How to Feed a Newborn Kitten

Newborn kittens need special care.

Shelters and breeders typically wait until kittens are six to eight weeks old before separating them from their mothers and putting them up for adoption. If you encounter a newborn kitten and it is clear that the mother is not around, take immediate steps to ensure the kitten's health.

Things You'll Need

• Kitten replacement formula
• Hot water bottle
• Eye dropper
• Child medicine dispenser
• Kitten feeding bottle

Instructions

1. Before attempting to feed a newborn cat, make sure it is not cold. Hold the kitten against you for warmth or place it in a small box with a warm water bottle and blankets.

2. If the kitten is days old, feed it using an eye dropper and kitten replacement formula, found in most pet stores. Warm the milk to slightly more than room temperature. Draw up the formula into the dropper, hold the kitten next to your body and place the tip of the dropper into its mouth. If the kitten doesn't begin to suck, squeeze two to three drops into its mouth. If the kitten appears weak, attempt small feedings. If not, give more.

3. Use a child's medicine dispenser, which resembles a large eye dropper, to feed replacement formula to a kitten that is more alert. Encourage a kitten to suck by pulling the tip of the dispenser slightly out of its mouth.

4. Purchase a kitten feeding bottle, which resembles a small version of a baby bottle. Hold the kitten and feed it using the bottle and replacement formula when it is able.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not feed cow's milk to a kitten.

• Keep an emergency veterinarian's number handy.

• Don't overfeed a newborn kitten. Often, they will eat and eat.

• Hold the baby bottle at a slight angle to keep the nipple filled with formula so the kitten doesn't get air in his belly.

• Never let a child feed, or handle, a newborn kitten.

• Use a HOT WATER BOTTLE instead of an ELECTRIC HEATING PAD. You can't regulate an electical unit as well.

References

• ASPCA: Ten Things You Can Do to Help a Stray Kitten
• Hartz: Bottle Feeding the Newborn Kitten