How and what to feed a newborn kitten?

Like all living things in the world, the cat is not immune from death during childbirth, sudden loss (if the animal is beautiful and even thoroughbred - it can be taken away), falling under the wheels of a car, diseases, etc. But the kittens she managed to produce light, lurks danger from other animals, such as hungry dogs, as well as death from hunger and cold. The kittens are lucky if compassionate and caring people or neighbors' cats, who have not yet given birth, but have not rejected other people's helpless kittens, have appeared nearby.

The cat produces special milk, its fat content is noticeably lower than cow's.

It contains:

• 80% water;
• 11% protein;
• lactose (sugar) - 3%;
• up to 6% fat;
• small amount of vitamins.

This is the optimal ratio of water to nutrients dissolved in it, chosen by mother nature for growing cats and cats. A serious imbalance of this balance in the kitten's diet increases the likelihood of slowing growth and weight gain, significantly reduces the life expectancy of an adult animal, leads to the appearance of chronic diseases.

The kitten is born blind and helpless, weighs only 100 grams, is no bigger than a rat. In the first week he is not able to move far, because in addition he still does not know how to walk. The balance of the umbilical cord, through which he received nutrients in the womb, can be maintained during this week. After two weeks, his eyes open slightly, but not immediately - only by the 21st day of his life, is he able to open them widely. The weight of the kitten doubles. By that time, the ears are also fully finished. At about the same time he demonstrates his first teeth. By the end of the month they appear all.

In the case when the cat rejected the kittens or died during childbirth, immediately contact a veterinarian. He will adjust the nutrition of newborns, bringing his recipe as close as possible to the natural composition, which will make it possible to feed the babies without any special troubles. Re-treatment is required when the kittens will not gain weight and get sick. A sick kitten is transferred to a somewhat special feeding mode.

Try to find another feeding individual - yet the natural diet is superior to the one created by humans. In other cases, the owner will have time to become a substitute for the disappeared mother cat, having organized the kitten's access to nutritious mixtures at home.

If the kitten is not even a month, you will need the following devices:

• syringe set - they perfectly meter the injected mixtures;
• unbreakable pipette - suitable for spot injection of drugs taken by mouth;
• bottle with pacifier - it is possible to use a nursery if there is no vetmagazin nearby, any “drinking bowl” with a narrowed nose will come off;
• measuring cup and spoon - the prepared mixture should be strictly metered, not allowing fasting or overeating of the kitten;
• small bowl - the kitten will grow up soon, and he will need “adult” feeding.

Store milk (cow), whether dry or diluted, including dry cream, kefir, etc.d., it does not fit the little kitten at all. As for cats and cats of the Sphynx breed, they, even as adults, soon simply okolevyat from its use. The remaining cat breeds accept cow's milk and its derivatives, but only interspersed with the main food, and not on an ongoing basis.

Take advantage of special nutritional mixtures, very similar to cat's milk in composition. They will boost the growth of kittens. Good products are supplied, for example, by Royal Canin, Hartz or Katzenmilch, often using compatible substitutes, suitable even for puppies and ferrets. But these eminent manufacturers supply expensive products. Fortunately, there are alternatives, for example: diluted unsweetened condensed milk with the addition of bone meal, a milk-egg mixture (without proteins) with a small amount of vegetable oil and some other options.

Be sure to wash (if possible - sterilize) all the dishes, as if you were feeding infants. Wash your hands thoroughly.

Before you start feeding the mixture must be carefully prepared, following the recipe. The thickening of the mixture will lead to indigestion, too watery composition - to premature starvation, malnutrition of the kitten and, as a consequence, to its slow growth.

After 6 hours, the cooked mixture becomes overexposed — even if it is frozen and re-thawed, it will lead to biological stress when it is absorbed. The temperature of the mixture can not be lower than 37 degrees. If not, heat it up.

For best results, massage the kitten for a few minutes, stroking his head and back. Best of all, the kitten will eat, or rather, drink this mixture from the nipples. It is not recommended to uncouple it with a “naked” syringe or with the help of a spoon-drinker: it may choke if swallowed. Exception: your actions should be so accurate that in one step you will enter a kitten no more than 0.1 "cubes" on a scale printed on a syringe. If the syringe is so bad that the piston moves with jerks each time it is pressed and creates fountains, replace it or still use the teat.

Continue to feed him to saturation - after receiving the mixture, he will calm down and fall asleep. The mixture should not be carbonated (airy). After the end of feeding, you should hold it vertically for a few minutes - the remains of the mixture swallowed by the kitten will completely drain from the esophagus into the stomach.

The feeding schedule decreases as the kitten matures:

• the first 4 days of life after birth, feeding is done every 2 hours for 1 ... 1.5 ml, in the rest of the first week they give 4.5 ml 7 times a day;
• in the second week, the kitten drinks 9 ml 6 times, the 3rd - 15 ml 5 times, and the 4th - 20 ml, also 5 times;
• In the 5th and 6th week, 25 ml of the mixture is given 4 times a day.

After that, the kitten is gradually transferred to the nut-eating diet, and night feeding is finally removed from the schedule. You can feed Maine Coon, savanna, pixie bob or Kuril bobtail with a few large doses.

The fact that you are doing everything correctly is indicated by the calm behavior of the kitten. But if you forget to feed him, he will immediately remind you of himself. Track the dynamics of weight gain with averages.

Newborn kittens that are not even a week old, as well as weakened, diseased ones, can be fed with the “Baby” mixture, using the Nutrilon formula and liquid vitamin complexes in drops for its preparation.

Examples of purchased cat formula that can replace real cat's mother's milk:

• Vitamin Milk with Gimpet Cat-Milk Taurine;
• Royal Canin Babycat Milk;
• Nutri-Vet Kitten Milk;
• Kittenmilch CdVet;
• Gimcat

From one month of age, kittens can be given complementary foods, without interrupting feeding. Initially suitable baby puree with the addition of chopped meat. And although the cat is a predator, do not rush to give it natural meat or fish until it can digest it.

After 1.5 months of the kitten's life, you can cancel the nutritional mixtures, replacing them with regular milk, grated and boiled vegetables, softened with black bread. It is not recommended to give him white bread and egg white, rolls and sweets - the cat's digestion and metabolism is significantly different from human. Although a cat from chronic starvation will even eat ice cream, such barbaric experiments - especially on an empty stomach - will soon be “planted” on her liver and pancreas, and the animal will soon wither away without immediate treatment. If the kitten is purebred, look for alternative food: its body is unlikely to cope with such products as raw meat or fish, milk and bread - the kitten will simply vomit from such food. In no case do not overfeed the kitten at any age with solid food, such as dry food, leaving an open bag in an easily accessible place. He will relocate (the cats do not know the measures), and this is guaranteed to cause constipation in him, here you will need the help of a veterinarian.

If you have the opportunity to buy real dry food, and not cheap fakes under it - take advantage of this opportunity. Poor nutrition, as well as an overdose of the daily rate of feeding, will lead, for example, to premature liver hypertrophy and cystitis. Also, the kitten should get enough water - do not forget about it.

On feeding kittens, see below.