| General Information
There are several possible reasons for hand-raising kittens: death or illness of the mother, inadequate milk supply, and rejection of the kittens. Hand-raising kittens is not overly difficult and is very rewarding.
Kittens need a warm, draft-free environment during the early weeks of life. Air temperatures in the immediate vicinity of the kittens should be 85 to 90 degrees for the first week of life, 80 degrees the next 3 to 4 weeks, and 70 to 75 degrees at 6 weeks of age. The higher the temperatures during the first few weeks may be maintained with heating pads covered with several layers of towels, light bulbs, or heat lamps, but great care must be taken not to overheat or burn the babies when they are too young to move away from the heat source.
Clean paper or cloth is suitable for bedding. A tall-sided cardboard box makes a safe nest and keeps the kittens inside until they are several weeks old.
Constant crying by the kittens indicates something is wrong. Contact your veterinarian. Also, the kittens\' weights should be monitored. Consult the doctor if the kittens fail to gain weight.
Feeding
Kittens may be fed by bottle or stomach tube. The stomach tube is faster, but many people enjoy bottle-feeding kittens. Your veterinarian or clinic staff can instruct you in either method.
Newborn kittens should be fed 6 to 8 times daily. The frequency should be gradually reduced to 3 to 4 times daily by 2 to 3 weeks of age.
Kittens must be helped to urinate and defecate after each feeding by gently stroking the genital area with a cottonball or tissue moisened with warm water.
Constant crying or failure to gain weight indicates a problem. Call your veterinarian.
You can determine how much to feed an orphan kitten by considering its daily caloric requirements. The general total daily caloric requirements for kittens under 4 weeks of age:
1st and 2nd week 6 calories/ounce of body weight daily
3rd and 4th week 8 calories/ounce of body weight daily
Example: You plan to feed a 1-week-old, 2 ounce kitten 6 times daily. The kitten requires 6 calories/ounce of body weight x 2 ounce kitten=12 calories needed for 1 day. You plan to feed 6 times daily. Therefore 12/6 =2 calories are required each feeding. Your milk substitute contains 1 calorie/mL. Therefore, you should feed 2 mLs each feeding.
Solid foods should be introduced as a thin, pan-fed gruel at about 3 to 4 weeks of age. Over the next 2 weeks, the gruel should be gradually thickened, reaching normal, solid consistency when the kittens are 6 to 8 weeks of age.
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