4 Ways How To Take Care Of Newborn Kitten Without Mother

 Just like caring for a newborn human, a newborn kitten will need attention, proper feeding and adequate and appropriate care throughout its developmental period.

Caring for a newborn kitten without its mother will require extra effort and is not as easy as we think.  Maybe there are some cat lovers among us who find baby cats on the streets or have baby cats born and abandoned by their mothers due to death, genetic defects, baby blues and so on.

Our intentions are good, but did you know that caring for a kitten without its mother is a difficult thing, especially a newborn kitten.

How To Take Care Of Newborn Kitten Without Mother

Taking care of a newborn kitten in the absence of the mother will make us have to work hard all the time until he can feed himself which is when he starts weaning at 2 or 3 months of age. This treatment also requires a lot of free time and dedication.

You should also be prepared to get up at night to give the kitten milk. At first glance, this is similar to caring for a baby, but the only difference is that kittens are more developed than humans. But still taking care of them need attention like are they eating enough? Are they growing healthy ?

And this treatment will make us sleep deprived and experience anxiety problems. Caring for newborn kittens also has other problems, namely a low survival rate and a high risk of death. For the level of life itself based on research results is only 40 percent.

However, this cannot be used as a reference only because if the almighty willed, the level of life that was previously 40 percent could become 100 percent.

How To Look After A Kitten Without Its Mother

Here are some things you can do about how to care for a newborn kitten without mother :

1. Giving Kitten Milk

Giving milk to kittens, especially newborns, needs to be done regularly during the day and night. For the first week phase, they need to be fed every two to three hours. After more than a week, giving can be done every four hours.

The milk used must be milk for kittens or KMR ( kitten milk replacer ) which is available in liquid or powder form such as Royal Canin Pig Kitten, Growssy and others. This milk is almost equivalent to the mother's milk and is certainly safe to use for baby cats.

Give milk using a syringe, pacifier or baby bottle that you can buy at the nearest pestshop. Make sure that the hole for the syringe, nipple or bottle is not too big to prevent the kitten from choking and aspiration pneumonia while drinking it.

2. Cleaning Kittens

Generally, mother cats will clean their kittens with a rough tongue. But since it doesn't have a mother, we have to clean it using a warm and damp cotton ball or cloth. Rub it gently over their genitals and anal area.

For the first three to four weeks make sure to clean and dry the area after they have had a bowel movement.

3. Prepare a Special Bed

You can prepare a bed for your cat using a cardboard box with a cloth inside and also give him a blanket to keep him warm at night. Or you can use a bottle filled with warm water in it and cover it with a cloth or towel.

Place the bottle on one side of the box. Make sure the water used is not hot water but warm water.

4. Cats Must Be Cared For One Or 2 People Only

In the first four weeks minimize the number of people caring for the kitten. During that time they have not yet developed their immune system, and are very susceptible to various diseases and infections. Also make sure to wash your hands before and after grooming your cat.

There are cases where other animals bite kittens and cause death. And other cases like sitting on it or carrying a kitten like a toy. Therefore do not allow kittens to interact with other animals even with cats because we cannot possibly know how other animals will treat this small and fragile kitten.

If you are caring for more than one baby or kitten you can put them in the same place. They will help each other to keep their bodies warm.

When Should I Take My Kitten To The Vet ?

Being in touch with the vet during the first four weeks will probably help us monitor their progress and answer any questions that may be on our minds. The vet will also help us if the kitten has health problems.

Conclusion

Taking care of a newborn kitten without its mother is not as easy as we might think. It takes effort, hard work and more attention in caring for a kitten so that it can survive and refutes the fact that research states the survival rate of newborn kittens is 40%.

In caring for cats, we must routinely and painstakingly give milk, prepare beds and also have to take care of the kittens themselves or at least 2 people so as not to make the kitten sick because the body's immunity is still not formed.

Not only that, we also need to take the kitten to the doctor for regular checkups and consultations about the kitten's health.

Thus the article How to Take Care of a Newborn Kitten Without its Mother. May be useful.