by Monica L. Garrett

Created on: May 30, 2011   Last Updated: June 01, 2011

The best thing for any kitten is, obviously, its mother's milk.  When there is a problem and the mother can't nurse the kitten or it is an orphaned kitten, it is necessary to feed the kitten a supplemental milk replacer using a bottle or syringe.    

If the mother of the kitten can't nurse it, the first option to look at is finding another nursing cat who may be willing to adopt the kitten and nurse it with her own litter.  Many cats are willing to adopt orphaned kittens and that gives the kitten the health benefits that come from a mother's milk.  

If that isn't an option, you can nurse the kitten yourself using a kitten milk replacer and a bottle nurser or a syringe.  There are a few different bottles and syringes available at pet stores which are sold specifically for nursing kittens.  There are also several different milk replacer options readily available from pet stores, feed stores, and some general merchandise retailers.  

The kitten milk replacer products come in both powdered and liquid form. Some of the liquids are ready to use and others are concentrated.  It is very important to read the directions carefully before feeding to the orphaned kitten.  

Popular options include:

PetAg Kitten Milk Replacer

Hartz Liquid Milk Replacer for Kittens

Nurturall-C Kitten Milk Replacer Powder

GNC Ultra Mega Premium Milk Replacer

Kittens under two weeks old will need to be fed six times per day, four hours apart.  The formula should be at room-temperature.  The amount of formula given should be based on the kitten's weight.  After feeding, it is necessary to burp the kitten and to stimulate elimination.  This is essential to the kitten's survival.  

Once the kitten reaches two weeks of age, feeding times can be reduced to once every six hours.  Once it is three weeks old, the feedings can be reduced once more to three times daily and the kittens can begin to sleep through the night without a feeding.   The orphaned kitten should stay on a milk replacer until it reaches at least four weeks of age, when it can begin the weaning process and begin to drink water on its own.  Weaning the kitten is often achieved most easily by mixing the milk replacer with a meat baby food or a wet cat food.   

References:

http://www.hdw-inc.com/tinykitten.htm

http://www.kittenbaby.com/

http://www.rescueguide.com/orphkits.html

http://www.feralcat.com/raising.html

Learn more about this author, Monica L. Garrett.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.