Kitten season How to feed orphans
So many have asked or questioned what, when, were, how! From a printed hand out that I made up and give freaked out people because they just found 4 new kittens and no mother to feed them,. I will put it into steps so its not all mixed up,. and spelling bees reading fell free to help out along the way. Lol
Pet Ag manufactures KMR (Kitten Milk Replacer). It comes in a powder and a liquid. The powdered form seems less associated with diarrhea than the liquid plus with the powdered form, the water content can be adjusted in the event of dehydration.
Mix up the powder according to the directions on the can. If you are using the liquid form, you may want to dilute it with one part water for every two parts of formula. As the babies get older, less water may be used whether you are mixing up the powder or the liquid. If diarrhea occurs at any time, you should add more water to the formula to make up for fluid lost as diarrhea.
Store the can of powder in the freezer after opening. Do not mix up more than a day's worth of formula. Use a blender to mix the formula several hours ahead to allow time for the bubbles to settle.
Obtain a pet nurser bottle from a pet store or your vet.
Use very fine scissors or a hot needle to make a hole in the nipple. The hole should be big enough that formula will slowly drip out if the bottle is held upside-down and gently squeezed. The nipple should not collapse when the baby is sucking.
Warm the bottle in a cup of hot water. Always test the formula before giving it to the babies. Taste it to be sure it is not sour YES taste it you won't die in most cases. Do not use a microwave oven to heat the bottle as it may not heat evenly with some areas of the bottle being scalding hot.
Expect to feed them every 2 to 3 hours during the day. If this is done, the babies should be able to sleep through the night.
Do not wake the babies at feeding time. Let them sleep. When they wake up hungry, they will let you know.
During feeding be sure to tip the bottle so that no air is swallowed.
Play with/rub them after feeding to "burp" them.
Occasionally small amounts of formula will come out of the nose. The baby is drinking too fast. If excessive amounts of formula appear to be coming out the nose or if you are concerned, call your veterinarian with a calm voice. We want him to understand, not have you race to him over normal nasal drainage.
Maintaining proper weight gain is crucial to survival. Kittens with birth weights of less than 3.2 oz (90 grams) have a 59% mortality rate (though a less than 10% weight loss in the first 24 hours of life is considered normal). After the first 24 hours, weight gain should be steady: 0.25 to 0.35 oz per day for kittens and 5% to 10% of the birth weight daily for puppies. An accurate postal or kitchen scale is helpful during this early period to be sure the baby is on a healthy track. If the baby is not gaining weight as desired, try to adjust food intake.
Infant animals are unable pee alone and must be given help. Normally their mother's tongue does the job as she washes them. Use a cotton swab, tissue, or your finger to gently rub the baby's genital area. Have a tissue ready to catch the urine.
Rubbing the anal area as well may also be necessary if the babies do not seem to be pooping as much as expected. Watch for diarrhea. Normal infant stool is normally very loose but should not be watery. Like tooth paste for example rarely seen though, that would be perfict consistancy.
Andif you do nothing else right, they have to stay warm! REMEMBER,.
Mortality rate is again very high, don't be disscouraged or even feel remotely responceable for this fact. All we can do is try
:D good luck:D
