Things You'll Need
- Feline Nursing Bottles
- Baby Bottle Nipples
- Baby Bottles
- Blankets For Pets
- Formula For Kittens
- Cotton Swabs
- Scales
Instructions
Use a bottle and nipple made for nursing kittens or a human preemie nipple bottle (a nipple for premature infants).
Use commercially prepared formulas for feeding orphaned kittens. Avoid using goat's milk.
Measure out the appropriate amount of milk for the kitten for one day: A 1-week-old kitten needs 13mL of milk per 100g of body weight, a 2-week-old needs 17mL milk per 100g body weight, a 3-week-old needs 20mL milk per 100g body weight, a 4-week-old needs 22mL milk per 100g body weight.
Divide the above daily dosage by 4, and feed this dosage to the kitten four times a day.
Warm the milk.
Invert the bottle to let the milk ooze out slowly before inserting into the kitten's mouth.
Avoid feeding the kitten while he's on his back. It's acceptable for the kitten to slightly elevate his front paws.
Check that the kitten's abdomen is enlarged but not overextended after feeding. Kittens should gain 50 to 100 g per week.
Encourage a 3-week-old kitten to eat solid food.