Instructions
Find a foster feline mother cat, if possible. Professional animal associations may know of other nursing cats in the area. Additionally, some adult female cats will often feed other kittens that are not their own.
Immediately place the kitten under your shirt, next to your skin. It is important to keep the kitten warm. During its first week of life, a kitten's internal temperature should be kept at approximately 90 degrees Fahrenheit. After their first week of life, kittens need temperatures of about 80 degrees.
Take the kitten to a veterinarian to check for dehydration, if possible; it is very easy for small kittens to dehydrate. Ask the veterinarian to add fluids under the skin. Consult with him about how best to hand-raise the kitten.
Feed the kitten special formula you can purchase at the veterinarian's office. Feeding can be done with the use of an eyedropper or nursing bottle. Avoid forcing the kitten to eat; instead, let it suck the fluid from the eyedropper. Otherwise, you may fill the kitten's lungs with milk, causing pneumonia. Change your eyedropper for a nursing bottle as the kitten gets older.
Check the formula directions for mixing instructions. Warm the formula to body temperature, and feed the kitten every three to four hours. Place the kitten on its stomach on a towel or other fabric with texture, so that it can cling to it. Open the kitten's mouth with the tips of your finger and slip the eyedropper or nipple in its mouth. Keep the bottle raised at a 45-degree angle to keep air bubbles from entering the kitten's stomach.
If a kitten begins to choke, turn the kitten upside-down immediately. Choking results when the kitten aspirates formula into its lungs. Stop feeding the kitten when formula bubbles appear around the kitten's mouth.
How to Take Care of a Kitten That Is One Week Old or Less and Has No Mother
Under normal circumstances kittens should be taken from their mother after a period of four to six weeks. Orphan kittens with no mother have no acquired immunities if they are not feeding on their mother's milk. However, this does not mean there are no options for kittens that are less than a week old. They may live if they are taken care of, but caring for them will take a considerable amount of care, and is no guarantee that they will live. According to Manhattan Cats, the typical mortality rate of kittens, including those that are not orphaned, is between 10 to 30 percent.