. When using baby food, it must be diluted 1.5 times, since high concentrations can cause digestive upset.

When feeding kittens on your own, special attention should be paid to the temperature of the milk they drink. It should be 36 - 380 C. In order to prevent indigestion and infectious diseases in children, you should carefully monitor the sterility of the dishes. The prepared mixture should be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 6 hours.

For feeding kittens, there are special bottles with a nipple, which can be purchased at a pet store. If there are no such devices, then at first you can use a disposable syringe without a needle. It is used only to squeeze a drop of the mixture into the kitten’s mouth.

Before feeding the kitten, it needs to be stimulated. To do this, wrap a sterile bandage around the index and middle fingers of the right hand and stroke the baby’s head and forehead, imitating the movements of a cat when licking. This manipulation triggers the natural mechanism, and the cubs will be ready to eat.

It’s not difficult to understand that a kitten is full. Well-fed babies fall asleep almost immediately. The underfed ones poke their noses, look for nipples, and squeak. The best way to monitor the sufficiency of feeding is by weighing. Babies should double their weight in the first week of life:

per day the weight gain should be at least 10 grams;

by the second week of life, the baby should weigh from 220 to 400 grams;

By the age of one month, the kitten’s weight should be at least 500 grams.

After each feeding session, the baby needs to have a massage in the abdomen. To do this, use your index finger to massage the tummy area with light circular movements. This manipulation improves digestion and promotes bowel movements in babies.

If a cat does not feed newborn kittens, what should be done in this case, how to keep the furballs alive? When artificial feeding, one of the important points is compliance with the feeding regime. The frequency of milk intake directly depends on the age of the cubs:

In the first week of life, the owner will have to feed every 2 hours, including at night. This is the most difficult period in the life of kittens and a difficult test for the owner.

When babies are two weeks old, the feeding frequency is already 8 times a day.

At the age of three weeks, kittens, as a rule, are already sleeping at night, and feeding is carried out at least 6 times during the daytime.

Complementary feeding of artificially raised kittens should begin no earlier than 4 weeks of age. In this case, solid food should be introduced in very small portions, literally the size of a pea. The immune and digestive systems of artificially fed animals are underdeveloped, and any sudden transition to unfamiliar food can cause severe digestive disorders and lead to death.

How to feed a newborn kitten without a cat?

Kittens cannot lap on their own; they must be fed with a syringe or pipette. A mandatory condition is a tummy massage. It is carried out immediately after feeding the crumbs. It is necessary to make longitudinal movements in the direction from the head to the tummy, lightly massaging.

How to feed a newborn kitten without a cat:

There is no need to give kittens water. Everything you need is contained in the mixture. Under no circumstances should babies be fed pure cow's milk.
It can negatively affect the digestive system of animals. Kittens that are fed milk often experience diarrhea, indigestion, constipation, or even diarrhea. It is necessary to prepare a special mixture.
Starting from two weeks of age, it is necessary to purchase soft, wet food for kittens. It is added to the milk mixture in an amount of approximately 1/3. Gradually the amount of wet food in the mixture increases. Already at the age of 3 weeks, the kitten can be fed wet food.

Cat feeding puppies

How to feed without a cat

Caring for newborn kittens will not be easy, because you need not only time and patience, but also certain knowledge. From our article today you will learn how to feed a kitten without a cat.

To feed a newborn pet, you will need a special mixture. Today, pet stores and veterinary pharmacies offer a wide range of artificial nutrition for pets, starting from the first days of life.

Please note that it is not recommended to give kittens formula or cow's milk. Cow product and baby food have a completely different percentage of fat content and a different chemical composition that does not meet the life standards of a small kitten.

Many people are interested in how to breed formula to feed a newborn kitten. Often, the dosage (how much water is needed for a certain amount of mixture to obtain a ready-to-use product) is indicated by the manufacturer in the instructions for use. It is also necessary to know the norms and number of meals: a kitten that is not yet a week old eats less, but more often than a 2-month-old baby.

Making the mixture at home will not be difficult if you strictly follow the recommendations of the manufacturer or veterinarian. The finished mixture is heated to 36 °C, poured into a syringe without a needle or a pipette and brought to the newborn’s face. In order for a blind kitten to lick drops of milk, it is necessary to provoke its animal instinct to feed. Before feeding, the mother cat licks her offspring, therefore the refuse kitten must be carefully stroked on the body and head.

To avoid problems with the digestive system, do not forget to carefully massage your pet’s tummy: lightly stroking the abdominal cavity in a clockwise direction is enough.

Until kittens reach two weeks of age, the frequency of meals is every two hours. Then the babies are transferred to 8 meals a day, which greatly facilitates the process of caring for cat offspring. Gradually, the syringe is replaced with a special bottle for feeding kittens, which can be purchased at a veterinary kiosk.

When a kitten is one month old, it can feed itself by lapping up formula from a shallow bowl.

What and how to feed blind kittens without a cat: recipes for mixtures

Cow's milk is not suitable for feeding and does not contain all the nutrients.

What and how to feed blind kittens without a cat, formula recipes:

A mixture of cow's milk with eggs and vegetable oil . For approximately 220 ml of cow's milk you need 2 chicken yolks and 50 ml of vegetable oil. It is better to take refined one. This whole mixture is shaken and heated in a water bath to a temperature of 35 degrees. This mixture can be fed to kittens.
You need to dilute 400 ml of condensed milk without sugar with water and add about two tablespoons of bone meal. The mixture is shaken and heated before feeding. If you don’t want to prepare anything, you can safely use mixtures that are sold in veterinary clinics. However, their cost is quite high, so not everyone can afford to purchase such products.

Please note that it is also necessary to accurately calculate food standards for babies. Under no circumstances should you overfeed. On average, about 4-5 ml of formula is needed per 100 g of kitten. If the kitten weighs 250 g, the optimal amount is 10 ml of mixture. Prepare the mixture for one day, store in the refrigerator. Never use two-day formula to feed babies.

Homeless

Diet

You can try to find the baby a “foster mother” - the recently lambed favorite of neighbors or friends, and transfer to her all the worries about the abandoned child. It would be great luck.

But more often you have to independently solve the problem of how you can feed an orphaned newborn kitten without a cat at home. To do this, you need to know what kind of food is suitable for the poor fellow. The need to urgently feed him, with a limited choice of assortment, forces him to use any available dairy product.

Important! Cat milk is 70% water. Fat content is higher than 11% (lower than female, goat and cow fat by almost 7%). Protein is also 11%, and lactose is slightly less than 3%. But the ratios of components differ from cow's milk. Therefore, in general, cat milk has a higher fat content.

Whole cow's milk is not ideal for kittens. It does not match the fat content and can cause bloating and diarrhea. But on this basis you can prepare a natural, nutritious mixture. You will need store-bought milk with a fat content of 3% or less.

Recipe 1: Add the yolk of a quail or chicken egg (1 per 50-100 ml) and multivitamins (baby drops or special ones from a veterinary pharmacy - the dose is calculated according to the weight of the pet per 10 - 50 ml of milk).

Recipe No. 2: For 50 ml of base, take 20-30 ml of fresh 20% cream, 2 quail egg yolks and 2 tablespoons of a 5% solution of “glucose for intravenous infusion”.

Kitten sucks milk

Powdered milk

You can find some milk powder in every home. Feeding a newborn with it for a couple of feedings is a completely acceptable option if nothing else is at hand. The main thing is that the infant will not go hungry, will not die from dehydration and exhaustion, until there is something more suitable for his age.

Ideally, if you suddenly find infant formula for newborns (the inscription on the package is: 1-2 weeks or 0-6 months). But if you have the opportunity to visit a veterinary pharmacy or pet store, then it is better to buy a special mixture for newborn kittens there. Especially if the pet came into the house immediately after he was lucky enough to be born in a good place - on the path of merciful people.

Important! Special nutrition will help the baby’s very weak body adapt to life outside the womb.

When buying such a mixture, you need to pay attention to the composition (per 100 g of prepared drink). Protein should be about 35%. Fats no more than 25%. Ready-made mixtures contain:

minerals;
microelements – iron, iodine, zinc;
Omega-3 and Omega-6;
lactose;
vitamins B1, B2, B4, B5, C, E, K3;

We suggest you read Signs of liver disease in a cat

All these components are important for the normal development of the baby.

Sterile cleanliness, warmth, formula and love are especially important in the first days

While the kitten is still blind, you need to be especially careful when choosing dairy products for it. The first three days after birth are vitally important. If these three days have passed, the baby is not sick and remains alive, then it becomes easier to lift him onto his paws.

The first week will fly by quickly, provided you follow an age-appropriate dairy “diet”. Ideally, if fed with a special cat milk formula. Although, many cat breeders prefer freshly prepared mixtures from natural products. With them, kittens very quickly gain weight, become stronger and gain sight (in 3-4 days).

Important! Finding what to feed a two-week-old kitten is much easier. In the animal world, children mature faster than humans.

How to syringe feed a newborn kitten?

We'll have to prepare for sleepless nights feeding the babies. Newborn kittens are not able to lap up milk on their own; they must be fed with a syringe or pipette.

How to syringe feed a newborn kitten:

It is necessary to squeeze out the milk little by little, drop by drop. There is no need to insert a syringe into your mouth; you need to place the tip on your lower lip and apply pressure.
Gradually, drop by drop will appear, and the kitten will lick off the food.
You should not dip your baby's face into the mixture; it can get into the respiratory tract, which can cause suffocation.

Feeding kittens

Hot water bottle for a newborn kitten

The daily portions should be the same as what the cat would give when feeding the young on her own. A proper dosage of food will contribute to the baby’s good health, and overeating or, conversely, too small portions will cause anxiety in the kitten. Once every few days you need to increase the portion sizes.

In order not to make a mistake in determining the optimal amount of food for an animal, you should adhere to the following scheme:

From the moment of birth until 5 days of a kitten’s life, the daily volume of food should be calculated as 30 ml per 100 g of animal weight.
Over the next 10 days, food portions must be gradually increased, bringing their total daily volume to 38 ml per 100 g of weight.
Starting from the 15th day, you can increase the daily volume of food to 45 ml per 100 g. Give the kitten this amount of food until the 24th day of its life.
Then, over the course of 30 days, the dosage should increase to a total volume of 55 ml per day.

Mandatory and unconditional compliance with the above scheme is not required at all. Animals, like people, also have individuality, which is why the volume of portions eaten by kittens born from the same cat can differ significantly. By carefully observing your pet and getting used to it, you can determine how much food it needs.

Kittens

How to syringe feed a newborn kitten:

It is necessary to squeeze out the milk little by little, drop by drop. There is no need to insert a syringe into your mouth; you need to place the tip on your lower lip and apply pressure.
Gradually, drop by drop will appear, and the kitten will lick off the food.
You should not dip your baby's face into the mixture; it can get into the respiratory tract, which can cause suffocation.

Feeding kittens

Orphaned Ryzhik

Pipette

In order to care for strangers, and especially not human children, you need to have a particularly responsive soul, a kind and noble heart, and patience. All children feel good people. And if the person who has taken responsibility for the defenseless creature also loves him, then the baby develops quickly, well, and grows up cheerful and healthy.

It is especially difficult with a very weak newborn kitten. When he is already a month old, it is much easier to cope with worries about him.

Gray baby

It is important for kids to have:

Fresh, age-appropriate food.
Heat that can be provided by electrical appliances, heating pads, and hot water bottles.
A dry, soft, ventilated place to sleep - a cardboard box, lined with a soft cloth and covered so that there is sufficient access to air, works well. The main thing is to stay away from drafts.
Light stroking of the tummy. Stimulation of the anus and urinary organs using a warm, damp cloth. Cats typically lick their babies in these areas and throughout their tummies, causing them to pass stool and urine. This should be done periodically until the child learns to go to the toilet on his own.
As they grow, kittens become very playful and playful. Therefore, they need special toys and space to play. And so that the fool does not play with everyone that comes his way, it would be prudent to remove all small objects from the access zone.
For well-grown animals, you need to set aside your own corner. There you need to put a bowl for food, dishes for water, and a box with litter for the toilet. Here you can arrange a place to sleep - for example, a basket or low-sided box with a clean, dry, soft, warm bedding.

The kitten will grow up to be a good member of the family. A fluffy little bundle of happiness will bring into any home the joy of communicating with a grateful, affectionate pet that needs human warmth.

Feeding mode

In the first month, it is very important for the health of small pets to follow a routine and feeding regime. During the first week, kittens nurse from their mother cat approximately every 60-70 minutes for 24 hours.

Feeding schedule for kittens up to a month:

For the first 14 days, feed the kittens every two hours at night and during the day. The norm is 30 ml per 100 grams of kitten weight.
From the second to the third week - once every 2.5-3 hours. The norm is 35-40 ml per 100 grams of weight.
Starting from the third week, kittens are fed every 3-4 hours during the day and at night - every 5-6 hours.
From 30-36 – every 3.5-4 hours during the day and once at night. The norm is 4045 ml per 100 grams of weight.
Accordingly, owners should feed them with the same frequency, without losing their schedule and daily routine. Stick to the regimen until the kittens begin to eat on their own.

What to feed a kitten without a cat for 1 month?

Starting from 2-3 weeks of age, babies must be switched to standard food.

What to feed a kitten without a cat for 1 month:

In no case should dry food or wet canned food be introduced into the food at the initial stage. Kittens must be switched to dry food starting at 4 weeks of age.
Never use food for adults, as it does not contain enough minerals and trace elements to meet the needs of babies.
How do you know that a kitten is developing correctly and is healthy? It is necessary that at the age of about 1 month the kitten weighs 250-500 g. This indicates that there are enough nutrients and food for the baby.

Kids

How does a kitten develop?

Well, at the very end, you need to tell us a little about what a one-month-old kitten can already do. Thus, according to studies conducted back in 1969, the following behavioral forms are visible in baby cats:

Babies open their eyes around the 12th day of their life.
On the 20-22nd day, kittens begin to walk.
At the same time, babies begin to wash and lick themselves.
They begin to learn to climb around the 25th day.
And at the age of one month, they already play with great pleasure both with themselves and with people.
Aggression in kittens begins to manifest itself approximately on the 52-55th day of their life.

Depending on these indicators, you can see whether all kittens are developing normally, and whether any of the litter have abnormalities.

Rules of care

Maternal care is not only about feeding kittens on time. You will also need to make up for the lack of physical warmth and create comfortable conditions for the kids. First of all, make sure that they are not freezing. It will also be necessary to help the offspring relieve itself during the first month of life. To do this, during feeding, massage the kitten's lower abdomen so that he can defecate.

Don’t forget to wipe the kittens’ faces with a damp cloth or wash them after each feeding. Take proper care of the animals and you will be able to breed such animals if you wish.

How often to feed a kitten

There is no quick and accurate answer to this question. In this case, your home environment and your lifestyle play an important role. For example, a housewife who spends a lot of time at home will be able to feed the kitten several times a day using canned cat food. A constantly working person mainly relies on dry cat food during the day, and canned food in the morning and evening.

For normal growth and adequate energy, kittens require twice as many nutrients as an adult cat. Of course, their small stomachs cannot cope with so much food. Just like small children, kittens need to be fed frequently at first and reduce the frequency of feeding as they get older. At the same time, you need to constantly monitor the weight of the kittens and constantly weigh them to make sure that they are growing and gaining the necessary weight gradually, and not just gaining excess weight. If they are hungry will be a good indicator of whether they are getting enough nutrients.

Below are the regulations that apply to the use of canned cat food:

Minimum six weeks: throughout the day, feed four times or more, evenly distributed;
Age twelve weeks: it is necessary to increase the volume of each feeding with a gradual, subsequent decrease in the number of feedings (up to three times a day);
Approximately six weeks: you can gradually move up to feeding twice a day.

What to feed kittens: reviews

Of course, nursing kittens is a rather complex manipulation, so we recommend that you read the reviews of kitten owners.

What to feed kittens, reviews

Veronica, 30 years old . I became the owner of two kittens completely unexpectedly for myself. Not far from our multi-storey building, a cat brought kittens, but for some reason, at the age of about 2 weeks, she threw them out of her den. The two kids could barely move around the yard, as they practically couldn’t walk. Their paws moved in different directions. Judging by the not fully open eyes, I concluded that the babies were about 2 weeks old. I fed the babies approximately every 3 hours. I purchased a special mixture. In addition, the kittens constantly meowed and called for their mother. I placed the box with the babies near the radiator. I think it was cozy there. For another two weeks I woke up at night and fed the kittens. Already at the age of one month she began to give regular cow's milk and special canned food.
Elena, 35 years old. I live in my own house, and not long ago we got a new cat in our yard. As I understand it, she came to us already pregnant. After she brought the kittens, she disappeared somewhere. As a result, I had to take care of 4 kittens. To do this, I prepared the mixture myself from cow’s milk, eggs and sunflower oil. She fed with a syringe. Unfortunately, one of the four kittens died. No matter how hard I tried to massage him, he defecated with great difficulty. 5 weeks have passed, three kittens are running around the yard, they are healthy and playful.
Evgeniy, 30 years old. My cat recently gave birth to kittens, but unfortunately, due to health problems, we had to take her to the veterinary clinic. We were advised to temporarily wean the cat away from kittens due to eclampsia. We gave vitamins and injections because the cat stopped walking with her hind legs. The kittens had to be looked after on their own. I have three children who regularly monitored the babies’ condition. They were fed with a special mixture, which was purchased at a veterinary clinic. A week later, the cat came to her senses, but, unfortunately, due to lack of milk, she was unable to feed them. But she continued to lick them, so all questions regarding bowel movements, as well as cleaning the babies, disappeared. The cat performed these duties independently. But we had to feed. Now the kittens are alive and healthy, gaining weight well. The cat also recovered.

Friendship Remember, an animal is not only a source of food for its babies, but also a heater and a nanny. You will have to perform all the functions of a mother.

Mom got sick

Another reason why a cat leaves kittens may be her poor health and health problems.

For example, due to a hormonal imbalance caused by childbirth, the animal simply does not produce milk. The same thing happens to cats after anesthesia for caesarean section. Lack of lactation is one of the reasons why a cat leaves newborn kittens.

Also, in cats that have recently given birth (especially in very young and, conversely, older cats), endometritis often occurs - inflammation of the uterine mucosa. In this case, mothers simply lose milk, and they run away from their babies or throw them out of the “nest”: this is what nature dictates.

In addition, mother cats often experience mastitis, that is, inflammation of the mammary glands, and the feeding process becomes so painful that they have no choice but to escape from the kittens and from the painful sensations.

Severe calcium deficiency

The third common illness of the postpartum period is eclampsia. It is also called milk fever or postpartum tetany. The essence of the disease is an acute lack of calcium, so an unbalanced diet of an animal during pregnancy increases the risk of the disease many times over.

In this case, the cat may not only abandon the kittens, but also show aggression or increased anxiety, for example, biting the babies or anxiously dragging them from place to place.

Only a specialist can diagnose the disease in giving birth cats and prescribe the correct effective treatment. It’s better not to skimp on a visit to the veterinary clinic: all these ailments are quite dangerous. The same eclampsia can lead to the death of a cat, and very quickly.