Kittens are precious creatures that are so innocent to notice what is going in their stomach. You may have found one adorable kitten or a bottle baby outside your home orphaned or abandoned. Whatever is the case, these bottle babies got to be handled with caution and care and fed properly. Here are a few tips on bottle feeding kittens.
Choosing the Right Bottle and Kitten Formula
Kittens are sensitive when it comes to what is going inside their bellies. You cannot feed it any dairy product out of your fridge.
Kitten formula is formulated while keeping in view the nutrient content of a mother cat’s milk. It is a complete balanced formula in the form of liquid milk or milk powder. Owners need to be careful in their selection for kitten food. Also, avoid feeding kittens cow’s milk or other at-home recipes.
Another crucial part is the bottle to feed the kitten. Make sure to make a small diagonal hole in the nipple of the bottle. The hole should neither be too big nor too small. This would ensure the proper flow of the liquid.
Preparing the Bottle
It is imperative to make sure that the liquid is comfortably warm to feed and does not have clumps.
Furthermore, before you feed the milk to the kitten, do a little temperature test on the inside of your wrist. This would make sure that the temperature is just right to feed.
Warmth and Bedding
Before you start feeding the kittens, make sure that it is warm and comfortable. Don’t feed a cold kitten and wrap it in the layers of clothing before you attempt to feed it. You can hand-rub it to stimulate the blood flow.
Posture is Important
It would help if you always fed a kitten in the belly-down posture. There is a risk of inhaling fluid if you feed it in another posture. Use your non-dominant hand to hold the kitten’s head and the dominant one to feed the milk. Use your finger to ensure that the kitten is swallowing the milk.
Right Amount and the Right Frequency
The frequency to feed a kitten is comparatively higher than that in an adult cat. They may even want their food at midnight, and you got to be on alert until they reach 6 weeks of age. The small amount of food every now and then would help kitten maintain hydration, growth, development and maintaining normal body fat.
Is the Kitten Showing Progress?
Keep monitoring whether the kitten is showing progress in terms of body fat and weight. Weigh the kitten daily in grams and observe if it’s gaining the right amount of weight. Optimal weight gain would be 10 grams per day. If you observe that the kitten is not gaining the right amount of fats, seek immediate veterinarian support.
After-Feeding Care
Care for kittens is a lot more than just feeding them. You have to be aware of its medical needs, cleanliness, tendency to go to the bathroom, and above all, its security.
Once the kitten is fed, do not let it get cold again. Please put it back into its courier and bedding, all wrapped and cozy.
A Clean Kitten is a Happy Kitten
Use a clean, soft and warm piece of cloth to wipe off extra food, and other messes from its face. Additionally, there may be some discharge in or around the ears that need some cleaning too. Take care of the cleanliness around its ears too.
You can use warm water and towel to clean the kitten up, putting a few drops of a mild shampoo would go a long way.
Medical Care
If you think that your little pal is not doing well in some way, do not medicate it on your own. The better option always is to consult a vet for diagnosis and medication.
Some conditions may include Diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, hair loss or any other things you may consider alarming.
Conclusion
In order to take care of a kitten and bottle feed it, you got to involve physical contact and some emotions to give a feel of momma cat to the kitten. You can also help kittens develop some motor skills by providing them a variety of toys.