How to Get a 3 Day Old Kitten to Bottle Feed

Feral kittens are sometimes orphaned. If a substitute mother can not be found, saving the kitten is possible, even when the baby is no more than a day or two old. You will need lots of patience and a willingness to keep a steady schedule until the kitten is able to eat on its own, which is at about three weeks. If the eyes are tightly closed and the ears laid flat, then the kitten is most likely between 1and14 days old. A local vet or animal rescue center should be able to answer any questions you may have.

Things You'll Need

Kitten Milk Replacer (KMR) formula
Nursing bottle, eye dropper or plastic syringe

Instructions

- 1
  Consider several things when attempting to feed a newborn kitten. Never feed with goat or cow's milk unless you have no other choice. You will want to purchase specialized cat milk, most often called KMR (Kitten Milk Replacer).
- 2
  Use a nursing bottle, a syringe (with the needle removed) or an eye dropper for feeding. Sterilize all utensils before using.
- 3
  Heat the milk to slightly above room temperature. Do a wrist test to make sure it doesn't burn. Make sure you follow the label's directions when mixing, as different products may require different preparations.
- 4
  Set the kitten on its tummy and hold the bottle or dropper slightly above the kitten's nose so that it must extend its head. Do not force the drops out or the newborn may end up inhaling the liquid instead of drinking it. Allow them to suckle in that manner. For kittens less than a week old, the required amount of feeding is about 3 cc of formula every two hours. It is better to under feed at first than to give too much and cause bloating.
- 5
  Burp the kitten for air bubbles once it's finished feeding. Naturally, the mother would lick the baby's tummy, stimulating digestion and discharge. Gently rubbing the kitten's belly with your fingers or a dampened cotton swab will simulate what the mother does and help keep the kitten from tummy aches.