How to Get Newborn Kittens to Nurse

Watching cats deliver their kittens is an exciting window into the cycle of life. Most birthing cats, called queens, quickly and easily adjust to their motherly duties, including nursing their kittens. Generally, kittens will effectively nurse if they have access to their mother and if the queen has a healthy milk supply. Pay careful attention to the feeding and care of your newborn kittens, and you will receive kitty companionship for many years into the future.

Things You'll Need

  • Nesting box
  • Gram scale
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Instructions

    • 1

      Provide an environment conducive to nursing, including a barricade to keep the kittens close to their mother. Newborn kittens are not very mobile, but they sometimes crawl out of reach of their mother. A towel-lined or blanket-lined box, crate or cat bed with high sides will suffice as a nesting box to contain the queen and kittens.

    • 2

      Monitor the nursing queen̵7;s health. She should be eating about double the amount of her pre-pregnancy consumption. A malnourished queen will not have enough milk to offer her kittens, preventing effective nursing. Provide a constant supply of fresh water and high-quality kitten food for the queen.

    • 3

      Rotate which kittens have access to the queen̵7;s rear teats at each feeding. The rear teats have the most milk, so all kittens should have access to those; otherwise, only the strongest kittens will get the most milk.

    • 4

      Observe the kittens nursing. Kittens should begin nursing soon after birth. Kittens that are consuming enough milk have rounded stomachs and sleep contentedly after feeding. A consistent weight gain of 7 to 10 grams daily is evidence of healthy nursing and growth.