Things You'll Need
- Feeding bottle
- Kitten formula
- Cloth
- Rectal thermometer
Instructions
Feeding
Pour kitten formula into a feeding bottle.
Place the bottle in a pan of water on your stove. Heat on low until the formula is warm but not hot. Test the formula against your arm if you're unsure. If you barely feel it against your skin, it's ready.
Shake the bottle to mix the formula.
Place the kitten on its belly. Gently put the tip of the bottle into its mouth. Do not tilt the kitten's head. Instead, let the kitten nurse in a position similar to the one it would take if nursing from its mother.
Stroke the kitten's head while it nurses. Let the kitten finish naturally. Take care not to feed it too little or too much. PetEducation.com recommends feeding newborns 1 ml of formula every hour for their first 24 to 48 hours. After that initial period, feed kittens between nine and 12 times per day.
Rub the kitten's back to burp it.
Elimination
Dampen two soft cloths for each kitten shortly after feeding. Make sure the cloths are warm.
Rub each kitten's genital and anal areas with a cloth until they urinate and defecate. Until around 21 days old, kittens do not possess enough muscle control to eliminate wastes on their own. You must stimulate their muscles for them.
Clean each kitten with a damp cloth. Make sure the kittens are warm and dry before returning them to their box.
Examine the kittens' stool and urine. A health kitten's urine will be clear or light yellow, and its stool will be brown and formed.