How To Feed Newborn Kittens With A Bottle
Lay the kitten in a natural belly down position never ever on her back.
How to feed newborn kittens with a bottle. You should feed the kitten for 5 10 minutes every 2 hours and never go longer than 4 hours in between feedings. You want to make sure that your kitten is in the proper position. It is important that kittens are fed on their feed with their belly on the ground and head up. Gently slide the syringe into the kitten s mouth.
How to bottle feeding kittens with milk are need to be prepared carefully since those small newborn cats have sensitive system and so they need special formula. The bottle itself is very small and it has an open end at the top so the you can place a thumb over it to control the flow of milk if it is dripping too fast from the teat and overwhelming the kitten. Gently slide the nipple into the kitten s mouth and invert the bottle to start the flow of formula. In order to bottle feed the kitten you will need to gather a few supplies.
Always bottle feed in a natural belly down posture the kitten should be comfortably lying or seated with her belly toward the floor. How to feed a newborn kitten with a bottle once the bottle is prepared then you are ready to feed your kitten. Lay the kitten in a natural belly down position never ever on her back. Hold the kitten s head stable with your non dominant hand.
The teat is long and narrow which is ideal to fit inside the mouth of a newborn kitten. With special formula it will balance and provide enough nutrition for the kittens such as minerals vitamins etc. Know how to bottle feed a kitten with five steps. Prepare the formula according to the manufacturer s instructions making sure that it is fresh clump free and comfortably warm.
The kitten should roll her tongue into a u shape and begin to swallow. For a particularly small kitten you may want to use a syringe or dropper to feed it instead. If the kitten appears stable and is swallowing proceed. Select the right bottle and formula.
Follow the feeding chart for a guideline of amount and frequency. Each week increase the amount of formula you re using and after 4 and a half weeks gradually wean the kitten by introducing it to moist food. To feed your newborn kitten you will need some sort of feeding device. Pull the formula into the syringe.
Feed kittens using a safe posture. If your kitten is a preemie you will need to dropper feed it until it s strong enough to suck on the bottle. Ensure that the kitten is able to swallow by placing a drop of formula on their tongue and feeling the throat with one finger. Never feed a kitten on her back like a human baby would eat as this can cause the kitten to inhale fluid into the lungs.
If possible you should use bottle and teat set specifically designed for use with kittens such as the catac bottle and teat set. Regular human baby bottles will likely be too big but most pet stores have newborn kitten bottles and nipples as well as a commercial formula specifically designed for kittens.