Bottle-Feeding & Care of Orphaned Kittens: Part 2 - Feeding & Weaning

Last night I attended a class by the Mayor's Alliance for NYC Animals called Bottle-Feeding & Care of Orphaned Kittens. It was hosted at the ASPCA's lovely midtown offices. I learned so much in those 2 hours, this will require a couple posts to cover the topics. Click here to read my previous post on Kitten Supplies.  

This topic: Feeding and Weaning!

The first step after finding a young kitten is to determine its age.  Kittens develop at their own speed based on environmental and genetic factors. These photos and descriptions should help you determine how old your kitten is:

First Week

When kittens are born they are blind and deaf. They cannot urinate or defecate on their own (until 4 weeks). The umbilical cord may still be attached (up to 4 days).  A one week old a kitten's eyes are still closed, ears are folded over. It cannot walk. It sleeps 90% of the time, nurses 10% of the time.

Feeding 1-2 Weeks:

• 1 part KMR Formula + 2 parts Pedialyte (or water).
• If kitten gets diarrhea increase the Pedialyte. If diarrhea persists more than 2 days, contact the vet!
• Kittens can be fed every 4 hrs but schedules vary. Keep them on a steady schedule.
• Burp and stimulate after every feeding. Sometimes they'll eat more after that.
• Always test warmed formula on your wrist before feeding!

Second Week

Kittens gradually become more aware of their surroundings and interact with each other. Their eyes will open around 10 days. By the end of the second week their sense of smell is developing, they will hiss at unfamiliar scents, and interact with each other. Their ears will uncurl during this time, and they will begin to crawl and knead.

Feeding 2-3 Weeks:

• 1 part KMR + 1 part Pedialyte (or water)
• Same as above but kittens may go longer between feedings.
• Note: Kittens will be much more active at this stage and climb out of everything. Their claws cannot retract.  Make sure your box has a cover, or better yet use a carrier.

Third Week

By now you can clearly determine if kittens are boys or girls. The teeth start coming in, and their walking becomes more confident.  They are just beginning to play and develop fine motor skills, and their eyesight improves.  By the end of the third week formula can be supplemented with solid food.

All kittens have blue eyes for at least the first few weeks.

Feeding 3-4 Weeks:

• Time to start weaning and litter training!
• Continue bottle feeding, but supplement with baby food - chicken or turkey baby food mixed with formula can be spoon fed to kittens 2 or 3 times a day. Baby spoons are great for this.
• Place kitten in litter after each feeding and move their paws to demonstrate digging. Soon they will use the box on their own.
• Kitten's stool will start to get more solid after a few days of baby food. Continue to stimulate if kitten does not use the litter.
• Tip: Once a kitten starts chewing a bottle rather than suckling, it's time to give up the bottle.

Fourth and Fifth Weeks

By now most kittens will eat and use the litter on their own, although you should still place them in the litter box after each feeding. They will play with their littermates, explore, learn to dig, and can roll over and get back up.

Feeding 4-5 Weeks:

• Some kittens may still want the bottle, but most will be eating and using the litter on their own.
• This is a good time to start regular pate cat/kitten food.
• If you have more than one kitten a Frisbee is great for feeding since it is low, easy for them to access, won't spill, and keeps most of the food off the floor. They will crawl through it though!

Important Tips

• NEVER feed a kitten that is too cold. Temperature should be 98-101 degrees. Warm a cold kitten immediately using a heating pad wrapped in a blanket, or wrap and hold against your chest.
• Never feed a kitten cow's milk.
• Never feed a kitten on its back, like you would a human baby. Kitten should be upright or on its stomach and leaning forward. 
• If you pull the bottle away a tiny bit, this may encourage suckling.
• Resist the urge to overfeed at one sitting to avoid diarrhea.
• Any lack of eagerness to suckle and failure to gain weight require IMMEDIATE veterinary attention!
• Track your kitten's weight: a 4 week old kitten should weigh around 1 pound. A 12 week kitten should weigh around 3 pounds.

In the NYC area and want to attend the next Bottle Feeding workshop? 

Click here to sign up! (next one is on 10/7/14): http://bit.ly/BFK1410

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Sergeant Frank Praytor looks after a 2 week old kitten (named "Miss Hap") during the height of the Korean War in 1952.

Bottle-Feeding & Care of Orphaned Kittens: Part 1 - Supplies!

Kitten Season is in full swing. It starts in spring, peaks through late spring and summer, and ends in the fall.  Shelters around the world are currently inundated with kitten orphans, many of whom are younger than 3 weeks old, also known as "Bottle Babies".

Last night I attended a class by the Mayor's Alliance for NYC Animals called Bottle-Feeding & Care of Orphaned Kittens. It was hosted at the ASPCA's lovely midtown offices. I learned so much in those 2 hours, this will require a couple posts to cover the topics.

This topic: Kitten Supplies!

Click here to read my post on Kitten Feeding and Weaning.

A woman named Iris taught the class. She is a very knowledgeable volunteer and longtime cat/kitten foster at Animal Care & Control of NYC.  She said she elected to volunteer there 8 years ago, because she knew they needed the most help. (Click here to learn more about volunteering at the AC&C).

She told us that the AC&C used to get 40,000+ animals through their doors each year. Now thanks to TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) efforts in the city, particularly by the NYC Feral Cat Initiative (NYCFCI) of the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals, that number is down to a little over 30,000 per year. Still an incredibly high number, but at least it's better than it was.

Iris set up this display of everything you might need if and when you ever find or foster a baby kitten.

The brown thing in the lower left corner is a wool sock stuffed with uncooked rice, and tied shut.  You heat the rice-sock in the microwave for 1-2 mins, and it becomes a great homemade heating pad! Kittens snuggle it.

The items in the display (starting in the upper left side):

• Scale - the most important thing is that your kitten gains weight EVERY day. You can find cheap small kitchen scales such as this one, at places like Target.
• Pedialyte - mix Pedialyte with the formula mix for kittens. Also good if you have a sick cat of any age, especially with diarrhea.
• KMR Kitten Formula - available at pet stores. Mix with Pedialyte, put into bottle, and warm.
• Dawn soap - blue Dawn eliminates fleas in kittens. Do not put any chemicals on babies! Can bathe kittens, but don't douse the head. Iris also says a ring of Dawn around the neck and tail area helps.
• Funnel - for transferring mixed formula into the baby bottle.
• Wet Ones wipes - can help wiping down the kitten and small messes.
• White Faux wool blanket - do NOT use this! Some sites and videos suggest using these, but kittens can suffocate because they can't turn their heads among the large chunks of fluff.
• Yellow blanket - an example of a good blanket to use for kittens. Since kittens can't retract their claws even towels aren't the best option, they get caught up in the little loops of fabric.
• Hand Sanitizer - this is for your hands, especially if you have sick kittens you have to be very clean.
• Canned cat food - mix canned (pate) food with formula for weaning, spoon feed if necessary.
• Pee pads - for the kitten's enclosure.
• Baby spoon - helpful with weaning kittens, spoon feed a mixture of wet pate cat food and formula.
• Baby bottles - Iris likes these, they come with extra nipples. Available at pet stores.
• Yellow Duckie - for the kittens to cuddle up to.
• Frisbee - good for feeding weaned kittens wet food. Nice and low, can't spill it, can feed multiple at a time.
• Mederma - good for cat scratches (for your skin, not them).
• Thermometer - Kitten's temperature should be between 98 - 101 F.
• Small Whisk - good for mixing formula.
• Baby nail clippers - for clipping little claws. Good practice to get them used to nail trims early!
• Small syringes, eye droppers - can be used for feeding or giving medicine.
• (Human) Baby Food - chicken or turkey flavors are also good for weaning kittens. Also good for an older cat that isn't feeling well or isn't eating.  Make sure there's no vegetables or anything else in there. Plain chicken or turkey only.
• Rice Sock - I described this above in the caption. Really handy!
• Measuring cup - for measuring formula.

Here are a few of the tips, tricks, and facts I jotted down in my notebook:

• Chicken and turkey flavored baby food for weaning or sick adults. I never would have thought of that before.
• Pedialyte for sick cats and kittens. Another handy item that's easy to get!
• 101 degrees is the usual temperature for a kitten. Any cooler and they probably need to be warmed up (rice sock to the rescue) and any warmer they are running a temperature.
• Mederma is great for cat scratches. 
• Mineral Oil is great for treating ear mites.
• Blue Dawn Soap is great for treating fleas in kittens.
• At 3 Weeks the weaning begins. A kitten should be introduced to a Formula + Baby food (chicken or turkey) + Pedialyte mixture, spoon fed (or your finger) to start the weaning process.
• At 4 Weeks the litter box process begins.  Non-scoopable clay litter is what kittens need.
• You can supplement a pregnant or nursing cat's diet with KMR and Pedialyte.
• Keep cats (outdoor, feral, cord chewers) cool in the summer without using electricity by freezing gallon jugs of water and leaving out for them.

Missed this one? They are offering many more workshops of all types, especially TNR and Kittens in the coming months. Check out the list and RSVP here!

In the NYC area and want to attend the next Bottle Feeding workshop? 

Sign up here (next one is on 10/7/14): http://bit.ly/BFK1410


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Read More Here:

Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals

Animal Care & Control of NYC

NYC Feral Cat Initiative (NYCFCI) of the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals

ASPCA

Bottle Feeding Orphan Kittens

Taking Care of Bottle Babies

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