| Toileting Kittens are unable to urinate or pass faeces unaided in the beginning. It is important that, after each feed, the lower tummy and anal area are gently stimulated. Try to imitate the gentle pressure of a cats tongue ...... and have lots of tissues to hand! |
| TOP TIP: do not choose to handrear unless there are no other options . However caring, you cannot begin to provide the care provided by a feline mother. If at all possible, leave the babies with their mother and provide backup care Ask your breed club for possible foster queens. Check with your vet for possible foster mothers. |
| FEEDING: Newborns, or kittens deprived of feed for some while can have problems feeding if offered milk substitute, initially . Give a small amount of Lectades (rehydration solution available from the vet) or a little glucose in warm water, for the first feed. An hour later try a small amount of milk substitute Never offer cows milk. Cats cannot digest the lactose content and this may lead to potentially fatal diarrhoea in tiny kittens. Ask your vet for Cimicat, Lactol or KMR both are powdered, easy to prepare kitten milk substitute. Do not be tempted to "add a bit extra to feed them up"! ........ this usually only leads to tummy problems - the amounts are carefully calculated. In an emergency a little evaporated milk watered down may be given. Goats milk is another choice recommended by some but I have not personally found that kittens thrive on it. |
TOP TIP ....... Hygiene is vital. The smallest bacteria is a potential killer for kittens with no immunity. Buy some sterilising tablets and use a plastic box or bowl to sterilise all feeding equipment WASH THE FLUID OFF THOROUGHLY WITH BOILED WATER BEFORE USE! |
| Don't forget to wash your hands BEFORE handling the kittens, as well as afterwards ..... you are also a potential source of infection! |
| Warmth tiny kittens are unable to maintain a regulated body temperature. Keep them warm at all times - but not overhot as this causes listlessness and poor feeding. Remember an average body temperature for a cat is around 101 degrees. Be very careful if using hot water bottles .......... if allowed to go cold, they actually leach heat away from the kittens. Make sure heat sources are well covered or a burrowing kitten may become burnt Make sure the nest has a cooler area that the kittens can move to if they are feeling too hot. |
| Wash & Brushup! Washing is a constant cat habit, and important for kittens for more than simply hygiene - although bottoms and faces must obviously be kept very clean. The act stimulates kittens, improves circulation, and reinforces bonding - watch how often a mother cat noses and licks her babies! Wash bottoms with damp cotton wool. Elsewhere, use a barely damp piece of old flannel and gently wipe all over the coat - do not make the kitten wet. Use paper towel to wipe again, removing any excess moisture. Finish with a gentle stroking with a piece of towelling or similar. |
| Top Tip ...... Love your kittens! You are Mum .. purr, coo, stroke & play!It pays dividends. In my experience, kittens that are simply fed and placed back in the nest do not thrive as well as kittens who are stroked and cuddled |
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Checklist: ..... has this kitten been toileting well? could it be constipated? Small kittens "go" frequently! Milk substitutes can often cause constipation and the condition can cause real health problems in tinies Try adding a drop of vegetable oil to each of the next three feeds. If this doesn't work ask your vet for Lactulose and advice on dosing .... does the kitten have sticky eyes with discharge and/or a runny nose If the kitten is otherwise well, this may just be sticky eye and could respond to gentle bathing (cold tea is an old wives remedy which works - use on cotton wool and always wipe the eye from the inside corner to the outside, use a fresh piece of cotton wool for the other eye!) If however, the kitten also shows any of the signs listed in "what to watch out for" then you should seek veterinary advice when the surgery is next open. Kittens do not "catch a cold"! These may well be symptoms of one of the serious feline viruses which are passed on from the mother and are often fatal in kittens left untreated. Antibiotics and/or eye ointment are needed. In the meantime. bathe the eyes gently to remove discharge. In kittens showing any of the listed signs seek veterinary advice with a view to starting immediate treatment. Your action may be life-saving as Tiny kittens can go from health to near death in a very short space of time. The reasons may be unclear - even to your vet - and can include cord infections, systemic bacterial infections, inherited viral infections ....... the list is long, hard to ascertain in such a tiny animal, and it is better to be safe than sorry. This viewpoint is fully supported by my own vet |
| These babies arrived at our home, less than 2 days old. The smallest weighed just 48 grams They required feeding every half hour, taking just a few drops as they were too weak to suck. After a long battle for life, (and days without sleep for us )they finally turned a corner. Their weight gain was pitifully slow Today they are contented healthy adults - living together - in a wonderful home with adoring owners |
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The notes on this page come from many years experience of handrearing kittens, many orphaned at birth. They are, however, only notes on my own methods ....... other people may offer differing viewpoints. I make no apology for including the use of antibiotics as this is fully supported by my own vet who feels that the use of prophylactic antibiotics is generally unwise but that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks in neonatal kittens who appear to be failing Need help in a hurry? important points are all written in red! |
| Handrearing - a personal approach |
| Newborns need to be fed hourly. 24 / 7 !!! and yes, this does mean almost no sleep for the first day or so, However, once they are feeding well and gaining weight, this can be dropped to two hourly. Initially the kittens will resist the unpleasant and unnatural feel in the mouth, and it is important not to rush things as this point. A few drops, repeated again after half an hour, and they will quickly get the hang of things and begin to really suck! Do not rush ...... let them take it at their pace |
| How much should you feed? follow the guidelines on the milk packets. Do not make it up to extra strength to help them gain weight .... they will only become constipated! Once they are sucking - let them take as much as they wish. Tiny kittens will not overfeed .... if they want more, its because they are still hungry. |
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| Problems do happen! Despite the best efforts, kittens sometimes begin to fail. This may be due to a hidden congenital fault .. in which case there is little that can be done. However, in many cases the solution is more simple and may be treatable. The difficulty is in diagnosis ...... and the best of vets may be at a loss when faced with a tiny scrap of life whose only symptom is that it does not want to suck. |
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| Contact Rogues Girls Show Kittens At Home |
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How to feed ..... is a much debated issue! Tube feeding is a rapid way to fill an empty tummy but does carry risk and should only be carried out by the experienced. Ask your vet nurse to demonstrate. The easiest way to feed without risk of "flooding" (introducing fluid to the lungs which causes aspiration pneumonia and is often fatal) is to use a bottle and teat available from most pet shops. Do not make the holes too large as this will also cause flooding. Personally I use a syringe .... the way I was taught and the only really feasible way to deal with a litter of 9, which was my introduction to handrearing! |
| Weigh your kittens .......... twice a day for newborns, daily after the first week if they are feeding well. On average a Siamese kitten should gain a minimum 5 grams each day, more is preferable. Larger breeds may be expected to achieve a higher gain No-one can feel a 2 gram difference in weight! By the time you can "feel" that the baby has lost weight, its condition may already have become critical ..... weighing tinies is the only way to know as quickly as possible that they may be running into trouble. |
| Look out for ... 1. A kitten who is not gaining (or loses) weight!! 2. A kitten who is less active 3. A kitten who moves away from the pile of warm bodies, and sleeps alone in a cold corner Take action sooner, not later! |