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Home > Cat Newsletters > Cares for newly born kittens
Cares for newly born kittens
Basic food for the cat’s generation is maternal milk. In this period drops of milk appear on the swollen milk warts. Glandules began intensively to function several days before parturition, but the latest – after the birth, when the first kitten starts to suck. It is very important in the period of suckling to take care of the mother’s food. Milk, calcium and phosphates in kind of bone powder and a few drops of cod-liver oil should be added to the daily doze of food, which the cat should get three times a day. The cat should also get enough quantity of water. When the cat stops feeding the kittens, she turns back to normal feeding regime and the quantity of liquids is limited. During the first 24 hours after taking kittens away, the cat-mother should get no liquids. Very often convulsions can be observed
at the pregnant or feeding cat. This is in result of sudden drop of calcium
in the organism. This problem can be sorted out only by a vet, who puts
an intravenous injection of special solution to the cat. Such injection
has a momentous impact and only in a few minutes time the cat will feel
normally. The newly born kittens of both sexes and all breeds have approximately the same weight – from 80 to 100 grams or 99 grams at an average. During the first week they put on weight nearly as twice and after that each following week they put on about 100 grams /or to be more precise from 81 to 138 grams/. Near the end of the second month the normal weight of the kitten is approximately 1000-1300 grams. From the third week on male kittens put on more weight than the female ones. If a kitten hardly puts on weight only a vet can define the reason for this. The cat’s generation changes from maternal milk to normal food at the 3rd -4th week after their coming to live. If you notice that the kittens are nervous, make attempts to crawl out of their “nests” and purr very loudly, this means that the mother has less milk, the little ones are hungry and they need additional feeding. What to start with? During the first two days you should add two tea-spoons warm milk to the ration of food of the kittens. Cow milk is not the most appropriate. It is better to use dry milk with average butter content, that to be diluted with warm water and a little honey or a pinch of sugar to be added. Milk is poured with a tea-spoon directly into the kitten’s mouth. During the next days the ration of food is increased in the following way: 3rd -4th day - one tea-spoon twice a day; 5th-7th day - one tea-spoon three times a day;8th -10th day - one tea-spoon four times a day. During the last days dry milk is diluted to the consistence of mash and it is served in a plate to the kittens in order to teach them to lick food on their own. Sometimes the cat owners force the nose of their kittens in the plate. It is not the most proper way. Milk can get into the nose of the kitten, it will get frightened and after that it will not dare to reach the plate for a long time. It is better to dip your finger into the milk mash and to rub it over the mouth of the kitten - thus it will be forced to lick the milk and to try its taste. After that push it slightly towards the plate and the kitten will start swilling. Approximately at the same time, actually
when the kittens are 3-4 weeks old, try to feed them with meat. This should
be done at the exact time of day each time. Make a ball of the shape of
a grain from raw or boiled meat and put it into the kitten’s mouth. Sometimes the cat dies when giving birth
to kittens and the little ones become motherless. In order the kittens
to survive, the owner should find a suckling mother-cat to which to throw
the motherless kittens unnoticed. In most cases the suckling mother-cat
willingly accepts the new kittens. If the cat owner is unable to find
such cat, he should feed the cat’s generation artificially.
Other useful articles: Why
the cats scratch What
every cat owner should know about the cat litter box
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