As in any other species, baby kittens need to be with their mother in order to develop and grow into healthy, well-balanced cats. However, for various reasons such as a child’s illness, a shortage of milk, a rejection by the mother or even animal abuse by humans, it can cause them to end up as orphans. If one has crossed your path, today we will tell you how to take care of a newborn cat!
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FIRST PERFORMANCE WHEN FINDING NEWBORN CATS
Since they are incredibly cute and because of our eagerness to want to help, sometimes not knowing can be more harmful than we think. Female cats tend to leave their babies alone in a place they consider safe while she forages for food. Therefore, the first thing to do if we see newborn cats is to observe them for a few hours from a distance, and always without touching the babies.
If after this time the mother has not appeared, then we can intervene. You have to be aware that the smaller the baby, the less likely she will be to survive. It is not impossible, but it is convenient to take it into account. If we do not have experience, it is preferable to contact associations or veterinary centers to help us.
If for some reason, there is no other alternative and you need to know how to raise a newborn cat, then we leave you everything you need to know!
KEEP IT ALWAYS WARM
Eating is important, but keeping the kitten warm is even more so. To do this, you can take a bag of seeds or fill a bottle with hot water. Cover them to avoid burns and place the cat next to them, if possible inside a box. They should always be hot.
GET MILK FOR CATS
Giving cow’s milk to cats is a classic. However, it can cause them digestive problems. If you don’t know how to feed a newborn cat, again go to a veterinary center or pharmacy and get a specific preparation for kittens. You will also need a bottle. If it is late and there is no option to get this milk, look for lactose-free cow’s milk.
To find out how many ml of milk a newborn cat drinks, consult the packaging of the preparation. In general, it is about 13 ml per 100 grams of weight in its first week, but this amount will increase in subsequent weeks. It will be necessary to give him approximately eight shots distributed during the day and night.
To feed him, not just any posture is worth it. Of course, you will not be laid on your back as if you were a human. The idea is to simulate that he is suckling from his mother. To do this, place him face down, but with his front legs higher than his hind legs, so that his body is slightly on a diagonal. The milk must be warm and the bottle disinfected.
A frequently asked question is how long to give a cat a bottle. As of the month, you can start offering them wet food, such as the appetizing cans that they love so much. You must continue with the milk, which will leave permanently when he is between six and eight weeks.
ANAL STIMULATION
One of the most amazing tasks if you don’t know how to care for a newborn cat is anogenital stimulation. If you watch a mother cat with her little ones, you will see that she always licks them. The main reason is so that they can urinate and defecate.
To do this, take a piece of gauze or a scent-free wipe and caress this region. If all is well, within a few seconds he should start peeing and pooping. This will be soft, but never runny. If the kitten presents recurring diarrhea, it will be necessary to take it to the vet. By his third week of life, he should be able to have a bowel movement without help.
WATCH YOUR GROWTH
Kittens grow very quickly. In their first week of life, their eyes are closed and they are, as well as blind, deaf, which is why they are so extremely vulnerable. In the following week, they will begin to open them, but it will not be until the third week when they begin to hear and begin to interact with the environment. If the newborn cat does not want to eat or you notice that it is out of temper or that it does not develop as it should, it quickly goes to a veterinarian.
SOCIALIZE WITH OTHER KITTENS
Socialization is another key phase in a kitten’s development. If he does not go through this stage correctly, when he reaches adulthood he may have behavioral problems or, as often happens in many orphaned cats, redirected aggression.
And what does this socialization consist of? From the month of life, the kittens begin to play with their brothers and sisters, in what is known as predatory play. Here they will learn the limits of the bite (because kittens bite!), to hunt and to communicate with each other. Cats are a hunting and territorial species, and they need to know their own language in order to have self-control and know how to relate.
Ideally, the kitten can be in contact with others of a similar age, so that it is on an equal footing. As humans, we should never play with our hands or scold the kitten, and if we find a baby alone, we will have to find another so they can grow up together. In this Feline Therapy video you can learn about the disastrous consequences of not respecting this stage.
RESPONSIBLE ADOPTION
If in the end you will not keep the orphaned cat, the ideal thing, if it is an only child, is to separate it from the other kittens or from its family at three months of age. This will be a balanced cat with no behavior problems. For adoption, contact associations that help you with a responsible contract. In this way, you will guarantee sterilization when the time comes, you will be able to supervise the adoption or take the pertinent measures if necessary.
Knowing how to care for a newborn cat is vital in the most literal sense of the word, since you can save its life. And if you want to protect him for the future, take out pet insurance and guarantee him the best care you can offer him.