Having a cat at home, sooner or later the question of posterity arises. If the pet is purebred, then getting a litter can even be profitable. To help the cat and properly care for newborn kittens, it is necessary to know the basics of their development in the first days and weeks, the mode of the day and nutrition. With the right actions, the kittens will quickly gain weight and get stronger, after which they can be donated, sold or left to themselves.
Development features
Cats are good and caring moms, they are able to fully take care of their babies, a person does not need to interfere in this process. In nature, the cat itself finds a suitable place, settles a corner for itself, and it is there that gives birth to and cares for its children. Under the conditions of an apartment, it is more difficult to do this, so the owner can help arrange a comfortable and quiet place where a mother can be left alone with her children.
Choosing a place for pets, you need to look for sufficiently shaded part of the room, where there is no bright light. Kittens in the first weeks will need peace and quiet, so the resting place should be maximally paid from the common room and corridor.
The temperature in the room should be quite high so that newborn babies do not freeze. The optimal range ranges from + 21– + 25 degrees. It is very important to avoid drafts, so that small animals do not catch cold. Airing the room in the first weeks is not worth it at all, the cat itself can provide a change in temperature. After the birth of kittens, they must be inspected, checked for signs of life and the normal appearance of pets.
If the kids squeak and move, it means that they are in perfect order. If a kitten looks suspicious or has some clear signs of a developmental defect, it is worthwhile to put it to sleep right away so that mom would not have time to become attached to him and not spend strength and resources on someone who still would not survive. Ordinary kittens are born blind and deaf, these sense organs begin to work a little later.
Newborn kittens they open their eyes about a week after their birth, and will be able to consciously see them in another 5 days. If this does not happen for a long time, then you can try to help the child with the help of a cotton pad moistened with water, which wipe eyes. The color of the eyes of newborns is usually light, but after three weeks the iris of the eye acquires its basic shade.
A little pet does not need to navigate in space, as there is a mother next to her who takes full care of him. This care is carried out around the clock, until the kittens start to see and hear. In newborn individuals, hearing appears around the eighth day, and up to this point the ears are pressed to the head. Three weeks later, the kitten begins to look like an adult, as it sees well, has exactly erect ears, learns to walk and learns the world around it.
Newborn baby animals rest or eat most of the time, so the need for active movement is not yet felt. After 18 days from the moment of birth, the duration of wakefulness increases significantly, pets try to stand on their paws. Training lasts only a few days, usually by 21 days they are already starting to walk.
To fully master all the skills and learn how to use them, the kids need only a week.After that, they strive to go beyond their habitat to learn as much as possible about everything that surrounds them.
At first, kittens eat only mother's milk, which should be quite fat to feed all offspring. The quality of cat food is already monitored by the owner. As soon as babies have milk teeth, they begin to eat on a par with mom from a bowl. At the time of birth, the kitten weighs about 100 grams, and in the first week of life they can become 2-3 times larger. Weight grows every day by 15–20 grams with proper feeding of the mother and good nutrition of the baby.
If in the first week there are serious deviations from the norm in a smaller direction, then the kitten, most likely, will not survive.
Hygiene
Care after kittens falls on the cat, she by nature knows what to do and easily performs her duties. In addition to providing rest and feeding, the cat helps its offspring to empty. In newborn kittens, the processes of urination and defecation do not occur on their own, they need to be stimulated from the outside. The cat conducts this procedure as follows:
- licking each kitten's fur so that it is clean, which is important for the safety of the pet; active actions in the region of the organs of the excretory system stimulates the emptying of the bladder and intestines;
- to maintain cleanliness in the habitat of the kittens, the cat absorbs all the secretions of the offspring, preventing them from getting dirty and harming the babies;
- protects the droppings from bacteria with the help of its saliva, which remains on the skin of babies after licking.
If the kittens were immediately taken away from the mother, then the person will have to care for them. Completely replace the cat does not work, but with the help of imitation you can help the little animals in many ways. In order to adjust the processes of digestion, it is necessary to find linen or other natural and slightly rough fabric and moisten it in a heated solution of potassium permanganate. Massage movements need to walk through the abdomen and anus, continuing the procedure until the body is empty.
You need to repeat this procedure after each meal, making sure that every time there is urine excretion and at least 2-3 times a week - feces.
Hygiene procedures involve not only carrying out certain actions and maintaining cleanliness of kittens, It is important to pay attention to the color of feces, which may vary, which indicates the state of health of the pet, namely:
- brown - healthy individual;
- greenish - Problems with the number of meals and their size, when the body does not have time to digest everything;
- Gray - significant overeating, which provokes inflammatory processes and infectious diseases.
Important! It is possible to accustom kittens to the tray only after three weeks, not earlier. Once the animals see and hear well, walk normally and understand a lot, you can train them to go to the toilet in a clearly marked place.
Hygiene of little kittens includes eye and nose care, which is wiped in case of discharge or odor. Every day, you need to wash your baby until he can do it on his own.
Wool should be wiped with a damp cloth or cloth moistened with water. Bathing as such is absent during this period and may be necessary only in the case of heavy pollution, which is difficult to get rid of with a wipe. If kittens live with a cat, you should pay attention to its health.
If suddenly she has fleas, they must be taken out immediately, otherwise kittens may suffer, which may have an allergy or a much more serious reaction to these parasites, which can be fatal.
Schooling in the tray is an important step in the care of kittens. If they do not separate from the mother, then it is she who will show and bring them to the tray at the right time. If the owner takes care of the animals independently, then the learning process will need to be done as soon as the kittens become a little more independent. It is best to push the emptying process yourself by massaging the kitten's body in the right places.
It is important to do this near the tray so that the product of the selection goes to its intended purpose. Focusing on the smell of their feces, kids will try to do everything on their own.
How to feed?
Kittens that are with their mother after birth feed exclusively on its milk. This diet is enough for them until they get stronger and grow up. If small animals are left without a cat, then man has to feed them. Since cat milk will not be available, it must be replaced with an equivalent product.
It is impossible to give cow's milk to kids, it is not suitable for them. Baby milk formulas and similar products also cannot replace breast milk.
In order not to cause a negative reaction of the body, you can mix powdered milk with water and feed the kittens or bottles with a pipette. If it is possible to purchase nonfat milk, then this option will be most convenient for feeding. Small pets need to be given only fresh food, so that it does not stand. It is important to thoroughly wash and steam the bottles or pipette after each meal.
A newborn kitten is growing rapidly and gaining weight, which is primarily due to the optimal amount of food that it absorbs. Depending on age, the number of feedings and the size of the portion will vary as follows:
- from the moment of birth and during the first week of life, you need to feed the kitten every 2 hours, giving it 5 ml of milk;
- From the second to the third week, 5 ml of food is also given out, but at intervals of 2.5 hours;
- the third week schedule assumes an increase in the interval between meals to three hours;
- The last week of the first month of life completes the stage of feeding exclusively with milk, the interval increases up to 4 hours; it is not necessary to feed the kittens at night, and the portion can be slightly increased so that it lasts until the next feeding.
When the pet is strong, he began to see well and actively move around the apartment, he needs a lot more energy, so the diet needs to be supplemented with new products. During this period, the animal already eats meat, the main thing is that it is lean and in small quantities. The optimal menu during this period will be meat or fish combined with rice, well boiled and ground in mashed potatoes.
New food should be combined with dairy products, which is familiar to the pet and helps to be well emptied. Instead of milk, you can give the kittens cottage cheese, and by the end of the second month of life, gradually transfer to cat food. Immediately it is recommended to give only dry food, and after a certain time gradually add and canned food.
The combination of dry and wet food will be most favorable for the pet, as it will saturate the body with all the necessary elements, as well as provide an opportunity not to have problems with emptying.
Health care
If the kittens after birth live with a cat, then she decides on their care and health independently. The owner can only slightly help the mother, creating the necessary conditions for a comfortable dwelling of the whole family. If the kids are alone, a person must make a lot of effort to replace his mother, creating the same comfort and giving a certain care.
In the first weeks it is very important to keep the kids warm, as they are still very small and the fur does not provide them with the necessary warming. In the habitat of the kittens should be subject to heating with controlled temperature, it can be a heating pad or a simple bottle of water.
The offspring that grows without a mother should have full socialization, it is provided by the person.If it is better not to touch tiny kittens at all unnecessarily, giving them the opportunity to sleep and rest, then from the moment they start walking, it is important to play with them, communicate, stroke, giving warmth and love. As soon as the kitten grows up, it must be introduced to the objects of use: a place to rest, a tray, a bowl and toys. The toilet occupies an important place in the life of a room cat, as the inability to use it will cause a lot of problems.
It is important to purchase a tray of suitable size and with low sides so that the pet is comfortable to use. The filler should be only natural, as kittens can try it, mixing up with food. At first, it is important to monitor the tray visit to make sure that the pet fulfills the need correctly and does not harm itself.
To give the kitten the necessary activity rate and to help him socialize, it is often necessary to play with him, for which purpose it is better to purchase specialized toys and balls. The process of the game is best intertwined with education, controlling the behavior of a kitten and forbidding it to scratch or bite. As regards health concerns directly, a good owner should foresee all the risks, even if the cat does not leave the territory of the apartment.
An important component of care will be timely vaccination against distemper, rabies and a variety of infections. For the safety of the animal, you need to ensure that it does not appear ticks, fleas, versicolor and worms, if they are detected, you should immediately take measures or contact a veterinarian.
Hygiene procedures will be limited to periodic rubs of the animal's hair, and in very rare cases, bathing.
Useful recommendations
If kittens were born in a cat, it is important to know that it is not worth touching them after birth, as the cat mom will not be delighted with this and can attack the owner. To help the socialization of small kittens, they can be picked up no earlier than the second week of life, and then for short periods, so as not to upset the cat.
The little body of the baby is still very fragile, therefore Handle it carefully and gently so as not to injure. This nuance is very important to explain to children if they are in the family, because they can accidentally hurt the kitten, or even break something at all.
To make life with a kitten, and later with an adult individual comfortable, it is important to protect the apartment from the sharp claws of the pet. The best solution to this problem will be a claw stick that allows you to practice on it, grinding off the claws, and will completely protect the furniture and wallpaper from the nimble pet. In pet stores there is a large selection of such devices, so choose an option that suits the size, price, color and functionality, is not difficult.
To maintain an attractive and neat-looking kitten, you will need to purchase a special comb that will help clean up unwanted wool. Especially during the molting period, it will prevent the formation of pellets in the body of a kitten, which licks itself.
Using a conventional or plastic comb is absolutely not suitable for cats, so you need to buy specialized equipment.
The process of playing and raising should be familiar to a kitten, but not always a person is able to properly train an animal or wean it from some habit, therefore it is better to get specialized harmless spray. He will frighten the pet from those places where you can not go to the toilet or where you should not run or jump. There are also attractive species that help lure a pet into a carrier or house. Care and care for a kitten will be incomplete without brushing your teeth which often deteriorate, causing many problems.
If you do not teach your pet to calmly go through this procedure in childhood, then in a more adult age it will be much more difficult. To facilitate the process, it is worth buying a toothpaste with the taste of meat or fish, as well as a high-quality and convenient toothbrush.Another important event is ear brushing necessary for the prevention of ticks. Kittens love this procedure, so they will be happy to lie on their hands until the owner does everything.
Thanks to the proper care of the kittens, even without the fate of the cat, good and affectionate human friends can grow out of animals, who will know the rules in the house, obey the owner, do not offend children, do not scratch furniture. The life of the pet will be rainbow and long, if the owner on time carries out activities that ensure the health of the cat.
Read more about how to get a newborn kitten without a mom-cat, see the following video.
