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HowtoRaiseOrphanKittens
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HowtoRaiseOrphanKittens
Drs.Foster&Smith,Inc.
RaceFoster,DVM

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OrphanKittens:HowtoRaiseThem
byJenniferPrince,DVMandRaceFoster,DVM
Drs.Foster&Smith
VeterinaryServicesDepartment

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Kittensareusuallyorphanedwhenthemother(queen)isnotabletoadequatelycareforher
kittens.Thismaybebecauseshecannotproducemilk(aconditioncalled'agalactia')orbecause
shehasbehavioralorpsychologicalabnormalitieswhichpreventherfromadequatelycaringfor
herkittens.Inrareinstances,themothermayactuallynotbepresentduetodeath,injury,or
complicationsarisingfromadifficultbirthing.Somekittensmaybeseveralweeksoldbeforetheir
motherbecomesunabletocareforthem.
Successfulrearingofmotherlesskittensrequiresaregularscheduleofappropriatefeedings,
elimination,playing,andsleepingallinasafeandhealthyenvironment.Theprinciplesofraising
oneorphanedkittenarenotsignificantlydifferentthanthoseofraisinganentireorphanedlitter.In
mostcases,anentirelitterisorphanedratherthanasinglekitten.Raisinganorphanedlitterinthe
completeabsenceofamotheristimeconsuming,butrewarding.Itisverypossibletohandraise
anentirelitterfrombirthwiththesamesuccessrateascouldbeaccomplishedbythenatural
caringmother.Tosuccessfullyraiseanorphanedlitteronemustconsider:

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Nutritionandweaning
Sanitation
Temperatureandhumidity
Diseaseprevention
Nurtureandsocialization
Healthykittensareplumpandfirm,warm,quiet,andsleepmostofthetime.Unhealthykittens
havepoormuscletone,initialhighactivitylevelsandcryalot.Ifnotassisted,theybecomeweak,
quiet,andcomatose.

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Nutritionandweaning
Ifatallpossible,getthekittenstonursefromthemotherinthefirst12hourstoallowforingestion
ofcolostrum.Kittensareonlyabletoabsorbtheantibodiesfromthecolostrumforthefirst24
hoursoflife.Ifthemotherwillcontinuetoallowthekittenstonursewhilesheismadetolaystill,
thatwilldecreasesomeoftheworkloadonthebreeder.Shemaydecideinafewdaysthatsheis
willingtocareforthemandremovetheburdenfromthebreeder.

NewbornKittenCare
NutritionandFeeding
ParasitesandWorms
Pets&Humans
Reproduction,Heredity&Fetal
Development
SeniorCatCare
SkinConditions
Spaying&NeuteringCats
UrinarySystem
VaccinesandVaccinations
VeterinarianExamsand
Procedures

Ifthequeenisnotabletonurseandcareforthekittens,theywillneedtobebottleortubefedora
fosterqueenmaybefound.Queenswillusuallyacceptandnursekittensthataresimilarinsize
(notnecessarilyage)toherown.Donotexpecthertobeabletohandletwofulllittersonherown.
Supplementationwithabottleortubewillstillbeneeded.

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Bottlesforkittensarereadilyavailableandarethepreferredmethodof
feeding.Tubefeedingisbestlefttotrainedindividuals,asthetube
maybeinadvertentlypassedtothelungsandcausechokingwhenthe
formulaisadministered.Tubefeeding,althoughrisky,iswarrantedin
kittensfailingtonurseproperly.Formostinstances,however,bottle
feedingisrecommended.Ifthekittensaretooweaktonursefroma
bottle,aveterinarianshouldbeconsultedtoreceiveinformationanda
demonstrationontubefeeding.Feedakittenwhileheisonhisbelly,
notonhisback,likehumanbabiesarefed.
Commerciallypreparedkittenmilkformulasarereadilyavailableand
arenutritionallybalancedtomeettheneedsoforphankittens.Homemademilkformularecipes
arealsoavailable.Thesearenotperfectlybalancednutritionally,butwillsufficeforseveraldays
untilcommercialformulascanbeobtained.KMRisawellknownkittenmilkreplacer.

EmergencyKittenMilk
Replacer
3ozcondensedmilk
3ozwater
4ozplainyogurt(notlowfat)
3largeor4smalleggyolksno
whites

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+2137&aid=912

Donotsubstitutecow'smilkorgoat'smilkforahighquality
kittenmilkreplacer.Theyarenotequivalent.Donotfeedraw
eggwhites,asabiotindeficiencymayoccurduetoan
enzymeinthewhitepartoftheegg.Theenzymeis
destroyedwithcooking.Honeymaycontainbacteria,which
maybefataltothekittens.
Whetherusingacommercialorhomemadeformula,only

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HowtoRaiseOrphanKittens
makeenoughformulaforonedayoffeedingandkeepitin
therefrigerator.Washanddrythebottlesandnipplesorfeedingtubethoroughlybetween
feedings.Warmthekittenmilkreplacerinapanofwateruntil98100Fbeforefeeding.Mixwell
beforeusingtodecreasetheriskofanyhotareasofformula.
Thekittenswillneedtobeburpedduringandaftereachfeeding.Holdthemuprightoroveryour
shoulderandpattheirback.Bottleortubefeedingneedstobedoneverycarefullytoprevent
aspirationofthesupplementwithsubsequentaspirationpneumoniaordrowning.Substitute2
3tubefeedingsadaywithbottlefeedingtohelpsatisfythesucklingreflex.Thisshouldhelp
decreasethekittens'tendencytosuckoneachotherpossiblycausingsores.
Thefirst2448hourseachkittenneeds1mlofmilkperhour.Eachday,increasetheamountfed
permealby0.5mluntilamaximumof10ml/mealisreached.Kittenswillneed912mealsper
day.Duringthesecondweek,theyshouldbeon57mlperfeeding.Bythethirdweek,they
shouldbestartedonkittengruel3timesadayandbottlefeedingcontinued.Bythefourthweek,
theyshouldreceive46bottlefeedingadayplusthegruelshouldbefed45timesaday.The
middleofthenightfeedingcanbereducedandtheneliminatedoncetheyareeatinggruelwell.
Theycanbecompletelyonsolidfoodby7weeksofage.(CaringforNewbornKittensforthe
recipeforkittengruel.)Malnutritionisnotuncommoninorphans.Speakwithyourveterinarian
regardingthekittens'diet.
Forthefirst10days,weighthekittensdailyatthesametimetomonitortheirweightgain.Then34
timesaweekforanother10days.Thecommonfirstsignofillnessislackofweightgainorweight
loss.Eachkittenshouldgain50100gramsperweek.By14daysofage,thebirthweightsshould
bedoubled.Ingeneral,ifthekittensarenotgainingweight,theyneedmorefood.Ifthekittens
developdiarrhea,theymaybeoverfed.

OrphanKittenFeedingSchedule
Weeks
Postpartum

TypeofFood

Feedings
PerDay

VolumeofFormula
PerMeal

Body
Weight

KMR

912

17ml

100200
grams

KMR

79ml

200300
grams

KMRintroducesolids

10ml

300360
grams

KMRsolids

10ml

350420
grams

KMRdecreaseKMR
insolids

8ml

400500
grams

KMRinbowlsolids

450600
grams

WeanfromKMR

500700
grams

Sanitation
Anewbornkittenisunabletourinateorhaveabowelmovementonhisown.Helacksthe
necessarymusclecontroloverthesefunctions.Akittenmustbestimulatedtourinateand
defecate.Thisdutyisnormallyperformedbythemother.Hergroomingorlickingofthekitten's
analareawillstimulateurinationanddefecation.Orphanedkittensmustbemanuallystimulated
bytheownertoenableurinationanddefecation.Thekittenmustbestimulatedaftereachand
everyfeeding.Fortunately,thisiseasy.Acottonballorpieceofverysofttowelingworkswell.
Moistenitwithwarmwaterandgentlyrubtheanalandgenitalarea.Withinonetotwominutesthe
kittenwillurinateand/ordefecate.Somekittenswillrespondbetterbeforeeatingwhileothers
respondbetteraftereating.Trybothtimestokeepthekittenshealthiest.Keeparecordofeach
kitten'surinationanddefecation.Kittenswillneedtobestimulatedinthisfashionuntiltheir
bladderandbowelmusclesstrengthen,usuallyby21daysofage.Mostkittenswilleliminateon
theirownbythreeweeksofage.
Cleanthekittenandyouaredoneuntilthenextfeeding.Observetheurineandfecesforsignsof
illhealth.Theurineshouldbeapaleyelloworclear.Ifitisdarkyellowororange,thekittenisnot
beingfedenough.Donotfeedmoreformulaatonetime,butfeedmoreoften.Thestoolshouldbe
apaletodarkbrownandpartiallyformed.Greenstoolindicatesaninfection,andtoofirmofa
stoolindicatesnotenoughformula.Again,ifthestoolishard,feedmoreoftenratherthan
increasingtheamountofformulagivenperfeeding.Itispossibletofeedakittentoomuch,butnot
toooften.Toomuchfoodcausesbloating,gas,regurgitation,andsometimesaspirationintothe
lungs.

Temperatureandhumidity
Toremainhealthy,kittensmustbekeptattheproperroom
temperature.Youngkittenscannotconservebodyheatorshiverto
createheat.Supplyingartificialheatsourcessuchasanincubator,
heatlamp,warmwaterpad,electricalheatingpad,orspecial
electricalheatedmatsdesignedfornewbornpetswillhelpkittens
remainatthecorrectbodytemperature.Regardlessoftheheat
source,itisveryimportantnottooverheatorburnthekittens.Keepa
thermometerinthekittenareatomonitorthetemperature.
Asimple25wattlightbulbsuspendedoveroneendofasmallbox
usuallywillsupplysufficientheat.Keeparoomthermometerunder
thelightsourcetomonitorthetemperature.Heatingpadsneedtobemonitoredcloselyifused,as

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HowtoRaiseOrphanKittens
thekittensmaybetooweakenedtomoveawayfromthemandbecomeburned.Ifaheatingpad
mustbeused,wrapitinathicktowelorsheepskintoprotectthekittensfromburns.
Forthefirstweek,airtemperatureshouldbemaintainedat8590andarelativehumidityof55
65%.Overthenext3weeks,decreasethetemperatureto75F.Usecommonsense.Ifthekittens
arepiledontopofeachotherallthetime,theyarecold.Ifthekittensarespreadfarapart,theyare
toowarm.Iftheylaynexttoeachother,thetemperatureisfine.
Kittensthatarehypothermic(lowbodytemperature)shouldbewarmedslowlyover23hourstoa
normalnewborntemperatureof97F.Anormalbodytemperatureshouldbeobtainedbefore
feedingthesekittens.Smallshampoobottlesfilledwithhotwater,wrappedinatowel,andplaced
nexttothekittenworkwellandshouldbechangedasneeded.Thekittens'bodytemperaturesare
inthe100102degreerangebyabout4weeksofage.
Keepthemoistureinarangecomfortableforhumans.Inahomemadeboxarea,atowel
moistenedwithwaterandplacedovertheboxwillhelpaddmoisture.Neverraiseinfantsina
dampormoldybasementarea.Thistypeofstagnantdampnessisusuallycoldandinvitesmildew
andrespiratoryinfections.Temperaturecontrolismorecriticalthanhumidity.
Kittensshouldbekeptonasurfacewithgoodtractionsuchasablanketorsheepskin.Thiswill
helpwithdevelopmentoftheirmotorskills.

Diseaseprevention
Manyorphanedkittensareatahigherriskofdevelopinginfectiousdiseasessuchasupper
respiratorydiseases.Thisisespeciallytrueofkittensthatwereorphanedwithouthavingreceived
anyoftheirnaturalmother'scolostrum.Thecolostrum,whichisproducedduringthefirst24hours
aftergivingbirth,isespeciallyrichindiseaseprotectingantibodies.Colostrumcontainsthe
antibodies,whichwhenconsumedbythekittens,providesimmunityagainstmanydiseases.
Kittensthatdidnotnursefromthequeeninthefirst24hourshavenotreceivedcolostrumanddo
nothavegoodimmunity.Becauseofthepossiblelackofimmunity,properlyvaccinatingthekittens
isveryimportant.Someveterinariansmayrecommendstartingorphanedkittenswiththeirfirst
vaccinationsatanearlierage.
TheAmericanAssociationofParasitologistsandtheCentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention
havemadethefollowingrecommendationsfordewormingkittens:
Inkittens,becauseprenatalinfectiondoesnotoccur,eggexcretionbeginslaterthaninpuppies,
andinmostareas,theriskofroundwormsandhookwormsincatsiscomparativelylower
dewormingforkittenscanbestartedeffectivelyat3weeksofageandberepeatedat5,7,and9
weeks.

Nurtureandsocialization
Orphanedorhandfedkittensshouldberaisedtogethertoaidinsocialdevelopment.Theyshould
bepetted,cuddled,andplayedwithbyhumansfor3040minutesadayoverandabovefeeding
andcleaningtime.
Kittensneedmentalandphysicalstimulation.Iftheyhavelittermates,theywillstimulateeach
otherwhenmoving.Snugglewitheachkittenasyouwakehertoeatandforatimeaftereating.
Theyneedthenurturingtothrive.Softstuffedanimalsputintheboxcanoffersomethingto
snugglewithwhilesleeping.
Itisimportantfortheorphankittentohaveinteractionwithmembersof
thehouseholdat36weeksofage.Remember,sheisstillababyand
mustbehandledwithcare,butyoushouldstarttointroducethekitten
tonoises,groomingprocedures,newpeople,andpets.Early
socializationandenablingthekittentofeelsecureinherown
environmentwillhelppreventmanybehaviorproblemsfromarisingin
thefuture.

Conclusion
Doesraisingtheorphankittenorlitterseemlikeanenormoustask?Donotworry,thereare
excellentbooksavailableformorespecificinformationonorphancareandveterinarycarein
general.Withacommitmentoftimeandcare,alittlecommonsense,andsomebasicinformation,
itcanbeaverypositiveexperience.Thehappy,healthyyoungcatyouhelpedraisewillbea
wonderfulreward.

References
Cain,JLawler,D.SmallAnimalReproductionandPediatrics.ProVisionsPetSpecialty
Enterprises.St.Louis,MO1991.
Ettinger,S.F.TextbookofVeterinaryInternalMedicine,3rded.W.B.SaundersCompany.
Philadelphia,PA1989.
Feldman,ENelson,R.CanineandFelineEndocrinologyandReproduction.W.B.Saunders
Company.Philadelphia,PA1987.
Fogle,B.TheCat'sMindUnderstandingYourCat'sBehavior.HowellBookHouse.NewYork,
NY1992.

ReferencesandFurtherReading
Cain,JLawler,D.SmallAnimalReproductionandPediatrics.ProVisionsPetSpecialtyEnterprises.St.Louis,MO
1991.
Ettinger,SF.TextbookofVeterinaryInternalMedicine,3rded.W.B.SaundersCompany.Philadelphia,PA1989.
Feldman,ENelson,R.CanineandFelineEndocrinologyandReproduction.W.B.SaundersCompany.
Philadelphia,PA1987.

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HowtoRaiseOrphanKittens
Fogle,B.TheCat'sMindUnderstandingYourCat'sBehavior.HowellBookHouse.NewYork,NY1992.

RELATEDARTICLES:
Care&FeedingofQueens&Kittens
Vaccines&VaccinationScheduleforCats&Kittens

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