What Kind of Cat Food Do New Born Kittens Eat?

Newborn kittens are usually nursed by their mothers, becoming fully weaned at about 8 weeks of age. Occasionally kittens are orphaned or unable to be fed by their mothers, requiring a human to take over care by bottle-feeding special food.

  1. Formula

    • Newborn kittens need a liquid diet that offers equal nutrition to the mother's milk they would normally consume. Prepared kitten formula or formula mix is available in pet stores or from veterinarians.

    Feeding Formula

    • Mix the formula in a nursing bottle which is also available in pet stores or from veterinarians. Warm the formula to body temperature by placing the bottle of formula in a pan of warm water. The formula should be warm, not hot, so it doesn't scald the kitten's mouth or digestive tract.

    Adding Cat Food

    • When the kitten is about 3 weeks old, begin mixing moist kitten growth formula food into the formula. Gradually increase the amount of canned food in the formula over the next five weeks until the kitten is only eating solid food.