Originally posted by: cjmtfd102401
Anything but coke and coffee, that is what my last kitten was being fed before I rescued her. You can go to any Walmart or pet supply store and the will have milk for kittens, also get a bottle. When you feed the kitten you will need to burp him just like you would a baby. I had to do this with my oldest cat.
if it's a young bottle feeder you will also want to stimulate it's bowels by rubbing teh bottom after feeding. feedings will be many and regular, including at night. If you aren't up to bottle feeding, check out your local shelter. Quality varies but we have a good one here locally, and a few foster parents who have extensive experience bottle feeding and keeping young cats and dogs going. Their experience is very valuable.
Here are some long notes -
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Bottle-fed Kittens
Kittens generally arrive at the shelter either with their mothers or with their litter mates after they have been weaned. Sometimes very young kittens are brought in without their mothers. These kittens are too young for kibble or soft food and are sent into foster care to be bottle raised in order to survive. Bottle feeding involves round the clock care for tiny and helpless animals, but the reward of watching them grow into healthy and adoptable animals makes up for the late nights and early mornings. The information in this section will help to prepare you to bottle raise kittens. The Yahoo! foster care listserve has many members who are experiences at raising bottle fed kittens and can be a valuable resource for any questions you may have. Additional resources are available online and are listed in the links section of this manual.
Supplies
? Bottle-feds require some special supplies not needed for other foster animals. These supplies are listed below.
? Bottles - The shelter will provide you with a two ounce kitten nurser. If you purchase additional bottles be sure they designed for specifically for kittens, as any other nursers will have a nipple too large for their tiny mouths.
? Soft wash cloths - These are used for grooming and can be used for stimulating as well. Baby wash cloths work well, but regular wash cloths or even cut up old t-shirts can be used.
? Bottle brush - This is necessary to get the bottle clean. Make sure you purchase a brush that will fit inside the bottle completely so that it can be cleaned thoroughly.
? Heating Pad or Snuggle Safe? - Snuggle Safes? are flat discs that can be warmed in the microwave and will stay warm for up to eight hours. They are available from pet supply stores and are a convenience alternative to heating pads.
Housing
? Bottle fed animals must be confined to a small, warm space when you are not able to directly supervise them. A crate will be provided to you when you pick them up from the shelter. Please keep them in the crate until they are walking well.
? Cover the crate with a blanket or towel to keep out drafts and light.
? Line the crate with a thin, non-ravel blanket. Flannel receiving blankets are ideal. Please ensure that the blanket is flat to reduce the risk of suffocation. Very young kittens cannot move around very well and will not be able to untangle themselves if they become wrapped in a blanket. Avoid fluffy or fleece blankets because very young kittens are unable to retract their claws and become easily stuck on fluffy blankets.
? Warmth is essential to bottle fed kittens since they cannot regulate their body temperature prior to three weeks of age. If a bottle fed puppy becomes chilled, they body will slow all other functions in an effort to stay warm. Digestion slows or stops. They will be unable or unwilling to eat. They are likely to cry to let you know that they are cold.
? A heating pad set on LOW is the best way to keep kittens warm. Place the heating pad under half of their plastic crate. Do not place the pad inside the crate. This allows them to move away from the warmth if they need to. Check the temperature regularly to ensure that the kittens are warm but not panting.
? When kittens begin regularly sleeping away from the heated portion of their crate, they are ready to have the heating pad removed. This generally occurs between three and four weeks.
? Bottle fed kittens must be kept crated for at least their first four weeks of life any time you are not able to directly supervise them. This helps to keep them safe, and also encourages them to sleep much of the time. While they are sleeping, they will be better able to absorb the nutrients from their formula. Most of their growth occurs during sleep.
Feeding
? Bottle fed kittens must be fed kitten formula (KMR) which is provided by the shelter. Prepare only what your foster kittens will consume in 24 hours, because all prepared formula must be discarded at that point due to spoilage. Prepared formula MUST be refrigerated. Directions for mixing the formula are on the can. All open cans of powder MUST be refrigerated...
? Kittens should be fed from kitten nursers. These bottles have very small, slightly elongated nipples that fit well in the kittens? mouths and allow them to latch on and feed easily.
? Bottles should be warmed to around 100 F. Test formula on the inside of your wrist before giving it to the kitten. It should feel warm but not hot. Bottles can be warmed by running under warm tap water, soaking in warm water, or microwaving in 10 second increments.
? Kittens usually drink best lying on their bellies in your lap. You may wish to cover your legs with a towel or absorbent blanket. Baby burp cloths or changing pads work well. They are likely to pat or knead your legs while drinking just as they would while nursing from their mother.
? Most kittens accept a bottle easily. You may need to open their mouth slightly to slip the bottle nipple in. Gently squeeze the bottle to give them a taste of the milk. They will usually latch on and begin drinking enthusiastically at this point. Gently stroking their forehead in an upward motion can help them to latch on as well. Allow the kitten to drink until it is full. They will stop when they have had enough. Gently pat them on the back or belly to get rid of any air they may have swallowed. This is much like burping a human baby.
? Do not be alarmed if your foster kitten spits up a little when they are burped. This is not unusual and will not harm the kitten.
? Clean the bottles thoroughly after each feeding. Use a bottle brush to ensure that all parts of the bottle are clean. They can be sterilized by a trip through the dishwasher. Bottles must be extremely clean because bottle fed kittens have very little immune defense and can get infections very easily.
? Begin by feeding your bottle fed kitten every two hours. This must occur around the clock.
? Gradually lengthen the time between feedings to no more than four hours. By the time your foster kittens are four weeks, they should be going four hours between feedings.
Stimulating
? Kittens cannot eliminate voluntarily until they are around two weeks of age. Mother animals lick their back ends to stimulate them on a regular basis. You will need to stimulate your foster puppies after each feeding.
? Dampen a paper towel or soft washcloth with warm water. Rub the cloth over the genital area for roughly thirty seconds. The kitten will urinate easily with stimulation. Sometimes a kitten takes a little longer to defecate. Continue stimulating for up to one minute to encourage this. Do not stimulate for longer than sixty seconds because the skin is very delicate and easily irritated.
? After stimulation, make sure that the skin and fur around the genitals is clean. This is easy to accomplish by wiping a clean, damp cloth over the area. If they are particularly dirty, you can rinse them with warm water in the sink.
Litter Training
? Kittens will generally begin eliminating on their own around three weeks of age. You can begin to introduce a litter box at this time.
? A small, low sided box is best for very young kittens. Disposable plastic containers (such as Ziploc? or Gladware?) work very well, especially with kittens too small to climb into a larger litter box.
? When you begin noticing that your foster kittens are wetting their crate, place a small container with a small amount of litter (about a cup will do) into their crate.
? Most kittens will begin eliminating in their ?litter box? on their own within a few days. Some may need to be encouraged by stimulating them with their feet in the box.
? Kittens can graduate to regular litter boxes as soon as they are able to climb in and out easily.
Grooming
? Mother animals lick their babies constantly. This teaches the animal to stay clean and helps them to stay healthy. The foster family must take the place of the mother in this action.
? Kittens should be wiped with a warm, damp cloth at least twice daily to ensure that they are clean. Be careful not to saturate the kitten, because they can become chilled very easily. Many kittens will wet in their crate and may be too young to move away from the urine. It must be cleaned from them to prevent skin irritation.
? Very young kittens (under three weeks) should be rinsed in warm water for frequent cleansing and may be bathed with Ivory soap no more than once weekly. Always dry young kittens completely before putting them back in their crate.
? You can begin trimming the nails of your foster kitten around four weeks. Be careful to cut only the tip.
Monitoring
? Bottle fed kittens must be weighed daily. An electronic kitchen scale with a shoe box is ideal for this. Guidelines for expected growth rates are in the Reference section of this manual. It is not unusual for weight to fluctuate slightly, but any substantial loss should prompt a call to the shelter to arrange for medical evaluation and treatment.
? Check the overall body condition of your foster animal daily. Skin should be clean, as should the coat. Kittens should not smell unpleasant.
? Observe carefully for signs of worms. Nearly all kittens are born with worms. Kittens can be dewormed at four weeks of age. Please make arrangements with the foster care coordinator to have your foster kitten dewormed at that time. Worms interfere with nutrient absorption and can kill a very young kitten.
? Kittens should sleep soundly but wake easily for feedings. If a kitten seems difficult to wake, they may not be getting enough nutrients. Try feeding them more frequently. If this does not resolve the problem, contact the shelter for medical treatment.
General Information
? Do not be afraid to handle your bottle fed foster animal routinely. They should spend at least an hour a day being held or played with in addition to time spent feeding, bathing, and stimulating. This will help them to form a healthy bond with humans. Loving handling also helps kittens feel safe and secure, which will contribute to their overall health.
? Kittens that are with their mothers suck constantly for comfort. Many bottle feds will exhibit this behavior by sucking on a litter mate or even their own toes or tails. This is normal and should not cause problems. The most common area for a puppy to suckle is the genitals of their litter mates. Monitor the kitten for chafing and apply petroleum jelly to the areas being suckled. Kittens are also likely to suck your fingers if offered.
? Some kittens have diarrhea while on formula. This is remedied by making the formula with more powder.
? Kittens are born with their eyes and ears sealed closed. Both will begin to open around two weeks of age. Do not try to force the eyes open.
? When a kitten?s eyes first open, they will be very sensitive to light. Try to limit exposure to bright lights for several days after they open. This applies to camera flashes as well. Do not use a flash for the first week after the eyes open.
? Kittens will begin to play with toys around three weeks. Be sure that they have toys that are of a variety of textures and that they are cleaned regularly.
? Kittens may be comforted by a stuffed animal to cuddle, especially if they do not have litter mates. Be sure that the stuffed animal does not have plastic eyes or any parts that could come loose and that it is firm and small enough that a puppy will not become entangled in it.
? Kittens will not be able to walk well until around three to four weeks. Prior to this, they will crawl, with their bellies dragging on the ground. This is normal.
Weaning
? Kittens are usually ready to begin weaning around four weeks.
? One indication that they are ready is that they will begin chewing at the nipple while nursing. They will also begin licking the bottle, their siblings, themselves, and you.
? Begin weaning by offering small amounts of formula thickened with baby food rice cereal to form a gruel. Be prepared for the kitten to make a mess. Always offer a bottle after this to ensure that they are getting the nutrients they need.
? Gradually add moistened kibble to the gruel. You can reduce the amount of formula in the gruel and make it with water.
? Gradually add dry kibble to the mix until the kitten is on dry kibble alone.
? Keep a bowl of clean water available for the kitten to drink. At first they will probably just stand in it or play with it, but they will eventually catch on.
? Offer the bottle to the kitten throughout the weaning process. They will stop accepting it on their own.
? Be especially observant during the weaning process. Make sure that the kitten is well hydrated and that they are eliminating normally. A small amount of loose stool is normal. Watery bowels or diarrhea is not. Continue weighing the kitten daily until they are fully weaned to dry kibble.
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