How to Make a Baby Cat Eat

Caring for a kitten when a mother cat has died or is not there comes with enormous responsibility. Your first order of business is to make sure your kitty is kept warm and dry. Now you must feed her at regular intervals so she can grow and thrive. A newborn feline can be just as demanding as her human counterpart--she cries (often very loudly), must be kept warm constantly and is completely dependent on you, her human "parent." Your baby cat requires diligent attention during the first two weeks of life, with feedings taking place about every two hours.

Things You'll Need

  • Kitten baby bottle
  • Razor blade (optional)
  • Eye dropper (optional)
  • Kitten milk replacement (powdered or canned)
  • Soft kitten food
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Instructions

  1. Preparation

    • 1

      Test your kitten bottle to make sure it's adequate. The Winn Feline Foundation notes that you may have to cut a slit in the bottle's nipple with a razor blade to ensure that the kitten replacement formula gets into your cat's stomach. To make sure that formula doesn't come out too fast, fill the bottle with water, attach the nipple and hold it upside down. If the hole or slit is the correct size, formula will come out of the bottle one drop at a time.

    • 2

      Prepare the kitten milk formula according to the product label's instructions. Most replacement formulas are powdered, while some formulas are canned. Make as much formula as you expect to use in a 24-hour period. Alternatively, you can mix up the formula and freeze it into ice cubes so you'll always have it on hand.

    • 3

      Sterilize the feeding bottles in boiling water before you feed the kitten, as well as in between feedings, just as you would for a human infant.

    • 4

      Warm the formula to between 95 and 100 degrees, advises veterinarian Virginia Clemans of Best Friends Animal Society. Simply put the formula in the kitten baby bottle and set the bottle base in heated water. Test a drop or two on the inside of your wrist. If it feels too hot to your skin, it's too hot for your baby cat's mouth.

    Feeding

    • 5

      Place the baby cat on her tummy so her head can tilt slightly upward, as though she's preparing to nurse from a mother cat. Never pull her head upward with your hand, and never feed her while she's on her back--this can lead to aspiration pneumonia.

    • 6

      Gently place the nipple of the bottle in the kitten's mouth. A kitten with a strong suckling reflex will latch onto the nipple when she smells the scent of the formula. Keep the bottle tilted so the liquid fills the top; this prevents the kitten from getting air bubbles in her tummy. Avoid squeezing the bottle. When she's through nursing, she'll turn her head away.

      If your kitten won't latch onto a nipple, try using an eye dropper instead.

    • 7

      Taper off the frequency of feedings as your kitten gets older. Wean her when she's between three to four weeks old. Try mixing kitten replacement formula with commercial wet kitten food so that it's the consistency of pureed baby food. Serve it to your kitten in a small, shallow bowl.